From the Pastor

When you travel, you have to decide what you’ve just got to have, and what you don’t. Now, I don’t know about you all, but for me, it turns out that I often “de-pack.” That’s not a real word, but it does describe an oft-repeated exercise. I fill my travel bag, close it, pick it up, feel its enormous weight, open the bag, take out that third pair of shoes (and the outfit that was supposed to go with them), close it again, think about those books, re-open the bag, remove two or three volumes (leaving several behind, of course), re-close the bag, pick it up again, put it down, open it once more, extract another ‘must have’ outfit, close it one last time, and carry it down to the car, all the while wondering if there’s anything else I should have pulled from the travel bag. In other words, a journey is more pleasant when you travel light. The less burdened you are, the freer you are to move.

Lent reminds us that we need to “de-pack” our bags for a spiritual journey. On Ash Wednesday, immediately before the Litany of Penitence, the priest says: “I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word” [BCP, 265]. The church asks us, in other words, to open up the luggage of our lives, take a careful look at what we find inside, and begin the hard work of removing and refilling. What weighs us down? What’s unnecessary, perhaps even harmful? What, on the other hand, is essential for the journey that we take into the heart of Jesus himself? We must learn the skill of traveling light. When Jesus sent his disciples out on their first preaching mission, he urged them to: “take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.” (Mark 6:8-9). No heavy luggage for the disciples nor, by implication, for us!

In the Litany of Penitence that follows the invitation on Ash Wednesday, we recall before God the enormous burden we carry. The Litany details the list with grim specificity: things done and left undone; our failure to love, forgive, and seek reconciliation; our self-absorption, self-indulgence, and self-pity; our obsession with acquiring more and more possessions and our negligence of what’s supremely important; sins of the flesh and sins of the spirit; whatever separates us from God and separates us from other people. The burden is so heavy that we cannot free ourselves from its weight by our own power. Only Jesus can set us free: And so the Litany concludes, “Accomplish in us the work of your salvation, that we may show forth your glory in the world. By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord, bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.”

The Lenten journey, after all, is a journey, our journey, with Jesus to the cross and the empty tomb. We must never forget “the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith” [BCP, 265]: a year-round calling, to be sure. But Lent invites us, if we’ve grown lax or forgotten to de-pack, to get serious again about our journey with Jesus. Lent invites us to look at the burden of sin which we carry; to take it out of the luggage of our lives and place it at the foot of the cross; and then to resume the journey, renewed and refreshed by prayer and reflection, by word and sacrament.

Pastor Lin +

The Builder

Making Disciples for Jesus Christ

St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church www.stthomasorange.org

(540) 672-3761 email: stthomas3@verizon.net

Rector: The Rev. Dr. Lin Hutton Editor: Ann Wood

Vol. XXXVII March 2019 Issue No. 2

For All the Saints….

March has many memorable “saints of the church,” however, since Lent takes precedence, we often hear little about them during the Season of Lent.

Charles F. Menninger and Sons, Karl & William , Pioneers in Medicine, 1953 ~ March 6

Charles F. Menninger, together with his sons, Karl and William, were pioneers in establishing a new kind of psychiatric treatment facility in Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1925. They played a major role in transforming the care of the mentally ill in ways that were not only more medically effective, but were also more humane. Among the notable accomplishments of the Menninger Clinic has been its advocacy for better treatment and a more informed public policy insupport of the needs of the mentally ill.

In 1973, Dr. Karl Menninger wrote the influential book, Whatever Became of Sin? The work looks at sin—personal, corporate, and systemic—and insists that recognizing sin, within us and among us, is a key component in personal and relational health. He believed strongly that naming sin and dealing with its consequences contributes positively to good health in persons and in communities. The book was a standard textbook in theological seminaries for a generation or more.

The work of the Menningers was transformative because of their commitment to treating the whole person—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The Annunciation of Our Lord ~ March 25

Today’s feast commemorates how God made known to a young Jewish woman that she was to be the mother of his Son, and how Mary accepted her vocation with perfect conformity of will. It has been said, “God made us without us, and redeemed us without us, but cannot save us without us.” Mary’s assent to Gabriel’s message opened the way for God to accomplish the salvation of the world. It is for this reason that all generations are to call her “blessed.”

The Annunciation has been a major theme in Christian art, in both East and West. Innumerable sermons and poems have been composed about it. The term coined by Cyril of Alexandria for the Blessed Virgin, Theotokos (“the God-bearer”), was affirmed by the General Council of Ephesus in 431.

Mary’s self-offering in response to God’s call has been compared to that of Abraham, the father of believers. Just as Abraham was called to be the father of the chosen people, and accepted his call, so Mary was called to be the mother of the faithful, the new Israel. She is God’s human agent in the mystery of the Incarnation. Her response to the angel, “Let it be to me according to your word,” is identical with the faith expressed in the prayer that Jesus taught, “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.”

Gerard Manley Hopkins, comparing Mary to the air we breathe, writes:

Wild air, world-mothering air ...

Of her flesh he took flesh:

He does take fresh and fresh,

Though much the mystery how,

Not flesh but spirit now,

And makes, O marvellous!

New Nazareths in us,

Where she shall yet conceive

Him, morning, noon, and eve,

New Bethlems, and he born

There, evening, noon, and morn—

MORE, “101 Reasons to be an Episcopalian”—

Reason # 72: “Christ has no hands on earth but ours. We need you to help us bless the world.” Meg Carter, Diocese of California

Reason # 12: “I’m an Episcopalian because of the incredibly profound understanding of authority in the Anglican Communion. The three-legged stool—with its stout legs of Scripture, tradition, and reason, supported by (but also firmly joined by) the seat of our experience and prayer—is perhaps Anglicanism’s most glorious contribution to theology.” Paul M. Johns, Diocese of Olympia

The Wednesday Community Lenten Program at 12:15 will be held at St. Thomas Church

The program starts Wednesday, March 6th at 12:15 p.m. Each week one of our Orange community minis-ters takes a week during Lent to offer a service of about 30 minutes based upon a common theme. This year’s theme is “Sensing the Gospel.”

“We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life … ” (1 John 1:1)

In Jesus Christ, the salvation God provides cannot be reduced to an idea or abstraction. Salvation happens, instead, in human flesh. Indeed, God arrives as human flesh. Moreover, people encountered Jesus in their own bodies. These were real people in real contact with a real man from Galilee.

The church offering the service also provides a simple soup and bread lunch. This year, St. Thomas is responsible for ASH Wednesday, March 6th.

Keeping a Holy Lent

Spiritual Opportunities to enhance your Lenten Journey

Ash Wednesday Service at 6 p.m. March 6th, followed by a Soup Supper. Ash Wednesday, along with Good Friday are days of special devotion and obligation in the Episcopal Church. [BCP, 17]

Evening Prayer, Wednesdays at 5:45 p.m., starting March 13th, in the Church. Join us for the brief but beautiful service of Evening Prayer from the diverse expanse of our Episcopal tradition, which includes services from the BCP, New Zealand, Celtic, and even Jewish Evening Prayer.

Wednesday Night Lenten Program and Pot Luck, beginning at 6 p.m., starting March 13th, in Robertson Hall. Bring a Dish to Share and join us as we “Unpack The Da Vinci Code.” Using the movie titled after Dan Brown’s historical thriller, we will explore the historicity, accuracy, and theology behind the movie. Each week we will watch a portion of the movie and then discuss the points made in the book/movie to learn what the story has to teach us about: Who is Jesus Christ? And, the Church then and now.

Thursday Night The Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross), beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the Church, starting Thursday, March 7th.

Join us in the evening light as we walk through the ancient fourteen stations that recall our Lord’s last day on earth, from his trial before Pilate to his death and burial in the tomb. Each Station is marked by an Opening prayer with Versicle and Response, followed by the scriptural passage concerning that station’s event, concluding with a Closing Prayer, and a chanted solemn movement to the next station.

Thursday Night Reconciliation of the Penitent (Confession), following The Way of the Cross, in the Church (approximately 6:15 p.m., except March 28th). Requests for personal Confession may be taken at any time and are best done by appointment and some personal preparation. However, the Season of Lent offers an especially powerful opportunity for persons of all ages to reflect upon their lives and grievances. The bond of the Confessional is absolute.

Please stop and take the time to use this Season of Lent for personal reflection, meditation, spiritual discern-ment, and preparation for the fullest meaning and impact of the death and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

April is a Feed My Lambs month. Orange elementary school has an ongoing, urgent need for easy foods they can give children for breakfast. They particularly requested: cereal cups, granola bars, crackers, fruit cups and fruit snacks. Thank you for your continuing help in feeding some of our littlest neighbors! The earlier in the month donations are brought in, the better, so that they are well stocked before spring break.

March Cartoon

Fill the Ark

This year the Outreach Committee has chosen Heifer International as their project to spread God’s love to others in need from around the world. We believe this project will be of special interest to the youth of our church. We will be visiting the students during Sunday school, and mailing information out to families of our

church with children. Heifer International’s Fill the Ark program offers families and individuals an opportunity to learn about and offer a helping hand to families around the world.

Heifer International provides dozens of different species of animals—from ducks and goats to llamas and geese—to people in need around the world. Since 1944, Heifer has helped more than 32 million families—

about 161 million people—move toward greater self-reliance through gifts of livestock and training in environ-mentally sound agriculture.

During the Season of Lent, the Outreach Committee will be distributing literature and small banks to help our parishioners participate in “Fill the Ark”. During our weekly coffee hour will encourage you to speak with one

of our St. Thomas youth or a committee member, who will be available to explain how you can help.

“They and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the Earth...They went into the ark with Noah.” Genesis 7;14-15 (NRSV)

Let’s work together to Fill the Ark!

The St. Thomas’ Preschool Two-Day Program still has a few openings!

Anyone interested contact stthomascommpreschool@gmail.com or 540-672-2337.

St. Thomas 2017-2018 Preschool

Hibernation Day! Preschoolers wore their pajamas and brought their favorite teddy bears to school.

Winter in Virginia!

Morning Explorations

Grymes 4th grade Book Buddies visit St. Thomas Community Preschool several times a year to pair up with a partner to explore the classrooms and read together.

Chili Lunch

The St. Thomas 3rd Annual Chili lunch hosted by the Outreach Committee, was held on Sunday, February

24th. A great time was had by all! All donations raised benefit the General Outreach Fund. The Outreach

Committee appreciates our parishioners generosity in support of our Outreach programs.

Friday, March 29 at 7:00 pm in Robertson Hall

~ cost of admission is one non-perishable food item ~

Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) is a world-class African-American pianist,

who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a

driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a tough-

talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. Despite

their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while

confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation. ~ IMDB

Winner of the 2019 Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Picture

~Anniversaries~

Suzanne & Pen Bresee

Tina & Larry Rosine

~Birthdays~

03/03 Chris Dulin

03/04 Dabney Carr

03/04 Richard Floyd

03/09 Dick Bradley

03/09 Mary Brook Miller

03/10 Tina Rosine

03/10 Ann Marie Wood

03/11 Lynne Baines

03/11 Will Brockman

03/12 Bobbye Davies

03/17 Jonathan Yowell

03/20 Barry Barr

03/20 Harriet Moore

03/20 Nathan Ward

03/24 Shepherd Barfield

03/25 Carroll Johnson

03/28 Gillian Likins

03/31 Diane Acree

Prayer List

We pray especially for our church’s leadership:

Michael, Presiding Bishop, Susan, Bob, & Ted,

bishops for this diocese

Our country: President Donald, Vice President

Mike, & Governor Ralph

For the special needs and concerns of this

congregation:

For: Dana, Grace, Harriet, Margaret, Raymond,

and our men and women in our armed forces who

are serving our nation around the world.

And Especially for: Allie, Audrey, Bo, Dale,

Darlene, David, Ellen, Jon, Jonathan, Linda,

Lucille, Nadia, Palmer, Ruth, Sarah, and Terrell.

Food Pantry

Special request for February is Peas, Hamburger

Helper, and Applesauce. All food items and cash

gifts are always welcome and

appreciated. You can drop off

donations at the Love Outreach

Food Pantry each Tuesday from

9:00-10:30 and on Wednesday

from 8:30-12:00. Their mailing

address is: Love Outreach Food

Pantry, Inc., P.O. Box 788, Orange, 22960. You

may also bring any donations to the church to be

delivered.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine upon you and be

gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give

you peace. Numbers 6: 22-26

Want to add something to The Builder? Contact

Ann Wood at annwood304@gmail.com by

March 22, 2019 with your information!

St. Thomas Episcopal Church

119 Caroline Street

Orange, VA 22960

March 2019