Pax Et Bonum

The weekly E-Newsletter from St. James Episcopal Church

Greetings from Sewanee, Tennessee.  It is a beautiful
day, and very quiet here.  At least outside.   Inside,
we go back and forth from room to room, packing this
and that, and trying not to be overwhelmed in the
process.  My son David is at a soccer camp, and each
afternoon, he and three of his friends tramp through,
foraging for food and something interesting to do.  So
in the midst of our quiet confusion, we are often
invaded by as many as six teenagers at a time.  When
they walk in the door, my energy level goes up!  I
don’t necessarily get any more done with packing, but
I have a great time interacting with the kids!

This newsletter seems to have lost its formatting in
its translation to Yahoo - I still have a lot to
learn!


Father in Heaven,
Form in us the likeness of your Son
And deepen his life within us.
Send us as witnesses of gospel joy
into a world of fragile peace and broken promises.
Touch the hearts of all people with your love
that they in turn may love one another.
We ask this through Christ our Lord
AMEN

Work and Play

	Last weekend I had the privilege of attending a three
day Godly Play training in Annapolis, Maryland.  Liz
Longenecker and Kelly Francis took time off from work
and family to be trained as well.  If you have a
chance, talk to Liz or Kelly about their experiences. 
I had heard that one comes away from Godly Play
training spiritually refreshed.  I didn’t really
believe it.  Yet, that is what happened.  There were
moments during the training that were grace-filled
epiphanies.  
	We have been using Godly Play in one form or another
at Saint James for many years.  One of the things we
learned is how fortunate Saint James is to have the
amount of resources we have.  The Godly Play material
is expensive, and churches just starting out have a
large hurdle before them in trying to create or
purchase the materials for the stories.  Because of
people’s generosity years ago, we have already
overcome that hurdle.
	All of us need Godly play.  Times of exploration of
our faith through reliving or retelling the biblical
narratives, artistic responses, reflection, and
prayer.  Godly play is not a curriculum for children –
it is a way of living.
	What is your way of Godly play?  This week as you
reflect on your walk with God, I encourage you to
explore how your faith is woven into your own regimen
of work and play.


THE ELIXIR.                        

TEACH me, my God and King, 
In all things Thee to see, 
And what I do in anything, 
To do it as for Thee.

Not rudely, as a beast, 
To run into action ; 
But still to make Thee prepossest, 
And give it his perfection.

A man that looks on glass, 
On it may stay his eye,
Or, if he pleaseth, through it pass,
And then the heav'n espy.

All may of Thee partake ;
Nothing can be so mean
Which with his* tincture (for Thy sake)
Will not grow bright and clean.

A servant with this clause 
Makes drudgery divine : 
Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws, 
Makes that and th' action fine.

This is the famous stone 
That turneth all to gold ; 
For that which God doth touch and own 
Cannot for less be told.
				George Herbert


Debra’s Mid-Week Meditation


"But now you have been set free from sin and have
become slaves of God,
the return you get is sanctification
and its end, eternal life.
 
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:22-23
 
This week we rest in Chapter 6 of Romans wondering
about sin and freedom.
 
Romans was a favorite book of Luther's who thought it
was the "purest gospel."
 
Last night we watched the movie "Luther".
The image of Luther wrestling Satan in his cell and
the line his "spiritual director" gives him sums up
this chapter of Romans neatly.
 
Luther is yelling at the tormenter to leave his mind
when his spiritual father presses a crucifix in his
hand and gives him a prayer to say:
"I am yours. Save me."
 
Luther knows instinctively that it is within the mind
that sin has a firm foot hold unless we dedicate
ourselves to "the mind of Christ".
 
He writes this about Romans:
 
"Furthermore, before good or bad works happen, which
are the good or bad fruits of the heart, there has to
be present in the heart either faith or unbelief, the
root, sap and chief power of all sin."
 
In other words, our actions are conceived in the mind
before they are enacted in the world.
 
Through prayer and study we can conform our actions
more closely to what God would have us do.
 
God wants us to be free.
 
God knows the destination of sinful actions.
 
That is why God gave His only Son.
 
For Love.
 
 
Blessings, Debra 


Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to
be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such
wise hear them read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
them, that by patience, and comfort of thy holy Word,
we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of
everlasting life.
								Book of Common Prayer


Daily Morning Prayer:

http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html




Prayers and Blessing

Prayer needs from St. James:

This week we pray especially for Laura and Lyle
Brecht, who will be loading their moving truck this
Sunday, and departing for Sewanee.  Pray for God’s
grace and comfort as they leave their home.
Pray that they will find blessing and joy in
unexpected places.

Those in need of healing and their families:
Dorothy	Frank		David		Susan
Philip		Mercer	Chloe	
Tom		Jeffrey	Sarah J.
Joel B.	Anna B.	Lelia G.
Lorraine	Milt		Lauren S.
Laurel	Natalie K.	Karl
Maria R.	Peggy K.	Rosemary
Denise	Pat		Pat’s Mother
Heather	J.B.		Uncle Bob O.
Mark C.	Marion J.	Chase & Sandy

All wounded soldiers, sailors, marines and 
airmen in our military hospitals.  

The crew of the USS San Francisco

For our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan

We pray for the repose of the soul of the mother of
Judy Connelly and Jo O’Donnell.

Closing Blessing:

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Pax et Bonum,

Loree+