All Souls Weekly                 
Volume 3, Number 5, January 3, 2010

CENTERING ON CHRISTMAS

On Wednesday nights we have Centering Prayer in the Mary Chapel.  Usually there are two or three of us.  Once there were five of us (and as a wise priest once noted, “with all the angels, archangels, saints, apostles, and martyrs, it was surprising for there to be any room for us five!”)  Each week we gather and hear a short reading, sit in silent prayer for twenty minutes, and end by reciting the Lord’s Prayer together.

 
I try to focus on my “centering word,” one of the basic ideas underlying Centering Prayer. But usually, my mind wanders.  I’ve prayed enough (and failed enough, really) to know that I gain nothing by fighting this, and that it’s better if I just allow my mind to wander and trust God to bring me back to where I belong.

The other night during prayer, I found myself meditating on that phrase we hear throughout Christmas, that God in Jesus is the “Word made flesh.”  As we sat in the Mary Chapel, next to the Christmas tree, next to the crèche, there in the presence of the Reserved Sacrament, I began to notice other ways in which the Word has been made flesh in our midst.

 
There is certainly the Blessed Sacrament, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that sustains us, enlivens us, and renews us.  But there are other tangible signs of God’s presence.  The crèche itself, not only in its representation of that first Christmas night, but also in our particular crèche—brought back from Guatemala by the Esch Levanos family and lovingly given to the church—is a sign of the Word made flesh.  As I looked at the Christmas tree, I thought of Carlos Guerra’s care in putting on the lights and decorations and I thought of his stories about the women of All Souls who made each of the ornaments by hand.  In addition, under each of the chairs in the chapel are beautiful kneelers, further signs of the Word made flesh through the needlework of faithful members of All Souls years ago.

 
And then there was the other person praying in the chapel with me—again a sign of the Word made flesh.  Perhaps the greatest gift God bestows on us at Christmas is the revelation that when Jesus Christ lives in us, the Word is made flesh again and again. May the joy of this Christmas continue to grow within us.  John Beddingfield

Around the Parish . . . Attendance on Christmas Eve at the 4 p.m. Mass, 94; attendance at the 11 p.m. Mass, 167; Attendance on Christmas Day at the 10 a.m. Mass, 19;  Attendance Sunday, December 27, at the 8:30 a.m. Mass, 34; attendance at the 11:00 a.m. Mass, 87 . . . Total pledge offerings on Christmas were $4190.00.  Total plate offerings were $3151.27.  Total pledge offerings on Sunday were $12,658.00. The plate offering from Sunday was $1,823.50.

Your prayers are asked for . . . Bob and Louise Osborne, Ann Dixon, Lorenzo Martinez, Family of Tom Martin, Hugh Yeomans, Helen Horne, Pat Latin, Erling Hansen, Tim Dill, Mark Hoffman, Mona Bauer, Mary Backus, Sandy Jenkins Dixon, Steve Collins, I. Kathryn McKewen, Thais Blanchard, Bruce MacDonald, Bob Colburn, Elizabeth McKee, Freddie Cameron, Robert Long, Barb Chaffee, Harriet Martin, Chris Cobb, Landis Vance, Vickie Drell, Stephanie Russell, Ruth & Fred Huber, Jim St. George, Mark Henderson, Sheldon Odland, Martha Holdgate, Chip Meyers, Walter Jason, Arthur Andrew Warren, Louise and Robert Osborne, Mary Beth McCutcheon, Bryan Powell, Regina Dading, Julia Gutierrez, Ted Field and for the repose of the soul of Sheldon . . . Pray for members of the parish in the foreign service and others who are working overseas, especially Chuck Hunter, Steve Kerchoff, Brad Moore, and Michael Pate . . . 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.

Liturgical Notes . . . The Epiphany will be observed on Wednesday, January 6 with Matins at 7:15 a.m. and Low Mass with Healing Rite at Noon. A potluck brunch follows in the conference room . . . The Sanctuary Candle this week burns to the Glory of God and in celebration of the eighth anniversary of the baptism of Joan Shapiro.

Year-end Financial Alert on Contributions . . . If you wish to make additional contributions to All Souls in 2009, please be reminded that IRS rules are very specific. Contributions must be credited in the year in which they are received.  The only exception is at year-end when a contribution is postmarked by December 31, 2009 and received in 2010.

Endowment Grant Applications . . . Applications for grants from the All Souls Endowment Fund for 2010 are available in the parish office and on the bulletin board in the undercroft. Grants may be made for projects in ministry or mission as well as for capital improvements. All applications are due in the office by January 29, 2010 and will be acted upon by the Board and Vestry.

Stewardship update . . . To date, we have received 152 pledges, totaling $459,846.00. The Vestry passed a continuing resolution for parish spending into January.  The finance committee meets again in January and will recommend a final budget for vestry approval on January 17, 2010.

Pray for our Visioning Workshop on January 8-9 . . . Please pray for the parish as we begin meeting with MTFA Architects to discuss visions, hopes, and dreams. This will help us develop short-term plans for an elevator and universally-accessible bathrooms, and also help us develop a long-term plan for other improvements. Beginning with the December-January edition of The Message, Junior Warden Dale Lewis has been asking for volunteers and soliciting representatives from every segment of our congregation for this initial two-day workshop.  We have our group and will begin next weekend. The visioning workshop is intended to help both us and MTFA understand what we want. In MTFA’s words, this workshop will focus on “issues as they affect budget, schedule, education, fellowship, worship, outreach, and liturgical design considerations.”

A Service Celebrating Absalom Jones . . . Absalom Jones was the first African American ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. The Washington Chapter of The Union of Black Episcopalians presents the 32nd Annual Absalom Jones Service and Celebration for the benefit of the historically black Episcopal colleges' scholarships and endowment funds. The event is set for 3 p.m. February 14 at Calvary Church (820 Sixth Street, NE, Washington, DC  20002). The snow date is February 21. Derrick Humphries will receive the annual Absalom Jones Award at the service of Holy Eucharist. All are welcome. For more information, contact Janice Wormack at (202)829-6445 or jwormack@washingtonube.org

All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church

The Reverend John Beddingfield, rector; The Reverend Christopher Worthley, adjunct clergy; Mr. Seth Walley, seminarian; Mr. Isaac Borocz, parish administrator; Dr. Philip Cave, director of music and organist; Mr. Oscar Prado, sexton

2300 Cathedral Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008-1505

Voice: 202-232-4244, Fax: 202-232-8593

Email: allsouls1@aol.com

www.allsoulsdc.org

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