St. Paul’s Newsletter August.pdf · There is an outlandish scene in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby where Ricky Bobby‟s family and his best friend, Cal,

St. Paul’s Newsletter The Monthly Newsletter of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

212 W. Grand Avenue * Beloit, WI 53511 * 608-362-4312

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday * 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

[email protected] * www.stpaulsbeloit.org

Volume 178, Issue 8 August 2019

ob·jec·ti·fy

-express (something abstract) in a concrete form.

-degrade to the status of a mere object.

There is an outlandish scene in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky

Bobby where Ricky Bobby‟s family and his best friend, Cal, are gathered around the

dining room table for dinner. The scene begins with the group arched over their plates in

prayer as Ricky says “grace.” He begins his prayer with, “Dear Lord baby Jesus,” and he

continues to petition this baby Jesus all throughout the prayer. At one point his wife

actually interrupts and says, “You know, sweetie, Jesus did grow up. You don‟t always

have to call him baby. It is a bit odd and off-putting to pray to a baby.”

In response, Ricky feels the need to defend the version of Jesus that seems most

fitting for him to pray to. He retorts, “Well, look. I like the Christmas Jesus best and I’m

saying grace. When you say grace, you can say it to grown up Jesus, or teenage Jesus, or

bearded Jesus, or whoever you want.” As Ricky bows down again and continues the

prayer he is quickly interrupted once more, this time by his father-in-law, Chip. Chip

offers the same rebuke as his daughter. It is no surprise that Ricky reemphasizes his

previous argument. He still likes the baby version of Jesus the best.

At this point in the scene the most ridiculous line of all comes bursting forth out of

the mouth of Ricky‟s best friend, Cal. He exclaims, “I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo

t-shirt; cause it says, like, „I want to be formal but I am here to party too.‟ I like to party,

so I like my Jesus to party.” From there the conversation only devolves further into a

downward spiral as different people around the table begin chiming in on all the different

ways in which they like to imagine Jesus.

This scene always reminds me of a saying that is usually attributed to Voltaire: “In

the beginning God created man in His own image, and man has been trying to repay the

favor ever since.” This fictional film scene, as silly as it is, has a way of tapping into the

daily struggle that most of us face. It reveals how we are all prone to picture God in ways

that bear the most resemblance to ourselves and to our own interests, wants, and comforts.

Recently, we celebrated the life of John Cassian (c. AD 360 – c. 435) in our

liturgical calendar. There is a famous story in his 10th Conference where he talks about a

tragic scene he once witnessed. Cassian watched as an old and well-respected monk came

to the startling realization that he had objectified God for most of his life, and that he had

prayed to a God of his own concocting. Worst of all, he also taught many spiritual seekers

to do likewise. This realization brought the monk to a state of brokenness and tears as he

came face to face with the fact that God was not precisely who he wanted his God to be.

This story reminds me of the Talladega Nights dinner scene. Just like Ricky

Bobby, this monk had objectified Jesus and had worshipped his own idealized Jesus. This

is an important lesson for us all. Rather than fabricating a Jesus of our own creation,

“OBJECTIFY” CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

2

Right Reverend Steven A. Miller Bishop of the Diocese of

Milwaukee 800-236-3028

The Rev. TJ Humphrey

314-560-8806 [email protected]

The Rev. Gregg Schneider

Deacon 608-207-3689

Dr. Beth Yount

Organist

Staff Jenny Williams

Sexton 219-713-3202

Thomas Fallin

Administrative Assistant 608-751-3769

The Vestry

Johanna Peterson (2020) Senior Warden 608-365-7813

Diana Fogderud (2020)

Junior Warden 608-751-3841

Shirley Brunton (2021)

608-362-4463

Shari Dwyer (2020) 815-988-7837

John Gillespie (2020)

608-299-8232

Jeff Hoyt (2022)

Jeff Page (2021) 815-398-6189

Megan Trimm (2022)

Carolyn Hansen

Treasurer 608-207-9267

Anita Williams

Clerk 608-362-3295

Names will be listed for one (1) month and renewed if the office is notified.

Homebound and/or hospitalized members will remain on the list

indefinitely.

Chronically ill persons will be placed on the prayer list for the Order of St.

Luke.

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick

servants and give your power of healing to those who minister to their

needs, that they may be strengthened in their weakness and have confi-

dence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jane Ambrose

Denise Brunton

Mary Dorr

Ben Thompson

David Gwin

Robert Cornell

Freddie Wright

Betty Thompson

Ed Martin

Rosemary Martin

Nancy Williams

Linda Posner

John Gwin

Shirley Brunton

John Gillespie

Cindy Rafter

The Rev. John

Splinter

Tim Wiegel

Minutes of the Vestry Meeting from July 17, 2019

Not available at the time of printing.

Next meeting Wednesday August 21st at 7:00 p.m.

in the Church Library

Submissions for the

newsletter need to be

submitted by the 15th of

each month.

You can drop the

information off in the

church office or give it to

Thom in person.

Coffee Hour &

Altar Flowers

Sign up sheets are posted

on the church office

window.

Many

openings

are still

available!

Want to get the most up-to-date information of

what is going on during the upcoming week?

Subscribe to Thursday News!

Simply send an email to:

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Then don‟t forget to open it when it arrives!

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Call or email the church office.

Sidewalks

around the

church and the

retaining wall on

the Eastside

3

Presiding Bishop’s message, “Who is my neighbor?”

“Deeply embedded in the Christian faith, indeed deeply embedded in the Jewish tradition,

which is the mother of the Christian faith, and deeply embedded in the faith and traditions and

values of many of the world’s great religions, is a profound conviction in a sure and certain

value and virtue that care for the stranger, the alien, the visitor, is a sacred duty, a sacred

vow.”

I‟m Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. It goes without saying that there is a

humanitarian crisis at the southern border of the United States. It is a human crisis, a crisis that has deep and

complex roots, sources, and origins. But it is a crisis, a crisis of the human children of God.

There is suffering and there is hardship.

There is complexity and difficulty.

But it is a crisis that we as nation, that we as a global community, must face and find a way forward for

the sake of our brothers and our sisters, for the sake of us all.

Deeply embedded in the Christian faith, indeed deeply embedded in the Jewish tradition, which is the

mother of the Christian faith, and deeply embedded in the faith and traditions and values of many of the

world‟s great religions, is a profound conviction in a sure and certain value and virtue that care for the

stranger, the alien, the visitor, is a sacred duty, a sacred vow.

In the Hebrew scriptures in the book of Deuteronomy, the book writes and says you shall love the

stranger, for remember you were once strangers in the land of Egypt.

In the 25th chapter of Matthew in the New Testament, Jesus in the parable of the last judgment says that

when you welcomed the stranger, when you did it to these who are members of my family, you have done it

to me.

When you welcome the stranger, you welcome Jesus. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament says

those who have welcomed the strangers have sometimes welcomed angels unawares.

Welcoming the stranger, or as some translations call the alien, welcoming those who are visiting among

us is a cardinal virtue and value in our Christian faith.

Jesus was talking to a lawyer once; the story is told in Luke‟s gospel. And, when he was talking to the

lawyer, the lawyer asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life. And Jesus said, what did Moses teach in

the Hebrew scriptures? The lawyer said, well, Moses said you shall love the Lord your God and love your

neighbor as yourself.

And Jesus said do that and you will find life.

But the lawyer went on and he asked, well, can we define neighbor more precisely? Who is my neighbor?

And that‟s when Jesus told what we now know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan where one person

helped another person, a person who was completely unlike them, someone that person considered other, not

my tribe, not my nationality, not my religion, not even my friend. And Jesus at the end of the parable said,

who was the neighbor to the man who was in need? And the lawyer said, well the one who actually showed

compassion.

And Jesus said, now go and do that likewise.

That parable of the Good Samaritan invites us, calls us, challenges us, to be neighbor to the neighbor.

Some of our neighbors are at the border and some of our neighbors are those who have immigrated to this

country and are living right in our neighborhood or in our city or in our community, or our state. To show

compassion to them is to obey Jesus. Go and do likewise.

Show compassion. Show mercy. Help the neighbor. Help the stranger. Love the Lord your God. And love

your neighbor as yourself.

Transcript from a video from the Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs July 15, 2019

4

ORDER OF

ST. LUKE

9:00 AM

Church Library

Sat., August 17th

Contact Carolyn H.

for information.

Our next rotation will be

August 15th -21st

Contact Margie Carroll

if you are interested in

volunteering.

PRAYER AND HEALING SERVICE

Wednesday 12:00 Noon Wednesday

in the Garden Room

Please check the

bulletin board for

current news and

needs.

Contemplative Prayer

6:30 PM

Tuesday Evenings

in the Garden Room.

Contact Jeff Hoyt for

more information.

Family Promise

August 11th-18th

Volunteer sign-up sheet is on the office window.

“In need of…” slips are on the piano

in the garden room.

If you have any questions or concerns,

please contact Diana Fogderud.

August 3rd

8AM-1PM

We need baked goods

and other items to sell

at the Farmers‟ Market. Please remember no

frosting or anything that will melt!

Johanna will be at church from 10:00 until

2:30 on Friday August 2 to accept baked goods

and other items for Saturday. You may also

deliver items Saturday morning at 8:00 to the

Farmers‟ Market.

We also need volunteers to help set-up

(meet at church at 6:45 AM), running the booth

(8 AM - 1PM), and taking down (1 PM).

Sign-up sheet is on the office window.

MORNING PRAYER 8 AM

Tuesday Mornings

In the Church Library

Looking for spiritual direction or guidance?

Fr. TJ is available to help you in this process.

Please contact him at:

Office: 608-362-4312 or Cell: 314-560-8806 or

Email: [email protected]

We will have a booth at

Pridefest from 10 PM to

5 PM at Telfer Park,

where we will be

making a ribbon flag

with words of hope, faith, healing written on

the strips.

Contact Megan Trimm for more information.

5

“OBJECTIFY” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

we are called to seek the ascended Christ; the transfigured heavenly Christ who is always present to us in the here and

now. We should seek Jesus for who he is, not for who we selfishly want him to be for us.

The person who objectifies the Divine is like the man who constantly objectifies the women in his life. He can

never see them for who they truly are. He can only see them through the filter of his own perverted and skewed

daydreaming. As long as he continues to warp himself in this way, he will never be able to have an authentic

relationship with the women around him because he will not be able see them as people. He will only be able to see

them as objects for his own pleasure. Likewise, we can never have an authentic relationship with God if we do not set

ourselves to the task of seeking God for who God truly is. We can never have an authentic relationship with God if

our only reason for being in the relationship to begin with is to get something self-serving out of it.

God is so far beyond our ability to imagine, our ability to speak, our ability to rationalize, our ability to

explain, our ability to objectify, etc. Even our best language about God fails to depict who God is and how God is. For

example, God is love, but the word “love” can never capture the totality of the love that God is. Words fail before

God. Images fail before God, and this is precisely the point. God wants to give us more of Godself than we can ever

fully imagine, dream of, or speak of. God‟s very presence will greatly surpass anything we have ever hoped or wished

for, even. We are meant to be awestruck, dumbfounded. We are not meant to capture the mystery of God in our

minds. We are not meant to explain the mystery away. But we have to empty our minds of all of our idols, of all the

images we have sought to fashion God in to, and we must let God lead us to the state that surpasses our very ability to

imagine. We must let God lead us to the place where God is so immersive in our reality that it defies comprehension.

As Cassian so feebly (but so beautifully) puts it:

“Every love, every desire, every effort, every undertaking, every thought of ours, everything that we live, that

we speak, that we breathe, will be God, and when that unity which the Father now has with the Son and which

the Son has with the Father will be carried over into our understanding and our mind, so that, just as he loves

us with sincere and pure and indissoluble love, we too may be joined to him with a perpetual and inseparable

love and so united with him that whatever we breathe, whatever we understand, whatever we speak, may be

God.”

TJ+

The Rite of Reconciliation of a Penitent (from the BCP Pg 446)

The ministry of reconciliation, which has been committed by Christ to his

Church, is exercised through the care each Christian has for others, through the common

prayer of Christians assembled for public worship, and through the priesthood of Christ and

his ministers declaring absolution.

The Reconciliation of a Penitent is available for all who desire it. It is not restricted to times of

sickness. Confessions may be heard anytime and anywhere.

Two equivalent forms of service are provided to meet the needs of penitents. The absolution

in the services may be pronounced only by a bishop or priest. Another Christian may be asked

to hear a confession, but it must be made clear to the penitent that absolution will not be pronounced; instead, a

declaration of forgiveness is provided.

When a confession is heard in a church building, the confessor may sit inside the altar rails or in a place set aside to

give greater privacy, and the penitent kneels nearby. If preferred, the confessor and penitent may sit

face to face for a spiritual conference leading to absolution or a declaration of forgiveness.

When the penitent has confessed all serious sins troubling the conscience and has given evidence of due contrition, the

priest gives such counsel and encouragement as are needed and pronounces the absolution. Before giving absolution,

the priest may assign to the penitent a psalm, prayer, or hymn to be said, or something to be done, as a sign of

penitence and act of thanksgiving.

The content of a confession is not normally a matter of subsequent discussion. The secrecy of a confession is

morally absolute for the confessor, and must under no circumstances be broken.

Fr. TJ is available to hear confession. Please contact him at

Office: 608-362-4312 or Cell: 314-560-8806 or Email: [email protected]

6

Right: The Sunday School

Class went to Magic Waters

for their end-of-the-year

celebration.

Above: Altar flowers in

honor of Denny and Joannie

Spahos‟ 50th Wedding

Anniversary.

Below: Altar flowers in

honor and memory of

Michael and Barbara

Morgan‟s parents.

Above: Fr. TJ blessing the stoles

he received as a gift at his

ordination and other items.

Right: Praying for Nancy

Williams as she steps down after

30 years as head of the Altar guild.

Below: Praying for Eunice Daer as

she begins her role as head of the

Altar Guild.

7

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1. 2 3

8 AM-1PM

Farmers‟

Market

4

10 AM

Holy

Eucharist

5 6

8 AM

Morning Prayer

6:30 PM

Contemplative

Prayer

7

12:05 PM

Noon

Service

8 9 10

11

10 AM

Holy

Eucharist

Family

Promise

12

Family

Promise

13

8 AM

Morning Prayer

6:30 PM

Contemplative

Prayer

Family Promise

14

12:05 PM

Noon

Service

Family

Promise

15

Family

Promise

Meals

on

Wheels

16

Family

Promise

Meals

on

Wheels

17

9 AM

Order of

St. Luke

Family

Promise

Meals on

Wheels

18

10 AM

Holy

Eucharist

Family

Promise

Meals on

Wheels

19

Meals on

Wheels

20

8 AM

Morning Prayer

6:30 PM

Contemplative

Prayer

Meals on

Wheels

21

12:05 PM

Noon

Service

7 PM

Vestry

Meeting

Meals on

Wheels

22 23 24

25

10 AM

Holy

Eucharist

26 27

8 AM

Morning Prayer

6:30 PM

Contemplative

Prayer

28

12:05 PM

Noon

Service

29 30 31

Marcia Tyriver 13th

Ty Jones 20th

Angie Jacobs 22nd

Theresa Stott 23rd

Don Williams 23rd

Darlene Nelson 25th

Zach Hudson 26th

Rosemary Martin 29th

Jeff Page 30th

8

212 W. Grand Avenue

Beloit, Wisconsin 53511

ADDRESS SERVICE

REQUESTED

St. Paul's Episcopal

Church of Beloit

Phone: 608-362-4312 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.stpaulsbeloit.org

Weekly Services SUNDAY: HOLY EUCHARIST 10:00 AM

(Coffee Hour Following Service) TUESDAY: Morning Prayer 8:00 AM

Contemplative Prayer - 6:30 PM WEDNESDAY Noon Day Prayer Service 12:00 PM

Mission Statement: We follow Christ’s teachings.

We grow spiritually. We serve the needs of our neighbors.

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