Adult Education: Spring and Summer 2012

In January, Mother Lisa and the people who have come together for Adult Christian Education on Sunday mornings, got together and thought over what might be the next stage of our studies. We have completed the three-year cycle of Gospel readings, and perhaps – we thought – it would be time to do something new.

Background Explored

The something new we agreed upon was to concentrate on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) readings given us each Sunday. But before we could devote our time to the exploration of the Old Testament readings, it would be necessary to provide ourselves with the background that we needed for understanding: context, history, culture, literary, geographic and linguistic information – much as we had originally sought when we looked at the Gospel readings.

So, we decided on several “lenses” to look through in our readings: and each participant that day agreed to be one of the leaders at a specific Sunday. Our “lenses” include: What is the Good News in the Old Testament; what did Jesus know about the Hebrew Scriptures, and such topics as the building of the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures; the archaeology and geography of the Old Testament; the language/s of the Old Testament, and so forth.

Our Leaders

During Lent, the Rev. John Hickey of Seedling Ministries will be leading us through a study of the Prophets. In April and May, Mother Lisa and Sheryl Slocum will look at the Psalms and their various genres, and in June, Jill Littlefield and Mother Lisa will be looking at the Midrash (how the Jewish scholars interpret the Hebrew Scriptures), and topics such as History, Culture, Custom and Context will take us to early July (thank you to leaders, Linda Steiger, Sheryl Slocum, Robert Wilson and Mark Shaw).

If you have any curiosity about all “that stuff” that happened before Jesus came about, come join us on Sunday morning in the lounge at 9:00AM. We love to ask questions about these things, and sometimes even provide some answers!

Gust Olson

Lenten Discipline

My earliest memory of a Lenten discipline involved forgoing meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. I didn’t really understand why our household wasn’t eating meat, and, for a long time, I didn’t know that is was meant to be a sacrifice. If anything, it seemed like a treat because we usually ate fish or shrimp instead, and these were rarities at our table. Later, more at the prompting of my Catholic friends than my Lutheran mother, I went through the process of attempting to give up chocolate or ice cream, but these efforts, again, didn’t involve much spiritual forethought; I was just succumbing to the lunch table norms.

Purpose of sacrifice

It wasn’t until well into my adulthood that I began to ponder the reasoning behind this tradition and concluded that my “sacrifice” was meant to mimic, in some small and superficial way, the sacrifice of Jesus at the end of the Lenten journey. Later I consulted the Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, in his Handbook for the Discipline of Lent. There he asserts that in a Lenten discipline “we focus our lives on Christ's self-sacrificing passion, death and resurrection, which has brought us acceptance, forgiveness and redemption by God. Through that same discipline, we make a loving response to God.” These days I prefer to think of a Lenten discipline, the commitment to take on or give up a specific activity, as a means of bringing me closer to God in some small (or large?) way.

Taking Lenten Discipline Seriously

But where to begin? If I’m truly going to take my Lenten discipline seriously, I feel it needs to be much more intentional than those junior high days of ice cream deprivation. If I give something up, I want it to be something that I’ll miss frequently and significantly enough to give me pause, and, ideally, in that pause I’ll focus on praising God and refocusing my day in Him. If I add an activity to my life, I want it to be meaningful and ultimately lead to more joy and peace, not just become another checkable item on my perpetual to-do list. And so I brainstormed and researched, assembling a list of potential disciplines. Maybe there’s one that will call to you, as well:

· attend more (all?) of the Lenten activities at church – Wednesday night Lenten study, the Sunday School class on the prophets, the couples’ retreat, Holy Week services . . .

· increase church attendance

· pray for a specific person or cause

· devote prayer time to listening for God

· serve in a new way—at church or in the community

· better care for my body/His vessel in some way—exercise, meditation, time outdoors

· try prayer journaling

· visit someone who needs company—a shut-in, the elderly, that neighbor or relative I’ve “been meaning to call”

· work for reconciliation in a relationship

· start (or increase the amount of time) reading the Bible

· choose a specific book of the Bible to read over the course of Lent

· read and pray my way through the Psalms

· replace tv or Facebook or video games with more time for family or service

· go out of my way to do something nice for a friend or stranger on a daily or weekly basis

· give a special monetary gift to the Haitian Relief Fund or some other worthy organization

· organize a clothing drive in my workplace to benefit Red Door Clothes

· read a book that focuses on my spiritual growth, Max Lucado’s He Chose the Nails or He Still Moves Stones

· give up some form of food that doesn’t benefit me (top contender: candy or soda)

· spend intentional time enjoying and appreciating His creation in nature on a regular basis

· consciously slow down the pace of my life

· attempt to turn anxiety/worry into prayer

Loving Response to God

With Ash Wednesday looming in front of me, I still have not yet finalized my decision, and by the time you’re reading this, Lent will be well underway. If you have not taken on a Lenten discipline this year and still feel called to it, don’t fret about “being behind”. Remember that the original purpose of this practice is to make a “loving response to God” and intentionally find a way to bring yourself closer to God. And that goal, I’m happy to say, doesn’t have a deadline. Lent gives us “an excuse” to try something new in our perpetual, life-long journey of deepening our relationship with our Savior, but one of the amazing things about having an omnipresent God is that He’s always there, tending to us, waiting for us, and celebrating our desire to know Him better. May that knowledge bring you joy and peace and propel you forward into a holy Lent.

Susan Wilson

Who Are You Going To Invite?

Recently at a vestry meeting Mtr. Lisa used a check-in question that still resounds with me, which was something like: What are you going to do at St. James during Lent, and who are you going to invite? Everybody on the vestry had the opportunity to respond, and it was heartwarming.

So what about you? What are you doing at St. James during Lent? As we are now in the season of Lent, you may have already started a ‘Lenten discipline.’ You know, kinda like a New Year’s resolution, only with a focus on growing/strengthening your faith. People often talk about giving something up for Lent. Some will mention that they take on something. Hopefully all of us have some type of focus on our faith during Lent: denial of self to follow Christ. This is a major emphasis of the season, and has been a faith tradition for centuries.

So what about you? Whom are you going to invite? While determining a Lenten discipline may not be easy, you may find it much more difficult to invite others to join you at St. James for the worship and/or fellowship and/or service opportunities that we have. After all, isn’t your faith something just between you and God?

Prayer

Perhaps you should consider the following quote from one of the Cowley Fathers (Society of St. John the Evangelist – SSJE, in Cambridge, MA):

You’ll notice that what we call the Lord’s Prayer is in first person plural, not first person singular. We don’t begin the prayer by saying, “My Father in heaven.” Nor do we pray, “Give me today my daily bread.” Our Father; our bread. Our relationship with God is quite personal, but it is not private. 

–Br. Curtis Almquist

This is why we go to St. James – we call it “community.” Our worship, our fellowship, our service, our faith: these are all very personal to us. And we are called to share. As we mature as Christians we transition our focus in faith from the self to the other.

Re-start your Faith

Lent is a wonderful time to ‘re-start’ and ‘re-fresh’ our faith, however strong or weak it may be. The first part of the check-in question from the vestry meeting is an invitation to each of us. You are invited to a number of opportunities at St. James for worship, fellowship, and service. Bring yourself! The second part of the check-in question is also an invitation to each of us. Bring someone (or multiple people) with you to share in your faith, as God calls you to do.

Deacon Terry Garner

Retreat For Couples

The Romance of Our Hearts and Souls with God

For those of us that are in relationship, whether for eight days or 80 years, please plan to join us for a couples retreat. This is for any and all couples looking to broaden and deepen our relationship with Jesus and with each other. Come and spend a day in Lent to share some together time with Christ.

When: Saturday, March 3, 2012, from 9:00AM – 4:00PM

Where: St. James Parish House – come to the east Parish House doors and ring the bell on the left side of the door

What: Bring yourselves and open hearts; food and beverages will be provided

Cost: Suggested donation of $5 per person

Who: Minimum of five couples – bring your partner and have some fun as well as discussion and quiet time

How: Register with Donna Holmes in the parish office: stjamesmilwaukee@aol.com

We want to make this available for all, so if you need child care for the day, let us know and we will provide for that. And do not let the cost be an issue to not attend, either.  If you have any questions, please contact Dcn. Terry or Mtr. Lisa.

Haitian Coffee Sale

I am pleased to report that St. James parishioners supported the Haiti Project this year by purchasing $316.00 worth of wonderful “Singing Rooster” coffee. Anyone who has not picked up his or her coffee should see me after church on Sunday – we still have the coffee and I am still collecting payment.

Special to Haiti
The coffee project is special because it is part of helping Haitians help themselves and rebuild their agriculture, which has been damaged by both natural disasters and misguided political and economic meddling from outside Haiti. While we put on a coffee sale once a year, anyone reading this who wishes to organize a sale or just buy at least 12 bags of coffee can contact the coffee project directly via www.singingrooster.org. You will reach the very efficient Molly Nicaise, fill out the forms, send payment, and receive the coffee within 48 hours. Both the coffee and its distribution have improved since the beginning of this project!

The Singing Rooster coffee project is an offshoot of our larger efforts to partner with Haiti through the Episcopal Diocese. For almost 30 years, we have had a sponsor relationship with St. Marc’s Parish in Jeanette, Haiti. The parish runs a school and many Episcopalians sponsor children at the school. There are also working visits to Jeanette organized through our Diocese and the Diocese of Eau Claire. To learn more, to participate, or to contribute, please visit www.HaitiProject.org.

Rebuilding and Rejuvenation
This is a time of rebuilding and rejuvenation both in Haiti generally and at St. Marc’s in particular. It is two
years since the January 2010 earthquake. Haiti has a new president who says he is committed to economic
development, and St. Marc’s has a new Priest, Pere Wisnel. This is a very welcome development, and I hope everyone reading this will visit the Haiti Project website and become informed about and involved with this ministry of our Diocese.

Lucy Cooper

Fat Tuesday Celebration

I love breakfast food. I savor the syrup-collecting pockets in blueberry waffles and I jump at the opportunity to make French Toast with orange zest and cinnamon. But nothing is better than stack of hot, glorious pancakes! Fond memories of my childhood often include a Sunday afternoon with mom’s Bisquick pancakes, regular Aunt Jemima syrup, plenty of butter (good German roots on the Schnell side of the family!), sausage links, and a big glass of cold milk.

My love of pancakes gets me salivating over the pancake dinner on Shrove Tuesday, coming up on February 21. “Shrove” is a lesser-known English word meaning “to confess our sins and to do penance for them”. It’s appropriate that we enter into Lent on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday with the right mindset. At some point in history, human weakness dictated that a somber Lent should be preceded by indulgence; in other words, bring on festivities and rich food! Christians claimed they were just avoiding waste and “using it all up” before the fasting began. Right! This celebration led to Shrove Tuesday being better known by the name “Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras” in French. Traditionally, meat, eggs, milk, and sugar were ingredients that people abstained from eating during Lent. Therefore, the meal most associated with Fat Tuesday is pancakes and sausage!

Let’s celebrate! We are going to have a Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday Celebration at St. James Church on Tuesday, February 21st at 6:00PM. There will be eating, celebrating, and playing games in the Parish House downstairs (The Gathering space). All ages are welcome! Please consider signing up for the cooking crew or the cleaning crew, or donating a few dollars to offset the cost of the meal! This will be a joyous and delicious way to come together as a community and celebrate before the season of Lent begins.

Robert Wilson

Shine Your Light

The season of Epiphany lasts for seven Sundays this year. I write this year because the length of the season changes every year, as the date for Easter changes. In the season of Epiphany, light is everywhere in our worship: scripture, prayers, music. We celebrate during this season, because Jesus, the light of the world, has come into our midst.

Together, we sing about light,

“I want to walk as a child of the Light, 

I want to follow Jesus. 

God set the stars to give light to the world, 

the Star of my life is Jesus.”

 

Together we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is upon you.”

How do you walk as a child of the light? How do you shine? How do we shine our light together?

A few years ago, I heard a great lecture on shining our lights. The teacher started out by handing us all a picture of a lighthouse. She said, “You are the lighthouse.”

What does a lighthouse do? A lighthouse is firmly planted on the shore, and shines light into a body of water. The light helps others to navigate, to see where there is safe passage or rocky terrain. The light may be a comfort in a storm or hope in the darkness. The lighthouse works best when on solid foundation, and when the light is shining through is not distorted (or blocked) by a soiled lamp. Those who maintain a lighthouse know the importance of keeping the lamp clean and the building on solid foundation.

So, if we are the lighthouse: How are we shining? What might be muddying up our lens? Are we firmly planted in Jesus?

In this season of Epiphany, let’s continue to shine the light of Christ brightly! Later this month, as we move
into the season of Lent (starting on Ash Wednesday, February 22), let’s examine our lens, and ask God to cleanse it so that others may see the light of Christ shining brightly through us. 

It is my great joy and privilege to shine my light with you,

The Rev. Lisa Saunders+

Christmas for our Homeless Neighbors

On December 17, Jesus in all His glory was in the house at St. James, as a multitude of His servants arrived, starting at 8:00AM to serve the homeless in our central city area.

Red Door Clothes served about 130 adults and provided clothes for 45 kids, in an atmosphere of joy. In the kids’ area was a long pew filled to overflowing with stuffed animals and dolls which was emptied, but for a couple of scraggly dogs at closing.

At 11:00AM, the doors of the main church opened to receive those who had come for The Gathering’s Christmas dinner. They were greeted by singers and instrumentalists from The Gathering’s board, St. Mark, and St. James, leading carols. Believe me, you knew Jesus was in the house as you heard our guests singing carols joined by a scattering of members of St. James in the audience.

The Gathering served 330 people a full Christmas meal that day, with a crew of volunteers from a Methodist church in Greenfield.

As the guests left, Sundries at The Gathering were on hand with the usual sundries, plus special items and goodie bags. One hundred and eighty-seven were served that day.

Thanks to the many servers who were on hand at Red Door Clothes, caroling, and Sundries.

Deacon Ned Howe

Walk With Me

Often when I arrive or am leaving St. James, I see someone out on the wall that is on my “nagging list.” I greet them saying, “Walk with me.” The walking may be short or long, depending on the person talking. It is a time for me to be silent and listen. It can be a time for me to question or praise or nag. Sometimes a referral is suggested. It is always a time to reinforce the person as a person and to remind him where the power is.

Leading up to that walk and conversation, at some time past, had been a meeting and encounter at some activity at St. James that made the person feel welcome and led to an initial conversation. This is not unlike what happens when someone enters our church for their first time. We greet them with love. We make certain they are comfortable with all the stuff we give them at the door. We follow up at fellowship to make sure they feel welcome and meet our family.

All the above is right on as far as it goes. We have welcomed them into the family we call St. James. We have then just begun to take our walk with this person. Our walk must now lead to the presence of Christ.

There is an old hymn that talks about walking with Jesus. It goes something like this: and He walked with me and He talked with me, and He told me I was his own… If we are icons of Jesus, then we can take this walk with those who come seeking a new way of life. If we ask our new friend to walk with us, we open the opportunity to share our love of Jesus. We offer our presence to help them into their own journey to Jesus.

Walk with me: tell me what you are seeking. I’m here to listen. What is your heart telling you. How can we help? Walk with me: let me share my walk with you. Let me share with you how having Jesus in my life has changed my life. Walk with me: I will bring you together with other members of our St. James family who will share with you and walk with you.

Walk with us and together we will do those things Jesus would have us do, serving in His name. Walk with us and be a part of feeding the hungry at the Gathering or clothing the needy at Red Door Clothes, or aiding with means of hygiene at Sundries. Or be present at the burial of those without family as representatives of Jesus by our presence so they are not alone.

You may want to walk with us in one of the myriad of activities that bring together our family at Sunday Eucharist. As we walk together serving Jesus in these many ways, we find ourselves growing closer to Jesus. We find ourselves feeling His love every time a guest says thank you or God bless you or just gives a big smile. For some of them, saying those words or showing a smile may be a big step out of the lonely world they exist in. This sharing is for me the ultimate proof of the love of Jesus in my life. Walking together we all can experience this love and grow stronger knowing it all comes from Jesus.

Any time I say, “Walk with me,” I never know what the result may be that particular time. Experience shows me that the important part is asking the question. In doing so, we have opened a door. What follows comes from Jesus.

Remember the words of Jesus to the fishermen: follow me. It remains the same today. We ask, Walk with me, so together we can follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Deacon Ned Howe

Vestry Notes for December 2011

St. James’ Vestry met for the first time under the leadership of our Rector, Lisa Saunders, on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. We enjoyed the new configuration of the lounge as a place to meet and be with each other, but more especially the presence and direction Mother Lisa provided.

Format Change
Our format has changed slightly, though it begins, after opening prayer, as previously, with a check-in as to where the various members find themselves. We were guided by an agenda that comprised the following sections: Formation (check-in and meeting format); Information (approval of minutes, items that have arisen as a general rector’s report, reports from the deacons and wardens, other reports); Discussion (a single topic each meeting inviting general comment rather than a decision); and Decision (items necessary for decisions, Treasurer’s report, this month the proposed budget to be presented at the Annual Meeting). As always, the meeting ended with a closing prayer, delivered by Deacon Terry.

Highlights of the Meeting
Information highlights included preparation for the Christmas services, announcement of the January 19th singalong “Sound of Music” at 6:00PM, and the possibility of having social work interns helping with our various outreach programs and grant-writing.

All in all, it was a generous, loving, and prayerful meeting: a positive move into St. James’ future with Mother Lisa.

Gust Olson