Welcome
Dear Friends,
St. Bartholomew’s is a friendly church where people come together to worship God, to affirm our unity in Christ, and to be renewed for ministry in the Church and in the world. We would love to meet you in person, whoever you are and wherever you are on your journey in faith. At “St. Bart’s” we strive to reach into hearts and reach out to those in need.
Worship is central to the life and ministry of the Episcopal Church. I am confident that among our several weekly services, at least one will draw you more deeply into your relationship with God and with the people of God. Moreover, we are blessed with a strong music ministry which greatly enhances our worship.
Reflections from the Rector - Holy Name and Epiphany
On the Church calendar, January 1 is the Feast of the Holy Name. Along with a handful of other feasts, including Christmas Day, Holy Name takes “precedence of a Sunday” (Book of Common Prayer, page 16). January 1 is a Sunday this year, so, on New Year's Eve and Day, we will celebrate Holy Name rather than the First Sunday after Christmas Day. The designation “Holy Name” derives from the fact that on the eighth day after he was born, Jesus was given his Holy Name. As the angel had explained to Joseph, the name Jesus was to be given because he would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). “Jesus” means “Savior” or “Deliverer” in Hebrew. The Law of Moses calls for every male child to be circumcised on the eighth day from birth (Leviticus 12:3). Until the 1979 Prayer Book, the Episcopal Church called the eighth day after Jesus' birth, also known as the eighth day of Christmas, the Feast of the Circumcision. Surely Jesus was both circumcised and named that day. The circumcision emphasizes the humanity of Jesus; his name emphasizes his divinity. I like that in observing the Feast of the Holy Name, we begin a new year in the Holy Name of our Holy Savior. In the Collect of the Day (the prayer that collects/sums up the meaning of the day's observance), the whole Episcopal Church will pray: “… Plant in every heart … the love of him who is the Savior of the world …”
On January 6, the Church observes the Feast of the Epiphany. An “epiphany” is a “manifestation” or “appearing.” Many manifestations of God are recounted in the Scripture we'll read and hear in the Season of Epiphany. The Season begins on January 6, the day after the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and concludes the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. On January 6, the Scripture appointed (Matthew 2:1-12) tells of the visit of the Magi or Wise Men, who had followed the star of Bethlehem to locate the newborn Jesus. This event is called the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Other well-known epiphanies in the Gospels include Jesus' Baptism in the River Jordan, when God's voice declared “This is my son …” and Jesus first miracle, changing water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana. In the Epiphany Collect we pray that we will be led to Jesus' presence, “where we may see your glory face to face …” Let our hope be that we may we see his glory, and reflect it in the way we live our lives, that we might become epiphanies through whom others may know the presence and love of God in Christ.
Pax,
Of Special Note
A Tribute to Martin Luther King
St. Bartholomew’s will present a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King on Sunday, January 15 at the 9:30 am service. Excerpts from many of Dr. King’s famous sermons and speeches, read by parishioner, Abner Genece, will be woven into the service. St. Bartholomew’s Coventry Choir will be singing the fabulous Gospel Mass written 30 years ago by noted African-American composer Robert Ray. The mass will be accompanied by piano, drums and electric bass. Soloists are our very own talented Janice Miller, Allen Adams and Jim Macemon.
Abner Genece studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, developing his long-held passion for the performing arts. A recipient of several nominations and awards (including the Ovation Award and the NAACP Theater Award), he starred as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the acclaimed Los Angeles production of Jeff Stetson’s “The Meeting.”
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