Advent- Stations of the Birth

Stations to the Birth

An Advent Journey-1

This Advent Contemplation is based on the work of God in the lives of 3 women that help to tell the story of Christ’s coming. Please join us on this journey of sacred discovery from Holy Scripture and storytelling, as we bring to mind women without whom the story of the birth of our Lord may have been very different. 

As we contemplate each station, pray that we gain insight and understanding of the miraculous unfolding of the Divine plan to work in human history that which is well pleasing in the Creator’s sight. Let us hear and heed in Holy Scripture the story of God’s loving purpose from the time of our first rebellion against him until the glorious redemption brought to us by his holy Son, Jesus…pg. 18 BOS

 Opening Prayers:

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Leader and People:

Come and save us, O Lord of Hosts

Show us the light of your countenance

And we shall be saved.

Come to save us. O Lord of Hosts

 Show us your mercy O Lord

  1. R. And grant us your salvation

Leader and People
Our Father who art in heaven

hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and forever.    Amen.

 Leader and People

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

­­­_________________________________________

    Station 1.  The honoring of Eve and all women.

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.   Isaiah 40:5 BCP 75

Genesis 3:14 & 15

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
    cursed are you among all animals
    and among all wild creatures;
upon your belly you shall go,
    and dust you shall eat
    all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

Creator, Father I ran from you for the first time.  I have sinned a great sin, yet you honor me and all like me. 

The promise begins

Narrative Responder:

The woman had grown unsettled with life in Eden.  Her feelings were hard to pinpoint. She found their home to be magnificent, and she loved the man and she knew he loved her, it wasn’t any of that.  But, the man had his garden to tend, and the animals he had named to talk to, and walk with.  The woman did not quite want the same things.  She was restless even with the perfection of this place.  She wanted more, something more than gardening, more than those man named animals.  She did not know why or what more yet, but she wanted more.  The woman took long walks away from the man, “He knows I am with him,” she told herself, as she walked, “I am from him…he knows”

The woman secretly had an animal too, one that her man did not name or know about before her existence.  The creature was beautiful, iridescent, changing colors sometimes.  It was totally unique, not like the other named ones.  It moved in a quiet muscular way without arms or legs.  Its voice would change at times to be like hers, its face could change and be like her face.  Daily, the she creature drew her further from the man, but was careful to leave before the Father Creator came to visit late in the day.   The woman simply called the creature “she”, “I know it’s not a real name woman thought, “one will come to me later.”

Then, there was the tree, the creature often made it look like itself, iridescent and changing colors to amuse the woman.  The fruit of it was beautiful and the she would make it look wet and inviting.  The woman was fascinated, but did not go further to taste of what the tree grew. The Father had said no.  But, the she also wanted more, much more than to just to entertain the women, or be a pet. 

She led the woman to the tree nearly every midafternoon now.  One day while the woman was stroking the she, it turned to her, looking like her twin and asked her if she wanted to be more than to be a mate, a wife to the man, more than the Father Creator’s “thing.”  “You can have all of his wisdom, his knowing and his power, it is in this tree, the fruit of it.  You can even make your own animals and name them all. You will not need the Father Creator or the man.  You will be better than them, you will be free.”

The temptation worked this time, yet, something was not according to the she creature’s plan, because after the eating, the woman called the man to share in the eating.  “I want him with me the woman said to the creature, ”  We were given to each other.”  The creature was displeased, but it was too late.

“…The woman took some and ate it and gave some to her husband…” Gn. 3:6b 

The Father came and the she creature was caught.   

There were consequences for this rebellion of the woman and the man.  They had been warned. The Father was sad as he spoke,  Eden could no longer be their home.  Now there would be things that never were, pain, manipulation, violence, subjugation and more that would replace the absolute equality that was theirs.  Their love and their world became work, hard work.  And there was death now, a future end of living years.  It was both consequence and mercy.

Then in anger, the Father Creator called the creature, serpent…and cursed it to look like its spirit.   Hideous now, The Father told it as it cringed, that one day a child of woman would crush it utterly, no matter what it did.  The once elegant thing, shrunk, and fell to the ground winding as it fled. 

Slowly, the Father turned to the woman again who was holding onto the man, and softly said to her, to both of them, that the one who would redeem this path of escalating evil would come from the woman’s kind, and the serpent would hate him as truly as it hated her.  “I know the thing that I cursed my daughter, you do not, but you both will come to know how it hates my children.  You will know.”  I ache for you now.

“And, the man, Adam named his wife, Eve because she would be the mother of all living.” Gen. 3:20 paraphrase 

(Adapted from the Scarlet Cord by Lindsay Hardin Freeman)

Let us pray

Almighty God, I know I am like the first humans in my sin.  The honor you gave to womanhood was underserved, but far more powerful than the betrayal of your love.  Through humans sin had entered creation, yet through a woman the Son of God would enter to save the world.  Amen

A prayer for humanity.

I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness but with you there is light.
I am lonely but you do not leave me.
I am feeble in heart but with you there is help.
I am restless but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness but with you there is patience.
I do not understand your ways but you know mine.
O God, restore me to liberty,
and enable me so to live now
that I may answer before you and before me. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Adapted)  Online Adam and Eve.

A Reading from Scripture Jeremiah 33:14-16

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

The word of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

Closing Prayers:

Leader and People

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,

 We entreat you, O Lord. 

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,

 We entreat you, O Lord. 

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,

 We entreat you, O Lord.

 That there may be peace in your Church and in the whole world,

 We entreat you, O Lord.

Glory to God in the Highest

And peace to his people on earth.  Amen.

 Blessing

In this time of Advent

May Almighty God, by whose providence our Savior Christ came among us in great humility, sanctify you this night with the light of his blessing and set you free from all sin. Amen.

Advent Journey: Stations of the Birth 2

horse, girl, nature-3791944.jpg

An Advent Journey-2

This Advent Contemplation is based on the work of God in the lives of 3 women that help to tell the story of Christ’s coming. Please join us on this journey of sacred discovery from Holy Scripture and storytelling, as we bring to mind women without whom the story of the birth of our Lord may have been very different.

As we contemplate each station, pray that we gain insight and understanding of the miraculous unfolding of the Divine plan to work in human history that which is well pleasing in the Creator’s sight. Let us hear and heed in Holy Scripture the story of God’s loving purpose from the time of our first rebellion against him until the glorious redemption brought to us by his holy Son, Jesus…pg. 18 BOS

 Opening Prayers:

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Leader and People:

 Come and save us, O Lord of Hosts

Show us the light of your countenance

And we shall be saved.

Come to save us. O Lord of Hosts

 Show us your mercy O Lord

  1. R. And grant us your salvation

 Leader and People

Our Father who art in heaven

hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and forever.    Amen.

 Leader and People

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

 ­­­_________________________________________

 Station 2.  Elizabeth bearer of John, the seal.  

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.   Isaiah 40:5 BCP 75

 The lst Miracle of the Old Covenant.

Luke 1: selected verses.  

5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God… 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.  11 Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.  [And the Angel said] “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 15b …even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”

Who am I Father, that you would work great things in me?

Narrative Responder:

“I love you my wife,” Zechariah wrote in the wax of their new bigger house tablet.  They were together at their table, Elizabeth squeezed his hand, and gave him one of those soft looks that he remembered from early years together that said, I love you too, my husband.  Zeke, as she liked to call him, was taken out his normal priest duty rotation, because of his handicap.  He couldn’t speak.  Gabriel had been clearly irritated with him for questioning the miracle, part of which had already taken place. Still, It was sort of fun being together more, like it was when they were young.  AND, there was no doubt Elizabeth was very, very pregnant. “Pregnant, humm what a beautiful word” she thought.      

Bethie had giggled a little when first Zeke came home that amazing day, now six months ago, to write on their little household tablet what had happened. It took 3 changes of wax to get it all out.  Her amusement met with Zeke’s hand going up and one more tablet full saying “no please don’t laugh. Please.”

Elizabeth looked at her husband of many years, and said nothing, but slipped on weak knees to a stool. Then slowly she said.  “It is so then, the miracle of Sarah, is ours too?  Oh my dear, my love. God has heard our prayers.” Her mind had raced, nothing is too difficult for the Father, old, young, what difference to him? He is the Law that governs all life. 

Being childless had been such a wound she thought, beside the fact, that they loved children and wanted a family from the time of their youth, people were not always sympathetic.  Zechariah often tried to protect Elizabeth and rarely told her of any talk by worshipers. But, truly it was the local women, who were often the most unkind, sometimes greeting her warmly, but soon there would be a dig about her “condition,” making thinly veiled suggestions that it must be a punishment for some wrong doing, or that Zechariah should make another sacrifice for unintentional sin, if they just couldn’t remember.  It was over!  The heartache wanting, the digs… all done.  Feeling stronger, she rose to hold her husband and said gently,

 25 “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.” Luke 1: 25.

The memory was vivid for both of them.  It was the day of their vindication. 

But this day was special too.  Now, it was already well after lunch, and Bethie had almost forgotten to hand her husband the skin that that a relative gave to her that morning while Zechariah was still sleeping. She knew the news would make his day. 

 Zechariah read, Mary is coming for a few months for a visit, she can help with the birth it said.  “Good! Zechariah responded in wax, I just love that little girl.”  “Me too, but not so little anymore, Zeke”  Mary had visited many times in the past when her parents would travel, they always dropped her off to “Bethie and Zeke’s” house, and picked her up on the way back to Nazareth.  She was well loved by the elder couple.  “I think wonderful things are about to happen, husband, your son knows Mary’s name…I swear he moves in me every time we talk about her, or I even think about her.”  Zeke reached over to touch her face.  “It is good that she is coming,” was all he wrote.”
Overcome by the need to rest now, Elizabeth pushed her baby filled frame up from the table, and kissed Zechariah on his forehead. He would study scriptures now, and Bethie could get off of her feet.  She slowly made her way to the bedroom for a nap, then suddenly turning back to him she said, “Our child knows her, Zeke.  This all feels so very holy, my love. I think we are living in God’s story now, not ours.”

[About a week later Mary arrived.]

41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”
Luke 1:41, 42.

An Advent Prayer of Thanks

Let us pray

Oh most powerful God, We see now the beauty of your will in Elizabeth you worked one of the greatest miracles of the Patriarchs, a child from the barren.  Help us also bear a sign of your tender love and care into the world.

We are amazed for all that you have done for us in our time.
We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation,
for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

 We thank you Lord for setting us at tasks which demand our very best, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you Lord for those disappointments and failures
that teach us grace, and lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you this Advent for your Son Jesus Christ;
for your promise of redemption come down, for the example of his humble birth to a world aching to be healed of its sin sickness.

We Thank you, We praise you and We adore you O gracious Lord our God.

Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer.
Amen

The Song of Zechariah

67 [John’s] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

 Glory to the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

 Closing Prayers:

Leader and People

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That there may be peace in your Church and in the whole world,

We entreat you, O Lord.

Glory to God in the Highest

And peace to his people on earth.  Amen.

 Blessing

In this time of Advent:

May Almighty God, by whose providence our Savior Christ came among us in great humility, sanctify you this night with the light of his blessing and set you free from all sin. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord

Thanks be to God

sunset, lake, water-1798981.jpg

Stations of the Birth 3

An Advent Journey-3

This Advent Contemplation is based on the work of God in the lives of 3 women that help to tell the story of Christ’s coming. Please join us on this journey of sacred discovery from Holy Scripture and storytelling, as we bring to mind women without whom the story of the birth of our Lord may have been very different. 

As we contemplate each station, pray that we gain insight and understanding of the miraculous unfolding of the Divine plan to work in human history that which is well pleasing in the Creator’s sight. Let us hear and heed in Holy Scripture the story of God’s loving purpose from the time of our first rebellion against him until the glorious redemption brought to us by his holy Son, Jesus…pg. 18 BOS

Opening Prayers:

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Leader and People:

Come and save us, O Lord of Hosts

Show us the light of your countenance

And we shall be saved.

Come to save us. O Lord of Hosts

  1. Show us your mercy O Lord

  2. R. And grant us your salvation

Leader and People
Our Father who art in heaven

hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and forever.    Amen.

Leader and People

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

Station 3. Mary

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.   Isaiah 40:5 BCP 75

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19,)

Luke 1: selected verses.  

“How can this be, since I am a virgin.” The Angel answered, “The  Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child…, and she who was said to be barren is in her 6th Month. For nothing is impossible for God.”  “I am the Lord’s servant.” Mary said”  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to the hill country of Judea [to visit Elizabeth and Zechariah]

Who am I Father, that you would work great things in me?

Narrative Responder:

The morning after the news.

The early banging on the door was so loud Joachim was sure the whole neighborhood could hear. “What lunatic is at the door at this hour,” he thought as ran to open it?  There was Joseph, with tears again in his eyes, quickly stepping inside yelling, ”Mary, take me back, please Mary take me back, then looking at her father he asked,  ”She didn’t leave yet did she dad?”  “Auh, Auh, umm no, I don’t think so.” the elder male mumbled, “Dad??”  Joachim was still yawning, but he cleared his throat enough to say   not quite as loudly as Joseph, “Mary honey are you up?” then turning to Joseph he asked, are you quite alright ?”  “Oh, I am more than alright,  he said hugging his soon to be father- in- law.  Mary is telling the truth….I know that now.  The angel came to my dreams.”   Mary looked across the room and first time in the long months of engagement she saw love.  Anna and Joachim began to relax a bit, as they realized that no matter what would happen now,  no matter how much they just didn’t understand, would never understand.  Mary and her Jo would have each other and the Lord.

The evening before, Joseph had left Mary’s parents house, unable to say what he was feeling.  To be 18 and have your heart broken, young Jo couldn’t get any more words out  after he told Mary’s parents he didn’t want harm or embarrassment to come to her, so he would quietly give her a paper of divorce.  He was, after all, a decent young man, and it was clear to Joachim and Anne and he really cared for Mary.  He  looked only once at his formerly betrothed girl at the end of this painful visit, and being choked silent with emotion, he could only hit his chest with his fist, before heading for the door.   

“Oh God, No, came out of Mary’s Father, “Please daughter, sit down, we need to talk, you can leave tomorrow for Bethie’s house.   Joachim tried to control his tone, but kept putting his hand up to his mouth, and looking back at young Mary, as he paced in the large kitchen.  “Mary has never lied to me before,”he thought.  “But, the Angel story seemed too fantastic to be true.   Mary’s mother, Anne had hardly blinked or talked in all the time Joseph cried to them.  Now, she sat silent with watery red rimmed eyes and heavy hands that fell like lead onto her lap.  Mary also sat and said “ok dad, I won’t go till morning. It’s too dark now anyway.”  She lowered her head and after several moments said,  “Papa, you know I wouldn’t lie, I wouldn’t.”  Joachim wanted to nod, but couldn’t make his head work.  But, Yes. he knew, and knowing that, only made the whole thing harder to address, harder to understand. 

He looked at Mary in the chair and he saw the little girl again.

Hadn’t it been just a month ago he repaired the leather ball, that Mary and her friends like to kick in some game they all played.  And, then just an hour ago, Mary had a life, a future in front of her with a young, carpenter.  Now, all he could think of was the crazy story about an angel telling her she was going to have God’s baby.  “Baby…my baby  pregnant, oh no, oh no.”  His head ached with every  thought.

Suddenly, his fatherhood took over, “I don’t care, I will protect my child with the last drop of my blood, he thought ahead to the time when they could no longer hide the fact that she was pregnant.  Oh Lord he cried inside of his brain, How can this be happening?”  “How?”  But, the Lord had already answered.

It would take one more rise of the moon,  and a teenage carpenter’s dream to help them all see just how well, and how sweetly the Lord had answered. 

Matthew 1:20-24 

“… an angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

 Let us pray

Thank You Sweet God, Loving Father that in bringing your son into the world, you protected the innocence of young mother, Mary.  Thank you that you would care to ease the wounded heart of his earthly father, Joseph.  You, who are the Almighty life giver have brought your promise to the earth in tenderness, purity and in the honor of your holiness.  We thank you Lord.   Amen


The Song of Mary    Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
    for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
    the Almighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
    in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
    he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
    and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
    for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
    to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

Closing Prayers:

Leader and People

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,

We entreat you, O Lord. 

That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,

We entreat you, O Lord. 

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,

We entreat you, O Lord.

That there may be peace in your Church and in the whole world,

We entreat you, O Lord.

Glory to God in the Highest

And peace to his people on earth.  Amen.

Blessing

In this time of Advent: May Almighty God, by whose providence our Savior Christ came among us in great humility, sanctify you this night with the light of his blessing and set you free from all sin. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord

Thanks be to God

Historic bell restored!

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s bell resumed ringing after the historic bell tower was repaired March 25th in time for the church’s 10AM Easter service. The bell dates back to 1875 and was inoperable for a decade or so. “The housing was cracked and the rope broke. The bell was OK and thank goodness it didn’t fall out of the tower,” said Perry, who is head of the church council.

The Rev. Joyce Rush said, “We wanted to just get the rope replaced. Fortunately, God was with us and we didn’t do that because if we had our organist, who rings the bell—the bell, which weighs in the vicinity of 900 pounds—could have fallen right on top of her.”

The Verdin Co., was hired to repair the church bell housing. The company specializes in cast bronze bells, electronic carillons, clocks, towers and organs, according to its website.

‘We had to go to that kind of trouble to get this fixed—because it was expensive to fix,” Perry said of hiring the Ohio-based company.

Rev. Rush said, ”The bell is the original bell from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and we were the first church in Brainerd, so the historic value in my book is really priceless.”

The Verdin Co. has more than 55,000 installations in churches, universities, municipalities and businesses across the country, according to the company’s website.

“It took probably three or four months before they could fit us in their schedule,” Rev. Rush said.

Perry said, “They had to custom rebuild the housing that the bell sits in and then what we did, instead of having a rope, we now have an electronic thing up there that moves the thing to get the bells ring, so it’s actually computer assisted—so we no longer have the rope.” The church sanctuary was constructed was constructed in the 1930’s. and has beautiful and historic stained glass windows. St. Paul’s  congregation includes about 40 members, according to Perry.  “The first Episcopal service was held in 1870 in a log house in Brainerd,and the population was about 400 people in Brainerd. And apparently the city of Brainerd had started, and it was pretty rough group.”

The 70 year old Brainerd resident is a former Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologist and wife of  the late Ken Perry, a Brainerd lakes area science teacher.

The bells were originally our call to service—a call to come to the church and that’s how some people still think of it—but it’s also just the beauty of the bell-ringing,“ Perry said of the working bell.

“All of our congregation member, everyone just smiles and says, “The bell is ringing.” The church sits on the corner of North Seventh andn Juniper street on the southeast corner of Gregory Park, about 2 blocks north of Brainerd’s historic water tower on Washington Street.

“This was a historic bell in a historic church”. We wanted to get it fixed,”  Perry said of the $18,000.00 restoration project. Rev. Rush said “We rang it right before every church service…The yoke on the bell was disintregating.”

BELL BOY

Terry McCollough is no longer a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church but the former Brainerd Dispatch publisher used to ring the bell at St. Paul’s Episcopal as an acolyte, or server, at the altar.  “We would also, as a part of our duties, ring the bell before the service,” McCollough said Wednesday, April 13th,. McCollough said he was an acolyte for almost a decade, starting when he was 8 years old in  1952.

“We  were so small that if we pulled down on the rope and we got the thing going…it would literally lift us to the ceilings and later on, of course we did it for fun,” McCollough said while chuckling. “We would hang onto it just so we could go up in the air and come down again.”

The rope to ring the church bell came down through pipes down into the back of the kitchen area, McCollough said.

“We were so small that if we pulled down on the rope and we got the thing going……it would literally lift us up to the ceilings and later on, of course, we did it for fun,” McCollough said while chucking. “We would hang on to it just wo we could go up in the air and come down again.”

The rope to ring the church bell came down through pipes down into the back of the kitchen area, McCollough said. “We were carefully instructed on how to do it and how not to do it,” McCollough said.

The Rev. Edward G. Barrow was in charge of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church when McCollough was an acolyte and gave how-to instructions to the young boys entrusted to ring the church bell.

“Once we know how to do it, of course, then he wouldn’t come down and supervise us.” McCollough said.  “We could, you know, ring away on the thing and fly up to the ceiling as much as we wanted to….And if you did it really wrong, you could actually hit your head.”

By Frank Lee, Brainerd Dispatch.

Looking back over the Landscape-by Beth Rose
October 1, 2023
I used to drive on highway 40 out of Amarillo Texas toward El Paso, and there the Rockies were in front of me, the steppe region of sagebrush on either side, and in my rear view mirrow I saw the Great Plains spreading out for miles. Sometimes I’d pull over and look back back to just get the bigger picture. Today I’m inviting you to think back for a moment over the readings we had in church in August and September. You may not have known it, but the themes of almost all the readings have dealt wth vengeance, forgiveness, and reconcilliation. These are as important issues today as they were back in Christ’s time, and deserve a look over their landscape.
Even the Old Testament readings were devoted to forgiveness. Remember Joseph dealing with the forgiveness his brothers had to ask of him? And in the New Testament, remember how Jesus gave exact directions on how to handle someone who had sinned against you? His disciples were to forgive seventy times instead of seven? He was all about forgiveness.
I’m sure you can understand why the people in Jesus’ time would have vengeance on their minds. The Romans occupied their lives with a brutality we can not imagine here. But vengeance doesn’t only fill the hearts of those under seige. In the past three years, I’ve heard some of the most
unreal longings for vengeance imaginable. “That guy refused to wear his mask, so he deserved to die of Covid.” “Those people don’t think like us, so they must be pod-people and God will kill them all.” “Those immigrants should just be shot at the border; that’ll keep them from coming in.” “That
President should be impeached because of… whatever reason.” Vengeance has overrun our political
system, our entertainment, our music. Don’t believe me? Consider that every President since George W. Bush has faced impeachment. Or how does Matt Dillon handle the Bad Guy in Gunsmoke? A shootout to kill him. Or think of the country song with the lyrics, “I dug my keys into the side of his pretty little souped-up 4-wheel drive, and carved my name into his leather seats.” People cheer what they consider justice to the one who has wronged them.
Vengeance is the child of powerlessness. God has proclaimed vengeance His, like in how he handed the Egyptian army. Think of the Deuteronomy passage, “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord?” When we take revenge into our hands, we stab Forgiveness and Reconcilliation in the heart.
In many ways, Vengeance is like being addicted to cocaine or heroin. You get the big thrill the first
time, but each time after, the feeling isn’t as good, even though the need to do it becomes compulsive. Vengeance allows the Devil to continue his work on earth.
We are called on to forgive, and let me tell you, that’s very hard. Someone shared with me this week that a man murdered a friend of hers ten years ago, a mom with two kids and a loving
husband. Soon the murderer will leave prison, but gets to go on with life, while her friend is still dead. She struggles with forgiveness, and reconcilliation will never happen.
And just because we are Christians, doesn’t mean we always get it right. A friend of mine related the story of a dispute in her church that made a parish member so upset she stepped away from attending for a time. When this woman finally returned, my friend knew better than to approach her right away. But one Sunday during the passing of the peace, my friend approached her
with, “Peace of the Lord.” And the woman said, “Nope!” and crossed her arms. Now there’s a person who missed a basic message in church.
The Epistle today was one our Bishop shared with us at our recent cohort meeting, and it is a capstone to all the themes of forgiveness and reconcilliation in the readings these past two months.
Now the focus is on humility. Bishop Loya mentioned how the Romans would have been baffled at
the idea of a new religion featuring a man who died on the cross. Their gods, of course, were ones of great strength, like Jupiter who wielded thunderbolts. The idea of a cross used as a symbol of this religion was crazy to a lot of people as back then, it was a sign of torture. But if you look at Paul’s epistle today, it highlights how Jesus humbled himself to become a servant to all of us, and that in the darkest hour for Jesus on the cross, there was God. In our darkest hours, as well as the joyous ones, God is with us. And as our Bishop pointed out, the paradox is that in Jesus’ death, we find eternal life, in the humility he shows to do God’s will, God exalts him.
I’m a person that likes to understand everything. I like to know why things are the way they are. But the bishop reminded us that we don’t have to understand everything God does; that’s the mystery of having God in our life. We just need to believe, to love, to do our best as Christians, to live a life of service and humility. And when we do that, God exalts us. Maybe not in the way Jesus is exalted, but more than what we could ever be here on earth.
It is with humilty that we must leave behind the notion that vengeance is our right. It is not our right to exact justice on our offender. It is with humility that you allow God take care of an issue for which you so badly want justice. It is with humility that you must forgive others who ask for forgiveness, whether they ask for it or not. God has forgiven you often and with no scorecard. It is with humilty you have to find a way to reconcile your heart in the most difficult of circumstances. A high-handed attitude gives reconciliation less footing in your heart.
Hopefully someday you can look back over the landscape of your life with peace in your heart. You can stay of one mind with your fellow Christians as Paul urged us to do. And then let the mystery of God that passes understanding be your peace.