St. Stephen's Weekly Touchstone

St. Stephen's Weekly Touchstone

March 29, 2011

The Week Leading up to the Fourth Sunday in Lent

Thought of the Week

To repent means to turn around. Lent is the season of turning ourselves back to God. In The Great Divorce which we read as our first endeavor together in Adult Education, C.S. Lewis writes in the preface of how we can turn ourselves around and overcome our mistakes. He writes:

"I do not think that all who choose wrong roads perish; but their rescue consists in being put back on the right road. A wrong sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on. Evil can be undone, but it cannot 'develop' into good."

In this thought, Lewis is inviting us to imagine the redemptive work of seeing those parts of ourselves that need to be turned around, that need repentance. There are no mistakes beyond redemption. There is nothing ultimately that can separate us from God if we seek fellowship with God above all else. Part of the work of Lent is to see those parts of our lives that continue to lead us down the wrong path and to turn back; find the root of what we are doing wrong, and seek a better way of living. It is never too late to get back on track.

See you in church!

Fr. Josh

Pictures of the Week

St. Stephen's Church hosted the Ecumenical Lenten service and luncheon on Wednesday March 23.

Photos by Charity Lunder

Weekly Announcements

Lenten Adult Education Series:

We are discussing Paul's first letter to the Corinthians for the remaining Sundays in Lent: April 3, and 10. There is no prior knowledge or work required and all are welcome to participate. We meet Sunday mornings at 9 am in the Bethany Room. Join us for these enjoyable and informative gatherings!

Wednesdays During Lent:

We will gather at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church for the Community Ecumenical Lenten Services. Thank you to all who participated in our hosting the Lenten Luncheon at St. Patrick's. It was a wonderful success.

New Flower Guild:

Starting in May we will have a new ministry at St. Stephen's. The flower arrangements in the church will be done by our new flower guild. If you have an interest in arranging flowers and would like to be a part of this ministry let Fr. Josh know.

Friendship Suppers:

If you are interested in hosting a Friendship Supper in the future, please contact Laura Johnson at ljohnson6@metlife.com.

Mt. Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry:

Please mark your calendars for our next two opportunities to serve at the Mt. Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry. Join us on Tuesday, April 12^th and Tuesday, May 24^th.

Fr. Josh Paternity Leave:

Fr. Josh will be out of the office Thursdays and Fridays until May 6 with the exception of Holy Week (April 17-23). As always, Fr. Josh is available for Pastoral Emergencies, please don't hesitate to contact him at the numbers below.

Weekly Readings

Our first reading of the week will be Ephesians 5:8-14

See the reading here: http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=168417248

Our Gospel reading of the week will be John 9:1-41

See the reading here: http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=168417175

Sunday Servers

Ushers: John Desmarais and Mike Lee

Acolyte: Chris Ramsey

Chalicist: Jeffrey Elliot

Reader: Jerry Brown

Altar Guild: Annlee Milani

Coffee Hour: Elliot

Bread Bakers: Elliot

For any questions or needs, you may contact Father Josh Condon; office - 914-273-3812, Rectory - 914-273-4570, cell - 917-753-1997, or by e-mail: jcondon.ststephens@gmail.com.