SHROVE TUESDAY SUPPER AND SILENT AUCTION
FEBRUARY 16
6:00 p.m.

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES
February 17
The Penitential Office, the Imposition of Ashes,
And Holy Communion
7:15 AM
12:15 PM
5:30 PM

REDEEMING TIME
 
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
                         T. S. Eliot

The dust from the Haiti earthquake had barely begun to settle before evangelist Pat Robertson declared the disaster to be God’s vengeance for a pact Haitians made with the devil in 1791 – as part of the revolution that ended slavery and French domination there -- the leader of this historic coup being a little-known devout Christian named Toussaint L’Ouverture.  He was eventually captured by the French and died in one of their dungeons in 1803.  The same year William Wordworth immortalized him in one of his most famous sonnets. 

Perhaps it’s necessary to observe once again that human beings over time, come to be not unlike the god to whom they pray.  Should one believe in a vengeful and all powerful god who is responsible for everything that happens, then that person in all likelihood will become equally vengeful and spiteful.  Hopefully, faithful Christians will appreciate Mr. Robertson’s blasphemy and vitriol for what it is.

Nevertheless, the “evangelist’s” statement does leave us with the question of who or what caused the city of Port au Prince to crumble to bits, and if we assume that everything which happens is God’s will, we must realize that we’re no where near the God of the Bible.  Nor must we think of God simply as one who has wound up the world like a clock and sat back and watched.  Neither does God brood over us in Heaven and “feel our pain”.  Although He indeed does feel our pain, the God we worship is far more interesting not to mention far more complex.

In a sermon preached the Sunday following the earthquake, The Rt. Rev. Dan Edwards, Bishop of Nevada stated that “Robertson’s god is a sadistic monster, while Rabbi Harold Kushner’s god (Why Bad Things Happen to Good People) is an innocent bystander, a nice guy but not someone who can help.”  So then, what sort of thing does a Christian claim about God in the wake of natural disasters or “acts of God”?

Try as we may, we cannot escape God’s words spoken through the prophet Isaiah:  “I form the light and create darkness; I make peace and create evil; I the Lord do all these things.”  Does this mean that God is responsible for the Haiti disaster?  Once again, God is far more complex to deserve a simple yes or no.  God did create the heavens and the earth as well as you and me.  He placed us in His creation and gave us the means to cope with what we would find here.  In no way did He leave us alone.  Indeed He became one of us and lived with and suffered all the joys as well as the horrors of this world along with us.

Further, while God is all powerful, His power isn’t the kind of power we most readily think of.  His power is to save, and His power is to redeem, and His power is to make good.  Again to quote Bishop Edwards:  “We think of power as domination.  We think of power as Rambo breaking down the door and shooting all the bad guys.  We think of power as imposing our will upon someone else.  When God doesn’t do that, we don’t recognize his power.  That’s why people didn’t recognize Jesus as King.  He didn’t act like an earthly king.”

At the outset of his Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot establishes a principle which while not answering everything there is to question about God in the wake of natural disasters, it has nevertheless helped many of us live more comfortably with the mystery we call God.  Eliot writes:  “If all time is eternally present / All time is unredeemable.”  It’s important that Christians remember that we live in three spheres of time:  past, present, and future.  We do so at every celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Nevertheless, when disasters of cosmic proportion strike, it’s very easy to forget about past and future, and instead to dwell solely in the present and when we do it becomes all the more convenient to want to lay the blame upon God.  God however, is not interested in convincing us that the suffering in Haiti is just or unjust, right or good, deserved or not.  Rather His will for Haiti is the same for all suffering everywhere:  that He work His healing and redemption through your hands and mine no matter how much time it may take.

Many of us will of course be long gone before Haiti ceases to suffer, mourn and rebuild simply because not everything can be set right in this life.   All of this however will indeed be made good because thankfully, all time is not eternally present – and because all time is not eternally present, then this time (the present) truly is redeemable because God alone is eternal.  FAB

SHROVE TUESDAY SUPPER –  AND SILENT MINI-AUCTION

Dan’s Jambalaya (Back by popular Demand!)
Tuesday, February 16
6:00 p.m.

Note:  Please bring your palm crosses and fronds from last year that we might burn them for Ash Wednesday.

This year the ECW Bazaar Committee will again feature a Silent Mini-Auction with items culled from the White Elephant section of the annual Bazaar.  Proceeds of course will go to All Saints ECW.

WINE INTO WATER FOR HAITI
 
Friday, February 12
6:30 p.m.

(See Related Article)

BISHOP BENHASE ON HAITI
 
    Our diocese's new bishop, The Rt. Rev. Scott Anson Benhase recently wrote the following to the clergy of the diocese.  I think it apt that the congregation see it as well.  FAB
 
 The question of where God is in the midst of tragedy is clear from our faith. God is in the midst of humankind, hanging on the cross, dying for the world. As Dorothy Sayers wrote: “God did not abolish the fact of evil. He transformed it. He did not stop the crucifixion. He rose from the dead.” Asking where God is in a tragedy is like asking where God was when Jesus hung on the cross. God was right there. And this God we worship and glorify, bids you and me to take up that cross and follow Jesus.

A sonnet written by the late Vassar Miller, from her collection Onions and Roses, published in 1968, speaks powerfully to me when I reflect on tragedy. It is called

The Wisdom of Insecurity.

There’s no abiding city, no, not one.
The towers of stone and steel are fairy stories.
God will not play our games nor join our fun,
Does not give tit for tat, parade His glories.
And chance is chance, not providence dressed neat,
Credentials hidden in its wooden leg.
When the earth opens underneath our feet,
It is a waste of brain and breath to beg.
No angel intervenes but shouts that matter
Has been forever mostly full of holes.
So Simon Peter always walked on water,
Not merely when the lake waves licked his soles.
And when at last he saw he would not drown,
The shining knowledge turned him upside-down.

Please urge your people to give as they are able to the Episcopal Relief and Development fund for Haiti. Please ask your delegates to come to the Diocesan Convention with their checkbooks because the offering on Thursday night will be for Haiti.  +SAB

 
WINE INTO WATER FOR HAITI
 
On Friday evening February 12, All Saints and St. Thomas will join together for an evening of winetasting and heavy hors d’oeuvres.  The event will be held in All Saints Parish Hall beginning at 6:30 p.m..

Wilson Carraway, who recently returned from Haiti, will be on hand to tell about his experience there.
 
There will be no charge for this, only a donation which will be sent to the Episcopal Relief Development Fund and earmarked for the victims of the Haiti Earthquake.
 
Please invite your friends and come prepared to turn wine into water for Haiti.
 
Debbie Beeson
 
FROM THE VESTRY

At its January meeting, the Vestry elected respectively as Senior and Junior Warden, Brad Jackson and Chip Bragg.  The congregation gratefully appreciates their time and energy.

Mr. Brad Jackson and Mrs. Michael Singletary continue as Treasurer and Clerk, for which we also remain thankful.
FAB

MANY, MANY THANKS!

 -to Jinanne Parrish for organizing another splendid Bazaar, and to the ladies (and gentlemen) who helped sort literally tons of stuff. 

 
DEACON LOUISE TO LEAD ADULT DISCUSSION GROUP DURING LENT

For the Sundays in Lent, Deacon Louise will guide a discussion of a different subject each Sunday.  These sessions will be (repeat) discussions focused on our faith and what we believe.  We hope the topics to be not only of great interest and relevance, but also approachable enough that anyone’s opinion will be welcome.  Louise insists that she has no intention of teaching a theology course.

Topics include:

February 21:  Heaven:  What, Where, Who, When?  Who will go there; what will it be like; will we be with our loved ones again – and if so, how?

February 28:  Death and Dying:  What is death to a Christian?  Are funerals (burial rites) important?  What about “viewings”?  Burial or cremation?  What about mourning for a Christian?

March 7:  Holy Matrimony:  What is its purpose?  What makes it a sacrament?  What is the “outward and visible sign” and the “inward and spiritual grace”?  Who should get married?  Why do 50 per cent of marriages end in divorce?

March 14:  How is Christ Present in Us?  We say (pray) that “we will be in Him and He in us” -- How?  What does that mean?  How does Christ’s presence manifest itself in us?

March 21:  The Holy Communion or Holy Eucharist:  “Eucharist” means thanksgiving.  How should we prepare for it?  What should we bring to it?  As its end is nothing less than our salvation, dare we approach it with joy?  How is it important to the maturation of our souls?  Why is it important to be baptized and confirmed first?

March 28:  Episcopal Customs:  Why is “reverencing” the Cross and the Altar important in our liturgy?  Kneeling, genuflecting, making the sign of the Cross, bowing our head, etc.

What do you think?  Wouldn’t you like to hear what others think?  We’ll meet in the Parish Hall at 9:30 a.m., and coffee and coffee cake will be available.    LM

ATTENTION VESTRYMEN

The Vestry will have its regular monthly meeting in the Parish Hall Library at 8:00 A.M. on Sunday, February 14.

OFFICE CLOSING

The office will be closed Monday, February 15 in observance of President’s Day

EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN

The ECW Book Club will meet on Wednesday, February 10 at 11:50 a.m.  The book is, Greenwood Legacy by Jacquelyn Cook.  The discussion will be led by Margaret Sibley.  A light lunch will be served.  Reservations are appreciated but not necessary.  Please join us for this informal book discussion.

The ECW meeting for February will be on Wednesday, February 10 at 5:00 p.m. The speaker will be Kathy Mills.  Kathy is the director of the Thomasville Genealogical History and Fine Arts Library.  The budget for our community outreach will be presented.  Everyone is welcome.  See you there.

 
SAINT CECILIA AND SAINT DAVID CHOIR NEWS

Both choirs will sing Sunday, February 28, Lent II; there will not be any rehearsals Ash Wednesday, February 17.

Kathy Buechner

EPISCOPAL YOUNG CHURCHMEN

We’re in the process of joining with St. Thomas with Scholar’s Academy Latin teacher and Drama Coach Cary Riggs as leader.  We’ll keep you informed and meanwhile continue to meet at our usual time at All Saints.

USHERS FOR FEBRUARY

February 7     
Robert Lynde  
Paul McCollum 

February 14
Buck Mitchell
Rick Nudd

February 21 
Charles Olson 
Clayton Penhallegon    

February 28
Raleigh Rollins
Charles Sanders

TRANSITIONS:

 Happy Birthday in February to:

  Maryam Norajean Sibley  2-11-02
  Neel Gurley   2-12-98
  Will Ladson   2-13-99
  Virginia E. Jackson  2-19-99
  Jonathan Douglas Harper  2-19-96
  Rob Stubley   2-22-90
  Cecile Shea   2-22-91
  Catie Hancock   2-23-90
  John B. Brinson, V (Jack)  2-24-97
  Colleen Elizabeth Nudd  2-24-06
  John Penhallegon  2-29-93

 Happy Birthday in March to:

  Raleigh Rollins   3-2-01
  Campbell Avery Smith, Jr.  3-11-09
  Stephen Stubley   3-16-92
  Sarah Kathryn McQueen  3-21-07
  Lauren Hancock   3-23-89

TO KEEP A TRUE LENT

Is this a Fast, to keep
The larder lean?
And clean
From fat of veals and sheep?
Is it to quit the dish
Of flesh, yet still
To fill
The platter high with fish?
Is it to fast an hour,
Or ragg’d to go,
Or show
A down-cast look and sour?
No: ‘tis a Fast to dole
Thy sheaf of wheat
And meat
Unto the hungry soul,
It is to fast from strife
And old debate,
And hate;
To circumcise thy life.
To show a heart grief-rent;
To starve thy sin,
Not bin;
And that’s to keep thy Lent.
    
      Robert Herrick
      (1591-1674)

IN THE PARISH REGISTER

Baptism:
Campbell Avery Smith, Jr. received the sacrament of
Holy Baptism on January 17, 2010

Transfer:
Please welcome Grace Boatwright Ford
from St. John’s, Montgomery, Alabama

LENTEN WEEKDAY SERVICES

Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30:  Evening Prayer and Holy Communion

Tuesday at 10:00AM:  Morning Prayer and Holy Communion

All services in the Chapel

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

O God our Father, help us to nail to the Cross of thy dear Son the whole body of our death, the wrong desires of the heart, the sinful devisings of the mind, the corrupt apprehensions of the eyes, the cruel words of the tongue, the ill employment of hands and feet; that the old man being crucified and done away, the new man may live and grow into the glorious likeness of the same thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.  Amen
                     from A Procession of Passion Prayers
                     ordered by Eric Milner-White
 

FREE-WILL

 God’s grace needs to be met by man’s free-will.  What do we mean when we claim that man’s will is free?

 (i) The popular idea of free-will is that it means ‘I am equally able to do either of two opposite actions.  I can equally, e.g. speak the truth or tell a lie.  The more undecided that I am the more free I am.’  A little consideration shows that this idea is ludicrously false.  We are not really free when we are in a state of weakness and indecision.  The man who is not quite sure beforehand whether he can resist any given temptation, is not really free   S. Paul does not call this state of vacillation and uncertainty ‘freedom’, he calls it ‘the body of this death’ (Rom 7:24).

 (ii) So we can see that our wills are only free when we can do what we wish.  True freedom is to have such mastery over myself that, e.g. I can always speak the truth.  Every time that we commit an act, our act helps to form a habit.  Our aim is by a constant repetition of acts to form the corresponding habit.  We are then really free.  We speak indeed of slavery to habits, but we mean by that slavery to bad  habits.  The power of forming habits, which is the condition of our freedom, may be equally the condition of our bondage to evil.  It is obvious that freedom is not to be attained by the acquiring of the power to do any kind of actions but only right actions.  We are really free, when we have built up habits of acting in accordance with the will of God which is equally the law of our own nature.  We start with a certain indecision of the will--something like freedom in the sense that we discarded--in order that by repeated acts of right choice we may become free in the true sense.  ‘Our wills are ours we know not how, our wills are ours to make them thine.’ The saint is the freest person on earth, not because he can do good and bad equally at will, but because he has fixed his will in harmony with God’s will and is realizing the purpose of God for his life.  A man is free when he is able to do that in which alone he can find true satisfactions.

 (iii) When we speak of ourselves as free, we mean that we are the ultimate and responsible authors of our own conduct.

           --EJ Bicknell
         The 39 Articles of the Church of England