Sunday, February 7, Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Sunday, February 7is the fifth Sunday after Epiphany. Find the readings here.
Dear Friends in Christ,
This week’s worship videos are now available:
Morning Prayer, Rite II
Morning Prayer, Rite I
This week we are blessed with a timely message from my friend and colleague Fr. Brad Clark, Rector of Ascension Memorial Church in Ipswich, on the timeless question of how best to cultivate a relationship with God in the precious quiet moments of our private prayer lives. (Some of you might remember Fr. Brad as one of the leaders on our last Navajoland mission pilgrimage.) Drawing on Scripture, Mary Oliver's poetry, and his own experiences, Fr. Brad has created something special that should be valuable for all of us.
It was such a joy to see so many of you at our Annual Meeting last week. All the feedback I got was very positive — thank you for that. I hope the experience convinced the folks who don't usually participate in our Sunday coffee hour that spending some time catching up with our church friends is valuable. So please join us for coffee hour at noon. Note that we are using the regular Zoom information again, not the special link for the Annual Meeting.
• To join on a computer, tablet, or smartphone with the Zoom app installed, click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86398096400?pwd=dk5oTjNkYzNIOVl4TEExcCtiZEw2dz09
• To call in on a smartphone, tap here: +16465588656,,86398096400#,,,,,,0#,,296917#
• To call in on a conventional phone, call (646) 558-8656 then enter the Meeting ID: 863 9809 6400 and the Passcode: 296917
Here are Mark's music notes:
We end our service today with #529 “In Christ there is no East or West.” From the Hymnal 1982 Companion: “This text appeared in an Episcopal hymnal (The Hymnal 1940) where it was matched with McKee, a tune which has the distinction of being one of the first works coming from the African-American culture to enter a hymnal of a major… denomination.” This is the only text that English hymn writer John Oxenham “to attain lasting use in worship.” The tune was adapted from a spiritual “I know the angel’s done changed my name,” popularized by the Jubilee Singers (Fisk University) in the late 19th century. H. T. Burleigh (1866-1949) adapted it for use with these words and sang it for years at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan. He was instrumental in sharing these spirituals in services and the annual service of “Negro Spirituals” at St. George’s. He also encouraged and coached the next generation of legendary Black singers including Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson. The tune name “McKee” bestowed honors longtime rector the Rev. Elmer M. McKee. Here’s a quote from Harry T. Burleigh in 1917: “[In spirituals] the cadences of sorry inevitably turn to joy, and the message is ever manifest that eventually deliverance from all that hinders and oppresses the soul will come, and man—every man—will be free.”