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Wednesday, June 3, 2026

What is a “Collect?”

A “Collect” is a prayer that is meant to gather or collect the intentions of a faith community and/or the focus of worship into a succinct prayer. In this definition, the pronunciation emphasizes the first syllable, “CAH-lect.” It is somewhat different than the usual pronunciation of the word collect as in, “She will collect the rent.”

All Collects more or less fit into a pattern that was developed by Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop who compiled the first Book of Common Prayer, in 1549. The format has 4 basic parts:

An address to God and God’s actions in the world on our behalf.
A request or petition.
An invocation and doxology, offered through Jesus and affirming the Trinity.
Amen ~ an opportunity for the people to affirm the presider, meaning: “So be it” or “We agree.”

We open our service with the “Collect for Purity:”

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly
love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This particular Collect serves as a compact confession of sin. It reminds us of the need for penitence, and also for the forgiveness that we find in Jesus. Interestingly, it doesn’t ask for the presence of God, it assumes God’s presence. It also serves as an acknowledgement by the community that it is God who cleanses the heart through the Holy Spirit, and God who turns us toward Godself as we worship. It grounds our human activity in worship on the action of God through the Holy Spirit, not through the efforts of the community itself. In other words, it is God who transforms us into worshippers, and our purpose in gathering is to worship God.

We begin the Liturgy of the Word with a Collect of the Day. This is a special Collect that focuses on the theme of the lectionary readings. Our Collect for this coming Sunday, the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost will be:

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those
things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, pg. 229)

We are still using many of Thomas Cranmer’s Collects 470 years after the first Book of Common Prayer was written. For more information, please refer to: The Collects of Thomas Cranmer by: C. Fredrick Barbee and Paul F. M. Zahl, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1999.

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

The Season after Pentecost or Ordinary Time

The lectionary will begin taking a new path during this new liturgical season after Pentecost. They begin to explore the demands of our baptismal covenant and our call to mission in the world. This is a time to give God glory by BEING the Body of Christ.

Every member of the Episcopal Church is a member of a missionary society, The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. That is the full title of our Church. Whether we understand the imperative of mission according to the Great Commission:

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Mathew 28:19-20

Or if we understand mission from the Great Commandment:

37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your

soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

Or a combination of the two, we are united in the call to serve as missionaries in the world. God sent Jesus into the world, and we are also sent into the world. Every Sunday you hear the “sending” at the end of the service, to go out and do the work that God has sent you to do. Think about this work during the season after Pentecost. What will you do differently?

“Let us go forth into the world rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Blessings, Nancy+

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Pentecost

Pentecost is the last feast day of the Easter season. For the past seven weeks the lectionary readings have focused on the narratives of Jesus’ death and resurrection, ascension and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. You will notice that the Paschal Candle, which has been on the altar during the Easter season, will be put away after Pentecost until a funeral, baptism or the next designated celebration of baptism on All Saints’ Day.

In the Gospel lesson this week, the resurrected Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” to the disciples, not once, but twice. This phrase acknowledges the very human condition of stress, and it reminds us that God’s peace is the foundation of our lives. Jesus tells the disciples he is sending them out just as the Father has sent him. He invites them to receive the Holy Spirit and believes that God’s peace accompanies being sent with Spirit.

Have you ever felt a sense of peace after praying for discernment in a difficult decision? That sense of peace just might be a sign that you are on the right track in your decision-making process. The Hebrew word, shalom, means more than just an absence of conflict. It also means wholeness, inner tranquility, reconciliation, and a sense of harmony and well-being. God’s peace be with you this week, and many blessings on your sending. Shalom! N+

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

St. Paul’s has a long history of taking very good care of our youngest members. We are so blessed to have Julia Peoples as our education coordinator for children and youth. She does a fantastic job with the kids and is rarely recognized for her faithful work and patience.

Children are our biggest and most precious asset. Our church is not a “waiting room” for our kids. We help them realize that this is their home, a place where their spiritual development is encouraged and nurtured. This is their faith community, and they are an integral part of the Body of Christ at St. Paul’s.

This coming Sunday we will be celebrating our children and youth at the 10:30 service. Please join us and support our youngest members as they read, serve as acolytes, ushers and VIPs of our congregation. The following are two prayers for children from page 829 in the Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

God our Father, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessings, peace and thank God for our children and youth!

Nancy+

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

This coming Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day. For some it is a special day and for others a pain-filled day. But everyone reading this is either a son or a daughter, and we all have mothers. We’ve all taken on the role of “mothering” at one time or another. So, let’s celebrate all those men and women in our lives who nurture, encourage and support us on our journey. Nancy+

A Mother’s Day Prayer

Let us pray for all the mothers among us today;
for our own mothers, those living and those who have died;
for the mothers who loved us
and for those who may have fallen short of fully loving us;
for all women and men who have mothered others in any way.
We pray for those who have served as our substitute mothers;
especially grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, and friends;
for the good earth that bore us and provides our sustenance.
We pray this all in the name of our great and loving God. Amen.

– adapted from Women’s Common Prayers: Our Lives Revealed, Nurtured, Celebrated (Morehouse Publishing, 2000)

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Where To Find Help?

Sometimes, I feel like I don’t know the Bible well enough to use it when I really need it. The following chart is a list of scripture verses appointed for times when we need reassurance from our Creator. Use this chart to help you find your way to the guidance offered in this amazing resource. Many blessings on your day! N+

Afraid …….. Psa 34:4; Matt 10:28; II Tim 1:7; Heb 13:5,6
Anxious …….Psa 46; Matt 6:19-34; Phil 4:6; I Peter 5:6,7
Backsliding ………………………………… Psa 51; I John 1:4-9
Bereaved ………………………………….. Matt 5:4; II Cor 1:3,4
Bitter or Critical …………………………………………… I Cor 13
Conscious of Sin ………………………………………. Prov 28:13
Defeated ……………………………………………… Rom 8:31-39
Depressed ……………………………………………………… Psa 34
Disaster Threatens ….. Psa 91; Psa 118:5,6; Luke 8:22-25
Discouraged ……Psa 23; Psa 42; Psa 55:22; Matt 5:11,12; II Cor 4:8-18; Phil 4:4-7
Doubting ………………………………………. Matt 8:26; Heb 11
Facing a Crisis ………….. Psa 121; Matt 6:25-34; Heb 4:16
Faith Fails ………………………………………. Psa 42:5; Heb 11
Friends Fail ………………………… Psa 41:9-13; Luke 17:3,4; Rom 12:14,17,19,21; II Tim 4:16-18
Leaving Home ……………………….. Psa 121; Matt 10:16-20
Lonely …………………………………………. Psa 23; Heb 13:5,6
Needing God’s Protection … Psa 27:1-6; Psa 91; Phil 4:19
Needing Guidance ……………………… Psa 32:8; Prov 3:5,6
Needing Peace …………………….. John 14:1-4; John 16-33; Rom 5:1-5; Phil 4:6,7
Needing Rules for Living ………………………………. Rom 12
Overcome ……………….. Psa 6; Rom 8:31-39; I John 1:4-9
Prayerful ………………………………. Psa 4, 42; Luke 11:1-13; John 17; 1 John 5:14,15
Protected …………………………………… Psa 18:1-3; Psa 34:7
Sick or in Pain …………… Psa 38; Matt 26:39; Rom 5:3-5; II Cor 12:9,10; I Pet 4:12,13,19
Sorrowful ………………………….. Psa 51; Matt 5:4; John 14; II Cor 1:3,4; I Thess 4:13-18
Tempted …………………. Psa 1; Psa 139:23,24; Matt 26:41; 1 Cor 10:12-14; Phil 4:8
Thankful ………………….. Psa 100; I Thess 5:18; Heb 13:15
Traveling ……………………………………………………… Psa 121
Trouble, in ………… Psa 16; Psa 31; John 14:1-4; Heb 7:25
Weary ….. Psa 90; Matt 11:28-30; I Cor 15:58; Gal 6:9,10
Worried ………………………………. Matt 6:19-34; I Pet 5:6,7

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Good Shepherd Sunday

This coming Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday. Each year on the fourth Sunday of Easter, we have a gospel reading from the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John that describes Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The Psalm appointed for this Sunday is always the 23rd Psalm, and how appropriate for this time in our life. It is one of the most comforting and probably the most familiar of all the psalms. It vividly captures the idea of a life-long journey with God. From the beginning of the psalm it proclaims a personal relationship, an attachment with God. Our Shepherd knows us, and we will never be alone.

Being a shepherd has never been among the top ten most desirable occupations. They work outside and even in bad weather must do whatever necessary to protect the sheep from predators. Shepherds are entrusted with the care of someone else’s sheep, and if a sheep is attacked, killed or lost, the shepherd’s livelihood is in jeopardy. By comparing God to a shepherd, we are saying that our loving Creator gets right down into the muck and mire of life. Our God is with us and ready to brave the storms of life with us.

Sheep are not known for their common sense. They must be herded around for their own well-being. While they are often portrayed as cute and fluffy, up close and personal they are dirty and don’t smell very good. If we compare ourselves to sheep, we are admitting that we need God. We need to be herded and guided; to be cared for and protected. Left to our own devices, we’re not all that great. We need a shepherd because we can’t do it alone.

We’ve been through some tough times lately. The fear we experience is a very normal response to very abnormal threats. Amidst the fear and confusion in our world right now, it’s good to be reminded that God is with us, right beside us, and we are not alone. We need to abide; we need to dwell; we need to live in God during this time and always. And we need to remind each other of that presence.

In the end, God’s amazing grace and love offer us hope, and that hope is way stronger than any threat we will ever face. May our lives be ruled by that hope, and not by fear. And may we “dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.”

See you Sunday. Thanks be to God!

Nancy+

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Educational Opportunities Galore!

Education for Ministry (EfM)
On the Holy Cow survey members of St. Paul’s indicated that Education was their most important priority. EfM is a program of group study and theological reflection. It meets each week for 9 months of the year. The entire program requires a four-year commitment. It is a wonderful way to grow in theological knowledge and understanding while building community within your EfM group. Lisa Silvis has completed the program and is willing to take on the training to be a leader. If you are interested, please call the office to put your name on the list. We need to have 6 committed students before we can be approved to be a training site.

HOPE Grief Support
Jennifer Zimmerman has offered to run a grief support group here at St. Paul’s. It has been offered here in the past and is an adult information support group to help cope with the death of a loved one. We will need a minimum of 5-7 people to run the group. If you are interested, please contact the office and ask to be put on the list.

Sunday Adult Education
Our Sunday Adult Education program is reading the book, The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel. He invites readers to rediscover the Sabbath not simply as a day of rest, but as sacred time. It is a weekly opportunity to step away from productivity and dwell in holiness, gratitude, and delight. Heschel writes:

“There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.” — Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath (2005)

With poetic insight and theological depth, The Sabbath challenges modern assumptions about time and invites us to experience rest as a gift from God and a foretaste of eternity. Please join us for shared wisdom on Sundays!

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

WoW! What an incredible Holy Week! We began with beautiful Palm Sunday services. Altar was gorgeous – those red paraments grab our attention. Thank you so much Altar Guild. You work quietly behind the scenes and rarely are you thanked for your tremendous dedication and efforts. We appreciate you. Readers did a phenomenal job with the Passion Gospel. Acolytes you are wonderful. Thank you all for your time and efforts.

Maundy Thursday – you did it! You were willing to participate as either an observer or participant and it was incredible to watch. Lucian played beautiful music. The service was so meaningful and then – once again, the Altar Guild went to work emptying the sanctuary. Brittany sang a beautiful piece by Samuel Barber, “The Crucifixion.” At the very end, Rachel placed the sanctuary candle on the bare altar and extinguished the light. It was a powerful moment.

Good Friday service was also well-attended (45). With the threat of rain, we moved the stations inside. “It was Friday, but Sunday was coming!”

And it did ~ Easter was a joy-filled celebration of the Risen Christ! The altar was covered with brightly colored flowers. 51 people celebrated with us at 8 am. We sang (!!!) and enjoyed music from the choir loft. We heard a recording of Nicole Mullen singing, “My Redeemer Lives.” (Google it and listen to it for yourself.) At 10 am the children (and some young-hearted adults) enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt in the sanctuary. At 10:30 am we had a choir and amazing music. 151 people attended that service! Julia reminded us about VBS in first week of June. I reminded everyone that we are open every Sunday and would welcome their presence! At the dismissal, each person was given a mini–Risen Christ figure to put on their nightstand or wherever and remember that we worship a risen Christ and we are his hands and feet.

Holy Week, like every week, can’t happen without the active participation of so many people. I won’t list names because invariably I forget someone, but Jennifer, St. Lydia’s Guild, Altar Guild, Ted Howden and his crew, Jaime and Carmen, grounds clean-up crew, Dick and Val Wimbish, Arlene Gallagher, everyone who donated for flowers, readers, singers in the choir, Brittany, Elliot, Lucian, visitors, acolytes, Julia, Carolyn White, Hosts and hostesses, Eucharistic ministers, and everyone who came and participated in our services, and all I have forgotten ~ thank you for making this week so special.

Easter blessings upon you! Nancy+

Search Committee Update

Your search committee is interviewing candidates. We are committed to making sure we find the best priest for St. Paul’s. Please be patient with us as we will take as long as it takes to find the right priest for all of us.

Joyce, Rob, Mary, Ann, Andrea, Val and Craig

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!

Our reading for Easter Sunday is John 20:1-18. And what a joyous reading it is! It seems there are three imperatives we can take away from this reading. First, the women are urged to believe. Even though this was something that seemed too good to believe, the angel reminds the women that Jesus promised them he would rise from the dead. His words offer an invitation to believe. We must take him at his word, AND BELIEVE.

The second imperative is that the women are urged to share what they have experienced. Their command from Jesus is: “Don’t be afraid. Go, tell my brothers to go to Galilee and they will see me too.” He wants the women to spread the Good News.

And the third imperative is to rejoice. This is the word that the Risen Christ greets the women with., REJOICE! We are called to worship God with Joy. The word “rejoice” means to be joyful or glad with one’s whole heart; to be whole in our wellness ~ mind, body and spirit.

Maybe this is the message we must receive at Easter. First, we must believe. After all, thought precedes action. If you believe you will act like a believer. Secondly, you must share the Good News, and if you have to, use words. And finally, you must rejoice. You may think you don’t deserve it, but open your eyes, open your arms, open your heart to God’s mercy and loving kindness. It’s there for you to embrace.

Grace and peace be with you. Rejoice! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Nancy+

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Holy Week

The birth narrative that we hear at Christmas is probably one of the first Bible stories we hear. Unfortunately, many people stop their spiritual growth at that point. The “Manger Story” is all they know of Jesus. In Baptism, and the Renewal of Baptismal Vows, we promise by prayer and witness to, “Help children grow into the stature of Christ.” (BCP pg. 302). “With God’s help,” we model Christ’s behavior, embodying His obedience, truth and love, rather than remaining in spiritual infancy.

In the sermon on Sunday, I said, “Transformation is grounded in the acquisition of a deeper understanding of life.” Holy Week offers us the opportunity to journey into a deeper understanding of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. The transformation of Holy Week helps us “grow into the stature of Christ; to become more like Jesus in our character, thoughts and behavior.

Holy Week is all about transformation. Please join us at St. Paul’s as we walk along the way of Palm Sunday, at 8am and 10:30am. Come to the foot-washing on Maundy Thursday, at 6:30pm in the sanctuary. Experience the emptiness of the tomb on Good Friday at 12pm in the sanctuary and then follow with us in the Stations of the Cross outside by the labyrinth.

And then, you will be ready to celebrate the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Sunday services will be held at 8am and 10:30am. Be a part of the spiritual unity of this worship and mark your calendars now!

Easter offers us a chance to start over and renew our relationship with God. Who of your relatives, friends, neighbors, and co-workers can you think of that might want to join you in celebration during this Holy Week? People are more likely to be open to your invitation during this time of year than at any other time. Take advantage of this opportunity to invite them to one or all of our services.

Blessings and peace be with you during this holy season! Nancy+

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

On Sunday, we talked about the need to leave our politics outside the church. As Bishop Doyle has said, “When we enter the church, we enter God’s Kingdom. Our political viewpoints must be left outside.” We are God’s children and must treat each other with the respect and dignity we promise in our baptismal vows:

“Will you strive for justice and peace among all

people, and respect the dignity of every human being?”

I will with God’s help.

Likewise, we have a responsibility to protect and care for each other as brothers and sisters in a faith community. If you hear something questionable, say something. Silence is complicity. Don’t allow inappropriate jokes or demeaning bullying to continue. This is unacceptable behavior in a faith community and we must not allow anyone to think it is acceptable at St. Paul’s.

We are here to support and encourage each other, to build up the body of Christ. That includes all people. Again, as Bishop Doyle has said, Our identity as disciples of Jesus takes precedence over our identity as citizens. “Let us double down on God’s Word and echo the truth: Christ alone is Lord!”

Lenten blessings to all. See you Sunday! Nancy+

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

COWS DON’T GIVE MILK
~Author Unknown ~ maybe Batra

A father used to tell his children when they were young: “When you reach the age of 12 I will tell you the secret of life.” One day when the oldest turned 12, he anxiously asked his father to tell him the secret of life. The father replied that he would tell him, but that he must not reveal it to his younger brothers.

His father said, “The secret of life is this: The cow does not give milk.

“What are you saying?” Asked the boy incredulously.”

The father continued, “As you hear it, son: The cow does not give milk, you have to milk it. You have to get up at 4 in the morning, go out into the field, walk through the corral full of manure, tie the tail, hobble the legs of the cow, sit on the stool, place the bucket and do the work of milking yourself. And that is the secret of life, the cow does not give milk. You milk her or you don’t get milk. It seems this generation thinks that cows GIVE milk, that things are automatic and free. Their mentality is, ‘if I wish, I ask….. and I obtain.’”

“They have been accustomed to get whatever they want the easy way…But no, life is not a matter of wishing, asking and obtaining. The things that one receives come from the effort that one gives. Contentment and peace are the result of effort. Lack of effort only creates frustration.”

So, share with your children from a young age the secret of life, so they don’t grow up with the mentality that school, the government, their parents, or their cute little faces will give them everything they want in life.

Remember:

“Cows don’t give milk; you have to work for it.”

This story is a good story for us to hear in Lent. Sometimes we forget that it is our work in Lent that helps us appreciate and celebrate the joy of Easter. Join us on Sunday. We would love to see you. And may you continue to observe a holy Lent.

Nancy+