Christ Church Cobble Hill

Sunday, September 21, 2008

11:00 am       CHORAL  EUCHARIST

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

6:00 pm       Evening Prayer 
6:30 pm       Holy Eucharist     

Last Monday, 15 September (at 5:13 a.m. EDT), the reddish orange color of the Harvest Moon was upon us yet again. The full moon nearest the autumnal equinox  makes the moon's light last well into the night, allowing farmers some much  needed light to harvest there fall crops.  Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night,  but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the moon seems to rise at nearly  the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later  for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and  wild rice — the chief Indian staples — are now ready for gathering.

The atmosphere reduces visible light  on celestial objects near the horizon, which is why they are always brighter  overhead. The atmosphere scatters blue light in the spectrum causing this. This  reduction of blue light allows us to look at the setting sun, yet keeps us from  looking into the sun during midday. The orange reddish color in the  moon will be prevalent until the moon starts moving directly overhead away from  the horizon at which point it will resume its normal white  color. The harvest moon often makes the  moon look larger, yet this is an optical illusion. By simply taking pictures of  the moon near the horizon and taking pictures of it in the sky and comparing the  photos, the illusion will be revealed, assuming you use the same camera  settings. There's quite a bit of heated debate as to which hypothesis of why  this occurs is true. 
 

BOOK  CLUB MEETS THIS WEDNESDAY, 24  SEPTEMBER

The  Christ Church Book Club is currently  reading by Ken Follett, Paperback,  976pp. ISBN 10: 0451207149,  Publisher: NAL Trade, List  Price $24.95, Amazon.com Price $16.97 (also available used  from $3.87) . The discussion notes and a review of the book are on the leaflet  table. We will meet THIS WEDNESDAY, 24 September, 7:30  p.m., at Judy  and John Sheldon’s house, 32 Bergen  Street (under the  stoop), between Court and Smith Streets, for a meal  and a lively discussion of this book and others you may be reading this  summer.  If you plan to attend please RSVP (718)  852-4839

CHRIST  CHURCH  FOR KIDS - a.k.a. SUNDAY  SCHOOL “CASTING  CALL”

Interest in  religious education for children has be expressed by a number of people over the  past several months.  We have, in the past, had a series  program that is based on the Church Year, the Bible, the Saints, and Moral and  Ethical Living.  We would like to do this again, beginning 11  October.   We need two teachers each for two classes, one for small children, and  one for older children.  The program is easy and takes only a  small amount of preparation time.  The “school year is divided  into three sections, so you only need to commit to a 10 week period at a  time.  YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A PARENT TO DO THIS! ­   Please seriously consider helping with this important part of our  ministry and mission.   If you are  interested, please speak with Father Lau or ring 1718-624-0083.

LOOKING  AHEAD
NEXT  SATURDAY – SUNDAY, 27-28 SEPTEMBER

ANNUAL  CHRYSANTHEMUM SALE
 
On  the sidewalk on Clinton Street, to Benefit the Garden Fund

SUNDAY,  5 OCTOBER

FEAST  OF THE DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH
Bishop  Walker’s Visitation
Annual  Blessing of Animals
Cobble  Hill Community Opportunity Fair
Choral  Evensong

REFLECTION

Jesus could  hardly have chose a more provocative example of the reign of God than the  landowner who pays the same amount to all the workers regardless how long they  worked.  It goes against every notion of just wages, fair  treatment or business ethics. What we get for our labor is a matter of personal interest.  Even the disciples understand this.  Just before Jesus  tells them this parable, the ask him what they might expect, since they have  abandoned everything to follow him.  Jesus’ answer seems to  reward their efforts – they will receive “a hundredfold.”  Then Jesus tells this parable. Why is the reign of God like this landowner?  What  values does the landowner uphold?  First, he cannot bear to  see anyone idle.  When he goes out even at the end of the day,  he asks the people he meets about their idleness.  Second, he  believes he dan do as he wishes with what belongs to him.  Thus he chooses to give the same wage to all the  workers. The reign of heaven, like the landowner, has room for more workers.

The  invitation is constant; the reward is consistent.  As workers  in God’s field, we agree to eternal life with God.  How could  there be more or less than that?  Eternal life cannot be  divided or diminished for those who work less than others. But in our  belief that our pay reflect our worth, we think that God’s wage must conform to  a human expectation of justice.  Some workers must get less  than others because they are not worth as much or have not worked as  long.  It is hard to grasp that our worth is shown in God’s  love for us, and not in our reward for anything we have done.  “The last will be first and the first last” expresses our equaity before  God as we share in the work that needs to be done.  When we  are given eternal life, why would we think about what anyone else is getting at  all?
Have you ever felt that you did not get what you deserved?  How did you respond to that feeling?  Is God capable of  giving you less than you deserve?  Can we use this story as an  excuse to ignore God’s call on the premise that it’s never too late and we’ll  get the same reward anyway?

AUTUMNAL  EQUINOX

Fall begins  tomorrow: Monday, 22 September, at 11:44:18  a.m. EDT.  In the north, the changing colors of the leaves herald the coming of cold  and darkness.  As we approach the end of the liturgical year  the gospel readings are stern, reminding us that life is serious  business.  For many, fall is a time of reflection on the  transitory nature of life.  Use this time to take stock of  your life and how your faith shapes the way you live.

THE USUAL DAILY WAGE.

The workers  who worked for a full day in the heat had hoped for more than the agreed-upon  wage, when they noticed that the last hired were getting the full  amount.  The daily wage was not great, but  adequate.  Those who had stood around in the town all day were  not idle by choice, and they certainly had the option to refuse the work offered  so late in the day.  After all, it would have yielded so  little money, they might as well have gone home empty-handed.  But through generosity, they went home with enough to buy food for their  families.  Greed can masquerade as hope when we “hope” for  what we do not need or deserve, and when we are jealous of generosity shown to  others.  Gratitude is the antidote to greed.  We need to look not at what others have been given through God’s  generosity, but what we have been given, also through God’s  generosity.

THE LAST WILL BE  FIRST. 

The word  charity has always carried a negative connotation for me.  “She’s a charity case.”  “Helping those people is a  mater of charity.”  It has always struck me as an insipid  word, with a hint of arbitrariness – you can practice it or not.  It’s above and beyond the call of duty, therefore it’s  optional.  Justice, on the other hand, is a strong  word.”  “Our God is a God of justice.”  “God  will rain down justice on the earth.”  Justice sounds like  something demanded by the Almighty as part of God’s original plan of  creation.  It helps me understand the true meaning of charity  when I hear this parable in which the landowner asks, “Are you envious because I  am generous?”  Charity surpasses justice because it  goes beyond what is due.  We must redefine charity so that it  is just as str