Epiphany This Week
This week’s Gospel lesson is a very familiar one—perhaps too familiar to many of us. When we hear Jesus say, “I am the Good Shepherd,” our imaginations may take us to a familiar picture of Jesus—one in which he is haloed, dressed in white, and surrounded by docile sheep as he walks beside a river, into a grassy meadow. Is that what you see?
The Christian artist Warner Sallman painted just this image and because of popularity of his work in the mid-twentieth century, it has become a controlling image for many of us.
Is that the image Jesus (and John) have in mind, though? I don’t think so.
Jesus draws his language not from Psalm 23, with its pastoral scenes of still waters and green pastures, but from Ezekiel 34, with its images of evil shepherds. In this oracle, God through his prophet denounces the evil shepherds—the political and religious elite—for abusing the sheep—the people. God announces that he will replace these evil shepherds himself, that he will gather the sheep, protect them, set up a new shepherd named David over them, and make a covenant of peace with them.
And Jesus says, “I am that good shepherd!” He is the one who will gather all the sheep. He is the one who will rescue them, guide them to a place of safety and protect them.
And how will he do so? He will gather, guide and protect the sheep by laying down his life for them. Unlike the hired hand who flees at the first sign of danger, the good shepherd is good precisely because he will rescue the sheep even though the cost is both great and personal—he will lay down his life.
That is what makes the good shepherd, good.
Parish Announcements:
FREE Electronic Equipment Recycling Day: Bring your old cell phones, laptops, computers, speakers, cameras, ink cartridges, radios, printers, scanners, etc. to the Carl. A. Nesbitt Public School on 1241 Roy Street in New Sudbury on Saturday, April 28 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All proceeds will go to cancer research.
Women’s Bible Study: April 30th: Pot Luck.
Wednesday Eucharist and Bible Study: Cancelled for May 2 and May 9 due to the Clergy Conference and Fr. Tim’s teaching schedule. Please spread the word!
Spring Pottery Sale: Sudbury Basin Potters presents their Spring Pottery Sale at the Church of the Epiphany, Saturday, May 12, 10am-4pm. Admission is Free. There will be Door Prizes, snacks, and coffee and tea. Donations to Epiphany’s Outreach Programme are greatly appreciated.
Music Director: As most of you know our Music Director, Dr. David Buley, has resigned effective June 10. David and Jan have been gifts from God given to enrich our common life and now God and +Stephen are calling us to share those gifts with other parishes in the Diocese. Over the next 18 months, they will be travelling extensively, including a six month sabbatical in the UK. Please pray that God will keep and use them to further the Kingdom! Pray also for the Corporation as we assemble a Needs Assessment Team to determine our next steps.
An Invitation to Deanery Youth: The Church of the Ascension (1476 Sparks St.) invites ALL deanery youth to a special event on Sunday May 27th at 12:45pm. Following a free pizza lunch, Jacqueline Villeneuve will be speak about her work in Kenya, where she is building an orphanage. For more information click on these links:
http://www.northernlife.ca/news/columns/guests/08-construction-begins-kenyan-orphanage-sudbury.aspx
Messy Church Fiesta: A reminder that all interested in children’s, youth, and family ministry, whether in an official role or not, are strongly encouraged to attend the Messy Church Fiesta on Saturday, June 9, at the Church of the Ascension (1476 Sparks Street). Please contact Cindy Derrenbacker (cderrenbacker@gmail.com) for more information!
Parish Picnic: Will take place after our 10:30 service on June 10. We need volunteers to help with preparation, serving, and clean-up. Can you help? Please contact Peter Varpio at peter.varpio@gmail.com or Fr Tim at rector@epiphanysudbury.org.
Ordination Announcement! Bishop Tom is pleased to announce the ordination to Priesthood of The Rev. Elizabeth Sipos on Saturday, June 9th (the commemoration day of Columba, Abbot of Iona and Apostle of Scotland, 597 AD) in the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Mistissini, Quebec, beginning at 7 pm. A reception will follow the liturgy. The liturgical colour will be WHITE. All clergy and Layreaders are invited to vest.
Fr. Tim’s Time(s) Away: Please take note of the following dates, when Fr. Tim will be away from the Parish. May 7-11 (Mon-Fri), teaching at Providence Theological Seminary; May 30-June 18, on pilgrimage in Canterbury; July 16-20 (Mon-Fri), teaching at Zion Hill Family Camp. Should any emergencies arise on these dates, please contact one of the wardens.
Eucharistic Assistants: Our roster of Eucharistic Assistants is getting thin! If this is a ministry to which you feel you may be called, please speak to Marion Collinson.
Parish Directory: It is time to re-do our photo-directory and we need a coordinator. Do you like calling people? Organizing events? Do you have some extra time to volunteer to the parish? Please let Fr. Tim know if you are interested in heading up this important project.
Counters: Do you have around 2hrs/week to help the parish? We’re looking for up to 6 people to serve in teams of 2 as offering counters. Please let the wardens know at wardens@epiphanysudbury.org if you can help out!
Christian Lending Library? Would you be interested in a lending library that would specialize in Christian literature of diverse genres? If so, please see Fr. Tim to complete a questionnaire for the project manager.
Finance Committee: Anyone with cost-saving or fundraising ideas should email them to finance@epiphanysudbury.org, or put them in the Finance Committee suggestion box outside the church office. The Finance Committee will review all submissions or pass them on to the appropriate committee. For follow-up please include contact info. The suggestion box will be available throughout March and April.
Episcopal Visit June 24th. Mark your calendars now. +Stephen will be with us on Sunday, June 24th at the 10:30 service for confirmations. Please pray for our confirmands, Oliver Ecclestone, Elizabeth Huska, and Mark Thom.
Cranmer Conference 2012: Are you between 19 and 29? Are you interested in traditional Anglicanism and Prayer Book worship? Do you know anyone who might answer yes to these questions? From Aug 24-26, 2012, at the Church of St. John the Divine, North Bay, a group of like-minded young people will consider “The Murder of Thomas Cranmer.” Please see Fr. Tim for more information if you’re interested.
Liturgy Online: If you would like to follow the service using your smartphone or mobile device, the Book of Alternative Services and the Book of Common Prayer (1962) are available free of charge in .pdf format from http://www.anglican.ca/resources/liturgicaltextsonline/.
SSNUFL: The Church of the Epiphany strives to be a scent-free, smoke-free, nut-free and latex-free environment so that people with allergies are welcome and, more importantly, safe. This is a matter of Christian hospitality, which we extend to both regulars and visitors.
Next week’s schedule:
Monday: Women’s Bible Study at noon.
Wednesday: Eucharist and Bible Study at 10:00 am
Thursday: Quilter’s Group
Saturday: BAS said Holy Eucharist at 5:00 pm
Sunday: BCP said Holy Eucharist at 8:30 am
BAS choral Holy Eucharist at 10:30 am
Announcements for Epiphany This Week should be