Third Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, June 1st - Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 9:00AM

LESSONS

Proper 4

Deuteronomy 11:18-21,26-28
Romans 3:21-25a,28
Matthew 7:21-27
Psalm 31 or 31:1-5,19-24

O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Trinity Sunday

Sunday - May 18, 2008
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00AM

LESSONS

Genesis 1:1-2:3
2 Corinthians 13:(5-10)11-14
Matthew 28:16-20
Psalm 150 or
Canticle 2 or 13

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

NEXT SUNDAY'S LESSONS

2 Pentecost

Isaiah 49:8-18
1 Corinthians 4:1-5(6-7)8-13
Matthew 6:24-34
Psalm 62 or Psalm 62:6-14 Page 669, BCP

The Day of Pentecost - Whitsunday

Whitsunday - May 11, 2008
Holy Eucharist: 9:00AM

THE LESSONS

Acts 2:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:4-13
Acts 2:1-11
John 20:19-23
Psalm 104:25-32

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sunday, May 11th – Holy Eucharist at 9:00AM

• Happy Mothers Day!
• Plate offering: Uganda Missionary Support
• Bible Study – Thursday evenings at 6:30PM
• Archbishop Gregory Venables’ remarks and sermon can be viewed and heard on our website, below.
• Bishop’s Committee meets: May 18th
• Acolyte Training: May 25th
  

Next Sunday’s lessons: Trinity Sunday
Genesis 1:1-2:3
2 Corinthians 13:(5-10)11-14
Matthew 28:16-20
Psalm 150 or
Canticle 2 or 13

Venables' Sermon at St James' Cathedral

Archbishop Venables' Sermon

The audio for Archbishop Venables' sermon from the Festal Eucharist at Saint James' Cathedral on Tuesday, April 29th can be found on the home page of the Diocese of San Joaquin website.

Abp Venables Speaks in Fresno, CA

Seventh Sunday of Easter

The Sunday after Ascension Day

May 4, 2008 - Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00AM

LESSONS

Acts 1:(1-7)8-14
1 Peter 4:12-19
John 17:1-11
Psalm 68:1-20 or 47

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sunday, May 4th – Holy Eucharist at 9:00AM

• Loose Plate offering goes general operating fund - Please use envelopes to note specific offerings.
• Bible Study – Thursday evenings at 6:30PM
• Archbishop Gregory Venables’ remarks and sermon can be viewed and heard at www.sjoaquin.net
• Pentecost Sunday/Mother’s Day is May 11th
• Please consider volunteering to help in Sunday School
• Bishop’s Committee meets: May 18th
  

Next Sunday’s lessons: Pentecost
Acts 2:1-11
Ezekiel 11:17-20
1 Corinthians 12:4-13
Acts 2:1-11
John 20:19-23
John 14:8-17
Psalm 104:25-37 or 104:25-32 or 33:12-15, 18-22

Table Fellowship with Greg & Sylvia Venables

May 1, 2008

What a joy it was to have Archbishop Gregory and Sylvia Venables, and Bishop Bill Atwood with us this past Tuesday. The contrast between the pastoral approach of Archbishop Venables and that of Presiding Bishop Jefferts-Schori was unmistakable. In fact, the contrast was so striking that it reaffirmed to me – and I know to many others – that we are moving in the right direction. The doctrinal and theological differences between the two primates are obvious but seeing them worked out “in person” this week was fascinating and encouraging.

My particular reaction to all of this was shaped somewhat by a book that I have been reading by Richard Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament, in which he emphasized the biblical norm of making decisions in community, and recognizing how our actions are a witness of the Body of Christ to the World.

While North Americans tend to think in terms of a one-on-one relationship with God, early Christians responded to the Gospel not just as individuals but as families and communities. And, because their faith in Christ created a stronger bond than family, racial and national identities, their Christian family became their primary identity.

Hays’s words were echoing in my mind while listening to Archbishop Venables on Tuesday as he was talking about us coming together as a family. As Saint Paul emphasized the value of table fellowship during the Antioch controversy in Galatians [2.11f], so did Venables in his conversations with us in San Joaquin.

Thankfully, we are experiencing a dramatic shift in worldviews. We are moving from a litigious Western institutional mindset toward a more wholesome and biblical family interaction.

A perfect example of this, is the way in which the bishops of the Southern Cone responded to the plight of churches in North America. While some were debating over canon law, in order to find “permission” to be faithful to Christ, the bishops of the Southern Cone simply offered us their home. Sadly, there have been a number of people who have had the effrontery to suggest that the bishops of the Southern Cone did not have the right to offer that hospitality because their own constitutional documents did not provide for it. But those critics are responding out of a completely different worldview than the bishops of the Southern Cone. Venables’ critics are thinking from a litigious Western view, while the bishops of the Southern Cone are thinking like family.

Isn’t that refreshing?

Which would you prefer to receive if you were in crisis, a summons to court, or an invitation to dinner?