“Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God.”

Grant us, Lord, to begin this period of Christian warfare by holy fasting;

so that we who are about to fight against the spirits of evil

may be helped and defended by self-denial, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Wednesday: Wednesday: Evening Prayer 5:45, Low Mass 6pm, and Bible study 6:45 on the Gospel of St. John (picking up at John 4:1).

Next Sunday February 28th, Second Sunday in Lent, Morning Prayer at 9:30am; Choral Mass at 11am.

Reflections: Our Gospel tells us the events of Our Lord’s 40 days of Fast and the subsequent encounter with Satan, the spiritual overlord of this world. There are so many points for reflection within this, a lifetime of study. But what I would like to do is make the shift from our human fleshly perspective of these events, to that of Heaven and the Unseen World. (more…)

“Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God.”

Wednesday: Ash Wednesday Choral Mass with Imposition of Ashes at 6pm. A day of Obligation.

Next Sunday February 21st, First Sunday in Lent, Morning Prayer at 9:30am; Choral Mass at 11am.

Reflections: “Remember, oh man, that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.” Last night we had our solemn and beautiful service of Ash Wednesday. Within that solemn rite, we formally and solemnly acknowledge our wretchedness before God.  (more…)

“Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God.”

A  Bible memory verse: St. Luke viii: “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

Wednesday: St Scholastica, Evening Prayer 5:45, Low Mass 6pm, and Bible study 6:45 on the Gospel of St. John (picking up at John 4:1).

Remember the next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday (a day of Obligation). Imposition of Ashes and Choral Mass begin at 6pm.

Next Sunday February 14th, Quinquagesima, Morning Prayer at 9:30am; Choral Mass at 11am.

Thank you so much to everyone who has responded with your pledges.

Reflections: In our Sexagesima Gospel Our Lord offers us the wonderful Parable of the Sower. In it he describes how most folks will respond to Him and His Word. He knew that it was going to hard for them to hear and understand. Many will hear and not really hear. Many will see and not really see.  The seed of the Word sown by the Word Himself will not be taken in … and there will be no fruit. As Scripture says, His own received Him not. Even His own disciples were perplexed. (more…)

“Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God.”

A  Bible memory verse: I Corinthians ix, “So run, that ye may obtain.”

Wednesday: Please note that there will be no services this Wednesday Feb 3rd. Your Vicar will be meeting with the +Archbishop at St.  Thomas’ in San Francisco that day. Everyone is invited to join the folks at St. Thomas’ for Mass and Bible study starting at 5:45 p.m.

Next Sunday February 7th, Sexagesima, Morning Prayer at 9:30am; Choral Mass at 11am.

Thank you so much to everyone who has responded with your pledges.

Reflections: Welcome to Shrovetide, everyone. In I Corinthians, St. Paul uses the analogy of preparing for and competing in the Isthmian Games (very like the Olympian Games) to describe what should be our model for Lenten life. “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. (more…)

Wednesday: St. John Chrysostom, Evening Prayer 5:45, Low Mass 6pm, and Bible study 6:45 on the Gospel of St. John (picking up at John 3:27).

Please note that there will be no services next Wednesday after this, Wednesday Feb 3rd. Your Vicar will be meeting with the +Archbishop at St.  Thomas’ in San Francisco that day. Everyone is invited to join the folks at St. Thomas’ for Mass and Bible study starting at 5:45 p.m.

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“Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem.”

Reflections: In our rapt gazing into the light of Epiphany, into the manifold revealing of the true Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we look along our natural lines of sight which go to our horizon in our time and world. We look for how Our Lord chooses to reveal Himself to us on our scale. (more…)

Reflections: The world has great trouble with the earthy reality of the Incarnation. Even contemporary denominational and non-denominational Christian churches prefer the image of a “Christ consciousness” … sort of a nice bundle of good feelings and good intentions … to the inconceivably dense reality of a baby boy carrying the fullness of God and humanity. It is so much easier  to prefer the warm and fuzzy “aahh…” inside our hearts and bellies than to bow down before the Lord of Heaven. We should remember that the Wise Men didn’t come to say “awhhh”. They came to bow down and worship. They knew Whom they were kneeling and prostrate before.
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Reflections: it seems we know very little of what it was like when our Lord was born of Mary into the world. It is mostly shrouded in mystery … seemingly confined to a little stable and a few shepherds and wise men. In contrast, we know a lot more of what happened when His Spirit left from the Cross. The earth darkened as the sun went out. Graves opened and the dead walked the streets. The earth quaked … the temple veil, a massive wall of the strongest cloth, rent in two. No doubt the whole planet groaned and shuddered. The loss of God’s Grace from among us was as terrible as anything could be and still not destroy us during those dark hours before His return on Easter morning. (more…)

Wednesdays: No services this Wednesday 23 December. Wednesday services resume next week December 30th.

Please note that our Choral Mass for the Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord will begin at 6pm on Thursday 24 December. There will be a Low Mass for the Nativity of Our Lord at 10am on Christmas Day.

Next Sunday December 27th, Feast of St. John Apostle,   Morning Prayer at 9:30am; Choral Mass at 11am.

If you are planning to bring a Poinsettia to adorn the chapel, please bring them by Sunday 20th Dec, and latest by Wednesday 23rd.

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On the Third Sunday of Advent, we anticipate heaven as we participate in the living Liturgy of the Church and  we pray for those guiding us as we dwell here in our in between time. Look again at the charge the Bishop gives the new priest on p. 340 of the Book of Common Prayer, including “the horrible punishment that will ensue” if he were to fall short of his calling.

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