Tag Archives: community building
Biblical Marriage
Epiphany 2C, 16 January 2022. The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz
Isaiah 62:1-5 . For the Lord delights in you and your land shall be married….So shall your God rejoice in you.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Now there are varieties of gifts…of services…of activities…for the common good.
John 2:1-11. The first of his signs…revealed his glory…his disciples believed in him.
O God of Justice, grant us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.
The readings appointed for the second Sunday after the Epiphany in the third year of our lectionary cycle always provoke a rant inside my head that threatens to come out in the pulpit in an Andy Rooney style of commentary (for those of you of a certain age). But it’s not a rant about the lectionary (this time). This time it’s a rant about biblical marriage. Now if I asked random people walking up Newbury Street what the definition of biblical marriage is, I feel confident that, no matter what their religious background, most would respond with some version of one man and one woman. They probably wouldn’t know that marriage descriptions in biblical times, which span more than 1,000 years, differ widely (and even wildly) in terms of expectations: of polygamy or monogamy; parent-arranged or husband-initiated; endogamy or exogamy (that is, within one’s clan or outside of it); the obligation for a man to marry his brother’s widow; not to mention the estimations of perceived time until the end of the world. There are also major considerations and differences in the Bible when it comes to property, procreation, strategic political alliance, and divorce. A man “taking” a wife literally means procuring, buying, and the acquisition is called betrothal. And Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried.” Continue reading
Farewell, Amanda!
Spring forward!
Engaging with the Community
In the last few weeks, as crisp breezes have brought way to the bright colors of falling leaves there has been a lot of change in the air especially at Common Art. While group members have continued to adjust to the altered art materials and structure due to pandemic related protocol, Common Art has also been blessed with wonderful changes including new staffing and interns! Nevertheless, with all these changes afoot I have noticed a lot of anxiety amongst group members especially about the upcoming winter and presidential election. After all, change can be quite difficult and, as a group, they have experienced quite a lot of trauma. All of these changes left me feeling inspired when it came time to bring my first activity to the group. Finding my theme in the many changing leaves I began to see each morning I came up with the idea of doing leaf rubbings with group members using various leaves I collected and colored pencils. My hope was that in creating beautiful prints of the leaves we could all take a moment to enjoy the meditative process of rubbing the leaves and appreciate the beauty in this part of something that is a change…and of course to tap into some of the group’s noticeable fall festivity!
LOL
2018
Emmanuel House, home to a small intentional community, was created by the Charles River Episcopal Co-Housing Endeavor (CRECHE) with funding from our diocese’s Together Now campaign. As Executive Director of CRECHE, The Rev. Isaac Everett (above right) serves at the altar and in our pulpit from time to time. They rent from our diocese the former rectory of St. Luke and St. Margaret at Packard’s Corner, Allston. Learn more about the intentions of Emmanuelites who live there on their website.
September. The Rev. Susan Ackley joined us while our rector the Rev. Pamela Werntz took sabbatical leave. In addition to preaching and provided pastoral care, she was instrumental in creating a weekly Recovery Eucharist held in Lindsey Chapel.
The theme Pam chose for her sabbatical was exploration of the hamsa, a palm-shaped symbol used by Muslims, Jews, and Christians, also known as the Hand of Fatima and the Hand of Miriam. She visited Istanbul, Vienna, and Andalusia in search of its depictions. We also used it for our stewardship campaign.
2009
Our vestry called The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz to be our twelfth rector.
The Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris blessed our new garden.
Brett Cook and others in Durham NC completed the installation of Face Up: Telling Stories of Community Life, which includes five murals picturing The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Installed at 117 S. Buchanan Blvd. is “Soul Roots” with an inscription from Proud Shoes: “It had taken me almost a lifetime to discover that true emancipation lies in the acceptance of the whole past, in deriving strength from all my roots, in facing up to the degradation as well as the dignity of my ancestors”.
1892
Rector Leighton Parks reported in the Year-Book of Emmanuel Parish that the number of communicants had grown during his tenure of fourteen years from 210 to 500. He expected the Sunday school, which had 75 children when he arrived, to reach 300 children by the year’s end. Expressing concern for expansion of the church’s facilities to accommodate this growth, he had asked the Vestry to investigate buying land west of the City for a new church.