Children’s Church at St Nick’s Is Off and Running!

Posted on April 16, 2011 by ginny

We can never be too prepared…this proved so true this past weekend. Unfortunately, the leader of our Children’s Formation for this past Sunday took ill. Blessedly, the ever ready and well trained Val Gruenwald and Benny Delgado stepped in most admirably and led the children in a lively conversation. The Gospel story of Lazarus is a rather complex and delicate subject. Yet, Val and Benny did a wonderful job.

Our Children’s Formation is off and running. We have plenty of room for more youngsters. Bring the family, grand kids and friends…the doors of St. Nicholas are always open.

Father Manny: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Altar

Posted on March 24, 2011 by ginny

A funny thing happened on the way to the altar. No, this is not a Marx Brothers or Laurel and Hardy movie or some tale of long ago. Rather, a little story of what happens when humans go about their business.

At the 4:30 Saturday Liturgy last week, I experienced something I had never before had happen. Oh…I’ve cried and laughed and have even tripped during a Liturgy and blessedly, I’m not the only one to have had these things happen! This time, well, I took it a step further. Though completely and innocently unintentionally…I lost part of my liturgical vestments! Yes, right there at the altar, preparing to offer praise and thanksgiving and accept God’s gifts of bread and wine. I lost it!

As part of the “layers” of vestments worn, a rope, or cord, officially called a cincture which is tied around the waist started to loosen. Try as I may, I couldn’t quite get my hands in and up there enough to tighten the cincture. Obviously, I didn’t tie the cincture tight enough to begin with…some thing I will make doubly sure of doing better and tighter the next time! And then it happened…the cincture which by the time the announcements were being made had slipped to just above my knees began the downward descent…and that’s when I began to get nervous not to mention red-faced and embarrassed. I could have ignored it or pretended nothing was happening. But, honesty is the best policy.

So, I told the congregation that my frustration was not caused by anyone, but rather by the fact I was in the midst of a “wardrobe malfunction.” And, the good nature and humor of the wonderful people of St. Nicholas showed itself, with supportive laughter, I was made to feel that what was about to happen was okay. And just as I was stretching out my arms to begin the Eucharistic Prayer, in the middle of “Lift up your hearts”…down the cincture went, right around my shoes. Lifting up the knotted cord for the church to see…smiles abounded by all in attendance and all was well again!

We’ve all been there before, haven’t we? Figuratively speaking, we’ve all had the “fall from grace,” that stumble or gaffe. And with grace or otherwise, we’ve all managed to overcome that pit fall and move onward and forward.

These most human of events give us pause to consider and take heart in the fact that Jesus was human, too. If Sacred Scripture were a “day by day” account of Jesus’ life, certainly, there would be passages galore that would speak of Jesus’ more human encounters that rightfully would bring a smile to our faces. Imagine, with all due respect to our Savior, a story of Jesus slipping on the stones at the Sea of Galilee? Or just before his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus fumbles over his wording and the crowd lets loose with friendly laughter. Jesus would kick at the sand, laugh quietly to himself and then, with courage and grace, continue with his ministry. Jesus was like us in all things, aside from sin. Thus, he undoubtedly encountered the pit-falls of humanity, the pie-in-the-face moments that we all wish would just go away for good.

Yes. It is comforting to know that our source of salvation could identify with our human frailties and foibles. And it is okay to smile and laugh, occasionally, in the Liturgy, even if it is at the cost of a red-faced presider. St. Nicholas is many things to many people…but certainly, it is a fun place for all of us. We find great joy in the Word which is cherished and celebrated. We find comfort in the company of one another. We are blessed with individual and communal commitments by virtually everyone, to our Church and this community of faith. Reverence is expected, yet humor has its place in the Church, too. We’re human, after all, and we’re bound to experience the full nature of our human condition…this is just fine. After all, Jesus was human, too…

Peace to all.

-Manny

manny AT stnicholasepiscopal.org

(Editor’s note: the webmistress, while transcribing this entry from this week’s News from Nick, burst out laughing as she had not heard of this “malfunction” until now. “Fadda” Manny is priceless!)

St Nick Shout-Outs:

Thanks to:

Bill Kubovy and Marv for installing the cabinets in the storage room.

Karen Martin for the new set of knives for our kitchen.

Those who have volunteered to create our new Children’s Program: Ken Lopez, Val Gruenwald, Donna and Jessica Tamaski, Jay O’Reilly, Tess Setchell and Mary Beth Jarvis.

Our Altar Guild, who do so much, so quietly: Audrey Cannon and Katie Black.

The St. Nicholas Choir and our illustrious Organist/Choirmaster, Mary Fletcher-Gomez for the tremendous work they do to honor God. Last Sunday’s anthem was particularly stirring and moving.

The dedicated congregants of the Saturday afternoon Liturgy, who remain committed and driven and for the beautiful Liturgy provided by all each week.

Ginny Gibbs for reaching out in another way with her Thursday Game Night…for her patience and consideration…here’s to more such events in the future!

Tameica Williams, who has graciously agreed to be assistant to Erlene Forde, our Bursar. God bless you in your counting and adding!

Readings This Sunday: Jesus Proclaims Himself… to a humble Samaritan woman

Posted on March 24, 2011 by ginny

March 27, 2011 – 3rd Sunday in Lent

The Episcopal Church uses the Revised Common Lectionary. When a choice is given for the Old Testament lesson and Psalm, at St. Nicholas we use the first option, or Track 1. More about the Revised Common Lectionary is at this link.

The Gospel

Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, `Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, `I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him.

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, `Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, `One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”