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From
the Desk of Father Swann The Season of
Lent Lent
is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection
and taking
stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a
preparatory time for
Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when
converts were
instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty
days of
Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness
for forty
days. All churches that have a continuous history extending before
AD 1500
observe Lent. The ancient church that wrote, collected, canonized,
and propagated the
New Testament also observed Lent, believing it to be a
commandment from the
apostles. Fasting
is a spiritual discipline that does not involve starvation or
dehydration. Quite
often, our bodily appetites control our actions. The purpose of fasting is
to make
your bodily appetites your servant rather than your
master. In
the Sunday
is the day of the Resurrection, we skip over Sundays
when we calculate the
length of Lent. Therefore, in the Wednesday,
the seventh Wednesday before Easter (February17, 2010). "Sackcloth
and ashes" is a familiar phrase, arising from a medieval custom
of humbling
oneself in public before God or the Church community to beg
forgiveness. But
dust or ashes go even further back as sign of penitence and
mourning to the
time of Moses and the Old Testament. Within
Christian churches today, the custom continues in the application
of Blessed
ashes to the foreheads of congregants in the sign of the cross —
when an
intonation "remember that you art dust and unto dust you shalt return" is given by
the officiant. Lent officially ends at sundown on Holy
Thursday (Maundy
Thursday) with the beginning of the mass of the Lord’s
Supper. In
many countries, the last day before Lent (called Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, or
Fasching) has become a last fling before the solemnity
of Lent. For centuries, it
was customary to fast by abstaining from meat during Lent, which
is why
some people call the festival Carnival,
which is Latin for farewell
to meat. The
Eastern Church (Orthodox Churches) does not skip over Sundays when
calculating the
length of the Great Lent. Therefore, the Great Lent always begins
on Clean
Monday, the seventh Monday before Easter, and ends on the Friday
before Palm
Sunday—using of course the eastern date for Easter. The Lenten fast
is relaxed on
the weekends in honor of the Sabbath (Saturday) and the
Resurrection (Sunday). The
Great Lent is followed by Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, which are feast
days, then the Lenten fast resumes on Monday of Holy Week. Technically, in the
Eastern Church, Holy Week is a separate season from the Great
Lent. The
purpose of the liturgical calendar is to relive the major events in Jesus’ life
in real time, which is why Lent is forty days long. If Jesus were born on 25
December, then His conception would have been nine months
earlier, on
about 25 March. That is when the angel Gabriel would have announced Jesus’ birth
to Mary. Thus 25 March isknown in
the historic church as The
Annunciation. Borrowed, adapted, and
edited from several sources- H.S. The
Ritual: Why Bells? The
use of bells for liturgical purposes is an ancient one that dates from as early
as the fifth century. It has been customary for centuries to use bells to call
the faithful to worship or to announce other events. Such ringing may include
the "passing bell" when a parishioner dies, or the daily ringing of the Angelus
at noon in churches that “do” the Angelus. The
use of bells during the celebration of the Eucharist is also an old custom. The
Sanctus bells are rung during the singing or recitation of the Sanctus (Holy,
Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts). The sacring bells are rung during the elevation of the Host and the cup during the Eucharistic
canon. At one
in the same set of bells. The bells mark both reverent and joyful periods of our
liturgy. For example, the bells are rung constantly during the singing of the
Gloria in the liturgy of Maundy Thursday. The organ then falls silent
(technically) until the first Mass of Easter at the Vigil. Practically however
the organ is used sparingly. One example is the music for the sacred procession
to the altar of repose on Maundy Thursday. Bells,
in our liturgy as well as our lives, ring for times that are especially
important and tell us that we should pay attention. Darren
Ron
Withers Katie Armstrong Richard Spence Leann
Lewis Edith Thompson Mary Spengler Carolyn
McCollough Kevin Humphries Kyle
Baker Delberta
Allen Steve Floyd Steve Hodges Pat
Swenor Kathy Jones Katie Mynatt Lisa
Kitts Karen Price John Murray Tuesday,
February 16, 2010 Come
join the fun and celebration at on
“Fat Tuesday”, February 16!! Gathering
at 6:00 for Sangria and Fun Pot
Luck Mardi Gras Feast at 7:00. Bring
friends and family and join in the fun!!!!! Remember–
Lent Starts the Next Day! Wednesday,
February 16 Ash
Wednesday Liturgy & Eucharist 6:30 Some
Liturgical Changes at St. Paul’s during Lent You
will notice some changes in our Sunday service during the Lenten
season.
Liturgical changes in Lent will include: ·
The
Great Litany on the First Sunday in Lent at 10:30 replacing the
processional hymn; ·
The
Penitential Acclamation at the beginning of each Eucharist; ·
The
use of Rite I rather than Rite II eucharistic liturgy; ·
The
omission of the word "Alleluia" and the Gloria in the Eucharist; ·
Replace
the Gloria with the Kyrie; ·
Remove
the sung “Alleluia verse” before the Gospel reading; ·
The
Prayer of Humble Access in the Rite I Eucharist; ·
The
more complete form of the invitation to Confession; ·
Silent
procession before the opening hymn From
the Junior Warden……… Lenten
Workdays We
will once again have "Lenten work days" this year. They will start with the
first Saturday in Lent Feb 20th and run every Saturday (weather permitting) till
March 27th. We will start at 8 A.M. and run till noon or there about. We will be
concentrating on the undercroft. However,
we will take the last Saturday to clean the church in preparation for Easter
Sunday. If anyone has any other projects to do or start on during Lent let me
know. We may look at some outdoor projects as I know Mark O and Dianne S have
had some discussions on the landscaping and might like some help. I know
everyone is not crazy about swinging a hammer and digging in the dirt may be
what you are looking for. Any Saturdays you can
make will be greatly appreciated and if you need to get there later than 8 or
leave before noon not a problem. Needless to say we will have some things left
to do after "Lenten workdays" but this will get us off to a big start. Look
forward to seeing you there. God's
love and peace, Treva
Brodersen WELCOME
TO NEW MEMBERS John
and Barbara Cunningham have transferred their membership from the Church of the
Good Shepherd— Private
Confession Father
Swann is available to hear confession (by appointment) during
Lent. In
and Around Saint Paul’s….. Saint
Paul Blog Check
out the www.seymourepiscopal.blogspot.com
The St. Paul Internet blog is a means to communicate among the
congregation. The blog is for announcements, news concerning upcoming events,
and pictures from past events. If you are interested in posting announcements
and pictures to the blog please see David
Thomas for
more information. Ladies
Lunch Bunch Betty
Stenger is
the new coordinator for the Altar
Flowers There
is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board for anyone wishing to donate altar
flowers in honor or memory of a loved on or occasion. ERD
Piggy Banks Our
little pigs are still hungry!! If you would like to donate to the Episcopal
Relief and Development (ERD) Fund “Nets for Life”, please place a little change
or paper money in one of the pigs located in the church annex. The “Nets for
Life” Project buys mosquito netting for malaria stricken third world
countries. Spring
Landscaping Project Diane
Stamm, Mark Oppie,
and Jackye
Tousinau have
plans to landscape the green space between the two parking lots behind the
church. If you are interested in lending a hand please talk with one of the
three. New
Clerk of the Council Jackye
Tousinau has
volunteered to serve as clerk to the St. Paul Church Council for
2010. Lay
Eucharist Ministers Have
you ever heard of “licensed lay ministries”? The Diocese provides a short
training course for lay ministers in several important areas: Eucharistic
Visitors (takes communion to sick and shut in members), Eucharistic Ministers
(assist the Deacon in serving the chalice at the communion rail), and several
other lay ministries within the church. We are in the process of making a list
of Adult
Discussion Forum The
Adult Discussion Forum continues at 9:30 each Sunday morning. The topic of the
current forum is the DVD “Banned from the Bible”. A DVD and discussion about
books that were not included in the canon of
scripture. 26th
Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of The
Annual Convention of the Diocese of East Tennessee will be held February 12— 13
in The
official business of the church (budget, election to
committees, etc.) are conducted at the annual
conference. |