Holy Innocents and St Columba Episcopal Churches

Family Mass Sunday April 3

The monthly Family Mass will be this Sunday at St Columba at 9:15am. Children will be given jobs to do during the service, such as carrying something in procession, so please try to arrive by about 9:00 or so if you'd like your child to assist.

This is a good "starter" service for anyone, as it's a more relaxed and informal celebration of the Eucharist. The regular morning Eucharist at St Columba will be at 8:20am, and is a quiet and simple service.

The photo gallery with images from previous Family Mass services is here.

He Is Risen, Alleluia, Alleluia

The strife is o'er, the battle won, the Easter eggs have mostly been found. Alleluia!

Pictures from this morning's festival Eucharist of Easter at St Columba have been posted on the new gallery photo pages for both parishes. More photos are being added so please stop by and vote for your favorites.

The New Fire was kindled last night outside the door of Holy Innocents, and the flames leapt up from the brazier and shone into the darkened sanctuary. The Paschal candle was lit, and then as the altar party processed through the door, light came into the church. Gradually, the light was passed from candle to candle held by all members of the congregation, and the first half of the service continued by candlelight.

The songs of exaltation were sung, the many readings were read, and in the end the Resurrection was proclaimed. All went away filled with spiritual food. As there was a reception after the service downstairs, everyone also went away filled with actual food, and there was even a cake shaped like a lamb.

At one point during a hymn there was a small disaster; the large Paschal candle fell off its stand to the floor with a crash. The music continued. After a short but intense pause, the people sitting closest to the spot moved quietly and purposefully into action, since the altar party were pretty far away and something needed to be done to make things right. One lifted the candle up carefully and tenderly and helped the acolytes fix it more securely into the stand. Others quickly swept up the broken glass (the candle was topped with a follower which shattered when it fell). They all did what needed to be done quietly and efficiently, like a well-rehearsed damage control team, and got things put right just before the music ended.

It seemed like a metaphor for when things go wrong; sometimes with even the most carefully choreographed plans, they will go awry... but someone quite unexpected will be there, see the need, and offer assistance. Aside from the loss of the follower, it was actually quite moving to witness.

There was much laughter and gladness after the service (and not a little relief from those of us in the choir), and jokes about various small disasters that have occurred during the Triduum. No one really took my suggestion seriously that we should make them all annual traditions, but they certainly made this year one to remember.

The Blessing Of The Easter Baskets: Gentlekids, Start Your Engines

This morning's festival Eucharist at St Columba was a joyful celebration; not only were the pews packed with people of all ages, there was an Easter egg hunt immediately after the service, all around the grounds of St Columba.

The service was conducted similar to a Family Mass - children were given jobs such as carrying a small processional cross (topped for the occasion with Easter lilies) or torches or the Gospel. Some children wore special robes, some did not. All helped make the Easter celebration special and fun.

At the end of the service, all the children were invited forward to have their Easter baskets blessed - some didn't have baskets, but were given flowered fabric bags they could sling over one shoulder. There were one or two adults who also came forward to have baskets blessed. Then they were invited to join the procession out at the end of the service, which put them in "post position" at the door of the church, waiting for the checkered flag.

The littler ones were allowed a head start, and then the larger ones were released to run around looking for one of 200 or so candy and plastic eggs that had been scattered and hidden all over the lawns and in the trees. All the children but one headed off in the same direction, and one little boy had the entire front lawn and all its candy to himself for a while until the others caught on. However, there were plenty of eggs for everybody. It turned out that the children with flowered bags had an advantage, because the eggs tended to bounce out of the baskets, causing their owners to have to stop and retrieve their lost candy. Still, nobody really came up short, and some were quite successful. According to some watchful and suspiciously knowledgeable adults, not all the eggs were found.

There's always next year.

Re-joice Now, Heav'n-ly Hosts And Choirs Of An-gels

This is the night, when all who believe in Christ are delivered from the gloom of sin, and are restored to grace and holiness of life.

The preparations are nearly done; the feast is being prepared. All has been made ready for the Vigil tonight at Holy Innocents. The people will enter the darkened church and take hand-candles and find their way to their seats - no mean feat in the "gloom of sin." Families have gathered from near and far, and young people have come home from school to help serve at the altar or carry torches in procession. Earlier today, there was an air of expectation as the altar party worked out their route and the ladies of the Altar Guild arranged spring flowers and Easter lilies around the altar and re-laid the Coronation altar cloth, which has been stored away since the beginning of Lent.

The service begins at 8:00pm, and a reception will follow downstairs - everyone brings finger foods to share and many other good things to eat. Tonight is the main celebration of Easter at Holy Innocents.

Tomorrow morning, Easter Sunday, there will be a festival Easter Eucharist at St Columba at 10:00 am, and no morning service at Holy Innocents.

Good Friday Liturgy at St Columba

The Good Friday Liturgy will be tonight at St Columba at 7:00pm. The entrance to the parking lot is west of Barrington Road on Irving Park Road, just beyond Brown's Chicken.

The Reproaches

One of the special pieces the choir will be singing tonight is called "O My People (The Reproaches)" by Damian Lundy. The music is modern, but the text is very old.

The chocolates, by the way, were beyond reproach.

Maundy Thursday

What is "Maundy" Thursday? We celebrate it tonight at Holy Innocents at 7:00 pm.

Father Ted will wash the feet of one of the Bishop's Committee members, who will then in turn stay and wash the feet of another, who will then in turn wash the feet of another, and so on... we will serve one another with humility until all who wish it have had their feet washed. Please don't feel shy about coming forward; this rite is an ancient and honorable one that stems from the some of the oldest traditions of hospitality in the Middle East.

The service of Maundy Thursday footwashing is "the oldest observance peculiar to Holy Week." Maundy is an obsolete word that is closely related to the modern words "command" and "mandate." It commemorates the new commandment of Christ for us to drink the wine and eat the bread in remembrance of Him. It also reminds us of the obligation of a spiritual or temporal leader to serve the people.

In England, Maundy Thursday is observed with a ceremony of penance and charity by the reigning monarch - earlier today, Queen Elizabeth II made a public appearance to hand out a small and symbolic payment in a tradition dating back to Edward I :

To reflect the Queen's age on her next birthday, 79 men and 79 women received 79p in silver Maundy coins contained in a white leather purse.

The Ceremony of the Royal Maundy dates back to Edward I - previously the monarch would wash poor people's feet.

Maundy Thursday is remembered by Christians as being the time when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. - Queen's Maundy Money Observance

After the footwashing and final celebration of the Eucharist, the consecrated elements of communion will be processed to The Altar of Repose. The main altar will be silently stripped of its furnishings. Then a vigil will be held until midnight. Each half-hour is "covered" in prayer by a specific person, but many of Holy Innocents' parishioners that attend tonight will just stay and remain in contemplation until the service ends, at midnight.

Tomorrow, there will be Stations of the Cross at Holy Innocents at noon, and the Good Friday Liturgy will be at 7pm at St Columba.

The Art of Faith

Clip Art for Year C by Steve Erspamer

The clip art used on our bulletins is taken from these books. I ran across the artist's name when I was reading a popular blog called Real Live Preacher, where the art is used really effectively.

Stations of the Cross

A service of Stations of the Cross will be held at Holy Innocents on Good Friday, March 25th at noon.

Palms and Psalms And Passion And Sorrow

Today's Palm Sunday service came off a little differently than I thought; instead of walking around the outside of the church, singing "All Glory Laud And Honor" while trying to stay on key and at the same tempo, we stayed inside. There were several good reasons for staying inside - there were several parishioners who really didn't need to go traipsing around in the cold for health reasons, first day of Spring notwithstanding. Also, have you ever tried to sing "All Glory Laud And Honor" outdoors while hopping from tussock to tussock in dress shoes on a damp tundra? Unless everybody stays bunched up, you can't hear anyone else, and the results are "less than optimal" musically.

But there was an unexpected bonus this morning. Just before we gathered everyone for the Liturgy of the Palms, Father Ted asked Linda Milner if she could have the church school children scatter palm leaves one by one during the procession, as the kids would all be in a bunch at the end. They were to take whatever leaves were left on the table after they were blessed, and after everyone else had picked up a palm leaf to carry.

The blessing went off normally, and we started off on a circular route from the door across the front of the altar, and then around the edges of the sanctuary, singing loudly. We had enough people, once everyone got moving, for the altar party to catch up to the group of church school kids, who were enthusiastically strewing palm leaves every few feet.

Then it appeared that we were all in a great unbroken circle, singing and waving palms and endlessly traveling together on the palm-strewn road to Jerusalem. At last, we were able to do this difficult and triumphal hymn justice from beginning to end, without getting "imbrangled."

I just wish I could say the same about the sung psalm. I thought I had it, but the pitches eluded me in the clutch.

"Why, what evil has he done?"

The reading of the Gospel for Palm Sunday went off with a bang - following long tradition the speaking parts were distributed among a number of people. All the first-timers did very well and projected their voices stongly - we'll probably never stage a full-on Passion Play, but we're good at reading parts.

I complimented this year's "Pilate" on his portrayal, as he managed somehow to make the governor of Judea sound like a bored bureaucratic paper-pusher trying to deal with a troublesome problem, and finding a way to make it somebody else's responsibilty.

The Gospel always ends with the Crucifixion, so in a way it anticipates the events that are played out on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We started in triumph, and we ended in grief. As the choir assembled to practice the special music for the upcoming services, the Altar Guild and servers draped all the images and statues with purple mourning cloths, and hung the white backdrop over at the side where the Altar of Repose will be. Thursday night, it will become for a while the Tomb, floating in a sea of white Easter lilies. Every white candle we've got will be burning for the Vigil.

So now, we wait.

Palm Sunday Tomorrow

This photo is from Palm Sunday 2003; that's our previous vicar, The Rev. Marion Kanour, in the scarlet cope. Rather than traipse around the entire building over the frozen tundra that is the church lawn, we opted that year to stick to the sidewalk that runs on 2 sides of the building. It was much easier on everybody's shoes and less disruptive to the singing.

Tomorrow we'll process with palms and glad singing, and then during the service the drama of the Passion is staged with readers. So we start with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and we end with the fury of the crowd and the indifference of the secular authorities.

The liturgical color for the day changes from purple (mourning, penitence) to scarlet (Passion, triumph) and then often switches back to purple or even black. At one parish I attended years ago, the choir had colored tabards in all the liturgical colors - they were double-sided for reasons of economy. The scarlet one had a black reverse, and on Palm Sunday they used to quietly slip off the tabards and turn them over to the black side at the point in the service when Jesus arrives at Golgotha. It was quite unnerving.

The drama will play itself out tomorrow and later this week as it does every year at Eastertide. Will you be there...?

Next Via Media: April 5th - "Sin"

Via Media is a powerful resource for building Christian community, bringing people into the Church who previously have felt alienated or unwelcome. Our Church stands on the threshold of a marvelous evangelism opportunity, and the actions of General Convention 2003d the door. Via Media is the resource we need tothe door even wider and keep itfor all who seek the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The next Via Media Lenten program resumes on Tuesday, April 5th at 6:30pm at Holy Innocents (after Holy Week and Easter Week). The simple supper of soup, bread, and salad will be hosted by St Columba. The next topic under discussion will be Sin. That ought to be a lively topic!

This past week's discussion on "The Bible" ranged widely and enjoyably as everyone responded to the video, which this week featured two members of the Episcopal clergy who are also bloggers: AKMA, and Susan Russell.

There was much discussion of "the three-legged stool" of Anglican theology, where Scripture, Tradition and Reason are the legs that support our faith. This time, participants were given homework... which I've just remembered is one of those "things left undone" that will have to be tackled later.

Please try to make some time to come to the next Via Media meeting if you're in the area, it's an interesting and thought-provoking program, and the soup is good too.

The Scent Of Jesus

My supervisor at work mentioned this yesterday, and I couldn't figure out what she was talking about: something about a scented candle that smells like Jesus. We joked around at the end of the day, speculating that Jesus would actually smell like sawdust, the dust of the road, wine, bread, olive oil, old sandals... and blood.

But then I ran across it in another Episcopal blog and a well known "tech/culture" blog, and realized it was, incredibly, a real product:

Now there's a candle that lets you experience the scent of Jesus, and they've been selling out by the case.

"We see it as a ministry, " says Bob Tosterud, who together with his wife came up with the idea for the candle.

Light up the candle called "His Essence" and its makers say you'll experience the fragrance of Christ.

Bob Tosterud and wife Karen say the formula is all spelled out in Psalm 45.

"It's a Messianic Psalm referring to when Christ returns and his garments will have the scent of myrrh, aloe and cassia," says Karen Tosterud.

Interesting, I would have thought it was a reference to King David, but that's the beauty of metaphor.

The candles are sold via a website and they've sold more than 10,000 so far. The lines from the Psalm that inspired this product are

Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, *
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom;
you love righteousness and hate iniquity.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you *
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, *
and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.

Candles are important in our worship - there is a Presence light that burns perpetually in the sanctuary, and there are smaller votive candles in stands on either side. One side is devoted to Mary, with a small prie-dieu (kneeling stand) next to it. The other side is devoted to remembering the dead. During worship there are often a pair of torches that accompany the Gospel in procession.

On Maundy Thursday, a week from today, the Presence light will be taken from its normal position just to the right of the Tabernacle (the small gated enclosed cupboard behind the altar) and moved over to the side altar next to the remembrance votives, and the entire area will be dressed as an Altar of Repose, all in white and surrounded by lilies and other candles.

At Easter, a Paschal candle will be baptized by dipping it in the font, and nails will be pressed into it to form a cross. Candles don't just symbolize Christ for us, they often stand in for Him. Although ours aren't scented, the incense that we occasionally burn will have to do.

Anglicans Online: Essay

Sunday's essay from the Anglicans Online main page is worth saving - they archive by date, but not by title. It addresses the tension between the ends of the spiritual spectrum in the Anglican Communion. Click the "More..." link for the full text.

Link: Anglicans Online | The online centre of the Anglican / Episcopal world

Hallo again to all.

The lines below are from a long-forgotten play*. They occur in a dialogue between Thomas (he of the doubts) and Saul (he of the pre-Damascus Road, still persecuting Christians).

Saul: It is easy to sneer at what you do not believe!

Thomas: Sneer is a harsh word. It is not so easy to be hot and cold at once, to be devoted and intelligent, to trust God and keep your mind dry. But we do what we can. Please God the Holy Ghost will always let people like me hover between the dogmatists and their victims. Faith is a great danger and a great temptation; one can be more wholly oneself in the name of faith than in the name of anything else.

Saul: Atheist! Prostitutes and atheists and drunkards — these are the disciples of Jesus.

Thomas: Say 'lovers and logicians and the common people', and it sounds quite different. The truth lies between the two … it is only a dead faith that is abusive.

'It is only a dead faith that is abusive'. That sentence has been rattling round our heads all week, as we ponder the dyspeptic state of the Anglican Communion at present. There is much that would pass for abuse being lobbed back and forth between dioceses, provinces, primates and a few thousand other interested parties. Of course much is elegant abuse, without an expletive in sight. But there is much cold anger, much turbulent emotion, and much that is, we suspect, not radiant with the love of Our Lord in everything from email lists to talking heads.

None of this is, perhaps, surprising. It is human, and we live in a fallen world. But if we claim to be Christian, shouldn't our disagreements be, in some way, different in kind from the spirit animating the angry missives on Letters to the Editor pages? Shouldn't the world be able to discern a difference in the quality of our disputes from those of the secular world? We should like to think that it would be possible for the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the USA and the Bishop of Nigeria one day to exchange a brotherly embrace. If they cannot — if any of us who deeply disagree on whatever matters cannot — what does that say about our faith? 'It is only a dead faith that is abusive'.

Striving to hold a higher standard for Christian disagreement doesn't mean 'making nice' — another name for hypocrisy — but it does mean that we are called to a deeper self-emptying love. A vaster fund of patience. A willingness to understand that when one person sees the followers of Jesus as 'prostitutes and atheists and drunkards', another sees those same followers as 'lovers and logicians and common people'.

There are serious issues on which people throughout the Anglican Communion disagree. We realise that they might be matters over which we may eventually divide, for we may reach the point where we conclude they are a clash of absolutes. But if it comes to that, would it not be better for the world to view the unhinging of the Communion as a spectacle of deep sorrow rather than bitter anger? 'It is only a dead faith that is abusive'.

It's a sobering thought, as we move inexorably towards Holy Week.

See you next week.

Cynthia McFarland
cmcf
Brian Reid
reid
Last updated: 13 March 2005
URL: http://anglicansonline.org

*Terror of Light, by Charles Williams. Our admiration of the Blessed Charles Williams is obvious; we hope our readers will excuse us for drawing from him frequently.

Holy Week And Easter - The Triduum

Lent concludes at the beginning of the Maundy Thursday Liturgy. The Maundy Thursday Liturgy, the Good Friday Liturgy, and the Easter Vigil/Easter Day Liturgies all together are actually one liturgical observance called the Triduum (Three-day celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ). Our celebration of the Resurrection finds its most full expression when we together walk with our Lord through the events of Holy Week.

Maundy Thursday: washing the feet of his disciples. Jesus instituting the Holy Eucharist at his Last Supper. Watching with Jesus in the garden.

Good Friday: Standing with Jesus before Pilate. Walking the way of the cross with Jesus. Standing with Jesus at the Cross. Watching as his body is taken down, wrapped in a shroud, and carried to the tomb.

Holy Saturday: Waiting

Easter Vigil and Easter Day: The Lord is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Please make every effort to join our yoked congregations in each of the services of Holy Week and Easter, so that we might together celebrate the fullness of the Resurrection.

Faithfully,

Fr. Ted

Holy Week Schedule of Services

You don't have to stop thinking when you walk into church. Come experience an atmosphere where faith and thought come together in a spirit of fellowship.

Palm Passion Sunday March 20th

St Columba at 820am, Holy Innocents at 10:30am

Lessons

Procession and Liturgy of the Palms

Maundy Thursday March 24

Holy Innocents at 7pm

Lessons
Eucharist with footwashing and Vigil. There will be a sign-up sheet posted for parishioners to cover each half-hour of the Vigil.

After the celebration of the Eucharist, the Reserved Sacrament, symbolic of the Body and Blood of Christ, will be processed to a side altar for a solemn Vigil of Repose. At the conclusion of the Vigil, the candles are extinguished, the flowers are taken away, and the altar is stripped in token of grief and mourning. In the end, all is silence.

This rite is part of the Sacred Triduum of the season of Holy Week and Easter. Keep watch with us, in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection.

Good Friday Liturgy, March 25th

St Columba at 7pm

Lessons

The Reserved Sacrament is distributed for Communion, as there is no celebration of the Eucharist on this day.

Also a part of the Triduum, one's first Good Friday service in the Episcopal Church can be unnerving. Many fast for the entire day. Old, old hymns and chants are sung, and sound like funeral dirges. The feeling of sorrow or grief is tempered by hope, however.

The Great Vigil of Easter, with the kindling of New Fire

Holy Innocents SATURDAY March 26th at 8pm

Lessons
In this, the first Festival Eucharist of the Easter Season, we go from darkness and silence to Light and joyful rejoicing as the New Fire is kindled and the words of the Exsultet are chanted.

In some Episcopal churches, the Vigil takes place on Saturday night, and the Rite of the New Fire is part of a pre-dawn service Sunday morning, with the coming of the Light into the world time to coincide with dawn. In the early days of the church, of course, the Vigil simply went all night. In these modern times, the services are combined into one late on Holy Saturday, the final day in the Sacred Triduum.

There will be no Sunday morning service at Holy Innocents, but there will be a Festival Eucharist at St Columba.

Easter Sunday, March 27th - Festival Eucharist

St Columba, 10am

Lessons

A Festival Eucharist at St Columba's is a special event! We hope to have a choir in addition to organ music for this service. If you like to sing and have been too shy to show up at choir practice, please feel free to lift up your voice with us on this bright and glorious day of Resurrection.

Will You Listen?

A selection from an Episcopal priest's blog that appears on many "favorites" lists:

The bishops have repeatedly called us to listen and dialogue. When we debate, we are listening only for those parts that we can use to make our case. When we dialogue, we are seeking to understand the other person's experience. We don't have to agree with it. We don't pass any judgement on it. We quiet our own internal chatter and attempt to be fully present to the other person.

Are we willing to do this? Let's try. - Father Jake Stops The World

Via Media

The Via Media Lenten program continues on Tuesday, March 15th, with a program entitled "The Bible." This week it will be at St Columba, and the supper will be hosted by Holy Innocents.

If you haven't been able to attend one of the Via Media programs, take some time out of your busy week and drop by for some soup, thought-provoking discussion, and "face time" with your fellow Holy Innocents and St Columba parishioners.

Just as a reminder, there will be no meetings during Holy Week or Easter Week. Via Media will resume after Easter on April 5th.

via media is a powerful resource for building Christian community, bringing people into the Church who previously have felt alienated or unwelcome. Our Church stands on the threshold of a marvelous evangelism opportunity, and the actions of General Convention 2003d the door. via media is the resource we need tothe door even wider and keep itfor all who seek the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Volunteers are needed for hosting suppers and providing childcare. Please see Pat Hoesel at St Columba's or Colleen Muehl at Holy Innocents.

Via Media Schedule
6:30 p.m. Tuesday evenings

Date/Topic	Location	Meal Host
Mar. 15 The Bible	St Columba's	Holy Innocents
Holy Week	No Meeting	(off)
Easter Week	No Meeting	(off)
Apr. 05 Sin	Holy Innocents	St Columba's
Apr. 12 Thy Kingdom Come	St Columba's	Holy Innocents
Apr. 16 - Retreat So, What?	To Be Announced	Holy Innocents & St Columba's

Let Us Not Be Too Comfortable?

Day by Day: Eleven

Luke 12:32. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Once a friend brought a wolf to our house, and though he was a very well behaved wolf, he stirred up a good deal of anxiety in the household. Our cat, often troublesome, disappeared into the winter night. When we found him he had to be forced to come in from the cold. In the aftermath of the wolf's visit, I wrote the following prayer:

Lord, days and even years go by and we are satisfied that in the routine of our daily lives we are not only comfortable, but secure; and then the wolf comes, and we know better. We are grateful, despite our selfishness and our tendency to be a nuisance, that you care for us; that you are stronger than the predators that wait in the shadows; that you are willing to search for us in the cold and darkness of our terror; and that at last you will bring us into your house...

Today is the anniversary of the Madrid terrorist attacks. If you recall, terrorists (many of whom were later killed or captured) left 11 backpacks full of dynamite on commuter trains that morning, and detonated them via cell phone. Hundreds were killed, maimed, or injured.

At this moment, an important international summit on democracy, terrorism, and security is just ending. Many of the participants, members of the "wired" generation, either blogged the meetings they attended in real time, or took photos with their cameraphones - such as this one of the five minutes' silence that was observed by all Madrid in honor of the hundreds of victims who were lost one year ago today.

In an increasingly "wired" world it's good to know that technology can be used for peace and democracy and not only for terror and anarchy. Let us pray that people of goodwill, and of all faiths, can someday banish the wolf forever.

The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts

This website details the beautiful art that can be found in many Episcopal churches around the country.

Link

Small Church Development

Resources for small churches are outlined on this page at the national Episcopal website.

There's a wealth of information at this site, and it's worth a deeper look.

Prayers For The Sick/Thread

Day By Day - Seventh Day

Yesterday in church we participated in a simple rite of laying on of hands and annointing with oil one of our number who will be undergoing surgery soon. For a moment, we were all "ministers of the church" united to offer our support and prayer.

There are a number of different prayers for the sick in the Book of Common Prayer. A selection are reproduced below. Substitute the appropriate name and pronoun for "N." and him.

Comments for this post arefor a period of time if you would like to add prayer requests of your own.

Prayers for the Sick

For a Sick Person
O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need: We humbly beseech thee to behold, visit, and relieve thy sick servant N. for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; and give him patience under his affliction. In thy good time, restore him to health, and enable him to lead the residue of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory; and grant that he may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Recovery from Sickness
O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant N. the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
or this

O God of heavenly powers, by the might of your command you drive away from our bodies all sickness and all infirmity: Be present in your goodness with your servant N., that his weakness may be banished and his strength restored; and that, his health being renewed, he may bless your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For a Sick Child
Heavenly Father, watch with us over your child N., and grant that he may be restored to that perfect health which it is yours alone to give; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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or this
Lord Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd of the sheep, you gather the lambs in your arms and carry them in your bosom: We commend to your loving care this child N. Relieve his pain, guard him from all danger, restore to him your gifts of gladness and strength, and raise him up to a life of service to you. Hear us, we pray, for your dear Name's sake. Amen.

Before an Operation
Almighty God our heavenly Father, graciously comfort your servant N. in his suffering, and bless the means made use of for his cure. Fill his heart with confidence that, though at times he may be afraid, he yet may put his trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

or this

Strengthen your servant N., O God, to do what he has to do and bear what he has to bear; that, accepting your healing gifts through the skill of surgeons and nurses, he may be restored to usefulness in your world with a thankful heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Strength and Confidence
Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant N., and give your power of healing to those who minister to his needs, that he may be strengthened in his weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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For the Sanctification of Illness
Sanctify, O Lord, the sickness of your servant N., that the sense of his weakness may add strength to his faith and seriousness to his repentance; and grant that he may live with you in everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Health of Body and Soul
May God the Father bless you, God the Son heal you, God the Holy Spirit give you strength. May God the holy and undivided Trinity guard your body, save your soul, and bring you safely to His heavenly country; where He lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

For Doctors and Nurses
Sanctify, O Lord, those whom you have called to the study and practice of the arts of healing, and to the prevention of disease and pain. Strengthen them by your life-giving Spirit, that by their ministries the health of the community may be promoted and your creation glorified; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thanksgiving for a Beginning of Recovery
O Lord, your compassions never fail and your mercies are new every morning: We give you thanks for giving our brother (sister) N. both relief from pain and hope of health renewed. Continue in him, we pray, the good work you have begun; that he, daily increasing in bodily strength, and rejoicing in your goodness, may so order his life and conduct that he may always think and do those things that please you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Prayers for use by a Sick Person

For Trust in God
O God, the source of all health: So fill my heart with faith in your love, that with calm expectancy I may make room for your power to possess me, and gracefully accept your healing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Pain
Lord Jesus Christ, by your patience in suffering you hallowed earthly pain and gave us the example of obedience to your Father's will: Be near me in my time of weakness and pain; sustain me by your grace, that my strength and courage may not fail; heal me according to your will; and help me always to believe that what happens to me here is of little account if you hold me in eternal life, my Lord and my God. Amen.

For Sleep O heavenly Father, you give your children sleep for the refreshing of soul and body: Grant me this gift, I pray; keep me in that perfect peace which you have promised to those whose minds are fixed on you; and give me such a sense of your presence, that in the hours of silence I may enjoy the blessed assurance of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In the Morning
This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

The Martyrs Of Japan

Who were the Martyrs of Japan? As it happens, the webmistress has actually been to their memorial.

As explained in the link to the lectionary page for today, the Martyrs of Japan were six Franciscan friars and twenty of their Japanese converts, some very young. They were crucified in Nagasaki in 1597, and persecutions continued off and on for another 40 years, until the Japanese Christian community had been driven totally underground. The political tensions of the time were the biggest cause; the ruler or shogun feared either a peasant uprising, or invasion by the various European nations that were sending Catholic missionaries to Japan.

I took a trip to Japan in 1993, and while there I attended church at an Anglican parish in Nagoya. The service was conducted entirely in Japanese, but an English "expat" kindly translated parts of the sermon for me and showed me where the "eigo" or English transliteration of the prayers was in the service booklet. The service was familiar and yet strange. Following Japanese custom, everyone removed their shoes and put them in a cubby just inside the entrance; I arrived a few minutes late but figured it out in time so that I didn't commit a "shoe crime."

The next week, I had wandered by train as far as Nagasaki, and stumbled upon the memorial to the Martyrs, which was in a park or plaza near a Catholic church (a modern one, not the cathedral that was nearly destroyed in the city center by the atomic bomb). The martyrs' memorial is very sombre compared to the Peace Park downtown, where school groups had been hanging garlands of origami cranes (symbolic of eternal life) all morning. It was so busy at the Peace Park that I took a walk or a tram ride up the hill with the vague intention to check out the memorial, which was marked on my tourist map. It was almost noon when I got there. I was taking pictures and someone had just offered to take mine, standing in front of the memorial, when an eerie wailing filled the air. Everyone got very, very quiet. Someone who spoke a little English explained quickly that the sirens always went off at that time to commemorate the moment the atomic bomb was detonated, and there would be a couple of minutes of silence.

The memorial to the Martyrs of Japan is very simple - even stark, and a little unnerving. I had never heard of them before that moment, when the sirens were wailing, but I never forgot them.

Day by Day: Fourth Day Of The Month

Day Four
Psalm 57:1b. In the shadow of your wings will I take refuge until the time of trouble has gone by.

Americans seem to have lived a charmed life. Or so many of us thought until September 11, 2001.

Set apart by vast oceans, our nation has experienced a degree of security rare in the history of the world. Rich in natural resources, stable government and human enterprise, we have enjoyed unparalleled prosperity.

Suddenly, everything's changed. Serene order has collided head-on with tragic chaos. Our fragile hold on things has been ripped from our fingers. The very ground under our feet has shifted. We are vulnerable, exposed.

I feel nausea, like sea-sickness. I recognize this as grief. I know that there will be waves of numbness, disorientation, anger and depression...perhaps even despair.

Then I remember: I did nothing to earn life. I can do nothing to hold onto it. I am not God. God is God.

And we are God's.

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Day by Day: Third Day of the Month

Day ThreeMatthew 5:44. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

This is Jesus at his most demanding, most know-ledgeable, most insightful. What Jesus says to us is not just difficult, it is brilliant.

For if we are going to live in this world, fully and thoughtfully and well, then we shall live with and for and alongside all those persons whom life has given to us. Some of these are our friends. And some of these are our enemies. We belong to both groups, and both groups belong to us.

It is not given to us to exclude any of these people, for we shall go down to the gates of death, and thereafter, together. So let us begin now. Begin by praying for them, those who are our enemies. And through time, perhaps we shall be able to accept the fact that we are given the opportunity to dwell in this world together, as one people.

O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dear God, I give myself to thee this day, thine only, thine ever to be. Amen.

(The webmistress craves pardon for letting this feature lapse while she was on vacation. She meant to do this while she was gone, honest. We rejoin now with the meditation for today, the third day of the month)

Blogging And The Church

Recently, an article about blogging appeared in the local newspaper. It noted the phenomenon of weblogging, how people are using it, and highlighted the growing fame and fortune of one couple who started a blogging software company called Moveable Type.

There are a number of Episcopal weblogs, some of them doing very creative or thought-provoking (or even amusing) things. Here's a sampling of just a few:

AKMA's Random Thoughts One of the world's better-known bloggers happens to be an Episcopal priest in Evanston. And he's on the faculty of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, which is also a blog.

Salt Another Episcopal priest, who uses the "nom de blog" of Father John Wilkins.

Father Jake Stops The WorldAnd a third priest's blog - a nicely crunchy and though-provoking one. It's a trend? He's got an interview up at Faithful Progressive, which, yes, is yet another blog.

Going Jesus - a fun and even daffy blog of the Parish Administrator of the "Church of St. Ned of Flanders." In addition to being a big Simpsons fan and a dab hand at web design, she's starting "Skool for Deacons" and recently preached a short sermon in class. It's a refreshingly un-stuffy, un-churchy blog.

Letters from Edgewater is the blog of a Chicagoan from the Edgewater area. This is more in the 'personal blog of someone who is Episcopalian' line. There is an entire list of blogs (called a webring) full of similar blogs.

Every Voice Network A social activism site with a progressive Episcopalian focus. Beautiful design. They are very active in the Via Media movement, apparently.

Dylan's Lectionary Blog - an extremely useful, even indispensable blog with selections from and meditations on the Lectionary readings.

Readers may recognize some of the links, but the webmistress managed somehow to stumble upon some interesting new ones. Some are serious, some not so serious, as you will discover on your own. Happy browsing!

As it happens, this website is built and maintained using Moveable Type. The reasoning behind this is twofold - the webmistress finds MT much easier to use to create and maintain the website, and the blog piece is useful for quickly getting new information posted... and also for attracting the attention of the online, "unchurched" masses in the Chicago suburban region. Blogs are designed to be easily found, and show up on many different kinds of online indexes.

Thus, one goal for the site is to reach out to people in this area who may be looking for a church to attend - especially people who use the Web to "shop" or search for things they need. In the coming weeks, there will be some updates and design tweaks that will make it more and more obvious to the casual web-site visitor that Holy Innocents is a welcoming, inclusive, and caring place to worship.

Another goal is to somehow use the site to gather prayer requests - this would involve either enabling comments, or providing a link to an email address so that requests might be printed out for reading during regular services, or shared among others via email.

Yet more goals may include turning the "blog" part of the website into more of a group effort, with entries from clergy, lay leaders, and parishioners on topics of interest to our faith community and to the wider communities we inhabit. Also, we hope to get back into contact with former parishioners who have moved away from the area, as we will be putting together an "alumni" address list and also possibly working on a church history project. Upcoming fundraising events (such as the second annual Holy Innocents Car Show in July!) will be noted, along with ongoing spiritual development programs such as Via Media (Tuesdays in Lent). The Via Media program is in conjunction with our sister parish, St Columba. As we work to grow closer together as communities, we will be discussing the exciting prospect of sharing more programs with other small Episcopal parishes in our area in the coming year.

The possibility of a new group evangelism or volunteer project will be explored and announced here also. We will be deciding how we might not just physically keep the doors but methaphorically throw the doors of Holy Innocentsas wide as possible to welcome those who maybe have not felt welcome elsewhere.

We at Holy Innocents are beginning to discern what it is that we are called to do as Christians and as Episcopalians in this place -- the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Although our numbers are small, our faith is large. We invite you to come grow with us.