The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King
From Bishop Scarfe
Thanksgiving, expectation and hope are the gifts of this coming week. And we can choose how to embrace them. Do we begrudgingly say that it is just not going to be the same because of the physical limits placed around us as this same season coincides with the heaviest threat of the pandemic? Or do we let them be gift to us and help pull us through these days encouraged by the message of Advent? There is a “light at the end of the tunnel,” and there is Light that shines in our hearts through the Lord Jesus Christ. On which one will we fix our eyes? I can tell you that if you learn to focus on the Light, the other one will appear much more quickly.
It is how the saints have passed through difficult times for centuries. In their relationship with God through Jesus Christ, they found the love to endure, to believe, and to hope. It is how the saints in South Sudan, who we know face incredible hardships on a regular basis, keep their faith as heavier than usual rains have caused Lake Victoria to spill over and backup the River Nile. It has caused floods that are not ebbing as the rain stops, but keep streets of villages two or three feet under standing water. “It’s like Lake Victoria has simply expanded its banks,” said one witness.
There’s a lot to “bow the knee before the Heavenly Father” for these days. And so it has always been for those who seek God’s will and kingdom to be on earth as it is in heaven. We have been reading along with the ancient Christians of Thessalonica these past few weeks, and I am always struck by Paul’s purpose in trying to describe his understanding of what Jesus meant about His second coming that the readers “encourage themselves with these words.” So what is encouraging you? Who is encouraging you?
I have two sons-in-law who impress me with their curious intellects. And so each Christmas I seem to have decided to buy them a book and include a copy for myself. Psychologically I am probably working the other way round. I find a book that is speaking to me and then buy two extra copies for them! One year the gift of choice was The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It included a workbook in which you were invited to put down three elements of joy noticed each day. This is no novel concept. But it is not as easy an exercise as you may think.
When Jesus said “sufficient for the day are the evils thereof,” he was inviting us to let go of the anxieties of the now, and use the turning of each day as a spiritual tool for release and renewal. He was also calling us to see the big picture of the Love of God who cares and notices and is with us. Thanksgiving opens the way for expectation, and expectation breeds hope.
The elaborate, expansive nature of Thanksgiving and, yes, Christmas and the New Year, are going to be denied us this year, if we behave in a smart and faithful way. It is still a time of thanksgiving and of expectation and of hope. There is still the gift of release and renewal. Only they are calling us from much closer to home—to and from our very hearts or inner beings. Jesus does not limit His presence to our grand gestures of liturgy and ritual; and He promises to be with us always—to the ends of our worlds and into its deepest inner selves.
In thanksgiving for you all,
+Alan
The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, Bishop of Iowa
Transgender Day of Remembrance Service
Join us tonight, Friday, November 20th, as we remember those who have died this year due to violence fueled by transphobic hate. We will read their names, pray, sing, lament, and re-commit to building a world where the transgender children being born today might be able to live and flourish without fear of violence and death.
The diocesan worship opportunities that are available online will be found on the diocesan Facebook page, the diocesan Youtube channel, and will be on the diocesan website. Call-in option for members who only have access to phones: 312 626 6799 and enter the Meeting ID as prompted: 365 765 527#
Christ the King Sunday
Join us on Sunday for Holy Eucharist offered by members of St. Paul's in Council Bluffs at 10:00am.
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Young Adults
Friday, December 4 at 7:00pm
Join with other young adults as we engage with the monthly dismantling racism resources offered in the "2020 Vision for Becoming Beloved Community."
The month of November was focused on "Moving from ally to accomplice." Join us to talk about what we have learned by engaging with one or more of the items listed under each of the headings - Learn, Notice, Engage - on the 2020 Vision November page.
For Zoom login information, contact Traci Ruhland Petty tpetty@iowaepiscopal.org
Youth Ministry
Youth Compline and Check-in, Wednesday December 2
7pm by Zoom. Please join us for a Youth-Led Compline Service, all are welcome. After the service, we will have a Youth Check-In.
contact Amy Mellies at amellies@iowaepiscopal.org or at 515-277-6165.
Youth Check-in on Wednesday, December 16th
7pm for 4th-8th
8pm for 9th-12th
Zoom information will be emailed on Monday. If you do not receive monthly Youth Ministry updates, please contact Amy Mellies at amellies@iowaepiscopal.org or at 515-277-6165.
Diocesan Christmas Playlist
Do you have a favorite Christmas or Advent song? Help us make a playlist featuring favorites from people around the diocese by submitting a song here. We'll put all the songs into one playlist and send out a link where you can listen to holiday music chosen by your friendly neighboring Episcopalians.
Questions? Contact Traci Ruhland Petty: tpetty@iowaepiscopal.org 515-277-6165 x202
Listening at Lunch
Discipleship Circles
Read more about Discipleship Circles, how you might get circles started in your congregation, and find resources for circles to use for worship, study, and prayer.
https://www.iowaepiscopal.org/discipleship-circles
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