Potpourri

I was hoping to have something to post today, but didn't expect to have an embarrassment of riches.

First is A long time to get through Ephesians, V (the title is an expression of the detail; I hope Fr. Daniel doesn't take it as a sign of impatience!): We spent today's Bible Study on the topic of "Original Sin" as a result, he said, of some blank faces when this was mentioned in last week's study. It was an interesting whirlwind tour through Article IX, Pelagius, the self-termed "Age of Enlightenment," the Garden of Eden, Romans 5:12, I Cor 15:21-22, the 20th century, Baptism (BCP p.273, p.280), Rom. 6:1-13, and finally a return to Ephesians 2.

Next was when I looked up from my pew to see the hymn board -- starting off with Hymn 783!! Everyone knows the Hymnal (1940) ends with Hymn 600, though there is supplemental material for services following; we have started using some of these for sung Morning Prayer. What I somehow managed to miss (perhaps even fewer Hymnals have this) are some supplementary hymns numbered in the high 700s. And this one I knew: "Cwm Rhonda" seems to be sung at just about every Welsh gathering, and my wife (who sang in the Seattle Welsh Choir) can still sing the first verse in Welsh. I only wish my voice weren't still a bit off from a bug I contracted a little while back.

Next, Fr. Daniel announced that we were in the short three weeks' season of "pre-Lent," starting today with Septuagesima, preparing for Lent itself. And for the season he is preaching three homilies on the "three theological virtues": On Faith, Hope and Love; today's being On Faith. (Sadly I will be away next Sunday, but he promised to e-mail me a copy.)

Fr. Daniel reported that our award-winning Sunday School writers (noted in an earlier post) had received letters of congratulations personally signed by the Archbishop himself (in purple ink, of course!).

And finally, he noted that 14 (brand-)new Books of Common Prayer and 11 new Hymnals had recently been given as part of the Parish Prayer Book Club effort to replace our aging service books, and named the dedications for those books. We use the best of our "collection", but many have seen too many years of use and there is only so much one can do for repairs. The new Prayer Books are in a larger type than I've seen before, which is a help to some members of the parish.

In that light it was amusing to see the one I held today (for reading the Litany) stamped "St. Bartholomew's, Redmond, Wash." It's been almost 20 years since we last met in Redmond, just before occupying our current building just up the road in Woodinville.

We still have a ways to go until we have new service books throughout, but we're making progress.