 |
| St. Martin's Episcopal Church |
WHERE I WENT AND WHY:
Again I chose a liturgical church for Advent. After playing catch up on Christmas preparations and re-entering Charlotte after Dad's illness and funeral, I felt I needed some quiet Advent time for reflection. I had been to St. Martin's many times during my work at CPCC, but always to their preschool, never for worship.
WHAT TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO:
St. Martin's Episcopal Church is located at 1510 East 7th St. next to Independence Park. Though the church was full for the 10:45 service, parking was not a problem. Dress was "church casual" . They also have an 8:30 am service.
REFLECTIONS ON WORSHIP
MOOD:
They had a cart for newcomers in the courtyard with information about the church and 2 folks personally greeted me and asked me my name and if I was a "first timer" before I was seated. Several also greeted me afterward. The printed literature made the service easy to follow except it took me 2 verses of the spiritual hymn to realized that LEVAS meant the alternative hymnal: Lift Every Voice And Sing. I especially appreciated the wording of the full page in the bulletin dedicated to Children in Worship.
MUSIC:
Though there was a pipe organ, the musical director exclusively used a grand piano. The opening Voluntary quieted the congregation, along with direction in the bulletin. The Treble Youth Choir processed with the adult choir and did a joint anthem with them for the Offertory, People Look East! A mike near the children would have been helpful for balancing their beautiful voices with the adults.
MESSAGE:
Most of my nuggets came from the Prayers of the People, which were beautifully written. I loved the way the imagery especially from today's reading from Isaiah, was used to pray for our actively living out the passage in our community. I especially liked "leaping like a deer into action on behalf of those who are poor, undocumented, in prison or homeless, especially... (10 first names)..., our guests at Room in the Inn." Many of the intercessions had a question "Are there others?" and a pause for congregants to voice their own prayers. Each intercession ended with "Strengthen our weak hands"...to which the congregation responded, "that those you reach through us may obtain joy and gladness."
To me the Rector's sermon was "tuna casserole" (see blog #1). He related the readings from Isaiah and Matthew to his favorite Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life. Most of the very short, and abruptly ended sermon was spent on the historical context and connection between the two passages. I did like his emphasis on the passage from Isaiah about "not even fools shall go astray." He assured us that God will make a way for us even when we are foolish.
And St. Martin's had this 2 minute video about Advent on their facebook site:
To me the Rector's sermon was "tuna casserole" (see blog #1). He related the readings from Isaiah and Matthew to his favorite Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life. Most of the very short, and abruptly ended sermon was spent on the historical context and connection between the two passages. I did like his emphasis on the passage from Isaiah about "not even fools shall go astray." He assured us that God will make a way for us even when we are foolish.
OUTREACH AND OBSERVATIONS
 |
| Advent wreath at St. Martin's |
- At the end of the service, the congregation went to the social hall to dedicate a shower that had just been installed for Room in the Inn. The joy of this accomplishment and the dedication to this ministry was obvious. Room in the Inn is an inter-faith ministry where homeless guests receive a night's rest and a couple of hot meals in churches around the community. Most churches serve the homeless one night per week during the cold months when the shelters overflow.
- I've never heard such an impassioned plea for greenery, volunteers, and money from a floral guild!
- Social media was mentioned twice. During the pre-service announcements, a deacon urged us to "let folks know where you are now". (What a nice way to say (or mean?) use your phone now, and then put it away. And during the regular announcements folks were urged to use Amazon Smile when ordering from Amazon to support a mission of the congregation.
- Some churches use purple and pink as colors in Advent, but recently (the 80's?) light blue has become the color associated with this season. St. Martin's blue paraments and the pastor's stole were exquisite!
THIS WEEK'S FUNNY: AN ADVENT CARTOON AND VIDEO!
https://youtu.be/S02KOlw7dlA?list=PLutdcjUWQW72fE2kPLnyh4qLdSFxGxuv_
I may be checking out more of BustedHalos.com!!
The Bulletin:
No comments:
Post a Comment