Grace and Peace!

“Grace and Peace to you from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” [Phil 1:2, 1 Cor. 1:2]  Paul addresses the churches’ greatest need in his opening sentences of his epistles (and again in closing others).  We need to be handlers of Grace and Peace.  That’s not an easy task when all the stresses and strains of life are designed to pull us away from acting, thinking, hearing, feeling or speaking from the root of Grace and Peace.

There is a sacrifice that is necessary in order to have Grace and Peace be the center of who you are and how you function.  God has to have a point of entry to each of your days so that He has the chance to fill you and drive you and encourage you so that what spills out of your mind and mouth are words and actions that are grace filled and peaceful.

Paul says in Philippians 3:20-21: “ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” If we are to be transformed into His likeness then we must do everything in our power to be immersed in His grace and peace.  Therefore, I implore you to consider a disciplined Holy Week.  Consider the Cross and all that leads up to it from the Triumphal entry today on Palm Sunday through the resurrection.  We are to enter into His Victory, His final teachings, His last supper, His feet washing, His torture, His separation from the Father and then we can revel in His Resurrection Power.  It is here we will find Grace and Peace.

Blessings

Fr. Dan

Rev. Daniel C Morgan

Associate Rector

What has God got under construction for you?

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Holy Week

Holy Week is a time to spend with the Body of Christ, remembering and celebrating Jesus’ glorious passion, death and resurrection.  This year at St. Paul’s, the following events have been planned with you in mind:

 

Saturday, March 27

9:30 a.m. Preparing the palms.  Come help prepare the church for Palm Sunday.  We will “strip” palm fronds for waving, and make palm crosses (an ancient craft which many of us have to relearn each year!).  This is fun for all, and may be a fulfilling experience for everyone, especially children.

 

Palm Sunday, March 28

8:45 & 10:30 a.m.  Litany of the Palms, worship, Holy Eucharist, dramatic reading of the Passion from Luke.

5:30 pm. Confessions:  The clergy are available for “walk-ins” for confession, in the prayer room.

6:30 p.m. “First” Sunday:  worship, prayer, Holy Eucharist.  Members of the prophetic teams will offer words of up-building for members and guests.  Bring a friend!

 

Monday, March 29

6:30 pm.  Confessions:  The clergy are available for “walk-ins” for confession, in the prayer room.

7:30 p.m.   The Way of the Cross.  This meditative and prayerful experience adapts the traditional “stations of the Cross” with Biblical support and prayers from the Book of Common Prayer.

 

Tuesday, March 30

10:00 a.m.  Worship, Holy Eucharist, Healing Prayer

12:15 p.m.  Agape Luncheon

6:30 pm.   Confessions:  The clergy are available for “walk-ins” for confession, in the prayer room.

7:30 p.m.  Holy Eucharist, Healing Prayer, Tunnel of Love.  This day adds to our regularly scheduled Tuesday Healing Service an opportunity in the evening for “a repeat service” for those unable to get away from school or work in the daytime.  In addition, we will experience “the tunnel of love” which is an opportunity for each congregant to receive prayer and encouragement by the entire prayer team.  This experience is one to which friends and guests should be invited as they will be particularly blessed.

 

Wednesday, March 31

6:30 pm.   Confessions:  The clergy are available for “walk-ins” for confession, in the prayer room.

7:30 p.m.  Creative Fellowship and Prayer

Because of the success of the Shrove Tuesday Talent Show, we are offering an opportunity for the sharing of creative gifts in a fellowship atmosphere.  We will meet in the Nave and members are encouraged to bring an offering of Scripture, a hymn or song to be shared.  In addition, we are encouraging those who have been painting, sculpting, writing, dancing, etc. to come and share their creativity.  You can also come and simply receive!

 

Maundy Thursday, April 1

6:30 pm.   Confessions:  The clergy are available for “walk-ins” for confession, in the prayer room.

7:30 p.m.  Holy Eucharist, foot-washing, stripping of the altar.  Jan Nel will minister the Word to us and we will Respond on this day in which we remember Jesus’ command that we love one another.

 

Good Friday, April 2

7:30 a.m.  “C” Project Prayer Breakfast at the Continental Manor in Norwalk.  Come and celebrate as Clarice Flagg is recipient of the Craig Mengel Leadership Award! 

10:30 a.m. Walking the Cross:  A prayer-filled procession from First Congregational Church along the

Post Road

through Darien to St. Luke’s Church.

12:00-3:00 p.m.  Community Good Friday service at St. Luke’s.  Father Christopher will preach the 7^th Word (sometime after 2:00)

6:30 p.m. Confessions:  The clergy are available for “walk-ins” for confession, in the prayer room.

7:30 p.m.  Faces at the Cross.  This prayer service was introduced last year, with meditations led by St. Paul’s members portraying those who were contemporary to Jesus and were witnesses of his death.  It was well received last year and promises to be inspiring.

Holy Saturday, April 3

5:30 p.m.  Confessions:  The clergy are available for “walk-ins” for confession, in the prayer room.

6:30 p.m. Prayer of Blessings by the clergy on individuals and families, in the Parish Hall.

Easter Sunday, April 4

8:45 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.  Festival Eucharist

with the Pivot men singing at both services.

An Easter Egg Hunt follows the 10:30 service.

Fr. Dan’s sermon is from Ephesians 3.  You can listen to his sermon on Ephesians 1 here

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Fr. Dan preaches on Ephesians.

Ephesus today:

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Super Bowl Sunday

Don’t you just love a good contest? Football is a great example of the challenges, agony and effort it takes to win in battle. You never see a team show up on game day and say…“You know what?…. I think we’ve done enough…. We’ve made it through the playoffs, we’ve proven that we are a top ranking team and that’s good enough…Let’s just throw the game because we don’t have anything to prove.” That’s just crazy. No one in their right mind would think that it’s okay to give up even if the outcome is a loss. The Colts and the Saints will not be denied the chance to show the world what they are made of. We will cheer with the team of our choice in their advances… we will cringe at the flying tackles and ‘clothes-line’ plays… we will marvel at the half time show…. And as we watch this sport, we honor the effort and trial of the competition.

Just like any good athlete we have the pursuit of victory as the core of our being. God’s call to us is not to “kill em’ with kindness” and let the world use us as their doormat, but to love, to encourage others so that they may find the same transformation in Jesus Christ that you have. WE DON’T GIVE UP because we have nothing to lose. Paul says: ‘to live is Christ and to die is gain’ (Philipians 1:21). So in Christ, for us ‘Life is Good’ and ‘Death is Better’ because we are free.

Hebrews 12:1 says: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” This is our call to join in the life that God has called us. With him nothing can ‘hinder’ or ‘entangle’ us. Because of His sacrifice we can laugh, love, work, play, dance, sing, serve and sacrifice all to His honor and glory.

So let’s keep pressing on, pressing in and using the gifts we have been given, following the course that God has ‘marked out’ for us, and doing it with everything we’ve got! Find out what’s been marked out for you and GO FOR IT!!!

Blessings,

Dan

Fr. Dan Morgan

Associate Rector

What’s in Your Tank?

 

I was just thinking about the correlation between Power and Propulsion.  Power is stationary unless it has a mechanism to transmit that power into motion.  Without movement, it is simply wasted energy.  

We see examples of this in static government or religious organizations that are impotent to move or create or grow because they have failed to transmit power into propulsion.  Without life and growth, I submit that such power eventually burns out because the emotional, financial, and creative TANK empties.

 

What fills your tank these days?  Have you begun a study of God’s word that causes you to grow?   Have you invited the Holy Spirit in to transmit that power into action: into love, service, sacrifice, giving, and many other "Fruit-Bearing" Spiritual gift characteristics?  Or are you like many; coming to church on Sunday for that one meal that you hope will somehow feed you throughout the whole week? I don’t think that pattern of living makes for a healthy life.  You see, we EAT so that we can PRODUCE.  We PRODUCE so that we can PROVIDE.  We PROVIDE  so that we can EAT.   As simplistic an example as this is, we must fill our tanks so we can live, and out of that life we are made full again! It is cyclical.  God will fill us if we seek him and TRANSMIT that energy into ACTION!  The joy of serving Him and reaping the harvest of His Spirit will top off our tanks and leave us energized for more.

I suggest a New Year’s discipline: Get into God’s Word.  Every day read a Psalm; a section of a Gospel; and  part of a book of the Old Testament.  How about starting with Ruth?  We will be studying this in our Cell Groups and hearing from Ruth in our Sermons on Sunday. 

 

In the Book of Ruth we find the true faith and sacrifice of a Moabite woman is honored by God. Because of Ruth’s faithfulness to her mother-in-law Naomi, she appears to have given up her chance of re-marriage after being widowed. But Boaz became Ruth’s Kinsman Redeemer and took her as His wife and their child Obed was the grandfather of David, King of Israel. Through this study we will see God’s desire for the nations, His heart for the widowed, orphaned, and lost, and His Salvation plan as He aligned the genealogy that led to Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer.

As you read; BE FILLED.  As you are filled; BE TRANSFORMED.  As you are transformed; ACT on the grace you’ve been given.  I promise, as you do so, your tank will never be found empty and the power of the Holy Spirit will propel you forward!

 

Peace and Blessings

Dan

The Rev. Daniel C. Morgan

Associate Rector

The Christmas story.

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What do you  hope for.

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Dan Mohler of Neck Ministries preached at the two Sunday morning services.

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