I received this morsel of food for thought the other day from a friend of mine, It struck me
because I had just seen a penny lying in the parking lot and had decided against picking it up. And
then I read this:
“You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from
angels, etc. This is the first time I’ve ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think
about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weeken…
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Added by William W. McKinley on December 5, 2009 at 2:36pm —
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Sundays 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:15 a.m. Choir Practice
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II
10:30 a.m. Children Chapel and Children’s Sunday School
Please note: On Sunday, December 13, the schedule is as follows:
8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Rite I
10:30 a.m. Lessons & Carols
Mondays 5:30 p.m. Choir Practice
Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. Bible Study in Parish Hall
2:00 p.m. Centering Prayer
Wednesdays 6:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Note: On the 1st Wednesday of each month, the 6:00 p.m. servic…
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Added by William W. McKinley on November 30, 2009 at 10:46am —
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Years ago, a friend of mine was enchanted by a song by Bobby Vee. She hummed it; she
whistled it; she sang it. All of us who hung around with her learned never to be surprised if she burst
into song – and not always at the best times. I still hear her voice singing, “Oh a tree in motion, see
its gentle sway-ay...”
As I recall, she was the only person in the group that thought the song was even remotely
cool, and what made her obsession even more annoying was that the words were “POETRY in
motio…
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Added by William W. McKinley on November 24, 2009 at 7:38pm —
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Famous last words. It’s almost a throwaway line. “I’m starting Christmas shopping early
this year!” Yeah... famous last words.
Of course there are those famous LAST words... some authenticated and some perchance
apocryphal. Poet Heinrich Heine is reported to have said on his deathbed, “God will pardon me;
that’s his line of work.” Of course, there’s Julius Caesar’s famous “Et tu, Brute?” And the
inimitable Oscar Wilde is said to have said, “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.”
The reading fro…
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Added by William W. McKinley on November 24, 2009 at 7:28pm —
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Today we meet Elkanah, Peninnah, and Hannah (a name that is not only a palindrome, but
is also a whole lot easier to pronounce than the other two). Peninnah and Hannah were Elkanah’s
wives but only Peninnah had borne any children for him... a fact that she would not let Hannah
forget. Year after year Hannah was besieged by endless “nyeh, nyeh, nyehs” from Peninnah. The
more Hannah asked the Lord for children, the more her wife-in-law made fun of her. One day,
Hannah had had it. She burst into te…
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Added by William W. McKinley on November 13, 2009 at 8:12pm —
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I love the Book of Ruth. It is a story that has passed down through generations and,
without a whole lot of massaging, could be a movie-of-the-week. It’s got intrigue. It’s got joy
and sorrow. It’s got rags to riches. It’s got a little passion... OK - Hollywood would probably
overplay that part of the plot line.
The Readers’ Digest condensed version of Ruth is this. Elimelech and Naomi are a
Hebrew couple who have two sons. A famine hits Judah and everyone is starving, so Elimelech
and Naomi le…
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Added by William W. McKinley on November 13, 2009 at 8:06pm —
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Sundays 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:15 a.m. Choir Practice
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II
10:30 a.m. Children Chapel and Children’s Sunday School
Mondays 5:30 p.m. Choir Practice
Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. Bible Study in Parish Hall
Wednesdays 6:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Note: On the 1st Wednesday of each month, the 6:00 p.m. service is a Healing Service & Holy Eucharist.
Readings for the month of November are as follows:
November 1, All Saints’ Day
First Lesson: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9…
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Added by William W. McKinley on October 31, 2009 at 9:18am —
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The Revised Common Lectionary has changed up the readings for All Saints’ Day. Back in
the BCP day, the Old Testament reading was from Ecclesiasticus (“Let us now sing the praises of
famous men...”) and the gospel reading was from Matthew (The Beatitudes). Now we have a
reading from the Wisdom of Solomon and John’s story of Jesus’ revivification of Lazarus. These
readings are suggested for the burial office, although the burial office cites Martha’s encounter with
Jesus and not Mary’s. And then…
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Added by William W. McKinley on October 29, 2009 at 6:50am —
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I’m almost sad that our readings from Job have come to an end. This is one of the richest
books in the bible and nothing prevents anyone from reading and re-reading it. I, however, will have
to find new reflection foci!
The end of Job almost sounds like a recitation of the beginning of Job. He is fabulously
wealthy. He owns thousands of animals. He is reunited with his brothers and sisters. He has seven
sons and three drop-dead gorgeous daughters. It doesn’t get much better than this. Such a ha…
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Added by William W. McKinley on October 23, 2009 at 11:02am —
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Sundays 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:15 a.m. Choir Practice
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II
10:30 a.m. Children Chapel and Children’s Sunday School
Mondays 5:30 p.m. Choir Practice
Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. Bible Study in Parish Hall
Wednesdays 6:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Note: On the 1st Wednesday of each month, the 6:00 p.m. service is a Healing Service & Holy Eucharist.
Readings for the month of October are as follows:
October 4, The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
First Lesson: Job 1…
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Added by William W. McKinley on October 15, 2009 at 9:39am —
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Remember last week when Job could not find God? We heard a bit of Job’s lament and
we felt Job’s loneliness in the face of an absent God. Fifteen chapters have intervened since then
and Job has spent some more time talking about the world according to Job.
Well, this Sunday God is elusive no more. Job has spent considerable time shaking his
fist, defending himself, arguing with his overly-pious friends. But starting now Job may be
wondering if it was a good idea to demand his day in court with…
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Added by William W. McKinley on October 15, 2009 at 9:38am —
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We’ve fast-forwarded from last week’s reading from Job that told of the onset of Job’s suffering.
In the intervening chapters, his friends have all anted up some reasons to explain Job’s wretched state.
Job HAD to have been a sinner. Why else would this be happening to him? Repent, Job. God will
redeem you, Job.
Today, Job speaks, and what he says, in a nutshell, is “where’s God?” “Wait a minute,” Job
might be thinking, “Didn’t God see what was happening to his children in Israel and didn’t he…
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Added by William W. McKinley on October 9, 2009 at 5:35pm —
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Today is Sunday #1 of four for reading Job as the first lesson.
We will hear more from Job for the whole of October. So fascinating
is this book that, at least for today, I have lengthened the reading (the
rubrics say I can!) to include all of Chapter 1 because Chapter 1 sets
up, a la Paul Harvey, the rest of the story.
There is something for everybody in the Book of Job. One of
the most intriguing pieces early on is the presence of Satan as one of
the “heavenly beings.” We’re so used to Satan…
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Added by William W. McKinley on October 5, 2009 at 1:11pm —
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Those of you familiar with Compline will recognize the last verse of the psalm since the final
prayers of the day (which Compline basically is) begin with the gathering of the community with the
words “Our help is in the Name of the Lord;” to which the people respond, “The maker of heaven
and earth.” The final prayers (technically just before bedtime) remind us of God’s sovereignty as
we are getting ready to drift off to sleep.
One of the things about the offices... or anything else in the Pray…
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Added by William W. McKinley on September 24, 2009 at 5:26pm —
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To tell the truth, I am always a little befuddled about what to say about stewardship –
particularly the money part of it. We spent last Sunday finding arenas in which we could best
employ our time and our talents, and there are still plenty of ministries and committees that need
your help if you missed out last Sunday. Today, pledge materials are being distributed and
everyone knows that the pledge card is where we focus on money.
Through the years I have tried a variety of approaches from car…
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Added by William W. McKinley on September 24, 2009 at 5:20pm —
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This piece of the letter of James takes me way back to my childhood days, when a group of
us would be playing and somebody would get mad at somebody else and call her something awful
like “four eyes” (if you wore glasses, as I did) or “dooty-face” or some other wretched epithet
designed to cut that person to the quick. Our parents and our teachers had given all of us the same
retort for such situations: “sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” So
the injured party wo…
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Added by William W. McKinley on September 24, 2009 at 5:12pm —
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Remember back in school (without fail, those days that you hadn’t quite gotten around to the
reading assignment) when the teacher uttered those dreaded words, “Okay, class. Take out a piece
of paper...” Something in your gut had warned you about this. You’d meant to finish that last
chapter...
Well, surprise! “Okay, class. Take out a piece of paper...” (It’s been a long time since I’ve
had the occasion to say that, but there’s still a thrill in remembering the color draining from the faces
of m…
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Added by William W. McKinley on September 24, 2009 at 5:06pm —
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Sundays 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:15 a.m. Choir Practice
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II
10:30 a.m. Children Chapel (Resumes on September 13.)
Note: Sunday, September 13, 10:30 a.m. service only followed by Rally Day and the blessing of a statue of St. Fiacre.
Mondays 5:30 p.m. Choir Practice
Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. Bible Study in Parish Hall
Wednesdays 6:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Note: On the 1st Wednesday of each month, the 6:00 p.m. service is a Healing Service & Holy
Eucharist.
Re…
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Added by William W. McKinley on September 5, 2009 at 5:35pm —
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Just when I thought people didn’t read newspapers or watch the news on TV, I find out that I am wrong. I have been stopped twice in the last few days by people who (a) wanted to know if I was a nun, and (b) wanted to know, in general, what I was. When I told them I was an Episcopal priest, each one of these people knew about the turmoil in the church. Perhaps they didn’t know correct information, but when did correct information ever really matter in having an opinion? And then each asked, ‘how…
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Added by William W. McKinley on August 11, 2009 at 3:26pm —
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Sundays 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:15 a.m. Choir Practice
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II
10:30 a.m. Children Chapel
Note: Children’s Chapel stops after Sunday, May 31, for the summer. It will resume on September 13. Child care will continue to be provided.
Mondays 5:30 p.m. Choir Practice
Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. Bible Study in Parish Hall
Wednesdays 6:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Note: On the 1st Wednesday of each month, the 6:00 p.m. service is a Healing Service & Holy Eucharist.
Rea…
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Added by William W. McKinley on July 28, 2009 at 10:14am —
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