All Souls Weekly                 
Volume 2, Number 27, May 31, 2009

The Holy Spirit and Water

Most likely, the predominant image we might have of the Holy Spirit comes from the Acts of the Apostles where the Spirit descends with tongues of fire.  Flames of fire rest upon each of the followers of Jesus and as they are filled with the Holy Spirit, and they begin to communicate with one another in each one’s own language.  The Holy Spirit is often symbolized by a flame, and many of us think of the Holy Spirit as a fire that flickers and burns within us.  It can be fanned and encouraged, but nothing can ever fully extinguish it.

 
The Holy Spirit may burn like a flame, but he (or she) also has something to do with water.   We receive the Holy Spirit when we are baptized.  The water in which we die to sin is holy water.  The water in which we are reborn is holy water, and yet no matter what we do, we never fully wipe off its residue.  It clings to us. It stays with us.  

Ireneaus of Lyons was a bishop in the 3rd century who explains the Holy Spirit and the connection with water.  His audience was familiar with the basics of making bread, and so he begins with that image.  Dry flour, he points out, can’t become a lump of dough without water.  The flour becomes one loaf of bread only through the addition of moisture.  In the same way, Ireneaus argues, we do not become one in Jesus Christ our Lord without the water that comes down from heaven.  Like dry ground that can’t grow a thing unless it receives moisture, like a tree than can’t grow fruit until there’s an abundant rainfall—the water of baptism and the Holy Spirit make us one in body and one in soul. 

We need this “dew of God,” Ireneaus says.  Dew, in the natural world, is that excess moisture in the air when the temperature drops at night.  It covers the ground before morning and refreshes, strengthens, and adds to growth—slowly, but steadily.  We need the “dew of God,” says Ireneaus, so that we will not be dried up, or consumed by fire, or rendered unfruitful.  This dew also refreshes, strengthens, and enlivens us.

On the Day of Pentecost we celebrate the many ways in which the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism, and we look for new ways to be open to God’s ongoing gifts of the Spirit. John Beddingfield

Your prayers are asked for . . . Steve Collins, I. Kathryn McKewen, Lexi Ball, Helen Horne, Bruce MacDonald, Polly Mitchell, Bob Colburn, Elizabeth McKee, Freddie Cameron, Robert Long, Frank Karel, Mark, Jane Titterson, Barb Chaffee, Harriet Martin, Chris Cobb, Landis Vance, Vickie Drell, Stephanie Russell, Ruth & Fred Huber, Jim St. George, Martha Holdgate, Chip Meyers, Mary Backus, Anne Marie Morotte, Ron Biggs, Steve Coon, Dorothy, Cindy Harvey, Jerome & Mary Ann Gariff, Walter Jason, Arthur Andrew Warren, Robert Osborne, Mary Beth McCutcheon, Bryan Powell, Regina Dading, Julia Gutierrez, Ted Field, and for the repose of the soul of Eunice . . . Pray for members of the parish in the foreign service or others who are working overseas, especially Daniel . . . Pray also for the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Jack Severson, and Timothy Zlatich . . . If you wish to participate in our ongoing Internet Prayer Circle please contact Vicki Lowe at lowevg1@verizon.net.

Around the Parish . . . The June-July-August issue of The Message is available for pick up in the undercroft.  Please save us the cost of postage by picking up your copy today . . . The Adult Forum has concluded until next fall.  Enormous thanks goes to Dan Davis, who coordinated this year’s series.  Thanks also goes to each of the presenters and to those who have attended and participated so fully . . . Elizabeth (Beth) P. O’Callaghan, a friend to many in this parish, will be ordained to the transitional deaconate at the National Cathedral on Saturday, June 13, at 10 a.m . . .  Attendance on Sunday, May 24 at the 8:30 a.m. Mass, 28; attendance at 11:00 a.m. Mass, 100 . . .  Total pledge offerings for the week were $3,401. The plate offering was $409.

The parish extends its sympathy and love to Rick Peavy upon the death of his mother, Eunice Boykin Peavy, who died on May 21, 2009 in Rincon, Georgia.  Please pray for the repose of the soul of Eunice, for Rick and his family, and for all who mourn.

Liturgical Notes . . . Today we celebrate the Day of Pentecost, which ends the season of Easter.  Pentecost, for Christians, is the fiftieth day after Easter, but it also recalls the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, the fiftieth day after the Exodus . . . Next Sunday is Trinity Sunday and will be the last day this season with our choir’s professional section leaders.  As the schedules allow, our volunteer choir will continue to sing through the summer months . . . A reminder:  All Souls continues to offer both the 8:30 a.m. Low Mass and the 11 a.m. High Mass throughout the summer months . . . Flowers at the High Altar are given to the glory of God and loving memory of Marie Stapleton Warren, given by Art Warren. 

A Parishioner in Need  . . . An older parishioner of All Souls who lives in Woodley Park needs occasional help with shopping and running errands.  If you have a car and an hour or two, please contact the parish office for details.  This is a great opportunity to make a new friend (or deepen an existing friendship) and to be of tremendous help. 

Capital Pride . . . Please mark you calendars for Capital Pride on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14.  Plan to march with the All Souls contingent (and Bishop Chane!) in the Capital Pride Parade on Saturday evening, June 13.  We are planning an activity after the parade.  On Sunday, June 14, we will be helping to staff the Diocesan Booth at the Pride Festival, where we will be actively inviting people to visit All Souls and get to know the Episcopal Church.  For questions or to volunteer call Dale Lewis at (703)960-3502 or email him at DALEALEWIS@aol.com.

Parish Picnic . . . Save the date of June 7. The annual parish picnic will be held at 4 p.m. in Rock Creek Park, Grove 10.  Grove 10 is on Beach Drive, a half mile north of Military Road. Please come. Bring a dish to share and bring a friend.  See Carolyn Farmer or Charlie Boone for more information.

Men’s Fellowship . . . On June 3 the Episcopal Men’s Fellowship will meet in the undercroft at 7p.m. to have a manly evening of checking out the physical plant of the church, guided by Junior Warden Dale Lewis. We will have a before dinner tour of the outside of the church and Dale will lead a post-dinner discussion and brief tour of our interior situation, with Tom Simchak discussing the church’s green initiatives. Dinner and drinks for a low, low price of $15.