Published by and for The Members and Friends of
St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal Church

April, 2009 - Vol. 40, No. 04 - Archive - Search

Holy Week and Easter Schedule Holy Week and Easter are the holiest days of the Christian year. During those days, we go in spirit up to Jerusalem with Jesus, to suffer and die with him that we might also rise with him to new life. Our schedule for that week is as follows: Sunday, April 5th at 8 and 10:30 a.m. : Palm Sunday Thursday, April 9th at 7:30 p.m. : Maundy Thursday Friday, April 10th at 12 noon and 7:30 p.m. : Good Friday Liturgy and Confessions Saturday, April 11th at 7:30 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter Returns (at an earlier hour) Sunday, April 12th: Easter Egg Hunt (9:45 a.m.) and Worship (10:30 a.m.)

Washing Each Other's Feet: Overcoming Our Fears About Doing It
by Gretchen Haight
Some years at St. A's, members of the clergy have washed parishioners' feet; other years, we've washed each other's feet. In John 13, there's precedent for both: Jesus washes the feet of the disciples, setting an example of servanthood which gets reenacted in the clergy's washing our feet. Yet afterwards, Jesus says to his disciples, "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." MORE…

Foot Washing as a Sacramental Act
by The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy
Sacraments (from the Latin sacre or sacred) are defined by the catechism as "outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace." (BCP pg. 857). Helpful, huh? In simpler terms, this means that God takes ordinary physical things – bread, wine, water, hands- and uses them to impart God's abiding presence and power. Thus invisible realities are transmitted through visible means. MORE…

Presiding Bishop Urges Action to End Lord's Resistance Army Attacks
Reprint from the Episcopal News Service
by Matthew Davies, January 29, 2009
In a January 29 statement, the Presiding Bishop asks Episcopalians to do four things: learn more about the crisis and educate others; email the White House and urge President Barack Obama to work with international leaders to bring an end to the LRA's activity; contribute to Episcopal Relief and Development, whose programs in the region help to provide humanitarian aid; and "pray frequently for the people of central and eastern Africa who are or have been victims of the LRA." MORE…

St Augustine Books Adds Fair Trade Products to Its Inventory
by Marla Murphy, St. Augustine Books by-the-Sea Buyer
Thank you for supporting Fair Trade throughout the world.
GHANA-Divine Chocolate Bars, SWAZILAND-Lime Marmalade, PERU-Organic Chocolate Covered Brazil Nuts and Organic Brazil Nut Oil, WHITE EARTH RESERVATION-Pure Maple Syrup, ISRAEL/PALESTINE-Extra Virgin Olive Oil, PLUS MORE … MORE…

Reading About Jesus Again (for the last time?): An Invitation to a Book Discussion
by The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy
The heading for this article is a bit obscure I suppose. It's a parody on the title of Marcus Borg's best known book on Jesus called Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. The opening words to the preface on one of his latest books Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary begins with these words: "This may be the last comprehensive book about Jesus that I write. I do not imagine that it is my last book on topics related to Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. But it may be my last attempt to treat the "whole" of the story of Jesus as a figure of history who became Christianity's Lord."… MORE…

Launch of a Very Special Ship
by Mindy Staley
SHIP, which stands for Santa Monica Humanitarian Interfaith Partnership is made up of four local churches and one synagogue, specifically: First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica; First United Methodist of Santa Monica; St. Paul's Lutheran Church; Santa Monica Synagogue and St. Augustine by-the-Sea. Peter Haight and I are the "SHIPmates" from St. A's. At the suggestion of the Clergy who had been meeting with each other for sometime, representatives from each of these organizations came together about a year ago, with the intent of sponsoring a Habitat for Humanity build here in Santa Monica. MORE…

A Reflection on Hope With Sudan as a Covenant Community
by The Rev. Jerry Drino
I have been reflecting on the meaning of the Sudanese in my life and the energy that has been released creating a vision of a future borne out of the suffering of children, youth and adults. I have been reading Jonathan Sacks' book, The Home We Build Together: Recreating Society. For me this is an immensely important book that I encourage everyone to read. At the heart of his thinking in the biblical core principle of society as being a conscious act of new beginnings. MORE

Foot Washing During Lent: The Ick Factor
by Lorri Shundich
Not long ago, at an Altar Guild dinner, the issue of foot washing came up. Specifically, the Holy Week service at St. A's during which the clergy wash the feet of worshippers. Hartshorn said that fewer worshippers were participating in the foot washing every year. I admitted that I was one of those people who shuddered at the thought of it. We had a discussion and later Hartshorn asked me to write the "con" side of foot washing. So here goes… MORE

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