St. Thomas the Apostle eNewsletter

eNews

14 October 2011

Greetings!

St. Thomas the Apostle is an Episcopal Parish in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. We are called by God to be a holy place where love is found, where all are named and where hearts are freed to change the world.

St. Thomas has a great respect for both the rich liturgical heritage of the church and for living the message of social justice proclaimed by Jesus Christ. Whether you are young or old, gay or straight, single, married or in a relationship, female or male, poor or wealthy, you are welcome at St. Thomas just as you are...a child of God and an inheritor of God's grace.

Rector's Corner

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

The reading set for this Sunday's Gospel (St Matthew 22:15-22) is the account of the confrontations between the Pharisees, the Herodians and Christ and his disciples over the thorny question of taxes payable to Caesar- most of us know the passage as one of those favourite texts during the pledge season, often used as a 'proof text' for giving more (or all) to God. I think it's neither as straightforward nor as easy to grasp some of the deep-flowing currents that are submerged beneath this taut conversation. For instance Christ calls for a penny to be produced and one is taken from the questioner's very pocket. Immediately Christ has pin-pointed an irony- because this very coin carries the image of Caesar and the title "Son of God" both of which were considered blasphemous by faithful Jews at the time. Already we're beginning to feel some of the depth and subtlety that is at work in the interplay between the participants.

So in my sermon preparation this week, I've tried thinking about the wider context of the passage as well.... the relationship between faith and money, Church and State, religion and politics. All of these make uneasy bedfellows in our contemporary culture- but that was not the case in the time of the New Testament writers' era- when the Empire commanded Emperor worship and religions had to 'keep in their place,' and not challenge the State in any way. You will all be relieved to know that I am neither a politician, nor an economist but I will try and offer some thoughts on the various relationships in which we are all embroiled in our pluralist and multicultural world, from a Christ-centred perspective.

With my love and prayers

The Time is Now.

The Needs are Great.

On September 25 we launched the 2011 Stewardship Campaign. This year's theme is "The Time is Now. The Needs are Great."

Many thanks to Susan Peacock for her talk, available via You tube below:

110925 Stewardship Speaker.mov

The Every Member Canvass program is the cornerstone of our annual Stewardship Campaign. Each member of the Parish is visited by an ambassador. These meetings are an opportunity to share what makes St. Thomas important and valuable in your lives. Parishioners are then invited to pray about the role of the Church in their lives. Following the meeting a pledge card is mailed with an invitation for members to prayerfully make a commitment for 2012. This year we have automated the process with a major upgrade to the Parish database. This will make the tracking of calls, pledge mailings and responses much easier.

This year the Stewardship Ambassador team is made up exclusively of clergy and Vestry members. This approach gives each parishioner the opportunity to meet with a member of the Parish leadership.

In the next 2 weeks please expect a call or email from your Ambassador to set up a mutually convenient time to meet or to talk. Please be patient! Each Vestry member has 15 to 20 calls to make. If you haven't heard from anybody, please contact the office.

Thank you for supporting St. Thomas and for your ongoing gifts of time, talent and treasure.

Stewardship Logo 2011

The 2011 Stewardship prayer:

Lord God of Hosts, Source of all gifts we, Thy people, rejoice in the fullness of Thy generosity. We thank thee for those whose lives are visible signs of Thy love and blessing to others. Give us the courage to do the same. Make us good stewards of all we have received and will receive, generously sharing our time, talents and treasure to build thy kingdom of love and justice. We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord, In whom we begin and end all things.
Amen.

Videos Available

Sermon by Rev. Ian Elliott Davies on 09 October 2011:

111009 XVI Sunday After Trinity Sermon.mov

Sermon by Rev. Ian Elliott Davies on 02 October 2011:

111002 St Francis of Assisi Sermon.mov

Sermon by The Rt. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Suffragan Bishop of Los Angeles at the Mass of Renewal and Reconciliation on September 30, 2011:

110930 Mass of Renewal & Reconciliation.mov

St. Luke Feast (Oct. 18)

Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer who the Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. He is considered one of the Four Evangelists.

Almost all that we know about Luke comes from the New Testament. He was a physician (Col 4:14), a companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys (Acts 16:10ff; 20:5ff; 27-28). Material found in his Gospel and not elsewhere includes much of the account of Our Lord's birth and infancy and boyhood, some of the most moving parables, such as that of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal Son, and three of the sayings of Christ on the Cross: "Father, forgive them," "Thou shalt be with me in Paradise," and "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

In Luke's account of the Gospel, we find an emphasis on the human love of Christ, on His compassion for sinners and for suffering and unhappy persons, for outcasts such as the Samaritans, tax collectors, lepers, shepherds (not a respected profession), and for the poor. The role of women in Christ's ministry is more emphasized in Luke than in the other Gospel writings.

Luke is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament writer. His writings place the life of Christ and the development of the early Church in the larger context of the Roman Empire and society. On the other hand, his writings are focused on Jerusalem and on the Temple. His Gospel begins and ends in the Temple, and chapters nine through nineteen portray Jesus as journeying from Galilee to Jerusalem. Similarly, the Book of Acts describes the Church in Jerusalem (and worshipping in the Temple) and then describes the missionary journeys of Paul as excursions from and returns to Jerusalem.

St. Luke is venerated as patron saint of artists, physicians, surgeons, students, butchers; his feast day is 18 October.

written by James Kiefer, http://www.missionstclare.com/

Concert October 16 at 5pm

Join Lucinda Carver and Members of the rossetti String Quartet (Henry Gronnier, violin Thomas Diener, viola Eric Gaenslen, violoncello Lucinda Carver, Piano)

� Haydn: Piano Trio in G major ('Gypsy')

� Faur�: Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano

� Brahms: Piano Quartet in G minor

FREE Concert with at $10 requested donation Reception to follow

Religion Inside Out November 6

Religion Inside Out. The Kabbalah has been doing just that for hundreds of years

The Kabbalah is rooted in a mystical literature that claims to know the inner life of the Divine and how that interfaces with humanity.

Rabbi Mordecai Finley will offer an overview of that map and how Kabbalah can shape spiritual formation and moral psychology.

Finley is the spiritual leader of Ohr HaTorah Synangogue. He as been teaching Jewish spirituality, mysticism and related fields of stdy for more tan 25 years.

Please join us on Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. for

Kabbalah: The Journey Into the Cosmic Soul

St. John's Cathedral

514 West Adams Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90007

Reception immediately following the program - Please RSVP at www.theguibordcenter.org

In This Issue

Rector's Corner

The Time is Now. The Needs are Great.

Videos available

Concert October 16

Acoustics

St. Agnes Club to meet

Mother Knows Best

Coming Soon...

ePrayer

Video Introductions

Quick Links

XVII Sunday After Trinity

Celebrant (8am & 10:30am)

Fr. Ian Elliott Davies

Sermon

Fr. Ian Elliott Davies

Deacon

The Rev. Walter S. Johnson

Assistant Organist

Thompson Howell

PRELUDE

Fugue in G Minor ("The Little Fugue") - J.S. Bach

POSTLUDE
"Psalm 19: The Heavens Declare the Glory of God" - Benedetto Marcello, arr. E. Power Biggs

LECTIONS

Exodus 33. 12 - end
Psalm 96. 1 - 9 [10 - 13]
1 Thessalonians 1. 1 - 10
Matthew 22.15 - 22

Acoustics

Sound Waves

Work on Phase II of the Acoustics Project is now complete. Thank you for your patience. The video slide show is available online (link below).

The St. Thomas Acoustics Project.mov

The stained glass is coming back! The original vendor was unable to complete the project as contracted and a new vendor has been engaged. we do not have a final delivery date, but expect it prior to Advent.

On September 30, 2011 Bishop Glasspool blessed the new construction at the Mass of Renewal and Reconciliation.

Muscles for Shovels Needed!

Gardening Hunk

On Saturday, 22 October, the St. Agnes Garden Guild will be holding its fall planting, pruning, and weeding day. The Guild has purchased plants and materials to re-landscape the entrance to the parking lot with native drought tolerant California shrubs and flowers, and also some new plants for around the parish that have perished due to construction work, dog walkers, and malfunctioning sprinkler systems. Please join us at 9am or whenever you can make it. Wear your finest bib overalls, bring gardening gloves if you need them. We will provide the shovels, rakes, pruning sheers (manual and electrical), and weed diggers. Come and have fun playing in the dirt!

A Growing Endowment