Noon and 7:00 p.m.:  Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes

In preparation for Ash Wednesday, members are asked to bring in their palms from Palm Sunday last year as soon as possible so they can be burned for use as ashes on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. The palms can be left on the designated table in the undercroft.

THIS WEEK

Wednesday – Noon: Holy Communion and anointing for healing.

Thursday - 10 a.m.: Bible Study; Noon: Holy Communion; 7 p.m.: Holy Communion.

Saturday – 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.: Winter Warm-Up (see below for more information)

ASH WEDNESDAY (February 22)

Noon and 7:00 p.m.:  Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes

In preparation for Ash Wednesday, members are asked to bring in their palms from Palm Sunday last year as soon as possible so they can be burned for use as ashes on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. The palms can be left on the designated table in the undercroft.

The now-rescheduled Winter Warm-up will be hosted by the Evangelism Committee and Women’s Group on the church lawn from 8:30 – 10:30 a. m. this Saturday (Feb. 11). Hot drinks and  breakfast/brunch will be served to our Del Ray friends and neighbors.  Please join us, and bring food/beverages if you can.

The flower chart for 2012 is posted downstairs in the undercroft; please sign up for the Sunday(s) this year on which you would like to provide altar flowers.

The collection day for donations to the Salvation Army Food Pantry this month will be Sunday, Feb. 19 (third Sunday of the month).

Visitors are always welcome to any of our services and we cordially invite you to join us for coffee downstairs after the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sunday services.

THIS WEEK

Wednesday – Noon: Holy Communion and anointing for healing.

Thursday - 10 a.m.: Bible Study; Noon: Holy Communion; 7 p.m.: Holy Communion in observance of Candlemas, and the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly called the Purification of St. Mary the Virgin.

SATURDAY, FEB. 4 - 10 a.m.: The consecration of the Ven. Donald Francis Lerow as Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of the ACC-OP, at St. Alban’s Pro-Cathedral, 4006 Hermitage Rd., Richmond, VA. (Once consecrated, Bishop Lerow will succeed Archbishop Haverland as Episcopal Visitor to this diocese.) Those desiring to attend are asked to RSVP to stalbansacc@gmail.com or 804-262-6100.

Now available in the undercroft for pick-up by parishioners are 2011 contribution statements for tax purposes. If anyone has any questions about their statement, please call Julia Taylor at 703-239-2898.

Members may also pick up offering envelopes for 2012 downstairs. Each set of envelopes has a number; please be sure to enter your name next to that number on the sign-up sheet.

The flower chart for 2012 is posted downstairs in the undercroft; please sign up for the Sunday(s) this year on which you would like to provide altar flowers.

Visitors are always welcome to any of our services and we cordially invite you to join us for coffee downstairs after the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sunday services.

THIS WEEK

Monday – 7:30 p.m.: The vestry meets in the undercroft

Wednesday – Noon: Holy Communion and anointing for healing

Thursday - 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.: Bible Study; Noon: Holy Communion

NEXT SUNDAY (JAN. 29)

7:45 a.m: Holy Communion; 10 a.m.: A joint Holy Communion service followed by the ANNUAL PARISH MEETING. All parishioners are urged to be present for this Important yearly gathering.

THURSDAY, FEB. 2 – 7 p.m.: A Mass celebrating the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as Candlemas, will be held at 7 p.m. in the evening.

SATURDAY, FEB. 4 - 10 a.m.: The consecration of the Ven. Donald Francis Lerow as Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of the ACC-OP, at St. Alban’s Pro-Cathedral, 4006 Hermitage Rd., Richmond, VA. (Once consecrated, Bishop Lerow will succeed Archbishop Haverland as Episcopal Visitor to this diocese.) Those desiring to attend are asked to RSVP to stalbansacc@gmail.com or 804-262-6100.

Now available in the undercroft for pick-up by parishioners are 2011 contribution statements for tax purposes. If anyone has any questions about their statement, please call Julia Taylor at 703-239-2898.

Members may also pick up offering envelopes for 2012 downstairs. Each set of envelopes has a number; please be sure to enter your name next to that number on the sign-up sheet.

The flower chart for 2012 is posted downstairs in the undercroft; please sign up for the Sunday(s) this year on which you would like to provide altar flowers.

Romans 12: 16-21 –  John 2: 1-11

 We all attach great importance to the high moments of life. For the Jews, a wedding was not a short celebration. But it was something shared by the entire community. A wedding feast could last up to seven days. After the wedding the father of the bride would take his daughter to every house so that everyone might congratulate her. It was a community experience. Weddings were a time of joy and celebration.

As we can see in today’s story, Jesus was fully God but fully man also. He knew how to enjoy life and have fun. He was part of the community and was totally involved in its life. He didn’t see anything wrong celebrating with the people of his community. So he was invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. There was great joy as usual, but a problem came up quickly. There was a shortage of wine. Not only was that a social embarrassment, it was also a symbol. For a wedding to run out of wine was an indication that the marriage would face storms and even might not last, or a sign that joy was not meant for this couple.

That’s why Mary came to Jesus and asked him to do something. But you see how he answered: ”Why do you involve me woman?” That sounds rude. But we have to look at this scene in its historical context. Jesus, at this moment, had not performed a single miracle. He was 30 years old and he had just gathered together his disciples. He knew that if he performed a miracle, a clock will start running and it will not stop until he gets to Calvary. Crowds will start moving. Investigators will be dispatched. But Jesus will transcend all these concerns and give his first public sign that he is different; he transformed water into wine. It is a crucial moment for Jesus and the disciples as well. There were three things that happened in this story.

1. The Miraculous Sign. Water was turned into wine. God ways are not our ways. God is present to us all the time. He who created us out of his own image and likeness is present to us at every step of life. And he can make possible what seems to be impossible. Mary knew it. That’s why she told the servant: “whatsoever he saith unto you, do it”. Change or transformation in individual life takes place only when we participate, when we follow the instructions of God. Let us put it this way: transformation comes when we do what God asks us to do. The miraculous catch of fish was the result of the obedience of Peter and his friends to the words of Jesus, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some” (John 21: 1-14); The Ten Lepers were cleansed because they followed the instructions of Jesus, “Go show yourselves to the priest” (Luke 17: 11-19). The dynamic of obedience produces transformation in our individual life. Whenever you obey, God performs miracle!
2. The second thing that happened in this story was that the Glory of Jesus was revealed. Mary had looked up at her son and said, “We don’t have enough,” and Jesus answered with abundance. Life does not always go as we had planned it! There are times when problems arise and troubles come our way. This is a common thing. Ecclesiastes 2:23 “For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is vanity”. And when Mary seemed to face problem at the wedding, she took it to Jesus. You too whenever you face anything in life take it to Jesus. Those around you may see it as nothing, but Jesus understands your pain and feels your needs. In time of trouble, Mary shows us just what we need to do. She gives us 2 steps that we should always take in troublesome time of life. She ran to Jesus and she followed his command.
3. The third thing that happened was that his disciples, these men that he recently gathered together to start his ministry, believed on him. “His Disciples believed on Him.” Your faith in Jesus is never misplaced! If you display, “mustard seed” faith in your hour of trial, Jesus will enter into that need and will move your mountain. He will never fail His children!

As we leave this place today, let’s keep in mind this simple fact: Jesus is tied to the events of your life. He is not just some remote supernatural being who is totally removed from your need. He cares about the smallest details of your life (Matthew 10:29-31). He waits for you to call Him into our times of need so that He can minister to you. What is your need today? Salvation? Some burden? A bad situation? Some circumstances beyond your control, but not beyond your ability to worry over? Do as Mary did, bring it to a Lord who cares. Bring it to Jesus!

Two weeks ago, Jesus was born in a manger, and today he is 12 years old and has traveled with his family to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. There was food, there was fun, and there was reunion. And after a couple of days partying, they got on the road back to Nazareth. At suppertime on that first day, Mary began looking for her son Jesus. But he was nowhere to be found. They must have left him in Jerusalem, about 15 miles away. They traveled back to Jerusalem and found him in the temple with the teachers.

The legend tells us that Jesus was teaching. But Luke doesn’t say that. He said, Jesus was “listening to the teachers, asking them questions”. Iland, my jewish friend, told me that when he was a child, every day when he came home from school, his father would say “Did you ask any good questions today, Ilan?” We, we usually say to our kids “What did you learn in school today?” But Jewish parents say “What questions did you ask?”

So Jesus was asking the teachers questions. It is clear that it is something his parents taught him to do. Mary and Joseph taught Jesus to be a respectful, curious, compassionate young man. We usually think Jesus turned out the way he did because he was the son of God; that he supernaturally learned how to read and write, how to say “please” and “thank you”. We usually think that Jesus grew up in a vacuum, without benefit of a mom and a dad who taught him, trained him, and maybe even grounded him.

What do we need to learn from this gospel of Jesus found in the temple? There is probably a lot to learn from this story. But I see three important lessons for us today.

1. Growth takes time. Jesus went through the same period of life. Sometimes, we are in so much hurry that we are tempted to skip the growing part of life. We are so impatient that we don’t even see all the effort that the other person is making in order to meet our requirements. And we start accusing, judging, and blaming each other. Growth takes time. Please give your brethren time to grow.
2. We experience tension between our responsibilities to God and to our fellow men. Sometimes those responsibilities conflict so much that we must choose one or the other. Jesus experienced the same tension and there were times that he had to choose to serve God rather than man.
3. We need God’s grace upon us. We are not dependent upon our skills or our strength, but God’s grace. We can go far in this world on our abilities. But to succeed in the Kingdom, we need God’s favor upon us.

In the Epistle today, Paul said this: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.

A famous writer, A.T. Robertson, states, “Do not take this age as your fashion plate” (Robertson’s Word Pictures). The world should never become a template of life for the child of God. And yet too often many Christians are living lives produced from the fashion plate of the world. There is a difference between the world and the kingdom; between the behavior in the world and the behavior in the kingdom; between the language of the world and the language of the kingdom. The language out there is anger; gossip; pride; fighting between brethren, the language out there is power. But the language of the kingdom is obedience, forgiveness, service, and humility. Paul called this renewal of mind.
We need the renewal of mind not only for our individual lives but also to start building a church, a family where God will be all in all. To do that we must put aside our pride, our own interest. Nothing good can be established or done if we continue fighting each other; if we keep thinking that we are better than others; if we continue cultivating the mentality that everyone must agree with our opinions or views. We must admit that we all come from different background, culture, and education. We are different and it is that same difference that God wants to use to give glory to his name right here at St. Andrew and St. Margaret Church.

At the celebration of the Epiphany on Friday, we learned that the wise men put aside their knowledge. That’s how they were able to see in the little baby Jesus a king, a priest and a sacrifice needed for the remission of the sin of the world. We can do the same.

Everyone is needed. We can’t afford to lose anyone. Beloved, please do not allow your attitude for any reason to drive anyone away from the church of God. Church is not about what “I think”. But what God wants. It is not about my opinion, but what God plans to do or desires for his own house. We are all servants of God.
The believer who thinks too highly of himself compares himself with others and exalts himself above others.
Paul wants the Romans to understand that every believer has a special place in the body of Christ and has a special gift given by God for the benefit of the whole body.

Anything that you are doing in the body of Christ, know that you are doing it to the glory of God.

As we have come to this First Sunday after Epiphany, may God bless us with all spiritual blessings so that we may work together to build the church, his family where he will be glorified. Amen!

We remember that John preached the baptism of repentance. We remember that in his preaching he told the crowd that he was not the Messiah but that he prepared the way for him. This means that he knew who Jesus was. He saw in Jesus the Messiah. The One that was to come in power and liberate the Jews from the oppressive Roman government. John baptized Jesus and witnessed the Holy Spirit descending on him as he came out of the water. He heard the Father’s voice saying, “this is my Son, with whom I am well pleased”. But John wanted the Messiah to come in strength. He surely read the Old Testament, and especially some important books such as the book of Isaiah 43, where God promised this: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; (Is 43: 1-3). John knew how God had shown himself mighty in the past; how he delivered the Israelites from Egypt and all the wonders he had performed in their midst including the episode of the Red Sea and the Giants that he had destroyed to lead his own people to the promised land. John knew how powerful God is. To him, when the Messiah comes, he will re-establish that mighty power of God.

That’s why when he found himself in prison, he was shocked, he was confused, just like Ezeckiel was also confused when he was in Babylon after the deportation.  Ezeckiel was confused because he had been taken away from the Temple (the house of God) and from Jerusalem (the Holy city) and removed from the land of his fathers. He was in captivity and the word captivity in Hebrew means exile, uncovered, exposed, stripped. Things were not going well with him at all. Whenever he turned around he could only see the babylonians. Babylon means confusion, a place of corruption and vice. And the prophet of God found himself in that confusion. That’s when the heavens were opened and he saw vision of God!

“…as I was in captivity beside the river Chebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God “ (Eze. 1: 1b).
John knew all this. That’s why he was confused. And I am sure his disciples were confused also. And he sent them to ask Jesus an extremely loaded question: “ are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?”
I find this question easy to relate to. Have you ever experienced times in your life when things have just fallen apart and you’ve wondered about God? Is he there at all? If he is there, then why doesn’t he do something to help?
But look at how Jesus answered the question: Look around! What do you see? The lame walk and the sick are healed”.  Here, Jesus is referring to a prophecy in Isaiah that point to his coming. And he is also saying to John: God comes on his own terms and not on yours.
God comes on his own terms, not on mine, not on yours. You see, Jesus didn’t get John out of prison, which was what John naturally must have wanted. My life hasn’t really panned out; what a disappointing Messiah!
Sometimes when we try all we could and there is no answer to our questions, we start looking for another god. And we think it is God’s job to do our will. No, it’s not God’s job to do my will. It is not God’s agenda to make my life the way I want it to be. It is not God’s purpose to get me out of my own personal prisons. God has a deeper design and a broader agenda. According to Jesus, it is his agenda to heal the whole world. Part of that healing will surely be my healing, but healing on his terms, not mine.
We need the One to come. And yet maybe he has already come in your life and you just might be looking for him in the wrong places. The One who comes to save the blind, the lame, the sick and the dead, is born in the cold and scratchy straw of a manger, with no crib for a bed.
May he come on his own terms to heal and deliver us from the snares of the enemy. Amen!