Contents
- Propers (Collect and Lessons) for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, with Hymns.
- Link to the Parish website, whereon is found the YouTube live-stream of our 10:30 a.m. (EDT) service.
- Parish Announcements for the week of September 15th, 2024
- Rector’s Ramblings: Ember Days
Propers for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Book of Common Prayer 1928.
O LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I DESIRE that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, ac cording to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
The Gospel. Luke vii. 11.
AND it came to pass the day after, that Jesus went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: an they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth through out all Judæa, and throughout all the region round about.
Hymns:
Processional Hymn: Christ, whose glory fills the skies – #153
Sermon Hymn: Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven – #282
Communion Hymn: Let all mortal flesh keep silenc – #197
Recessional Hymn: All people that on earth do dwell – #278
Our new website is live and may be found at cca-nc.org. This website should simplify and streamline our information-sharing quite a bit, including the fact that our most current YouTube live-stream will always be found at “Watch this Sunday’s live-stream,” accessible from the menu-bar at the top of the page.
The website is also a place to check our “Current operating status” – in other words, whether or not the church is open for services, in case of inclement weather (or unusual episodes like the sabotage of transformers a few years ago). If in doubt, check us out! Other options include
All of these links can also be found by scrolling down the main page, as can also sections on “Find Your Place” – ministries of the parish, which you may wish to join – “Recent Media,” both video and audio, and “Recent Posts” on our nascent blog page. The goal is for this to become a “one-stop shop” for information about Christ Church Anglican.
If you have any questions or issues, please contact our media team at [email protected]. And if you wish to volunteer for our media team, please contact our IT/AV/Social media specialist, John Fesq, at [email protected]. Many thanks to John, for all the hard work he has put into this!
Announcements for the Week of September 15, 2024
If you are visiting us: Welcome to Christ Church Anglican, Southern Pines! Thank you for being with us. We are very pleased to have you join us for the service, and hope that your worship here is a blessing to you. Please sign the guest book on the table in the narthex, and provide appropriate contact information. Include your email address in order to be placed on our parish email list: you won’t be bombarded with mail, but it’s a good way to keep in touch. And may God bless you!
Fresh Eggs: A new batch of fresh, home-raised eggs are available from one of our esteemed members, Michele Burdick, who requests a donation to the church of $5/dozen. Thanks, Michele! Please note: most of these eggs have been washed, so it is necessary to refrigerate them.
Parish Pictorial Directory: We are looking to create a pictorial directory that will help both current members and new members to connect names with faces. The format we are planning on having is a mini 3 ring binder so that we can add new members without having to redo the entire directory. The directory will not be online. The cost for the pictorial directory will be in the ballpark of $12.50.
We will keep the price low by printing the directories with a local printer who supports churches, and completing the rest “in-house.” Each member (couple, family, individual) will have their own page. For an example of what a page will probably look like, please see the bulletin board. The current timeframe for this includes pictures being taken in early December and the books being available for pick up in January (barring unexpected delays). If you would like to have a pictorial directory, please sign your name on the order form on the bulletin board.
If you have questions, comments or concerns, please contact Cynthia Garner.
Fellowship Meals: We are very grateful for all those who have been contributing to our fellowship meal after the service, and we invite anyone who wishes to share a favorite meal or dish with our fellow-parishioners to sign up on the list hanging next to the back counter in our fellowship area.
It is encouraged to have several people sign up and provide a “potluck style” meal to make it easier on individuals, and more cost-effective. However, those who wist to provide all courses for a meal are always welcomed and appreciated.
And if anyone wishes to donate toward the cost of plates, napkins, flatware, salad dressings, drinks, or other incidentals, there will be a jar (or jars) on the back counter for that purpose. Many thanks to all!
Communion Reminder: Ladies are asked to please remember to remove lipstick before drinking from the chalice.
Holy Days for the Week of September 8th:
Monday, September 16th: St. Ninian, Bishop (c. 430)
Wednesday, September 18th: Ember Day (fasting and abstinence)
Thursday, September 19th: St. Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury (690)
Friday, September 20th: Ember Day (fasting and abstinence)
Saturday, September 21st: St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist; Ember Day
Note: The Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, takes precedence over Ember Saturday, which would otherwise be a day of fasting and abstinence.
Rector’s Ramblings: Ember Days
So, what are Ember Days, exactly, and what’s their significance? Traditionally days of fasting and abstinence, in the Anglican tradition, they are generally considered days suitable for ordinations, and/or for praying for those called – or who may be called – to the exercise of various offices of ministry in the Church. The Book of Common Prayer (1928) Collect for the day, not to mention the choice of lectionary readings, makes this abundantly clear:
O ALMIGHTY God, who hast committed to the hands of men the ministry of reconciliation; We humbly beseech thee, by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, to put it into the hearts of many to offer themselves for this ministry; that thereby mankind may be drawn to thy blessed kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The traditional English (and UK) Book of Common Prayer (1662) likewise includes Embertide prayers specific to ordination:
In the Ember Weeks, to be said every day, for those that are about to be admitted into Holy Orders.
ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who hast purchased to thyself an universal Church by the precious blood of thy dear Son; Mercifully look upon the same, and at this time so guide and govern the minds of thy servants the Bishops and Pastors of thy flock, that they may lay hands suddenly on no man, but faithfully and wisely make choice of fit persons, to serve in the sacred Ministry of thy Church. And to those which shall be ordained to any holy function, give thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both by their life and doctrine they may show forth thy glory, and set forward the salvation of all men; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Or this.
ALMIGHTY God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church; Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the same; and so replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully serve before thee, to the glory of thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Ember Days are not, however (or at least have historically have not been) solely about the ministry. “Fisheaters,” a Roman Catholic blog, notes that
Four times a year, the Church sets aside three days to focus on God through His marvelous creation. These quarterly periods take place around the beginnings of the four natural seasons that “like some virgins dancing in a circle, succeed one another with the happiest harmony,” as St. John Chrysostom wrote…
These four times are each kept on a successive Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and are known as “Ember Days,” or Quatuor Tempora, in Latin. The first of these four times comes in Winter, after the Feast of St. Lucy [December 13th]; the second comes in Spring, the week after Ash Wednesday; the third comes in Summer, after Pentecost Sunday; and the last comes in Autumn, after Holy Cross Day [September 14th]…
These times are spent fasting and partially abstaining… in penance and with the intentions of thanking God for the gifts He gives us in nature and beseeching Him for the discipline to use them in moderation. The fasts, known as ‘Jejunia quatuor temporum,’ or ‘the fast of the four seasons,’ are rooted in Old Testament practices of fasting four times a year.”
Interesting aside: the late Anglican hagiographer James Kiefer noted, in his account of the Ember Days (which, alas, I cannot locate online, or I would have linked it here), that shrimp tempura was originally created by Portuguese missionaries to Japan, as being a suitable food to eat on the Quatuor Temporum (see the connection…?), days of fasting and abstinence when meat was not permitted, but fish (and by extension, other seafood) was!
One thing Fisheaters highlights that is especially interesting to me is that
“in addition to the penitential fasting and alms-giving of this time, [Embertide] is good to consider our stewardship of the earth, a responsibility God gave to us in the Garden of Eden, as recorded in Genesis 1:28-30… Be mindful of your effects on our dear earth and don’t allow people to “politicize” the issue of our stewardship of God’s creation! But to be mindful of nature, it helps to actually see her first. Go outside and look! And praise God for all you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste as you allow His glorious works to touch your senses!”
In the Anglican tradition, we tend to think of the Rogation Days, which occur in the Spring, leading up to the Feast of the Ascension, as being especially suitable for praying for and being mindful of our stewardship of this good Earth which God has given us; it’s interesting – and to me, encouraging – to think of the quarterly Ember Days, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, as also being appropriate for such considerations!
Of course, for me personally, Autumn is one of my favorite times to be outside, in the midst of God’s good creation. We may not quite be there yet, when it comes to Fall, but we’re heading in the right direction! And the changing of the seasons is just one of the many ways in which the beauty and wonder of the created order shows forth the majesty and glory of its Creator. In the words of that wonderful old hymn, “how great is God Almighty, who has made all things well!”
Faithfully,
Fr. Tom Harbold
