What’s happening at St. Paul’s 3-26
 What’s Happening at St. Paul’s |
At St. Paul’s we begin Holy Week on the evening of Saturday, March 27, tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. You are invited to join us in the parking lot off Union Street at St. Paul’s for the Liturgy of the Palms when our deacon the Rev. Mary Lee Wile will read the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the Palm Sunday story. Members of the choir will sing a portion of the hymn, “All glory, laud and honor to thee Redeemer King.” We will bless the palms and distribute them to you and make a small, safely distanced procession around the parking lot. There will be chairs set around for those who need to sit. Holy Week is the most sacred time of our Christian faith. We remember the most poignant stories of the end of Jesus’ life and enter into the rejection of Jesus by the people. His suffering comes out of love for the very people who rejected him. God’s power raised him and showed people of faith the path of renewal that is God’s holy sign of power, redemption and love. Many of you know that I begin most of my mornings by reading a collection of daily readings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled, “I Want to Live These Days with You.” This is the excerpt for yesterday, “I confess God before the world and before all enemies of God when in deepest need I believe in God’s goodness, when in guilt I believe in forgiveness, when in death I believe in life, when in defeat I believe in victory, when in desolation I believe in God’s gracious presence. Those who have found God in the cross of Jesus Christ know how wonderfully God hides himself in this world and how he is closest precisely when we believe him to be most distant.” Possibly, God has felt distant during this year of pandemic. If so, take heart my friends, God is close to us in the cross of Jesus and is always near, even at times God has not felt near. As we make our appointments to be vaccinated, there is hope that the coronavirus will be vanquished. In the meantime, the people of God have a solemn Holy Week to observe and a joyous resurrection to celebrate. Check out the digital and in-person offerings happening at St. Paul’s and join our godly community of faith in this sacred time. Your sister in Christ, Carolyn+  The Saturday before Palm Sunday Saturday, March 272-4:00 pm Food Drive for MCHPP. Help fill the truck with non-perishable food! St. Paul’s parking lot 4:00 pm Blessing of the Palms to take home at St. Paul’s parking lot and streamed on Facebook Live Click here for the bulletin. Sunday, March 28 Palm Sunday  9:30 a.m. Family Worship Rev. Katie Holicky and musician Susan Brown will lead us in a time of song, prayer, story, and sharing with our friends! Here is the link for the Zoom gathering. Click here for the 9:30 Family Worship Booklet  10:30 a.m. Spiritual Eucharist Click on the links below: To watch for the Worship Booklet for the St. Paul’s Announcements Readings Isaiah 50:4-9a Philippians 2:5-11 Mark 14:32- Mark 15:39 Psalm 31:9-16 Lectionary Page  Explore the Sermon over coffee on Zoom Sunday, 11:30 am Join in for a facilitated virtual gathering to check in with each other and explore the morning’s sermon. Click here to join. Parish Announcements Easter Flowers: donations can be mailed to St. Paul’s or can be made online through your Breeze account or at St. Paul’s website http://stpaulsmaine.org/. Please include the name(s) along with your donation. Names received by March 30 will be printed in the Easter program booklet. Upcoming Worship & Activities Daily Morning Prayer and Compline — Join us every morning and evening on St. Paul’s Facebook Live for Morning Prayer and Compline, 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sacred Ground Have you been wondering about how you might learn more about the history of racism in our nation and how you might consider your own call to anti-racism learning and formation? Have you been wondering about joining a Sacred Ground Circle? This Spring St. Paul’s will begin a second round of Sacred Ground Circles! If you are interested in joining please email Rev. Katie Holicky (katieholicky@stpaulsmaine.org). For more information on Sacred Ground visit https://www.episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground/ Zoom Lenten Program Offered by the Society of Saint John the Evangelist The Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE), an Episcopal monastery in Massachusetts, is offering a Zoom “eight-week retreat and course of study” that “will provide an overview of the Gospel of John and introduce participants to its major themes.” Br. David Vryhof is the presenter. Here are all the details you need to know to sign up. Registration: https://www.ssje.org/prayingjohn/ Remaining Dates of program: Tuesdays—March 30, April 6 Time: 7:30 p.m.-8:15 p.m. Choir Rehearsal and Hymn Sings There will be no choir rehearsal this Wednesday, March 31 or next Wednesday, April 7th. There is no Hymn Sing in April.  Prayer Requests Pray for Church of the Good Shepherd in Houlton. Pray for all church musicians and choirs and for Trinity Jubilee Center. Pray for Anderson, Andrew, Cedric, Jason, Michael, Richard, and all in the military. Pray for those who have died remembering especially Rev. Elizabeth O’Donnell, retired deacon of the diocese, who died this week. We pray for: Christy, Ryan & family, Ray, John, David, Judi, Nick, Bob, Kathy, Skip, the Blackburn family, Willow, Ann, Jim, Lollie, James, Dave, Caroline, Jeffrey, Carol, Roger W, Harlan, Shirley, Rob, Rick+, and Elizabeth Jennifer, John, Reeve, Victor, Travis & family, Ben, Diane, Nate, Priscilla, Garrett, Elliot, Marcia, Lynn, Bill, Bob, Paul, Sue, Nan, Clare, Cameron, Barbara, Carol, Chris+, Christy, Michael, Ryan, Ralph, and Jacob Matthew, Herb, Gair, baby Thomas, Jason, Annie, Terry, Mark, Donelda, Sudie, Pat, Marie, Michael, Debbie, Carol, Ron, Hope, Therese, Lois, Bob, Virginia, Sally, Steve, Luke, Catarina, Jen, Richelle, and all essential workers Call or email the parish office if you would like a name to be placed on the prayer list. The names will be removed after three months unless otherwise notified. Click here for this week’s calendar |
