Shrove Tuesday

John 

1:23

from 

the  

prophet 

Isaiah 

40:3:

makes 

straight 

the 

way 

of 

the 

Lord

Today is Shrove Tuesday. Also today the Church remembers two more people I never heard of, Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (1964) and Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, (1904) educators. I was going to skip these ladies because I'm in a rush, but I put them in for all my educator friend and one in particular who is getting her PhD in education and the collect seemed, as they say, spot on.

                                            Deuteronomy 6:23 

              God brought us out of there
   in oder to bring us in…

Help us to gather and use

 the resources of our 

communities for 

the education 

of all your 

                                  children 

Evening Prayer

                            John 1:3,4 

        what had

        come into 

        being in

        him was 

        life, and 

        the life 

        was the 

        light of all people.

   

Today on the Episcopal calendar we remember George Herbert (1593–1633) English but Welsh born priest and poet, author of A Priest in the Temple or a Country Parson.

                                         Psalm 25:4 

   Lead 

      me 

        in 

   your 

  truth 

    and 

 teach

     me, 

     for 

    you

    are

    the 

   God   

   of my  salvation; in you 

   have I trusted all the day long.

Prayer, 

the church’s 

banquet, 

Angel's age, 

God's breath 

in man 

returning 

to his birth, 

the soul in 

paraphrase, 

the heart 

in pilgrimage, 

the Christian 

   plummet sounding heav'n and earth.

      

            “Nothing is little in God’s service.” 

                   - George Herbert

Second Evensong... .

                                    John 12:36

  While  you are  in the light, 

 believe in the light,

  so that you may become children of light.

Last Sunday after the Epiphany., the cusp of Lent.

                                                Deuteronomy 6:4,5,9 

                    You shall  

         love the Lord 

         your God with 

        all your heart 

           and with all 

               your soul 

           and with all 

            your might. 

           Keep these

              words….in 

            your heart

    And write them 

   on the doorposts of your house

These are instructions for the Chosen People as they prepared to enter the Promised Land after being rescued  from  slavery in Egypt and wandering around for 40 years (a generation…) in the desert, mostly kvetching. The picture is a muzuzah - the “mitzvah” commanded in Deut.6:9.  Long ago our long-going-on Bible Study gave it to one year for my birthday and it’s been up since. They very kindly put it up - sadly it’s pointing the wrong way, though I didn’t know it for years!  

First Evensong of the last Sunday after the Epiphany

                                               Collect

Grant to us that we,  be-hold-ing 

by faith  the

light of his countenance, 

may be strengthened  

to bear our cross & changed 

                        into his likeness…

Today we remember John Roberts* (Different one)

               Deuteronomy 32:1-4a*

Give 
ear, 

O 
heav-

ens,
and 
I will
speak;

let the 

earth 

hear the words of my mouth. 

May my teaching drop like the rain, 

my speech condense like the dew; 

          like gentle rain on grass, 

         like showers on new growth. 

For I will proclaim the name of the Lord: 

          ascribe greatness to our God.    The Rock, his work in work is perfect 

             and all his ways are just.

“In 1868, a treaty was signed with the Shoshone people estab-lishing for them (a eup-hemism?) a reservation in the west central part of Wyoming Territory.  In 1878, they were joined (another?) by their longtime adversaries the Arapaho (I mean, for goodness sake, they're all Indians right?!) on what would become The Wind River Indian Reservation, which is much in the news today.” 

John Roberts was a priest born in Wales in 1849, was did mission work among the Shoshoni and Arapaho in Wyoming. He arrived in 1883, 15 years after it was established, where he lived and worked until his death in 1949. 

“Unlike other missionaries … Roberts sought to honor and respect the ancient ways of the Native peoples while at the same time proclaiming the Gospel among them.” 

St Matthias, the apostle chosen to take the place of Judas Iscariot after the Ascension as the Church's first order of business.

       Today's Antiphon on Psalm 80 

O God of hosts, 

        look down from heaven, 

        behold and tend this vine.

It’s Chapter One in the Church post-Ascesnsion and the 11 apostles 

have gather-

ed to see what comes next. There were 12 tribes of Israel and Jesus had chosen  12 apostles, so they obviously needed someone to fill Judas Iscar-iot’s place. They chose two suitable candidates, Matthias and Jospeh called Barsabas who was surnamed Justus" and then they campaigned, argued and voted. Wait- no. Actually "they cast lots for them and the lot fell on Mathias, and he was added to the 11 apostles."(Acts 1:26) Which is the last we hear of either one. 

                Both the Lutherans & Roman Catholics have moved Matthias'  feast day to a date in May to get him out of Lent and firmly into Easter. He avoids Lent this year because it comes Very late… Wednesday in fact!   

Thursday toward evening

                                   Psalm 134:2

Lift 

up 

your 

hands 

in the 

holy place 

and bless the Lord 

Today we remember Polycarp, bishop at Smyrna (Turkey) Turkey of Smyrna, 156 a pupil of John. Also today in 1997 the new church building of St David's was dedicated, after being destroyed in an arson fire in 1991!

                  Psalm 133:1,5

How good & pleasant it is when brothers

and sisters 

live together 

in harmony.  

  For there 

     the Lord ordains the blessing, 

                    life for evermore. 

The former 

Ottoman Empire 

was transformed 

into a modern, 

westernized nation 

with the foundation 

of the secular republic 

in 1923, by AÜrkas 

its first president. 

  Pray for the people of Turkey  
as the state moves way from democracy 
toward autocracy under its current  
leader, President Erdoğan.  

Wednesday evening

                                                         Psalm 130: 4

          
              
              
             
             
         I

         wait 

         for 

         the 

        Lord, 

        my soul 
        waits for him;  

        in his word is my hope.

Today we remember Eric Lidell (1902 -1945)gold medalist and missionary to China where he was born, who had “courage and resolution in contest and in captivity.” (Collect)

                                           Psalm 119:160a

           

            The

          heart 

              of

           your 

          word 

               is truth

may we also run 

with perseverance 

the race set be- 

fore us and 

persevere in 

patient witness 

-Collect   

Tuesday Evening

                                       Psalm 124:8

          
         
         
         Our 
         help 

        is 

        in 

        the 

       Name

       of the Lord, 

       the maker of heaven and earth. 

Today we remember John Henry Newman, 1801–1890, seeker, priest and theologian

                        Psalm 1221:8

The Lord shall watch over your going out 

and your coming in, from 

this time forth for evermore. 

May we, 

like Him, 

make our 

life a pilgrim-

age toward 

your truth 

  - Collect  

  

“To live 

is to change, 

and to be perfect 

is to have changed often.”

Monday evening

                                         Matthew 5:8

 Bles-
 sed 
 are 
 the 
 pure 
 in heart, 
 for they shall see God.