Dear Friends, October 18, 2010

Yesterday was the second week of Stewardship Appeal 2011. Stewardship information was shared in church and also Faith Card packets are in the mail. If you are a member, please prayerfully lift up your heart and make your offering to God and to the work of this Parish. Rev Denise's sermon can be found by clicking on the link to our blogspot:

http://ascensionroch.blogspot.com/ Please do visit this new weekly feature. But it is so much warmer and fulfilling to hear it in person! Because -

For those who want to serve God, every Sunday is Homecoming Sunday. Please make it a point this fall to be in church regularly; or if you are weighing whether to make God's community important in your life, try coming for several Sundays in a row...

This year's Stewardship Appeal invites everyone to open her or his heart to God's love - and to embrace God's plan for the world and this faith community. If we are part of God's household, we do this by venturing to a new place of love and support. Please read the available materials - and lift your voice of thanks to God! A bright future awaits us when we reach up and out!

Special thanks to Rob Phillips, Mary Vasquez, our Administrative Asst, Paul Schwartz and to Rev Denise for the major updating of our website, a continuing process. Please click on the link near the top of this page for a tour.

The family of Fred Pomeroy, who died last Friday, invites everyone to his Memorial Service on Saturday, October 23rd at 10 AM. A former Warden, Vestry member and prior Director of Acolytes, Fred was a leader of this parish over many years and contributed greatly to its well being and success. We will miss him; please keep his family in your prayers.

Please keep in your prayers all those in need of healing, and those who serve in our military forces. Kindly also pray for the Search Committee and their work in this time of search. To assist in your spiritual life, Forward Day by Day booklets are $.85 each in the back of the Church [Tower Room].

A congregation grows from its heart, starting with each faithful person. If we want to grow, we must love God, love our friends and then speak openly to them. God will help us share the Bread of Life.....We never know how ready a friend may be to hear a word of encouragement in faith. We never know when God will bring someone to speak to us, and enrich our own life.

We seek a new and strong clergy leader, and our strength in numbers at worship speaks volumes of our true intentions. Please see yourself in community with others and prepared to greet and share. All are needed, all are important!

Next year will be the 125th Anniversary of the founding and of the ministry of Ascension. In preparation, let us draw closer to God's Spirit in the Season of Pentecost - to remind us of the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit to counsel, energize and sustain us all.. We honor our long history, but it is our future that must command our attention and energy.

The Ascension Piecemakers Quilt Group is offering chances on a gorgeous queen-size quilt. Why? To prepare our beautiful church for the future, the Wardens and Vestry have plans to point the masonry of the Bell Tower. To help get this under way, the Quilters invite you to buy coupons. The quilt would be a handsome addition to any decor! Coupons are $2 or 3 for $5. All proceeds will go to the Bell Tower Restoration Project. You can see the quilt and get more details each Sunday at Coffee Hour.

Thanks to our teams of Chefs and Planners, we have memorable dinners and other parties upcoming. Our first is the Annual Roast Beef Dinner on Sat., November 6th. Adults $9.00; Kids 6-12 $5.00; under 6 FREE. Please sign up in church or call 458-5423 Mon-Th 9-2.

The other Dinners will be:
Sat. March 5^th, 2011 SPAGHETTI
Sat. April 30^th, 2011 CHICKEN & BISCUIT
Fri. June 3rd, 2011 LOBSTER

PLEASE MAKE NOTE!!! Gourmets everywhere are dreaming of these dinners!!

YOU CAN HELP RESETTLE A REFUGEE FAMILY.
Please call Debbie Lanceri of Catholic Family Center 546-7220 ext 4621 for details. This is an exciting new interfaith opportunity.

Here is how to recycle all those spare calendars that come in the mail! - calendars are needed, and also Christmas cards, for our friends at Aaron Manor. Give them to Ellie Swarts or leave in Office. Thanks!

Coffee Hour is a wonderful opportunity to greet friends, old and new, and catch up on news. There are opportunities to host Coffee Hour in the weeks ahead. Won't you help this ministry? If not sure how to host the Coffee Hour, you may call Nancy Lennox at 663-5805 or Stu or Gene Denison at 663-0988. To sign up - see list in the back of the church or call 458-5423.

Please visit or call a friend who is not able to get out or whom you've been meaning to contact. There are many who would love a call and an invitation to church or an inquiry as to when you might pay a visit. With good weather, we can invite friends to accompany us to church - and take them out for brunch afterward!

The COFFEE CONNECTION at Ascension has changed - for your supply, please now visit the store at 681 Gregory Street [between Hickory and Gregory Sts]. Still the same wonderful blends, at great prices.

Altar flowers are an outstanding ministry of beauty and love. Will you take up this ministry to the glory of God and to our spirits? To donate altar flowers, please contact Laurie Phillips, 865-2802 or email LBP@rochester.rr.com There are openings on several Sundays upcoming.

If we wish to grow as Christians and share our love of God, we need to know the stories of the Bible. Thursday Bible Study is in the Library at 9 AM. Please 'Come and See'. In this season, the lessons confirm what we are to do as disciples. There is food for thought and often refreshments to share. The study is of the Gospel Lesson for next Sunday, found below. No Bible Thumping, just good conversation!!

The Rochester Interfaith Jail Ministry asks your ongoing help - by donating through United Way or directly by check to R I J M, 2 Riverside St., Rochester, NY 14613. This will bring books of healing and group sessions to those needing to start lives anew. Remember the Good Samaritan... Please answer this call. To volunteer, call 254-6790. The invitation to help is ongoing, so you are not late to the party! Someone recently made and ongoing United Way designation for R I J M. Many Thanks!

When we see new people on Sunday or at an event, let's introduce ourselves and make them welcome. An invitation to chat at Coffee Hour is a great ice-breaker. So is sitting with a new person and even inviting them to brunch after church. This is a part of God's work for each and every one of us.

Do you have a pocket card to hand to a friend who asks about Ascension? Cards are on the table in the back of the church. Please take a few, and be ready to share. We have pocket crosses in the table drawer to hand to those who answer the call to "Come and See"..

If you have a new or better email address for yourself, or know someone who might like to receive this weekly e-letter, please email me that information.

Blessings,

Dyson
D. Dyson Gay
585-317-4039

P.S. Next Sunday, we will sing a great hymn - All My Hope on God is Founded. Here is a video from Westminster Abbey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2oYTtyBSxk
P.P.S. Please see below for this week's recipe - Quick Cinnamon Bread. Don't forget an extra loaf for a friend, too!
If you have a recipe you would like to share, please send it in!
*******************************
The Gospel for next Sunday is:
Luke 18:9-14
18:9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

18:10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

18:11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

18:12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'

18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

*********************************

And, now,
.

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Quick Cinnamon Bread

By: Carol on internet

"This is a lovely way to start off your morning when you want a little something different..... Note: If you don't have buttermilk you may substitute milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar to measure 1 cup."

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
50 Min

Ready In:
1 Hr 10 Min

Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9x5 inch loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons margarine

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Measure flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla into large mixing bowl. Beat 3 minutes. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Smooth top.
3. Combine 2 tablespoons white sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and butter, mixing until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over smoothed batter. Using knife, cut in a light swirling motion to give a marbled effect.
4. Bake for about 50 minutes. Test with toothpick. When inserted it should come out clean. Remove bread from pan to rack to cool.

Sermon, Sunday, October 17, 2010

“A Practicing Christian”, A Sermon preached by The Rev. Canon Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at Church of the Ascension, Rochester, New York

I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message, be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable…(2 Timothy 4:1-2 )

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always, and not to lose heart. (Luke 18:1 )

This week I had occasion to lunch with a colleague with whom I hope to team teach a course in Buddhist Christian dialogue at the divinity school next year. She is a Zen Buddhist priest. We plan on offering a course of comparative theology, where we will engage theological and spiritual topics through both a Buddhist and Christian perspective. As we discussed the course, she reminded me that Buddhists are all about experience and practice, and much less focused on belief so that when we teach the course we will take time during the class sessions to engage in Buddhist meditation practice. I’ve attended Buddhist meditation at the Rochester Zen Center with my divinity school classes on numerous occasions. It is not as simple as it might appear. At the beginning of the session, a gong sounds as all the worshippers sit cross legged and erect on meditation cushions in the cool, dimly lit meditation room and silence falls upon the room. There is an altar with a statute of the Buddha, some candles and flowers in front of the practitioners. Practitioners usually keep their eyes slightly open but downcast, as they concentrate on their breathing, counting each inhalation and exhalation.

In my experience of Zen meditation I have found that before too long, my back begins to ache. I want to shift positions but am reluctant to cause any stir in the room. I become suddenly aware of bodily aches, pains and creaks that I usually don’t even notice. I suspect for most of us Christians, what is intended by Buddhists as a time for centering and spiritual nourishment that will ultimately lead to enlightenment is for us a painfully awkward experience of physical discomfort and mental wanderings. Clearing our minds of random thoughts and inner dialogue is as difficult as maintaining anything like a meditative physical posture. What for me is often a very difficult exercise, both physical and mental, is for practicing Buddhists the way they begin and end each day, usually with 75 minute sitting sessions morning and evening.

If I have learned anything from my time with the Buddhists, it is that one does not master their form of prayer without a tremendous amount of discipline and hard work. Meditation is no walk on the beach, it is a very rigorous physical and mental exercise. Our lectionary readings today have quite a bit to say on the topic of discipline and persistence in spiritual life. In the pastoral letter to Timothy, the author advises his reader to be persistent in the faith, to teach, study, to be faithful in spreading the word of God. He reminds the reader that the scriptures are inspired by God and are meant for our edification and learning, as a source of teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. And in the strange parable of the poor widow and the unjust judge, the author of Luke’s gospel tells us that the point of the story is to remind us to be persistent in prayer and not to lose heart.

While it is a strange little story, as are many parables that Jesus told, this one does leave us with one clear message, which is that in prayer we are to keep at it, even when it seems fruitless or meaningless or pointless. Persistence is something that we are not real good at in this culture, at least we modern American mainline Protestants, especially where our faith is concerned. While we might stick to a diet religiously, or engage in some regular exercise routine for cardiac health, or regularly meet our friends for golf, or bridge, or soccer, or to see a movie, having a similarly faithful routine for Bible Study or prayer or even attending corporate worship is not seen as a high priority by the vast majority of folks who call themselves Christian.

The idea that our religious life might actually require discipline, hard work, and even some tedious times when only grit and persistence will keep us going is one that is foreign to most of us today. In the world of church growth stories, the huge megachurches are held up as the ideal, even though what passes for religion and religious practice in many of them is nothing more than entertainment. The notion that to be a practicing Christian actually carries with it some rigor and a disciplined approach to prayer, study and worship is a tough sell in today’s world. Except in the fundamentalist churches, a church notice that there will be a Bible study held at a particular time is likely to be met with complete indifference on the part of the vast majority of church goers.

In the summer of 2003 our General Convention passed resolution A135 which is entitled “Stewardship: Holy Habits”. It calls on all members of the Episcopal Church to commit to the tithe as the standard for financial giving with the practice of proportional giving as the first step in that direction, and also commits Episcopalians to daily prayer and study, Sabbath time and regular corporate worship. These commitments are the “holy habits” that are integral to our growth as disciples and the living out of our Christian baptismal covenant. This resolution recognizes that a mature and lively spirituality comes only from a committed and disciplined life of prayer, worship, and study. Like everything else in life, we only get out of our faith what we put into it.

William Willimon, author and Bishop in the United Methodist Church, makes an astute observation about our tendency in the modern world to treat our religion as if it were a peripheral nicety to be engaged in, if at all, at our convenience and with little real effort or hard work. He wryly notes:

Instant oatmeal. The three-minute boiled egg. One hour dry cleaning. Twenty minute pizza delivery. An oil change in less than an hour. A meal in a microwave in four minutes. Excellent health in just 20 minutes a day, only three days a week. A sense of well being after only a weekend in a seminar to gain enlightenment. A relationship with Christ in only an hour a week. Why not?

Why not indeed! Discipleship, as Jesus frequently reminds us, is something that requires commitment, and persistent discipline. Jesus himself was a practicing Jew. He knew the holy scriptures of his religious tradition. He attended corporate worship regularly. Even during the years of his itinerant healing, teaching and preaching ministry, he took time out of his busy schedule to go away from the crowds and spend time in prayer. He taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer to give them a tool to use in their own prayer life. In today’s parable he urges them to be persistent in prayer and not give up, even when it seems pointless or even simply boring.

If there is one thing I have learned in my interfaith work, it is that we mainline Protestants are somewhat lazy in our practice of our faith. We don’t demand enough of ourselves or our children. For example, Jewish teenagers who are having the Bar or Bat Mitzvah at age 12 or 13 are called upon to lead the congregation in worship on that special day, chanting prayers and significant chunks of the Torah in Hebrew, and even giving a short homily on the scripture passages that are read as part of the service that day. Their preparation for that event takes several years and includes religious instruction as well as instruction in Hebrew. At the Islamic Center, young children and teens are expected to attend religious instruction on Saturday and Sunday mornings, where they learn Arabic so that they can learn to recite the Qur’an in the holy language of that text. It takes a lot of boring and repetitive work to learn the language and work through the text of the Qur’an itself. On top of that, these young people engage in prayer five times a day, and observe the fast of the holy month of Ramadan even when they are in school or participating in sports. Discipline, persistence, study, prayer – in all religious traditions these things are an integral part of spiritual growth and maturity.

Douglas John Hall, Canadian theologian writing about Christianity in North America in the 21st century eloquently calls for mainline Protestant Christians to become serious about their faith. He calls Christians to a new seriousness of purpose about their religious faith. He says:

[T]he gift of a future will have to be met by a new, cheerful, and disciplined readiness on the part of Christian individuals, congregations, and “churches” to take responsibility for its implementation. That is, the church will have to become the ‘disciple community’ all over again, and in great earnestness.
And for churches in the United States and Canada, it seems to me, that means one thing in particular: they will have to seek to deepen. And they will only deepen if they are ready to become communities of theological struggle, contemplation and dialogue. …Thought is of the essence of the cross that North American Christians today are called to pick up and carry!

The author of the letter to Timothy was arguing for the same thing way back 2000 years ago and Jesus’ parable about the unjust judge and the poor widow ties right in. Life with God requires discipline, prayer, study, commitment and persistence. The scriptures and our religious tradition are given to us to guide and nourish us on our journey to God, but we have to take the initiative and make the hard work of spiritual development a priority in our lives, “so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” To be practicing Christians, we need to take seriously these religious obligations, so that we can “carry out our ministry fully” and not fall into the illusion that we’ve done all we need to do when we said “I believe.”

A few photos from St. Francis Day, Blessing of the Animals, Thanks to Stacy