The Vicar's Corner

Last weekend, June 15th, we celebrated the great feast of the Holy Trinity.  I felt it would be less of me not to make some mention of, and comment on this church occasion.  So, I share with you the following material taken from history and born in the minds and hearts of a few luminaries of our faith.  Albeit a few days after, we continue to celebrate the mystery that is the Trinity.

We start in the book of Genesis (1:26 to be exact) the first of the five books that make up what is referred to as the Pentateuch:  "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  And again in Genesis 3:22 God says, "'The man has now become like one of us." 

St. Patrick, the "Missionary of the Irish," used the shamrock to help explain the nature of Father, Son and Spirit  Three "beings" in One.  He preached to those who had not yet come to know Jesus using the shamrock and asking those who listened, "Is this one leaf or three?"  The people shouted back that the shamrock was both one and three.  Patrick responded to the people that such is the nature of the Trinity...though one leaf containing three members yet still truly one. 

John Donne, the renowned 17th Century Anglican poet and priest wrote of the Trinity in this most stirring and yet troubling piece:

Holy Sonnet 1

 

"As due by many titles I resign
Myself to thee, O God, first I was made
By thee, and for thee, and when I was decayed
Thy blood bought that, the which before was thine,
I am thy son, made with thy self to shine,
Thy servant, whose pains thou hast still repaid,
Thy sheep, thine image, and, till I betrayed
My self, a temple of thy Spirit divine;
Why doth the devil then usurp on me?
Why doth he steal, nay ravish that's thy right?
Except thou rise and for thine own work fight,
Oh I shall soon despair, when I do see
That thou lov'st mankind well, yet wilt not choose me,
And Satan hates me, yet is loth to lose me."

 

When Donne's penned these words he was at a point of "desolation" with God, that is, his relationship with God was strained and troubled.  He wrote out of his anguish and pain; imploring God to listen to his plea and to grace him with the attention he desired and needed.  Now I ask, don't we all, at some time or another feel as Donne felt; that God was distant and our prayers fell silent at God's feet?      

 

St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles examines the nature of the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in salvation and in the lives of those who believe.  In his letter to the people of Galatia, (Ga. 4: 4-7) Paul wrote:  "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God."

 

Truly, we are all God's children.  It matters little if we fully comprehend and fully understand the nature of the Holy Trinity.  What IS important is that the Trinity, that is Father, Son and Spirit believes in and loves us.  And because of this love, we are graced with the gifts of the Spirit, made present in Jesus our Savior who was sent to us by His Father, the Creator of all things that were, that are and that which is yet to be.

 

We Need YOU This Weekend!

More is written about Little Boots Rodeo below, but we still have a few volunteer slots to fill.  If you can help staff St. Nicholas' game at the Rodeo (held at the intersection of Arlington Heights Road and Devon) this Saturday and/or Sunday, please click here to sign up.

The entire Community of St. Nicholas welcomes Violet Jane Gabor to the world!

Violet's birthday is June 9th, being born on Monday to her very proud parents Katie and Phil Gabor and her equally proud and beaming grandparents and parishioners Barb and John Bosslet.

How beautiful and how wonderful.  We ask God to bless and protect Violet; that she may be raised in love and peace and no harm come to her.  We pray for all children; that all may be blessed, cherished and know how much they are loved.

When it comes to worship, we all are familiar with how we do things.  Fortunately, we are blessed with many who share their time and talents with us making sure our liturgies are prayerfully prepared and carried out.

However, there are other events that need our attention and the help of our parish family and friends.

Also, Saturday, July 19th is our annual St. Nicholas Parish Picnic.  From roughly 12 noon to 4pm, we'll have food, games and fun on the front lawn, culminating with our 4:30 liturgy. Weather permitting, we'll worship outdoors.  St. Nicholas will supply the hot dogs and hamburgers.  We ask volunteers and donors to bring side dishes, buns, snacks and some sweet treats, too.  Please sign up at this link, or on the sign-up sheet posted in the gathering space at church.  Please let us know how many will be attending and what you'll bring to share.  We ask each and all to see how we can participate and share our gifts and talents with one another. 

In advance, thank you one and all.  God bless us.

We all know and agree that "church" is more than just a place visited on weekends.  There is so much going on at St. Nicholas Monday through Friday, in the morning, afternoon and in the evenings...we are a rather lively and engaging place to say the least.

Consequently, we rely upon the pledges and donations made by our parish family and friends to carry and sustain us throughout the entire year.  And while Bible Study and Children's Formation take 'a break' and many of us are away for extended periods of time during the summer, we still have bills that need our attention. 

So I ask each and all to be mindful of this special commitment to our
St. Nicholas and remember to acknowledge and respond to our pledge to our church.  Continued support allows our doors to stay open, our lights remain on, music and worship programs copied without trouble and our worship space be provided what it needs so we may celebrate our faith freely and without reservations. 

In advance, thank you to all.  Your generosity is so graciously appreciated. 

With my sincerest gratitude to all,

Fr. Manny

Prayer Requests

The Community of St. Nicholas is praying

 

For our military personnel who are overseas and engaged in battle:  that they soon return home safe and secure.  

 

 

Shout-Outs

There was no mistaking our blue and white t-shirts, and who could possibly miss the multicolored hair, big noses and clown attire!  Of course, it was our St. Nicholas Marchers!

Great job in representing St. Nicholas at the annual E.G.V. Parade.  You did us all very, very proud.

Readings for This Weekend

This Week at St. Nicholas

As a reminder, the full master calendar is always available online at this link.  Here is the schedule for the next week:

St. Nicholas Episcopal Church
1072 Ridge Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL  60007
847-439-2067
www.StNicholasEpiscopal.org