Sword Points Jesus

Transforming Lives Through Sword Points Jesus

May 10, 2012 www.saintpaulsbrookfield.com (203) 775-9587 † 1937 St. Paul’s Fire Sparked Controversy

eventy five years ago on Valentine’s Day, St. Paul’s was destroyed by fire. We have S three pictures of the fire on our website as well as a Danbury News article. Recently Stuart Terrill, a parishioner whose family was active at the church in 1937, brought in another article from the Bridgeport Post with a picture we hadn’t seen before. Apparently there was a political twist to the fire that has been forgotten with time. The fledgling Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department had been trying get money to purchase equipment, but the County Commissioner didn’t want to tax citizens for it. The town voted to override his decision. As a result delivery of a new fire truck was delayed until March 1st, 1937 … 16 days after the fire! Ooops. See page 2 of Sword Points for a copy of the Post article. Also, here’s a link to the history of the Brookfield Fire Department.

† This Week at St. Paul’s

Thu., May 10 - 1:00 pm - Dorothy Day, Danbury 7:30 pm - Property Committee 7:30 pm - Music Night, Sanctuary Sat., May 12 - 7:30 am - Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Parish Hall 6:00 pm - Marriage Course, Parish Hall Sun., May 13 - Sixth Sunday of Easter 8:00 am - Traditional Eucharist 9:15 am - Adult Christian Education, Guild Room 9:15 am - High School/Young Adult Bible Study, Youth Lounge 9:45 am - 1st Holy Communion Class 10:30 am - Sunday School 10:30 am - Contemporary Eucharist 5:00 pm - Youth Group 6:15 pm - Vespers Tue., May 15 - 9:15 am - Ladies Bible Study, Guild Room Wed., May 16 - 10:00 am - Holy Eucharist and Healing 7:30 pm - Music Night, Sanctuary Thu., May 17 - Ascension Day 7:30 pm - Holy Eucharist

† Happy Birthday to You!

endy Cavagna celebrates today! W Sunday is the big day for Ryan Friedly. Juliet Barbieri will be expecting your card on Monday. David Hock, Preston Powell, Pamela Franklin & Pamela Koniecki will be blowing out candles on Tuesday. Mason Sampson will be another year older and wiser on Wednesday. Have a blessed day each one of you!

† Scholarly Speaking

Where do we get the Creeds?

t our service on Wednesday we celebrated St. Gregory of A Nazianzus, a leading theologian among the Eastern Orthodox, and a strong defender of the faith as taught by Athanasius which became normative for traditional Christianity. This in turn led to some discussion of the creeds, particularly the Athanasian, and the request that I write a little more on this subject. The term creed, incidentally comes from credo (I believe), the opening word (in Latin) of the Apostles and Nicene forms; but the older term, symbol (in the now archaic sense of a token of identity-a) refers to the use of the Creed as identifying those who professed the faith of the Church. Our Prayer Book, of course, includes three Creeds, the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian-b. The first two are provided for actual use in our services – the former at Morning and Evening Prayer and at Baptism (here in a question and answer form), and the latter at the Eucharist – while the third dropped out of the American Prayer Book in 1789 but now appears among the Historic Documents. Although its present form first appears in the eighth century, the Apostles’ Creed is an only slightly modified form of the Old Roman Symbol that apparently dates back to the second century. An early (but historically unlikely) tradition records that the Apostles each contributed one of the twelve clauses into which it was commonly divided. This, of course is the source of the common name for the present Creed. The most significant differences between the two are the addition of “creator of heaven and earth” as a description of the Father, “Catholic” as a note of the Church, and “the Communion of Saints” as an additional item of belief. The early origin of this symbol is seen in the fact that it does not deal with the later controversies about the divinity of Christ (even though they arose before it took its final shape) and thus has been used by Arians in early Church history, and by some Unitarians today. The Nicene Creed is strictly speaking the Symbol adopted in 325 at the Council of Nicæa, but the form we use today also includes language adopted at the Council of Constantinople in 381 (our Gregory of Nazianzus presided over that council) and is technically known as the Nicæno-Constantinopolitan Creed. The accompanying icon, ironically, shows Constantine and bishops from Nicæa but the text they are holding is the 381 version. The council had been summoned to resolve differences in understanding the nature of Christ between Arius and his followers who saw Christ (and the Spirit) as inferior to the Father, and Athanasius and his followers who viewed Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as separate but equal members of the one Godhead. The key word in the text of the Creed that made this point was ὁμοούσιον (of one Being) while the Arians would have preferred ὁμοούσον (of like Being). It is from the difference between the two words that we get the expression ‘an iota (ι) of difference.’ The Icon of Constantine and the Council of Constantinople deleted a few phrases (mostly explanatory rather than Nicene fathers with the Creed separate statements) and added several more including the whole final section beginning with “the Lord, the giver of Life.” The Western version of the Creed differs from the Eastern by adding two phrases. The first occurrence of “God of God” was in the 325 text but not in that of 381; it was restored in the Latin version. The Latin version also added “filioque (and the Son)” to the description of o you have a question you the Holy Ghost as “proceeding from the Father” and this D would like answered by our became a source of considerable controversy. The change Scholar-in-Residence? Send your was only gradually adopted over a period of some 400 ecclesiastical, liturgical, doctrinal, years, and with various explanations. The modern historical or other inquiries to: (Continued on page 8) [email protected].

5 † Israel 2012 

By Pam Szen

Mt. Carmel

rom Caesarea, we continued on the F first day to Mt. Carmel where Elijah challenged King Ahab and the prophets of Baal. Mt. Carmel is often cited in the Old Testament for its beauty and fertility. The view of the Jezreel Valley as seen from the Muhraka ast year Fr. Joe & Tara sanctuary at the top of Mt. Carmel L and our rector was spectacular with the emeritus Fr. Crocker toured Mediterranean Sea in the distance. the Holy Land. This past April It is one of the most scenic panoramas in Israel. Dave & Pam Szen completed Many of our travel mates were ministers from churches far and wide. the same trip and are planning Teachings and meditations were done at most of the sites we visited. At Mt. a pilgrimage to Israel for our Carmel, we found a peaceful grotto for a time of reflection led by Fr. Mic, an parish for 2013. Each week Episcopal/Anglican minister and the Rector of the Church of the Resurrection in Hopewell Junction, NY. Pam is writing a summarySword Points. of their journey in As a sacred location Elijah In mainstream Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thought, Elijah is indelibly associated with the mountain, and he is regarded as having sometimes resided in a grotto on the mountain. Indeed, one name for Mount Carmel is Jabal Mar Elyas Mount Saint Elias. In the Books of Kings, Elijah challenges 450 prophets of a particular Baal to a contest at the altar on Mount Carmel to determine whose deity was genuinely in control of the Kingdom of Israel; since the narrative is set during the rule of Ahab and his association with the Phoenicians, biblical scholars suspect that the Baal in question was probably Melqart. Elijah’s challenge came during a period after successive kings “did evil in the sight of the Lord.” He had married the Phoenician princess Jezebel and she turned his allegiance from Yahweh to her god Baal and had Yahweh’s prophets slaughtered. According to the Bible in 1 Kings 18, the challenge was to see which deity could light a sacrifice by fire. After the prophets of Baal had failed to achieve this, Elijah had water poured on his sacrifice several times to saturate the altar, prostrated himself in prayer to God, fire fell from the sky, and In Elijah, we seem to have found a patron saint for Sword Points! (Continued on page 7)

6 (Continued from page 6) immediately consumed the sacrifice and the water, prompting the Israelite witnesses to proclaim, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” In the account, clouds gather, the sky turns black, and it rains heavily, ending a long drought. Though there is no biblical reason to assume that the account of Elijah's victory refers to any particular part of Mount Carmel, Islamic tradition places it at a point known as El- Maharrakah, meaning the burning. In ancient Canaanite culture, high places were frequently considered to be sacred, and Mount Carmel appears to have been no exception; Thutmose III lists a holy headland among his Canaanite territories, and if this equates to Carmel, as Egyptologists such as Maspero believe, then it would indicate that the mountain headland was considered sacred from at least the 15th century BC. According to the Books of Kings, there was an altar to God on the mountain, which had fallen into ruin by the time of Ahab, but Elijah built a new one. Iamblichus describes Pythagoras visiting the mountain on account of its reputation for sacredness, stating that it was the most holy of all mountains, and access was forbidden to many, while Tacitus states that there was an oracle situated there, which Vespasian visited for a consultation; Tacitus states that there was an altar there, but without any image upon it, and without a temple around.

Planning is underway for a St. Paul’s triP to israel in the late spring of next year. If you would like to be part of this life -changing spiritual journey, contact David or Pam Szen or send an e-mail to [email protected].

† Sermon Shorts

n last Sunday’s sermon, Fr. Shepley selects the account of I Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch to explore the historical aspects of the event coupled with a focus on the Holy Spirit's work among the early Christians. Mission in the Holy Spirit as the church's call today surrounds the application points. To replay or watch sermons follow this link for The Sunday Sermons each week.

† Adult Christian Education

Join us this Sunday at 9:15 AM in The Guild room for the Adult Education class on Christian Virtues.

7 † Transforming Saints of God

May 10

Nicolaus von Zinzendorf

icolaus von Zinzendorf (1700-1760) was a Count of the Holy Roman Empire who N always had more interest in religious matters than in affairs of court. Following studies at the pietist center of Halle, he developed his own “theology of the heart,” which placed great emphasis on a close personal relationship with the suffering Savior. This “heart religion” was not just inner emotion, however, but was to result in a life totally devoted to the Savior. “All of life becomes a liturgy,” said Zinzendorf, and even the most mundane task can be an act of worship. Always a champion of the underdog, he granted asylum to Czech Protestant exiles. Following a unifying experience on August 13, 1727, in their settlement of Herrnhut on his estate, the old church of the Unitas Fratrum or Bohemian Brethren was reborn and developed a rich liturgical and devotional life. This Moravian Church as it came to be called launched pioneer mission work, first in the Caribbean and then around the world. Zinzendorf himself became a bishop, and devoted his personal fortune to furthering the work of the church. He was an early advocate of ecumenism, and in America he attempted to bring Protestant denominations together in the “Pennsylvania Synods.” He was not a systematic theologian, but produced numerous theological writings, widely read in Germany. In addition to these, he was a prolific hymn writer, and many of his hymn texts remain in use today in the Moravian Church and beyond. His view of the church is summed up in his stanza:

Christian hearts, in love united, seek alone in Jesus rest; has he not your love excited? Then let love inspire each breast.

Members on our Head depending, lights reflecting him, our Sun, Brethren - his commands attending, we in him, our Lord, are one. (Moravian Book of Worship 1995: 673)

(Continued from page 5) The Creeds position of the Vatican is that the Greek and Latin words translated ‘proceed’ have different meanings and that when Greek theologians had used a different Greek work more like the Latin in meaning they too had spoken of the Spirit as proceeding from Father and Son. Thus those Roman Catholics who worship in Greek are forbidden from the phrase, but in Latin and in other languages based on the Latin they do use it. Finally we come to the Athanasian Symbol (unlike the others it does not begin with the word Credo). This was once commonly attributed to Athanasius but it was almost certainly (Continued on page 10)

† Sunday’s Readings (click on the red links below to go directly to the text)

No Longer Servants

Acts 10:44-48 n our New Testament lesson Peter has gone to visit Cornelius, a Gentile and Roman I centurion, and has proclaimed to him the good news of Jesus, that all who believe in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins. Even as Peter is speaking, the Holy Spirit falls upon the gathered and they extol God and speak in tongues, as had happened to Jewish disciples with the arrival of the Spirit. The Jewish believers who had come with Peter are Luke 11:28 astounded that the Spirit has fallen impartially also upon Gentiles, and Peter is persuaded that baptism must be extended to these new believers. He replied, “Blessed Psalm 98 A song of thanksgiving and praise to the victorious Lord, who has made rather are those who divine righteousness known and shown faithfulness to the people of God. hear the word of God 1 John 5:1-6 In this lesson we hear that belief in Jesus as the Christ, together with love of and obey it.” all God’s children, form the heart of the Christian faith. This faith is victorious over the world; that is, over godless society. To love God means to obey God’s commandments, and the essence of the commandments is the love of all who are of God. The one who overcomes the world believes that Jesus is the Son of God, who was present in the world not only through the water of his baptism but in the blood of his crucifixion. John 15:9-17 In our gospel Jesus speaks of his great love for his disciples and calls upon them to show this same love toward each other that has come to him from the Father. Jesus is talking with his disciples shortly before his death, when he will be taken away from them. But this love has now formed his followers into a new community in relationship with Jesus and the Father. They are no longer servants but friends.

† Pick Up Your Copy Today! Synthesis CE Study Guides for each weeks readings will be available at the back of the church.

† Photo Contest for June Sword of the Spirit

alling all photographers! We are looking for a cover photo for our C next monthly Sword. The June issue covers the Pentecost, summer, end of church school year. Have fun. The deadline is May 25th. Send your pictures to [email protected].

(Continued from page 8) Where do we get the Creeds?

originally written in Latin, not the Greek which he used, and there are no texts or references to it until more than a century after his death. It does, however, spell out his teaching about the nature of Christ and of the Trinity. Its format is that of a psalm, and when used it is common to sing it to a Psalm tone. The English Prayer Book called for its use on 19 occasions during the year but various “Shortened Service Acts” of Parliament have reduced this to just Trinity Sunday. Even though it is rarely recited today it is often referred to as a statement of Christian teaching, and appears that way in our Prayer Book. It includes detailed descriptions of the characteristics of God as applied to each of the three persons, and notes that although there is one God each one of the three has these characteristics separately. The traditional ‘shield of the Trinity’ represents this graphically. One of these statements, “The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible,” has become the source of a theological joke by adding the conclusion, “The whole thing incomprehensible.” (The word is used in the older sense of ‘not limitable’ except in the punch line which uses the modern sense.) Fr. Bill Loring, Scholar in Residence

a- Specifically, half of a broken object which could be matched up with the other half to prove one’s identity. b- See pages 53, 96,303, 326 and 864

† Transforming Stewardship

“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” - JOHN 15:12-13

o you love Jesus? Do you consider Him your friend? Jesus says that if we love D Him we should be willing to offer whatever we have to Him, not because we want praise and glory, but simply because we love Him.

Vespers is a time of worship and fellowship, with quiet moments to pray, and some upbeat music to lift our spirits.

10 † Ascension Day Service at 7:30 pm

'Leader' is mentioned only 6 times in the (KJV) Bible. 'Servant' is mentioned over 900 times.

Save the dates! VBS 2012

Monday, July 16th Friday, July 20th 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Stay tuned for more details soon!

† Hopeline Baby Bottle Campaign

he Hopeline Baby Bottle Campaign begins on T Sunday. Hopeline is a Christian-based ministry supporting women during unplanned pregnancies. In addition to material assistance for the care of the newborn, such as cribs, clothing, diapers, and other supplies, Hopeline offers counseling, support, and more recently ultrasounds performed on newly pregnant women by an Ob-Gyn trained physician. They offer post-abortion counseling to women of any age. St. Paul’s supports Hopeline through its annual “Change for Change” Baby Bottle Fundraiser. Starting on Mother’s Day on, there will be baby bottles at the back of the church and in the Parish Hall that we ask you to please fill with your loose change and bills and return on Father’s Day. For more information, contact: Rory Palmer, Bonnie Wanzer or Debbie Werneburg..

† Happy Mother’s Day

arly "Mother's Day" in the U.S. was mostly marked by E women's peace groups. A common early activity was the meeting of groups of mothers whose sons had fought or died on opposite sides of the Civil War. There were several local celebrations in the 1870s and the 1880s, but none achieved resonance beyond the local level. In its present form, Mother's Day was established in 1907 by Anna Marie Jarvis, following the death of her mother Ann Jarvis two years earlier. On May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day and President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation, declaring the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war. † St. Peter’s Fish

“The fish will be of many kinds” (Ez. 47:10)

Peter’s Herbs Sauce Fish Poached in White Wine “One of them went out into the fields to gather “The fish will be of many kinds” (Ez. 47:10) herbs” (2 Kings 4:39)

Ingredients Ingredients: 1 cup white wine 1 cup leek, chopped 1 sliced onion 5 T. olive oil Salt & Pepper 1 cup finely chopped cilantro 1 ½ cups water 1 cup finely chopped parsley 2 bay leaves 2 crushed garlic cloves 4 pieces of Tilapia (St. Peter’s fish) 1 tsp. ground cumin

Simmer all ingredients (except the fish) in a ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper 1 T. white wine vinegar wide pan for five minutes. Season to taste. Add the fish and cook until soft, about 5 Fry the leek in the olive oil until soft. Blend all the minutes. Remove fish. Serve with Peter’s ingredients together in a food processor. Herb Sauce.

† Your Prayers Are Requested For…

t is such an intimate time when praying for the health and well being of others and I such a privilege. The people that we lift up to The Lord are part of our hearts for all time. Please pray for…

…..St. Andrew’s, New Haven; St. James’, New Haven; St. John’s, New Haven; St. Luke’s, New Haven. …..Sophia DeAnzeris, complete healing of her broken arm. …..Dot Blake, convalescing from a stroke at Filosa in Danbury. …..Sue Jennings, healing and strength. …..Gerry Mullen, strength and freedom from pain. …..Barbara Hock, healing of back problems. …..Church Missions Publishing Company; missionaries. …..Doug Azzarito, healing of blood cancer. …..Paul Estok, healing of his broken leg. …..Cy Dennerlein, recovering from a fall. …..Peggy Bauer, a miracle of healing. …..Ginny Beck for continued healing and strength. …..Norma Jean Sporck, recovery and easy rehab from hip replacement surgery. …..Mike Healey's brother, Tim who had a recent liver transplant; pray that he is able to assimilate the new liver in his body. …..Shirley Jessup, healing and comfort for her back. …..David Palmer, strength and peace as he recovers. …..Bill Mayers’ daughter, Kathleen for recovery from a heart condition. …..Walter Biscardi for healing and strength. …..Kelly & Tim Malloy, their children and their team, safety in Jos, Nigeria. …..Tom Balash, strength and mobility. …..Ken Perry quick healing from recent shoulder surgery. …..a job for Mary Ellen. …..Kay Tucker who is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, a miracle of healing. …..Michael for-protection in Afghanistan, in the service.

Psalm 5: 11,12, "But let all who take refuge, in you be glad, let them sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O lord, You bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Last Thursday Fr. Joe led a group gathered around the flagpole at the Southbury Town Hall with an opening prayer in celebration of the 61st annual National Day of Prayer. Similar noon and evening ceremonies took place at towns nationwide, each offering an hour of spontaneous prayer for the nation, its leaders and its people, in the spirit of this year’s theme One Nation Under God.

† Finders, Keepers! How Did St. Paul’s St. Paul’s OWN Find You? th May 13 - Youth Group 5-7pm was th I "born" May 20 - Youth Group 5-7pm into St. June 10th - Youth Group 5-7pm Paul's. My parents were June 22nd - Lock-In 7 pm-7am members here when I July 8th - Youth Group 5-7pm was born and I have attended St Paul's my entire life. Click on the following link to tell us your story: "How Did St. Paul's Find You?"

† Choir Practice for Sword Points Readers (click on the red links below to begin your personal practice)

Opening Hymn As Those of Old Their First Fruits Brought Gradual Hymn Where Charity and Love Prevail Offertory Hymn Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant Closing Hymn Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty

Holy, Holy, Holy "Holy, Holy, Holy" was written by Reginald Heber, an Anglican clergyman, nearly two centuries ago. He wrote hymns in an attempt to improve the singing in his little congregation at Hodnet, near Birmingham, England. Most congregations in those days sang the Psalter - but most sang it badly. To inject a bit of spirit in the hymn-singing, Heber introduced his congregation to some of the modern church music of his day, to include John Newton's "Amazing Grace." He also wrote dozens of hymns, the best-known being "Holy, Holy, Holy." He wrote it for Trinity Sunday, as evidenced by the words, "God in three persons, blessed Trinity," in the first and last verses. The hymn tune was written by John Dykes. He called it Nicaea (also spelled Nicea) after the church council that established the doctrine of the Trinity. When Rev. Heber was 40 years old, he reluctantly left his beloved England to begin service as Bishop of Calcutta, India. The scope of the job combined with the hot climate and primitive conditions, proved too much for Bishop Heber. He died at the age of 43 after serving only three years in India. His music was Rev. Heber's true legacy. After his death, a hymnal was published that included all of his hymns. Even today, most hymnals include two or three of his hymns. But it is this hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," that has blessed people all over the world. Translated into many languages and sung in many tongues, it was Rev. Heber's most enduring gift to the church.

† Memorial Day Outreach

his Sunday and for the next 4 weeks after each service there will be donation T sign ups in the Parish Hall for this year’s Memorial Day Outreach! Join us at 1:00 pm on May 27th. This is a perfect way for Saint Paul’s to share the love of Jesus with the community in a casual and fun way. Please sign up to donate Hot Dogs, Cookies or Lemonade. Contact Preston Powell for more information. Thanks!

† Sacristans for May

The May Sacristans are Lorine Hodge, Sharon Hibler, and Elaine Skewis.

† Announcement Deadlines For the Sunday bulletins please submit your information by the preceding Monday to [email protected]. For Sword Points please submit it by Wednesday afternoon each week to [email protected].

Just For Fun ! (And Christian Fellowship)

evon, our English L Mastiff is shown here breaking in the new copier. So far Levon has decided that the copier is friendly, but hasn’t quite figured out why it doesn’t want to play.

Technologically Speaking At St. Paul’s we embrace the digital age we live in. Click here † It Takes An for our active website. Editorial Board And you can follow us on Facebook and Contributors to this Twitter. Also if you Weeks Sword Points: would like to receive Chris Barrett, Drew the Sunday bulletins in Crocker, Lynne PDF format for your Donnelly, Jen Falci, iPad or other type of e- Heather Melody, Beth reader to use during Miller, Patrick the services contact us O’Connors, Lori at the following link. O’Hara, Linda Scan our QR Code. Pendergast, Kirsten Peterson, Preston Powell, Joe Shepley, David Szen, Pam Szen, Stuart Terrill, Bonnie Wanser, Debbie Werneburg & Gail Winkley.