POSTMARK The Newsletter of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Glen Ellyn April 2012 In this issue Holy Week 2012 Rector’s Message 2 Children’s Events 6-7 April 1 Palm Sunday Spanish Language Ministry 4-5 8:00 a.m. Rite I Eucharist Get involved! 8-9 9:15, 10:30 a.m. Rite II Eucharist with Procession of the Women’s Events 10-11 Palms lead by a live donkey from the lower Youth Update 6 parking lot, weather permitting. Important Dates 1 p.m. Santa Misa (Spanish) More information in weekly bulletins or at www.stmarksglenellyn.org. April 2 Monday in Holy Week 12:00 noon Rite II Eucharist, Chapel April 1-8 See Holy Week schedule at right April 3 Tuesday in Holy Week 11 Choristers resumes 12:00 noon Rite II Eucharist, Chapel 15 YLF 17 Vestry April 4 Wednesday in Holy Week 18 After Hours for Moms 12:00 noon Rite II Eucharist, Chapel 21 Spring cleaning and gardening April 5 Holy Thursday Paintball 6:00 p.m. Agape meal 22 Youth/Mentor/Parent meeting 28 WTW Tea 7:30 p.m. Rite II Eucharist 9:00 p.m. Altar of Repose to 7:00 a.m. Semana Santa April 6 Good Friday 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. Good Friday for Children. Domingo de Ramos: Santa Misa a la 1pm These 40 minute retellings of the last hours Jueves Santo: of Jesus’ life are active and experiential. Cena de Agape de 6pm a 7:3-pm 11:50 a.m.-3 p.m. OneChurch Tre Ore worship Celebración del Jueves Santo de 7:30-8:30pm at Grace Lutheran Church. 7:30 p.m. Passion Narrative and reserve Sacrament. Viernes Santo: Servicio para niños y niñas ll:00 am y 1pm April 7 Easter Vigil 7:30 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter with reception. Servicio del Viernes Santo en San Marcos de 7:30pm a 8:3opm April 8 Easter Day 9:00 a.m. Rite II Eucharist, brass and Servicio Ecuménico de las Siete Palabras choir. de 12pm a 3pm en 11:15 a.m. Rite II Eucharist, brass and Grace Lutheran Church choir. 493 Forestt Avenue Glen Ellyn Egg hunt follows both services Sábado de Gloria Celebración 7:30pm a 10:00pm 1 p.m. Santa Misa (Spanish) Búsqueda de huevintos Domingo de Pascua: Santa Misa a la 1pm de Pascua Búsqueda de huevitos de Pascua Worship as a family. No Sunday School on Easter Day. April 2012 So, What Do Episcopalians Believe? Many church web sites prominently feature a "What we believe" box for web surfers to click on. St. Mark's web site doesn’t have this, and neither do most Episcopal church web sites. And unlike many churches, you won't find a pamphlet lying around in the narthex that says, "This is what we believe." The reason for this is both historical and intentional. In the years following the Reformation in Europe, the church in England held together bitter rivals - protestant-leaning and catholic-leaning factions. During this time, it was politically dangerous to be too specific about beliefs. The “Elizabethan Compromise” (named after Queen Elizabeth I) placed the focus on common worship and church organization. Belief for Anglicans is summed up in the Latin "lex orandi, lex credendi" - which means “the law of prayer is the law of belief” or in other words "praying is believing." In worship, as opposed to a list of statements, belief is formed and nurtured. Through prayer, reading of Scripture, the sermon, confession of sin From our Rector and the celebration of the Holy Communion belief is formed Having grown up in the Episcopal Church and attended several thousand worship services, I am convinced that belief and worship are intertwined. For someone to really know what Episcopalians believe, they need to attend an Episcopal church and participate in the Sunday liturgy. Because of this, I am hesitant to provide a list of "beliefs" on a web site or in a pamphlet. It would be going against the Episcopal grain. Some people are in a hurry and don't want to commit to worshiping for a number of Sundays in order to get an idea of our beliefs. There are in fact a few shortcuts. In the Book of Common Prayer, a section called the "Catechism" - "An Outline of the Faith" begins on page 845. It is set up as a series of questions and answers and covers such topics as Human Nature, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and Christian Hope. A shorter, ancient statement of faith is the Nicene Creed, which is included in almost every Sunday worship service. It appears in the Prayer Book in several places, including pages 326 and 358. The question "What do Episcopalians believe" really needs to be looked at in two ways. The first is that every individual Episcopalian has a unique opinion on belief. Based on the brief history mentioned above, The Church of England and The Episcopal Church in the United States have never tried to get everyone to adhere to a strict set of beliefs, either through memorization or threat of punishment. Some other Christian groups are frustrated by this, and roll their eyes at what they consider "wishy-washy" convictions. The second way to look at belief is what the Christian church has claimed for nearly two thousand years. The word "orthodox" is sometimes used to signal specific claims about God, Jesus, salvation, and so forth. As we enter the Easter season, some of these orthodox claims are good to remember. These include: God is the maker of heaven and earth. God is a unity which we call the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. Jesus was bodily resurrected on the third day after his crucifixion. In baptism, we are marked as “Christ’s own forever.” In the Eucharist, Christ is “re-membered” – actually made present with us. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, here on this earth. The dead will be bodily resurrected and enter into the New Jerusalem. All of these claims are represented in the Episcopal worship service. They go beyond our mental capacity for understanding, and it is through worship, that they become part of our being, hearts and minds. In worship, we discover, renew and deepen our relationship with each other and God. This process is a true mystery. Believe it or not, but you won't know until you try it. Happy Easter, Yours in Christ – George+ Page 2 April 2012 On the Liturgy—April 2012 Adult Formation Eastertide.--The church is now in Eastertide, the Great Palm Sunday, April 1 Fifty Days. The Great Fifty Days continues until the Dr. Walter and Dr. day of Pentecost. The Great Fifty Days includes Dolores Dunnett Ascension Day, the day the risen Lord ascended into challenge us with the heaven. Ascension Day is forty days after Easter, and question, “The Triumphal is always on a Thursday. Entry?” The Great Fifty Days have long been associated with certain liturgical customs. Symbols include the Paschal Candle, which is lit for every service, the liturgical color of white (except for Pentecost, which is red), and the Dr. Zondra Lindblade Swanson: use of flowers, particularly Easter lilies and anything Christian Life and Community else that speaks of beauty, spring, and new life. You April 15 How do cultural assumptions of “normal” affect will notice a distinctive feature of the lectionary Christian life and community? readings: a reading from the Book of Acts is part of April 22 Sociological Applications from the Biblical Record each Sunday’s readings, telling us of the immediate impact of Christ’s death and resurrection on his first followers. April 29 Open Forum The Great Fifty Days have long been a central part of The Rev. George Smith the liturgical year, and were in fact celebrated much earlier than was Christmas. Like the whole church year they have a clear purpose: to proclaim and to participate in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. For several May 6 You’ve got Soul! weeks we will rejoice in the Resurrection of our Lord. Ms. Reeny Linstrom Alleluia! The Great Fifty Days include the Rogation Days. What are Rogation Days? Long before society had established Earth Day, the Church has had its own The Rev. Catharine Phillips "Earth Days." In medieval times the three days before May 13 Exercises in loving that make sense Ascension Day were set aside for prayer for the year's May 20 Choose a spiritual companion crops (rogare is Latin for "to pray"). The prayers were said in Spring because this time is crucial to the success of the year's harvest. Historically, prayers for fruitful harvest and industry were said in procession May 27 Preview of Summer Forum around the geographic boundaries of the parish. The Rev. Elizabeth Molitors Rogation Days recognize our dependence on the earth and its goodness, reminding us that our faith is concerned with the basic matters of earthly life as well as with our eternal state. In modern times, the focus of Adult Formation sessions at Rogation Days has been expanded to include 9:15 and 10:15 a.m. Sundays commerce and the stewardship of creation as well as agriculture. The prayers for Rogation Days can be found on pages 258 and 259 of the Book of Common What would YOU like for forum topics? Contact Myrna Prayer. Grant, [email protected]. --David Fletcher, [email protected] Page 3 April 2012 Spanish Language Ministry The Rev.