Podcasts about Narthex

I sometimes wonder if joy is not the new apologetic for a world that no longer believes in rational argument. I read this week a story about David Barrett. He was an Anglican missionary who studied evangelism globally. He was giving a talk to a group of influential businessmen. During his talk, a gentleman raised his hand and asked, “Professor Barrett, can you tell us what's the most effective missionary tool the church has.”  Barrett replied, “Based on our research, I'd have to say the answer is martyrdom.”             There was a long silence, then another man asked, “Professor Barrett, can you tell us what the second most effective missionary tool would be?”            I suppose what Barrett is getting at is that, while history is full of stoics who would die for their country or for a person, only the Christians have died with joy. This was unprecedented. It was because of hope!             This week we are looking at joy as it relates to hope. Hope and joy are bound up together in the Bible. Hope in the Bible is not a wish that something in the future would come true, though that has power as well. But hope in the Bible is a certainty not just that all will be well in the future but that all will be restored! It is so powerful, it actually is fuel for our lives when things are hard, not in spite of the hardship but in the midst of it, and can actually color our lives with joy.            There is a “way” to joy. Psalm 98, while an unabashed celebration of joy unspeakable, also offers a way out of bitterness and self-pity. As we know, “pain is unavoidable, but we can miss joy.” (Tim Hansel, You Gotta Keep Dancin') What a story we might tell if we were the people of joy even and especially in the difficulties of living in a fallen world. We will talk about this and more on Sunday.             Also, as we move into our third week of raising money for our place of joy, Our Big Backyard, begin to prayerfully consider what investment you can make in future joy at St. Patrick. Then, in faith, fill out a pledge card and drop in the offering plate or in the collection box in the Narthex as you leave.  

Jean DA CUNHA et Jacques GAYRAUD nous présentent le déroulement de la prochaine QUINZAINE DU NARTHEX de Tarbes, dont le thème est : "OSER CROIRE EN L'AVENIR"DANS CE MONDE BOULEVERSÉ, QUEL AVENIR ? par Laurent BIBARD, sociologue et philosophe à l'ESSEC Paris - Lundi 4 novembre à 18h30 à la Bourse du Travail de TarbesOSER L'ESPÉRANCE par Frédéric de CONINCK, sociologue et théologien protestant - Jeudi 14 novembre à 18h30 à la Bourse du Travail de TarbesILS FONT BOUGER LES LIGNES, table ronde avec Yvan PASCAUD (ferme de la Coume), Delphine LAROCHE (tiers-lieu Le Lien), Bertrand LAHITTETE (Asso Être), Ange MUR (maire de Jarret) - Vendredi 22 novembre à 18h30 à la Bourse du Travail de TarbesFilm : "BIENVENUE !" suivi d'une rencontre en partenariat avec MIGRANT SCÈNE de la CIMADE SOLIDARITÉ EN VAL D'AZUN - Mardi 26 novembre à 18h30 à la Bourse du Travail de TarbesLibre participation - site : www.narthex65.frHébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Join us on this episode of Northside NOW as we sit down with Annette Striligas and Carin Bote from the Facilities Team - Interiors Subcommittee for an exclusive peek into the ongoing renovations shaping Northside's Sanctuary and Narthex. From design inspirations to the challenges faced during construction, get the inside scoop on the transformation that promises to elevate our worship experience. We also follow up on our NFL and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories, unraveling some of the most captivating and debated narratives surrounding the league And we ask the question that's burning in everyone's mind: Are there fewer bugs in Jackson than there were in the 80s? Let us know what you think. Tune in for a diverse blend of topics, from spiritual renewal in our church spaces to the mysteries beyond, on this episode of Northside NOW. ☛ Did you know that you can be part of future podcast conversations too? Send in a comment, show idea or a question: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/northsidenow/message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with us online: ►Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/northsidejackson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ►Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/northsidenowpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ►Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.northsidejackson.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ►Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/northsidenow⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/northsidenow/message

Evènementiel et culture dans le 65 du 4 au 11 décembre 2023 “La Quinzaine du Narthex” du 14 novembre au 7 décembre 2023 autour du thème "Travailler pour quoi ?" : - le jeudi 7 décembre à 20 h au ciné-Parvis, projection du film "A plein temps" d'Eric Gravel suivi d'un débat avec Paul Dima "6° édition du Salon du Livre"  le 9 décembre 2023 de 10 h à 18 h à la Salle de la Terrasse à Argelès-Gazost "Journée internationale de la montagne"  - conférence " Restaurer les écosystèmes de montagne" le 11 décembre à 18 h  au Palais des Congrès de Lourdes, animée par Adeline Loyau, ingénieure de recherche en biologie Autres conférences : - "La physique du quotidien" le 7 décembre 2023 à 18 h, salle de la Terrasse à Argelès-Gazost par Dominique Plee -  " Approche du problème israélo-palestinien" le 7 décembre 2023 à 20 h 30 au Centre Culturel de la Maison du Savoir à St Laurent de Neste par Jean-François Soulet, professeur émérite d'histoire contemporaine à l'Université de Toulouse (partenariat avec l'UTL) - "Le site archéologique du Raspe (Sarp/Izaourt) et la confluence GAEONNE/OURSE durant la protohistoire" le 5 décembre à 18 h  à la salle des fêtes de Sarp par Clément Venco, archéologue, membre du Labo Traces de l'Université de Toulouse - " Elever un animal du quotidien du 18° au 20° siècle : le cas des volailles en Astarac-Bigorre" le 8 décembre 2023 à 18 h à la Bourse du Travail de Tarbes, organisée par l'association Guillaume Mauran avec Laure de Keyser et Camille Labit Rendez-vous polar " Focus sur le Cosy mystery" présenté par Stéphane Laborde le mardi 5 décembre 2023 à 18 h 30 à la Médiathèque Louis Aragon - Tarbes Dédicace : avec Daniel Mur pour son dernier livre "Déambulation dans le Tarbes d'autrefois" chez Ducru à Tarbes le samedi 9 décembre de 15 h à 18 h Atelier cinéma UTL au Ciné-Parvis le jeudi 7 décembre à 15 h 15 autour du film "Les grandes gueules" de Robert Enrico, atelier animé par Odile Desthomas Concerts et évènements caritatifs : - "Grand concert de Noël" le samedi 9 décembre à 20 h 30 à la Collégiale d'Ibos avec l'Ensemble vocal UNITE, organisé par le LEO Club Pyrénées Charity Empire au profit des enfants hospitalisés du département - Concert au profit des restos du cœur le 9 décembre à 18 h 30 à l'Alamzic - Bagnères de Bigorre en partenariat avec les acteurs culturels du 65 - Concert de chorales pour le Téléthon  le 10 décembre à l'église St Jean - Tarbes ( détails dans podcast) - "Challenge puzzle" au Bic CRESCENDO du 8 au 10 décembre de 9 à 18 h, objectif réaliser le 3° plus grand puzzle du monde (42 000 pièces) au profit de l'AFM Téléthon Détails des autres animations dans le podcast : concerts de Noël , marchés de Noël,  marchés de créateurs etc..  "Tarbes Magic Festival" du 9 au 10 décembre au Parc des expositions, gala de prestige avec les meilleurs magiciens du moment Expositions nouvelles et en cours, spectacles, concerts, théâtre, cinéma . 

Evènementiel et culture dans le 65 du 27 novembre  au 4 décembre 2023  "35° Festival Ibéro-Andalou de Tarbes et de Bigorre" organisé par la Pena Andalouse Guazamara du 17 novembre au 2 décembre 2023 : - le lundi 27 novembre à 18 h au Petit Théâtre Maurice Sarrazin, projection de films espagnols en VO - le mercredi 29 novembre à 18 h au Petit Théâtre Maurice Sarrazin, conférence de José CUBERO, historien "Emigration française en Espagne 17° et 18° siècle : les Pyrénéens" - le jeudi 30 novembre à 18 h au Petit Théâtre Maurice Sarrazin, projection du film de Carlos Saura "Goya à Bordeaux" - le vendredi 1er décembre à 20 h 30 au Conservatoire Henri Duparc, spectacle " Esancia flamenca" - le samedi 2 décembre, stage de danses andalouses de 10h30 à 12h30 “La Quinzaine du Narthex” du 14 novembre au 7 décembre 2023 autour du thème "Travailler pour quoi ?" : - table ronde le jeudi 30 novembre à 18 h 30 – Bourse du Travail - “ Ils ont changé de métier ou changer de métier" avec Mathilde VOINCHET (médecin), Valentin BECH ( artisan) et Pierre-Jean PAILLASSA ( apiculteur) "Escale chilienne" à Bagnères de Bigorre : - projection du film "Mon pays imaginaire" de Patricio Guzman le 30 novembre à 10 h au cinéma le Maintenon - présentation de la culture chilienne le 2 décembre à 14 h dans le hall de la médiathèque Simone Veil - rencontre musicale avec la chanteuse Ely Pineda le 2 décembre à 16h30, hall médiathèque “ Mois du film documentaire ”dans les Hautes-Pyrénées du 3 au 30 novembre https://www.hapybiblio.fr/decouvrir/mois-du-film-documentaire " Escales d'automne du Conseil Départemental des Hautes-Pyrénées : - “VIDA"(jeune public) le vendredi 1er décembre à  20h30  "Le Lalano" à Lalanne-Trie (détails podcast) - “HIBOUX” le 2 décembre à 20 h 30 à la salle polyvalente de Pouzac (détails podcast) Ciné-concert "Poil de carotte" le 2 décembre à 20h30, Maison du Savoir St Laurent de Neste (détails podcast) Spectacles caritatifs : - milonga solidaire au profit des restos du cœur le le 3 décembre de 15h à 19h, casino de Bagnères de Bigorre - "Tous sous hypnose" avec Jean-Marc VIDAL, organisé par le Lions Club Bigorre Isaby et le Leo Club au profit du service d'oncologie de la Polyclinique de l'Ormeau le 1er décembre à 20h30 au Centre Albert Camus de Séméac  Concerts de Noël : "Dancing Days" par Slendia le samedi 2 décembre à 20h30 à l'église de Séméac Concert le 3 décembre à 16h à l'église de Castelnau-Rivière Basse avec Marjorie Courtiau Conférence de l'UTL au STAPS le jeudi 30 novembre à 18h "La Moldavie entre un destin européen et un partenariat russe par Josette DURRIEU sénatrice honoraire et Jean-François SOULET, professeur émérite des Universités  Détails dans podcast pour les autres conférences (CAC Séméac, St Lary) 60°Gala de l'ENIT le 2 décembre de 22h à 5 h - Parc des expositions Tarbes "Tarbes Geek Festival" 2023 les 2 et 3 décembre de 10h à 19h Parc des expositions Tarbes Atelier grainothèque, concerts de Noël, crique de Noël, fêtes de Noël, marché de Noël, marchés de créateurs etc.. (détails dans podcast) Expositions nouvelles et en cours, spectacles, concerts, théâtre, cinéma . 

Évènementiel et culture dans le 65 du 20 au 27 novembre 2023 "35° Festival Ibéro-Andalou de Tarbes et de Bigorre" organisé par la Pena Andalouse Guazamara du 17 novembre au 2 décembre 2023 - le mardi 21 novembre à 18 h 30 au Restaurant du Lac de Soues , café cantante"Grenade et Lorca" - du mercredi 22 au dimanche 26 novembre de 15 h à 18 h, exposition Regard croisé sur l'art campanaire et l'œuvre de Federico Mompou à la Fondation Cénac de Soues - le jeudi 23 novembre à 18 h, conférence de Thibaut de Rouvray "La cloche, un patrimoine historique et symbolique - La fonderie Dencausse de Soues et Tarbes (1650  à 1930)" à la Fondation Cénac de Soues - le vendredi 24 novembre à 20 h 30 au Conservatoire Henri Duparc, concert commenté sur la musique de Federico Mompou, animé par la pianiste Carmen Martinez-Pierret - le samedi 25 novembre à 20 h 30, spectacle flamenco "Herramientas" au Théâtre des Nouveautés - le lundi 27 novembre à 18 h au Petit Théâtre Maurice Sarrazin, projection de films espagnols en VO "La Quinzaine du Narthex" du 14 novembre au 7 décembre 2023 autour du thème "Travailler pour quoi ?" : -  Concert-conférence le lundi 20 novembre à 18 h 30 - Bourse du Travail - " L'essence du soin" par Guillaume Gayraud, anesthésiste et Margot Smirdec, sociologue - Conférence "Ambivalence et sens du travail dans la Bible" le vendredi 24 novembre à 18 h 30 - Bourse du Travail- par Caroline BAUER, enseignante en éthique théologique et sociale "Sensibilisation à l'Eco-Conception",  le jeudi 23 novembre à partir de 15 h 30 à l'ENIT de Tarbes : https://www.invest-in-tlp.fr/agenda/fiche/27?fbclid=IwAR0e8FYTEQSo25NTfGBrhud7yf1rrSBwXEbfYAQerWRLwOuKFLIC-h2u63A Autre conférence : "La fouille d'un site de crash" par Gilles Collaveri le 24 novembre à 18 h 30 au Musée de la Déportation et de la Résistance à Tarbes Table ronde : le jeudi 23 novembre à 18 h 30 au Melting Potes "Rendons possible un travail décent pour toutes et tous" organisée et animée par ADT Quart-Monde “ Mois du film documentaire ”dans les Hautes-Pyrénées du 3 au 30 novembre https://www.hapybiblio.fr/decouvrir/mois-du-film-documentaire - le mardi 21 novembre à 20h 30, ciné-débat autour du film "Vivre avec Camus" au Centre Albert Camus de Séméac "Escales d'automne du Conseil Départemental des Hautes-Pyrénées : - "Apocalipsync" le 24 novembre à 20 h 30 Maison du Savoir à St Laurent de Neste - "Oliver Twist" le 24 novembre à 20 h 30 à la Halle aux Grains de Bagnères de Bigorre Jazz MDA : "Mingus 7set" en concert le 26 novembre à 17 h 30 -Salle de l'Ensemble Instrumental à Tarbes Concert itinéraire chanson : "Cuarteto Tafi" le mardi 21 novembre à 20 h 30 à l'ECLA Aureilhan Dispositif itinérance culturelle" de l'agglo TLP : "Soleynia"en partenariat avec la Gespe et le Pradha le jeudi 23 novembre à 20 h 30 au CAC de Séméac "30 ans de Parlem" concert de soutien à l'église de Juillan le 25 novembre à 20 h 30 avec Daunas de Cor, Semiac en Bigorra, Cracade "Les dimanches de Monsieur Sarrazin" Théâtre "L'élixir" le 24 novembre à 16 h au Petit Théâtre Maurice Sarrazin Ciné-concerts : -  le vendredi 24 novembre à 20 h 30 au Ciné-Parvis "La Fête sauvage" de Frédéric Rossif interprétée par Axel Rigaud - le samedi 25 novembre à 20 h 30 au Petit théâtre de la gare à Argeles-Gazost "Le révélateur", film de Philippe Garel mis en musique par Bruno Izam et Laurel Paris Auberge-Philo le mercredi 22 novembre à 18 h à Argelès (Espace de la Gare) autour du thème de la vulnérabilité, animée par Christian Loubère 39° édition des Rencontres gastronomiques : Démonstration culinaire des "Tables du Lys Bigourdan " le 25 novembre à 15 heures  au Centre Albert Camus de Séméac Marché des métiers d'Art les 25 et 26 novembre  à la salle polyvalente d'Odos : samedi de 10 h à 19 h et dimanche de 10 h à 18 h Salon minéraux, fossiles et bijoux, 1°salon expo-vente les 25 et 26 novembre de 10 h à 19 h - Hall Néouvielle, Parc des Expos Tarbes Expositions nouvelles et en cours, spectacles, concerts, théâtre, cinéma . 

Évènementiel et culture dans le 65 du 13 au 20 novembre 2023 Vous trouverez l'essentiel de ces actualités dans le podcast "35° Festival Ibéro-Andalou de Tarbes et de Bigorre" organisé par la Pena Andalouse Guazamara du 17 novembre au 2 décembre 2023 : -  le vendredi 17novembre à 18 heures à la Maison de Quartier du Martinet, cocktail d'ouverture du festival avec Manuel Rodriguez - le samedi 18 novembre à 20 h 30 au Centre Albert Camus de Séméac, en partenariat avec le Parvis , concert 3 guitares "Par le rythme et le rêve" avec Serge Lopez, Manuel Rodriguez et Bernardo Sandoval - le dimanche 19 novembre à partir de 11 h 30, journée spéciale au Ciné Parvis "Un dimanche en Espagne" avec la projection de 3 films et un buffet tapas (détails podcast) " Escale chilienne" organisée par la ville de Bagnères de Bigorre : lectures théâtralisées le 17 novembre à 18 h 15 ( par la Compagnie Les livreurs de mots) dans le hall de la médiathèque Simone Veil "La Quinzaine du Narthex" du 14 novembre au 7 décembre 2023 autour du thème "Travailler pour quoi ?" : - Conférence  le mardi 14 novembre à 18 h 30 à la Bourse du Travail de Tarbes "Où en est le travail aujourd'hui ? "avec Jacques Le Goff, professeur émérite du droit du travail - Concert-conférence le lundi 20 novembre à 18 h 30 - Bourse du Travail - " L'essence du soin" par Guillaume Gayraud, anesthésiste et Margot Smirdec, sociologue Autres conférences : - Conférence organisée par l'UTL au STAPS le jeudi 16 novembre à 15 heures "Taïwan, histoire et enjeux" visioconférence depuis Paris avec Emmanuel Lincot, professeur des universités - Conférence "Appel d'Air"le jeudi 16 novembre à 18 heures  au Palais des Congrès de Lourdes "Introduction et réintroduction de la faune sauvage dans les Pyrénées" par Christian Arthur, ancien responsable scientifique Faune du Parc National des Pyrénées - CONF'ART " La famille dans l'art" le 16 novembre à 18 h 30 à l'ECLA - Aureilhan par Véronique Mulle-Richier Tables rondes : - au Parvis en lien avec le spectacle "AMATHIA" le jeudi 16 novembre à 18 h 45 "Le sens du métier et les moyens pour le faire", animée par Nathalie Chiosi, ergonome de l'activité - au CAC de Séméac dans le cadre de "Ma planète et moi" sur l'agro-écologie  le jeudi 16 novembre à 20 h 30 "Pourquoi et comment prendre soin de la terre" film et table ronde organisés par le CCFD Terre Solidaire avec le soutien de l'Agence Française de Développement et Acteur Ciné 65 "Escales d'automne du Conseil Départemental des Hautes-Pyrénées : concert immersif " Coquille" le samedi 18 novembre à 19 heures à la salle des fêtes d'Arrens-Marsous “ Mois du film documentaire ”dans les Hautes-Pyrénées du 3 au 30 novembre avec 13 films et + de 30 projections gratuites que vous découvrirez en cliquant sur ce lien : https://www.hapybiblio.fr/decouvrir/mois-du-film-documentaire "Match d'improvisation France-Québec" le 13 novembre de 20 h à 22 h à l'Espace Robert Hossein -Lourdes, organisé par Barde Production "La nuit de la glisse 2023" séance spéciale au cinéma CGR de Tarbes le vendredi 17 novembre à 20 h avec le film "Human x" Atelier UTL Cinéma (ouvert à tout public) avec le film "Délivrance" de John Boorman qui sera présenté par Odile Desthomas le jeudi 16 novembre à 15 h au Cinéma Le Palais à Lourdes Atelier Grainothèque à la Médiathèque de Lourdes animé par Annick Baléri le samedi 18 novembre à 9 h 45 "Festival ALIMENTERRE" le 18 novembre à 16 h au Moulin des Baronnies à Sarlabous : rencontre , projection et débat autour du film "La révolution verte, Europe, un continent bouleversé" 40° Semi-marathon Lourdes-Tarbes le dimanche 19 novembre au départ de Lourdes (détails dans podcast) Portes ouvertes dans les domaines du Madiran et du Pacherenc- Vi-Bielh les 18 et 19 novembre 2023 ( voir sites des domaines) Expositions nouvelles et en cours, spectacles, concerts, théâtre, cinéma . 

Dcn. Kevin dives back into the many mysteries of the mass to take a look at why noise is a ‘Dictatorship' - seeking to rob us of the peace found in silence.From St. Anne Catholic Church, in Broken Arrow, Dcn. Kevin Malarkey delves into the many rich topics essential to the Catholic Faith.From the core tenets of Catholic theology and the teachings of the Church to the lives of saints who inspire us with their remarkable journeys, "Forming Our Faith" aims to help the faithful grow in the love of Christ and to spread the Gospel in Eastern Oklahoma.“But never, ever settle for anything less than the heroism for which you were born.” - Pope St. John Paul II

Matthew 18:15-20[Jesus said] “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” It was my first Sunday working at a church in Milwaukee, my first job after college. My first task was to prep the sanctuary and narthex: setup communion, put the plates out, and bring out the bulletins. No big deal I thought, did that quickly and went about meeting folks… that is until Ron called me over and said follow me. He promptly took me back to the Narthex and informed me the offering plates were in the wrong spot. I had them on the ledge next to some pink envelopes. They needed to be five feet over, next to the other pink envelopes, how else would the ushers know where to get them? The last intern never got this right, he said and he wanted me to get off to a good start, so he came to me directly. I wonder if Ron had Matthew 18 in mind that Sunday morning. He did in fact come to me directly, not sharing with the whole congregation, “Cogan put the plates in the wrong spot, gonna be a rough year”.It sounds small, silly even, but so are many conflicts in church (or at home or with friends), until they become something bigger. No church, or family, or organization is immune from conflict. Because they are all made up of people, and people as we know, are wonderful, sinful beings; we mess up, we're impatient, selfish, passive aggressive. Maybe you've been on the receiving end and have been sinned against. Or you've been the one someone else has approached with something you did, or said, or didn't do and didn't say. Most likely you've experienced both. Jesus was being generous saying, “if” instead of “when” another member of the church sins against you, knowing full well it would happen. And that translation, while inclusive, limits the intimacy of the Greek that says if a brother sins against you. So it's not some stranger, but a sibling, someone close to you, you know them; this relationship is important not only to you, but to the larger family. If this relationship is damaged, it hurts the whole family. What follows from Jesus is often seen as the Christian/church process for dealing with conflict. First, if you are sinned against, go to the person directly, discreetly, and point out the fault. (not email, not text, and certainly not through someone else). This is good practical advice; it lessens triangles and minimizes damage, both to the person and the community. And if in the one on one conversation, the sinning sibling listens, then the relationship is repaired and you have gained back your sibling. Yet, if there is disagreement on the matter, involve one or two others, not as a way to pile on examples or gang up on someone. That's not what Jesus is saying. Rather, bring one or two others so that they can testify to what was said between the two parties. If that still doesn't work, things get much more serious and the whole community gets involved, ultimately making the decision if the person remains in the community or not. If not, they become like a gentile and tax collector. Don't miss the irony here; Jesus visits Gentile towns and heals them. He has meals with tax collectors, calls them to be his disciples, the very gospel we're reading is attributed to a tax collector. Jesus is always about the business of making outsiders, insiders.Which should tell us more about what Jesus is after than the process itself. These steps are not a full-proof system to conflict resolution. There is no guarantee that just because each step was followed that the outcome was a faithful decision in line with God's hope for the community. In fact, there are countless instances where this process has caused more harm than good. A power-hungry pastor ostracizes an opposing voice by making a private confession public; a college ministry follows these steps as a way to weed out less committed members; a favorite spouse is picked in a divorce, forcing the other to leave the church. You can imagine many ways this process can inflict hurt, doing the opposite of what Jesus intended. Jesus isn't saying follow these steps to get your way or to root out all conflict. What's important is maintaining or repairing the relationships in the midst of conflict if at all possible, for the sake of the community.And not all conflict is bad. Conflict can be good, bringing about clarity and connectedness. Often, not always, conflict shows a level of comfort and trust. I get concerned when I talk with friends in a committed relationship or do premarital counseling and I ask how communication is, and they say something like, “Great! We never fight”. I'll quip back, “That's great! Neither of you are being honest!”. I think of a story I heard from a pastor. As a dad, he was absent for much of his daughter's adolescence and early teen years. After sobering up, he rekindled a relationship with his former wife and daughter, 15 years old by this time. For nearly two years, the dad worked hard to rebuild a relationship with his daughter, be reliable, present, and honest with her, careful not to overstep bounds. Then one day, as the dad shares the story, his daughter was doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. He called her out on it, and she let him have it… saying to her dad, “You ruined my life. You destroyed everything. I've never had a family, I've never felt loved, I've never felt like I had any worth. You stole everything from me.” And she screamed it three inches from his face. And then the dad says he walked outside and got on the phone with a friend and they wept, wept tears of joy because they knew she trusted him enough to yell, to face conflict, not worrying anymore that she'd do or say something to make him leave again. The conflict showed a new level of trust. There is going to be conflict in every community. In fact I hope that there is conflict and that we address it, because Jesus promises to be there, right in the midst of it. We've all heard this line from Jesus, “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them”. It's so often used as referring to any gathering of two or three people of faith in any setting. And while that may be true, (I certainly don't doubt or limit Jesus' presence) Jesus is speaking to a more specific situation, namely conflict. When two or three are gathered to sort things out, to argue over something, to confront the hurt one sibling has caused another, to point out a wrongdoing, Jesus is there. We think it's the opposite, in times of unity or places of peace, Jesus must be there. And that's true. But here Jesus tells us that in the situations we'd least expect, in the midst of conflict and anger, resentment and reprove, shame and hurt, Jesus promises to be there.The question for us, Cross of Grace, is what kind of community will we be? How will we do Life Together? Will we avoid tough conversations and harbor hurt, unable to trust the Partner in Mission sitting right across from you? Or do we want something more meaningful and connected, albeit riskier and harder? Conflict will arise over things big and small, from where the offering plates are placed to disagreements on racial justice. Yet, the hope is always reconciliation and continued fellowship and that's the point Jesus is making. So address the conflict, directly, discreetly, humbly, trusting that where two or three are gathered, Jesus is there. Amen.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!”“Hear, then, the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Today we are going to be talking about soil; and at the very same time, we are going to be talking about our minds and imaginations. The activity of “cultivating” applies equally – quite poetically – to both. We have here in Matthew the very familiar parable of the sower; though perhaps is should be called more accurately “The Parable of Four Soils”. Jesus says to the crowd, “a sower went out to sow, and lots of the seed did not find fertile ground and grow, or it germinated briefly but was not able to flourish. Some of the seed did find fertile ground, and in some places the soil was Excellent and the yield was 100 fold. In other places the soil was very good and the yield was 60 fold. In other places, the soil was pretty good and the yield was 30 fold.” Jesus makes clear here that the seed is the Word of the kingdom of God. I love how this seed is spread indiscrimately. The sower does not focus their efforts merely on the excellent soil, but instead gives it away to all kinds of soils in all kinds of places. This is good news! Rejoice! The Word of God, Jesus Christ himself, is for all people. The focus of this parable, though, is not on the seed or the sower. It is on the soils; it is a parable about reception, about receiving and bearing the fruit of the Kin-dom of God. Jesus describes four possible kinds of soils for us, that represent four different states of mind and heart. The first three soils result in failed harvests:1. The Path: The Word is not understood, so it is taken from us and has no effect. 2. The Rocky Soil: The Word is received with joy, and it takes root, but, alas, the roots of the Word are not deep enough to endure.3. The Thorny Soil: Here the distractions of the world and money choke the Word of God out. The Word is not able to grow and flourish in these three soils, or in people with these qualities of mind. Lets think for a min about why that might be:The Path is too hard and inflexible, it has been treaded down solid – perhaps in our analogy between soil and mind, this is someone whose mind is made up. Nothing grows in the path because it is too compressed. Water rolls right off. Even if a plant springs up, it is crushed underfoot. There is no way into this ground.The Rocky soil is too shallow – the quality of the soil might be fine, as we are told the seed germinates, but it is not deep enough or broad enough to sustain lasting and enduring growth. This is a mind that is perhaps open to be persuaded by new insights or welcomes different perspectives, but it does not go deep enough to bring forth fruitful and faithful action. The Thorny Soil is too crowded – is obviously soil that can sustain an abundance of life – yet, it is not growing edibles but weeds. Thorns are rooted so deep and are so broadly plentiful in that there is no space for a new seed to grow, a new idea to flourish. This is a person who is distracted by life. Then we have the fourth soil, 4. The Good Soil: Jesus explains, “But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit”. This soil or person hears the Word of God and, unlike the other three soils: i. a) understands it, ii. b) allows it to take deep root, iii. c) grows and endures through the seasons, and iv. d) bears fruit for harvest. b. **the reception of the Word bears forth in growth, action, change. Good soil does not merely receive the seed, but creates the conditions for flourishing. So obviously we want to be good soil; but what if we are not good soil? What if we are hard soil? Or shallow soil? Or crowded soil? Something that I think can be overlooked in this passage is that the parable never says that the soil is destined to stay how it is described. As the gardeners and farmers in the room know, good soil can be cultivated. It is slow, hard work. It depends on a multitude of other creatures and processes to assist the farmer's or gardener's efforts – the cycle of decay and renewal, the presence of bugs, worms and microbes breaking down organic materials, plants that add nutriance back into the soil, rainfall, and merely time. But it can be done. I have a spot in my backyard, just under my kitchen window that is SOLID CLAY. Weeding this portion of the yard is tough and thus it is currently fully of weeds…because I have children. When it rains this section becomes a standing pond because the water does not penetrate easily. Last fall, however, I did have one weekend to devote to a very small section of this clay. I spent two exhausting days digging up the bed, pulling out the seeming miles of weedy vines underground, sifting through it to pull up rocks, ammending the soil with manure. This summer, unlike the section right under my window, I have a three foot garden bed where my peonies are flourishing.Similarly, this parable is calling the Christian disciple to do the hard work to become good soil. The Path need not stay compacted, the rocky soil can increase its depth, and the thorny soil can be weeded. Afterall, that is why Jesus calls us to become disciples, students; to learn and grow into his image by the power of the Spirit. This summer we have been focusing on hearing God's Word in New ways, but not just from this pulpit: we have also been doing individual work of plowing and tilling our imaginations to understand the implications of the gospel in light of the current racial and economic disparities in our country. Pastor Cogan, for example, just began a book study this last week on the book Caste. A group of you attended racial equity training. Many others have picked up a great variety of adult and children's books from the Narthex. This is an amazing start. It is timely for us, then, to hear this parable as the summer is coming to an end. In what condition is the ground of your mind and my mind? What will be the “harvest” of our congregation's focused concern with race and racism? Will we have a harvest?Will our congregation be like The Path, where these new perspectives “roll off like water on a rock?” Are we as a community compacted so tight that we cannot be opened up by new loves, new concerns? Will our congregation be like The Rocky ground where we receive these various books and sermons with joy, yet do not able to allow it to root deeply enough to endure over the long haul? Or will our congregation be like the Thorny Ground and eventually get distracted? Or bored? It is easy to feel fatigue wrestling with issues that feel impossibly large. Can we avoid it?This summer is mainly about the first step towards becoming good soil – understanding this Word, hearing the gospel in voices from the margins, taking off the blinders of our minds and hearts. If by grace we are enabled to do this, we have successfully avoided become like the soil of The Path. We have been opened up and turned over, air and light and nutrients have been added in. But, will we allow it to penetrate deep into our community?I have faith that if we continue to attempt to cultivate our minds, hearts and lives we can become good soil; this is because the grace of the Spirit to take our mere graspings and bear fruit for God's kingdom. The Spirit of Christ is eager to partner with us in this truly life-long project. So when the books have been read and the summer class over, how do we continue to cultivate imaginations to be able to think expansively and inclusively from multiple perspectives? This will involve the typical suspects – volunteering, advocacy, voting, and serving our community – but it may also involve something you might not expect: stories. I am a theologian by trade, and I research and teach various classes in theology, the arts, and the formation of the Christian imagination. Many theologians in my area of study have noted how our imagination is formed through many seemingly innocuous cultural habits and stories.We become the people we are through the narratives we inhabit, the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. And the stories that most white North Americans inhabit are ordered by a white imagination; Even TV shows or books or movies that with characters of color may be reproducing a white racial ordering of the world – think of how so many of the black characters in TV or movies are treated as comic relief or as a support for the white hero.So one answer to the question “what do we do when the books are read and the class is over?” is immerse yourself in the imagination of those who are not white. There are non-white novelists, poets, painters, directors, and more that are producing excellent stories in every genera and media, from horror to romance to nature poetry to children's books. Do you read poetry? Start reading the Black Indiana poet Ross Gay or Native American poet Joy Harjo. Do you like science fiction? Try reading Octavia Butler and other authors in Afrofuturism. Do you like visual art? Look up the monumental paintings of Kehinde Wiley who paints black subjects in epic and humanity-honoring images. The deconstructive work that many of us have been doing is critically important – we need to take the blinders off to see the hurt and oppression in our society. But we also need stories about Black joy. Native American hope. Asian American Love. Indian American beauty. Pacific Islander flourishing. We need to hear, and see, and feel other people's stories, to be able to imagine with them what a better future looks like for all. Jesus calls us to imitate good soil: to receive God's word, to tend it over the long haul, to improve our minds and hearts so that the Kingdom of God is embodied in our actions, our community, and our stories.

In this interview Xander talks with metal upstarts Narthex during their recent performance at Springwater Supper Club in Nashville TN! Excepts from the Narthex track "Witch King" (Witch King EP, 2022) used with permission from the artist. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/great-metal-debate-podcast/id1037874814 http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:66031413/sounds.rss https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLC0ED1Ri2oNwBQW9All3Yw https://www.facebook.com/thegreatmetaldebate https://www.instagram/metaldebate https://www.twitter.com/metaldebate

This episode features Rev. Lorraine Ceniceros, Conference Minister of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference of the United Church of Christ. Lorraine is the first Latina woman installed into the position of Conference Minister in the United Church of Christ, and only the 5th Mexican-American woman to be ordained in the UCC. Lorraine speaks about her childhood experience of assimilation, and her awakening to her identity as she grew up in southern California and began serving churches in the UCC. This open and thoughtful conversation explores the complicated intersections of race in America.

IntroductionLast week, we looked at the etymology of the word liturgy, a public service. We talked about the liturgical diversity in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Jesus Christ. We learned that the Holy Mass is for the glorification of God and the sanctification of man. We looked at the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, made present once again by the Holy Mass. And we discussed how to put the cult back in culture. Most importantly, we defined the Mass. Hopefully we have it memorized by now! But if not here it is again:The Mass is the perfect self-offering of the Son to the Father in the Spirit in which we are invited to take part. Architecture, Gestures, and SymbolsWhen the Word of God became man in the Person of Jesus Christ, the spiritual met the material. The supernatural shared in the nature of the natural. God took on flesh to share in our humanity. Heaven and Earth met. This has always been the way of the Church. The outward shows something deeper inward. In the Sacraments of the Church, most especially, signs and symbols become the outward showing of God's inward grace. Hidden realities are made clear through the sacramental.This is what signs and symbols in the Church can do for us: they use the visible to lead us to and show us the invisible. Especially in the Holy Mass, Heaven and Earth meet. This is why Church art and architecture matters so much. Good art and architecture show us the truth and goodness of God!Basic Church LayoutGenerally, there are three different parts to a Catholic Church: the narthex, nave, and sanctuary. The Narthex is the gathering place and the appropriate place to chat and share in fellowship. In the Nave, representative of Earth, the people are seated standing or in pews for worship. In the Sanctuary, we have the place where the Eucharistic miracle takes place and Heaven meets Earth. This is why the altar is prominently in the center of the Sanctuary, Christ standing in the midst of His people. The Altar is ChristDr. Denis McNamara of Benedictine College points out that Preface V of Easter in the Roman Missal says of Christ: “As He gave Himself into Your hands for our salvation, He showed Himself to be the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of sacrifice.” The altar, which is the center of the Eucharistic celebration, is both the place of sacrifice and the table of the Lord. On this altar, the sacrifice of Calvary is made present once more.On the Cross, Jesus is the Priest because, as a Priest, He is offering Himself to the Father. He is the Altar because His Body is the place of sacrifice. He is the Lamb because, like the Passover, He is offered in our place.In the words of Mother Church, the Altar is Christ standing in the midst of His People. Even when an altar is consecrated and dedicated, it is anointed with oil as the Body of Christ was anointed before His burial.The Altar is not merely a table, even a sacred table. The Altar is first and foremost the place of sacrifice. The Holy Victim, who is also the High Priest, is offered on the Altar, which is His Body. The Holy Mass makes this reality present to us again.As the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council says, “in the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem (SC, 8).” So, the Altar is a living altar in Heaven and the meal we share is a heavenly meal. This is why the Altar is holy and receives special treatment: anointing, incensing, covering, and lighting.Gestures in the LiturgyGenuflection and BowingThis brings us to a good point to discuss the gestures of genuflection and bowing. It would be very unusual to bow to a table. If that is all the Altar is, then we would be out of our minds to do so. Of course, we know that this Sacred Table is the place of sacrifice. The Altar is Christ.Jesus Christ is God Himself, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. He is our great High Priest. He is the Lamb of Sacrifice. He is also the King of the Universe. Even the worst kings and queens in history were honored by bowing and genuflection. How much more deserving is our perfect and infinite Lord!The proper gesture towards the altar which is the sign of Christ standing in our midst is a profound bow, or a bow from the waist. The bow is a bending of the head or body in reverence and submission. One definition of “to bow” is to “cease from competition or resistance.” How often do we resist the Lord? But, of course, God Almighty is so far above us that resistance or competition is unthinkable.By bowing, we remind ourselves of who God is and who we are. We are also reminded of what takes place and Who becomes present on the Altar during Holy Mass.When Do We Genuflect?The genuflection, or bending at the knee, is a sign of profound respect and adoration. Speaking of Christ Jesus, St. Paul writes:“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).”We genuflect in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord, present in the Tabernacle. We bend our knee to the one and only God and Lord of all. The Altar makes Christ present in a particular and special way, but the Holy Eucharist IS Jesus.So, with all of the explanation behind us: We bow to the Altar. We genuflect to our Lord in the Tabernacle.Other Gestures and PosturesAs we continue through this series, we will look at the meanings of several gestures and postures. One of the most prominent signs or gestures is the Sign of the Cross. There is the gesture before the Gospel. There are a few other instances throughout the Mass of bowing and genuflection. We will talk about kneeling, sitting, standing, and why each of these are important parts of the Sacred Liturgy. Today and next week, we will be talking about the importance of singing and speaking the responses. And later today, I will be mentioning the orans posture which seems to be misunderstood in the Liturgy.If you really pay attention, there are so many different gestures, postures, and signs in the Sacred Liturgy, and they all have a purpose and meaning.The Entrance and GreetingWhat is Everyone Wearing?If your church has a bell that is rung at the beginning, then what happens? We stand up. And then we see a procession of the priest, deacon, and altar servers. We will get to what this procession actually is in just a moment. But everyone is dressing up and putting on a costume. The priest will wear a chasuble which covers himself up so that we can better see Jesus Christ our High Priest. The chasuble is similar to the outer garment worn by the priest in the Temple in the Old Covenant. Likewise, the deacon is wearing a garb similar to those who assisted at the Temple; his garment is called a dalmatic and, unlike the chasuble, it has long sleeves. Underneath, the priest and deacon also wear an alb (a long white garment - albus means white in Latin) and a stole. The priest wears a stole around the back of his neck and which hangs on the front on both sides. The deacon wears a stole across his body from one shoulder to the opposite side by his hip. There are a couple other garments, but we will stick to what is seen for now. Altar servers are traditionally an apprenticeship for the priesthood. It is a close-up look at the service at the altar and an opportunity for conversations between priests and boys about the priesthood. So, the altar boys wear cassock and surplice which is a priestly garment. St. John Paul II allowed girls to altar serve in the late 1990s, if there were no boys available. The clearest case of this would be in the situation of an all-girls Catholic school. This has been expanded far beyond St. John Paul II's intentions in most Parishes throughout the world over the last few decades. In some parishes, to make a visual distinction, girls will wear altar server robes rather than the male garment of cassock and surplice. I plan on making a few more comments on altar serving in Session 5. So, stay tuned on that front! Anyway… back to the procession!What is a procession, liturgically and theologically?What is part of the procession? And is there a method to the ordering? If there is incense at the Mass, the server with the incense (the thurifer) will go first along with the server with the little boat of incense granules. Next comes the processional cross which is on a long pole for all to see. After that comes two candle-bearers. Then the deacon. Then the priest. We will discuss this more in the coming weeks, but the procession is a movement through Earth (the nave) towards Heaven (the sanctuary). It is a presenting once again of the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.Once the priest reaches the altar, he bows and kisses the altar. This gesture is called “reverencing the altar.” In the 1962 Missale Romanum, the prayers show us the deep meaning of the priest's gesture:“Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may be worthy to enter with pure minds into the Holy of Holies: through Christ our Lord. Amen. We beseech Thee, O Lord, by the merits of Thy Saints, whose relics are here, and of all the Saints, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to forgive me all my sins. Amen (Missale Romanum 1962; Baronius Press translation).”The Sign of the CrossThe very first thing the priest says in the Roman Missal is: “In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.” The Sign of the Cross! Why do we trace the cross when we begin prayer? In the fourth century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem said this:“Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow, and on everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we rise up; when we are in the way, and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the sake of the poor; without toil, for the sick; since also its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of devils: for He triumphed over them in it, having made a shew of them openly; for when they see the Cross they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, who bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the gift; out for this the rather honor thy Benefactor.”There is power in the Sign of the Cross! In the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the Sign of the Cross is made dozens of times! In the West, we generally make the sign with an open palm which is a sign of blessing. In the East, the thumb, index, and middle fingers are joined to represent the Trinity and the ring and pinky are put towards the palm to show the divine and human natures of Christ. Either way, it is a great way to begin worship.Where do the greetings come from in Scripture?Next, the priest says one of a few different greetings which are all taken from the letters of St. Paul. The choices are a variation of: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you (2 Corinthians 13:13).”What does “The Lord be with you” and the “and with your spirit” actually mean?We are praying for the spirit of the ordained priest who we believe has been configured, through Holy Orders and the power of the Holy Spirit, to Christ in a special way.  When we say, “and with your spirit,” we are not simply wishing him well. We acknowledge his priestly soul and the fact that he is acting in the Person of Christ, Head of His Body. Next week, we are going to talk more about the concept of the Mystical Body of Christ.The Penitential ActConfiteorNext comes the Penitential Act. There are a few choices for the priest here, but the first and most traditional option is the Confiteor followed by the Kyrie. In the Confiteor we call to mind our sins, ask for the prayers of the saints and our brothers and sisters in Christ, and ask for God's forgiveness. Before the 10th or 11th centuries, the asking for forgiveness was done by the priest in his preparation prayers in the sacristy. After that point, these prayers of preparation became part of the prayers at the foot of the altar. In the 1962 Missale Romanum, the first words of the priest after the Sign of the Cross are “Introibo ad altare Dei” which begins Psalm 42. Directly after this psalm comes the Confiteor, so named after the first word in Latin of this prayer. The prayers at the foot of the altar are then concluded; the prayers of reverencing the altar are then made, which I mentioned earlier. In the 1970 Missal which is currently in use the Confiteor is said not only by the priest but by all present. The prominent gesture associated with the Confiteor is striking the breast during the words mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa (through my fault, through my fault, my most grievous fault). This is the gesture of the humble sinner who is expressing his heartfelt contrition. Right after the Confiteor, the priest asks for God's forgiveness of our sins and we receive an absolution of our venial sins.Kyrie EleisonBefore the priest gives us absolution, the Kyrie is sung. The words in English are “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy,” but these do not do justice to what is actually said in the Greek. As a side note, along with one chant on Good Friday, these are the only Greek words used in the Roman Liturgy. Pope St. Gregory the Great implemented numerous liturgical reforms in the late 6th Century and early 7th Century; he retained this part in Greek to show communion with the East. The word Kyrie does mean Lord and Christe does mean Christ. But Eleison does not originally mean have mercy. Eleison in Greek is derived from the word from oil. Literally, it had the meaning of “Lord, pour your oil out upon us.” What is this about? How did that come to mean mercy? Well, oil was used in the Ancient Greek world as a salve for burns and bruises. It was also used to prepare wrestlers before the Greek Olympic games. And, so, when we say Kyrie Eleison, we are asking God to ready us for battle and simultaneously to heal our wounds and bind up what is broken in us!Gloria In Excelsis DeoScriptural basis for the GloriaNext comes the Gloria, which in English begins: “Glory to God in the highest…” Where does this come from? Well, like most parts of the Mass, it is taken directly from Sacred Scripture. We have just asked for God's forgiveness and received it, and now it is time to praise and glorify Him! We hear in Luke 2:8-20:“8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,14 ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them (Lk 2:8-20).”Sacred Music at MassThe Gloria is one of the hymns in the Mass which is properly sung. But why? Like the angels in the heavens singing and praising God, so too do we unite our hearts and minds with this action of worship. Here, though, I want to take a detour from our regularly scheduled programming to discuss music generally.What is the purpose of Sacred Music in the Latin Rite? Maybe you know! Maybe you think you know. Maybe you have no idea. I hope to give the basics of what the Church offers. I am not interested in giving you my opinion or the opinions of others. What does the Church say is “Sacred Music?” I think it is worth giving a decent chunk of time here to get into it a bit!In January of 2019, Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon wrote a pastoral letter on Sacred Music in Divine Worship entitled: “Sing to the LORD a New Song.” It is a brilliantly written synthesis of the Church's perennial teachings on music in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The original letter can be found here. I highly recommend that any person involved in the ministry of music in a Latin Rite Catholic Church give it a read.Introduction to Church MusicQuoting St. Augustine, Archbishop Sample reminds us that singing is an expression of joy and of love. When the People of God gather, we sing praises to God. To lose the great 2,000 year tradition of Sacred Music in the Church would be a tragedy. In fact, the “beauty, dignity and prayerfulness of the Mass depend to a large extent on the music that accompanies the liturgical action (Sample, 1).”Speaking of language, form, and genre, Pope Francis said a few years ago that, “At times a certain mediocrity, superficiality and banality have prevailed, to the detriment of the beauty and intensity of liturgical celebrations (Sample, 2).”The archbishop alludes to the fact that there has been a certain confusion about Sacred Music in the past decades and that a rediscovery of the tradition of the Church will constitute for some a “change.” He says, “Change can be difficult, but this can also be an exciting time of rediscovering the spirit of the liturgy and exploring new horizons of sacred music (Sample, 3).”History and the Nature and Purpose of Sacred Music Since the time of the Apostles, singing has not been an addendum to the worship of God. It is integral. Singing is an art form that “takes its life and purpose from the Sacred Liturgy and is part of its very structure (Sample, 3).”The Second Vatican Council reiterates this in the document on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium: “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy (Sample, 3).”If this is the case, and it is, then it seems unfitting that the norm in the United States (at least) is to, as the archbishop puts it, “‘tack on' four songs (the opening hymn, the offertory hymn, communion hymn and recessional hymn), along with the sung ordinary of the Mass (Gloria, Sanctus, etc.). We must come to see that, since sacred music is integral to the Mass, the role of sacred music is to help us sing and pray the texts of the Mass itself, not just ornament it… The Church solemnly teaches us, then, that the very purpose of sacred music is twofold: the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful. This understanding of the essential nature and purpose of sacred music must direct and inform everything else that is said about it (Sample, 3 & 4).”The Qualities of Sacred MusicThere are three essential qualities of sacred music that flow from its nature and purpose: sanctity, beauty, and universality.SANCTITY - Sacred Music has sanctity because it is holy. It must be free of profanity in its words, themes, and the manner in which it is delivered. To be holy is to be set apart. Common, secular music has no place in the worship of God in the liturgy.BEAUTY – Liturgical and Sacred Music can give people a glimpse of the beauty of heaven, according to Pope Francis. Our liturgies must seek to be transcendent. They can be nothing compared to the glory of Heaven, but the beauty of Sacred Music can offer a foretaste of the Heavenly reality. UNIVERSALITY – The composition of Sacred Music, of any culture, must be recognized as having a sacred character. As a universal principle, holiness transcends every individual culture. In other words, “Not every form or style of music is capable of being rendered suitable for the Mass (Sample, 5).”The Treasury of Sacred MusicThe treasury of the Church's Sacred Music spans centuries. Whether ancient or modern, Sacred Music must have the same character of sanctity, beauty, and universality.  For example, there is Gregorian Chant which the Second Vatican Council gave pride of place in Sacred Music in the Roman liturgy. This has been reinforced by every Pontiff since. In terms of full, conscious, active participation of the laity in the liturgy, Pope Pius XI says this, “In order that the faithful may more actively participate in divine worship, let them be led once more to sing the Gregorian chant, so far as it belongs to them to take part in it (Sample, 6).”The Second Vatican Council also suggests that “(S)teps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertains to them (SC, 54).” This is referring to the Kyrie (actually in Greek), the Gloria, the Credo, the Sanctus, the Mysterium Fidei, the Pater Noster, and the Agnus Dei. Echoing the Second Vatican Council, Pope Benedict XVI said, “(W)hile respecting various styles and different and highly praiseworthy traditions, I desire, in accordance with the request advanced by the Synod Fathers, that Gregorian chant be suitably esteemed and employed as the chant proper to the Roman liturgy (Sample, 7).”There are other kinds of Sacred Music in the Church. For example, polyphony has a venerable tradition in the Church, such as the compositions of Palestrina, Tallis, and Allegri. There is also a vast body of Sacred Music composed for the people, such as hymnody, psalmody, and different Mass settings in Latin or the vernacular. In contrast to Sacred Music is secular music. Secular music is not sanctified, necessarily beautiful, or universal. This does not just pertain to lyrics. There are a great many songs being written and utilized at Mass which are secular in their manner of being played (folk, rock, country, etc.) or their ambiguous lyrical content. Archbishop Sample quotes Pope Benedict XVI in saying: “As far as the liturgy is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the meaning of the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of the liturgy, song should be well integrated into the overall celebration. Consequently everything - texts, music, execution - ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons (Sample, 9-10).”There is much more to say on music and full, conscious, actual participation in the Mass, but I am going to hold off on that until next week. Otherwise, this week will go far over an hour. So, make sure to come back next week for the exciting conclusion!The CollectThe celebrant invites those gathered to pray and then proclaims the prescribed prayer for the day from the Roman Missal called the Collect.  The Collect literally collects the prayers of the people and the priest offers these prayers to God. The Collect also disposes the hearts of those present to be made ready to hear the Word of God proclaimed in the following part of the Mass: the Liturgy of the Word. As we will see next week, when we talk about the Mystical Body of Christ, we need a priest to do this properly. In his priesthood, the priest is acting in the Person of Christ, the Head of His Body, at Holy Mass. Only he can collect up the prayers of the Members of the Body of Christ and offer them, by his consecration, to God the Father, in the Spirit. ConclusionWith the Collect, the Introductory Rites are concluded. Whether we are celebrating the Holy Mass by the 1962 Missal or the 1970 Missal, the Collect ends the beginning prayers of the Mass which prepare us for the Readings. Next week, we will be diving into this next part of the Mass, known in our current Missal as the Liturgy of the Word. We will also be looking closer at the theology of the Mystical Body of Christ. We will look a bit closer at Sacred Music in Mass. We will walk through the progression of Readings and the Homily. And we will be learning more about the Profession of Faith and the Universal Prayer. We will also look at the difference between Sacraments and sacramentals. I am certain there will be a few other side roads to investigate along the way.Thank you for joining us this week. I look forward to being with you again next week as we continue to learn more about Praying the Mass!Thank you for reading Will Wright Catholic Podcast. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Will Wright Catholic Podcast at www.willwrightcatholic.com/subscribe

In our second season of In the Narthex, we examine Colossians and how not to experience God versus how to rightly experience him

In this podcast, Alyssa, Jeff and Lucas discuss the Psalms and their importance in the Christian life

In this podcast, the gang talks about the kingdom of God, how it's talked about in scripture and in particular Matthew, and how the kingdom affects our lives right now

In this podcast, Jeff, Lucas and Alyssa talk about prayer and Jesus' teaching on it from the gospel of Matthew

In this episode, the gang discusses why it's important that we as Christians confess our sins, both individually and corporately

In this bonus episode, Jeff and Lucas have an impromptu conversation about the overturning of Roe V Wade, and how Christians should think about act about it.

"Parmi les plus nobles activités de l'esprit humain, on compte à très bon droit les beaux-arts, mais surtout l'art religieux et ce qui en est le sommet, l'art sacré. Par nature, ils visent à exprimer de quelque façon dans les oeuvres humaines la beauté infinie de Dieu, et ils se consacrent d'autant plus à accroître sa louange et sa gloire qu'ils n'ont pas d'autre propos que de contribuer le plus possible, par leurs oeuvres, à tourner les âmes humaines vers Dieu" (Sacrosanctum Concilium). Comment résonne cet extrait de Vatican II en 2022 ? Existe-t-il encore un art sacré ? Régis Burnet reçoit Isabelle Saint-Martin, professeur a l'Ecole pratique des Hautes Études, et Valérie de Maulmin, responsable éditoriale de la revue Narthex, pour savoir quels sont les artistes qui disent la foi avec leurs création et quels sont les grands projets artistiques de l'Eglise.

In this first edition of Battle Royale, Jeff and Lucas take opposing sides about a very critical and important topic ;) : should lights be dimmed or up during worship? Which is more "biblical"? They even gather a team of supporters to help support them! It's a fun conversation

In this episode of In the Narthex, Alyssa Jeff and Lucas discuss Jesus' ascension into heaven, what it all means, and its importance to Christians today.

In this episode, Jeff and Lucas tackle what makes Good Friday good. They talk about what the cross "did", how it saved us.

In this episode, the team walks through the significance, meaning, and importance of the Lord's Supper in the life of the church.

Music courtesy of Bellevue Presbyterian Church (coming & going) used with permission. Scott Huie may be in some trouble today he announced Amy Grant will be a special guest for worship on 02-27-2022. Is the sanctuary big enough for the crowd -- maybe some folding chairs in the Narthex? 

In this episode, the team talks about Lent and its meaning for Christians. They also talk about a Lent Night of Worship coming up at Northwest Bible on March 2nd, 2022. For info on that, go to our website at northwestbible.com/lenteaster

In this episode of In the Narthex, the group talks through how Christians should engage the culture around them, especially when it is a non-Christian culture. Some links: Christ and Culture book: https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Culture-Torchbooks-Richard-Niebuhr/dp/0061300039 Center Church book: https://www.amazon.com/Center-Church-Balanced-Gospel-Centered-Ministry/dp/0310494184/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1642703334&sr=8-1 Jesus and John Wayne book: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-John-Wayne-Evangelicals-Corrupted/dp/1631495739 Benedict Option book: https://www.amazon.com/Benedict-Option-Strategy-Christians-Post-Christian/dp/0735213305/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=rod+dreher&qid=1642703864&s=books&sprefix=rod+dre%2Cstripbooks%2C411&sr=1-4 Keller's graph: https://wheatonblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cultural-engagement-diagram.jpg St. Simeon Stylites: https://aleteia.org/2020/03/27/you-think-youre-bored-at-home-st-simeon-stylites-lived-on-top-of-a-column-for-37-years/

“Kunnen we eigenlijk wel vanuit het concept 'zin' naar religies en levensbeschouwingen kijken, of leggen we dan een vreemd concept op aan vele religies en levensbeschouwingen?” Deze prachtige vraag werd ons doorgestuurd door Jochem Quartel, de hoofdredacteur van Narthex, het Nederlandse tijdschrift voor levensbeschouwing en educatie. We gingen er maar al te graag op in. Daarenboven is zingeving het perfecte thema voor onze eerste podcast van het nieuwe jaar. We hebben het over roeping als christelijke voorloper van zingeving, over de hypothese dat zingeving pas een begrip kon worden wanneer eerst alle zin werd weggedacht vanuit een materialistisch wereldbeeld, over de wijze waarop vele religieuze tradities metrum in het leven brachten, over (sva)dharma als richtinggevende kader binnen de kosmische eb-en-vloed, over zingeving als één van de belangrijkste vraagstukken in veel science-fiction literatuur, over de dubbelzinnigheid van de Bhagavad-Gita, over het verschil tussen hedendaagse zelfontwikkeling en traditionele 'zelfafwikkeling', en over het feit dat Sanskrietteksten geen onderscheid maken tussen het hogere Zelf en het lagere zelf zoals de westerse vertalingen het vaak doen uitschijnen. Een hele boterham dus. Maar toch is het weer allemaal nauw met elkaar verbonden. ------ 'Groetjes uit Shambhala' is een productie van Volzin.

In this Christmas edition of the podcast, the group discusses all things incarnation, with a fun Q&A at the end

Pascal PALU nous parle de l'exposition de photographies de Yann-Arthus BERTRAND, Illustrant la lettre du pape François sur l'écologie intégrale “LAUDATO SI“. Cette exposition est visible tous les jours par tous dans le Narthex de l'église Saint-Jean à Tarbes jusqu'à la mi-janvier. Entrée libre.           Interview réalisée par Elise Serrano

In this episode, Alyssa, Jeff and Lucas discuss the meaning of Advent, and how Christians should celebrate this seasons. For the resources and devotionals mentioned on the podcast, check out this page: https://northwestbible.com/christmas

An ex treated me badly, and I keep thinking about getting back at them. I know God doesn't me to think that way, so what do I do? (16:05-28:01) I have a friend who is being dishonest with themselves. Should I say anything? (28:05-41:49) There is a bible study I decided to leave because I didn't like some things that were going on. I kinda like I am being judgmental. How do I draw these lines for myself? (41:52-55:31) Closing Song: Always, Always, Always (Jed Brewer) Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous)

In this longer edition of In the Narthex, Alyssa and Jeff and Lucas discuss what has come to be called "deconstruction". Many Christians are either leaving the faith, or rethinking their faith. Are there benefits to this, if any? Listen in to see what we think about it!

Alyssa, Jeff and Lucas speak about music in the church

In the Narthex - A Theology of the Gathering by Northwest Bible Church of Tucson

Dispatches from Brandon Dio is a 3-part mini-series by From the Narthex. We sat down with The Reverend Dr. Kara Mandryk, Coordinator and The Venerable Lydia Constant Elder and Sessional Instructor Lydia, to discuss what faith means to them. They are both involved with the Henry Budd College for Ministry, the theology education and ministry training of Indigenous Anglicans of the northwestern part of Manitoba. Learn more about Henry Budd College for Ministry here: https://henrybuddcollege.org/ Join us every Wednesday. Follow us @fromthenarthex on Instagram and Twitter for updates. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review!

Dispatches from Brandon Dio is a 3-part mini-series by From the Narthex. This week, we meet with Rev Chris Pilon and talk about how faith can be viewed as stability, knowing that you're not running the race alone. And what it's like worshipping online. Join us every Wednesday. Follow us @fromthenarthex on Instagram and Twitter for updates. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review!

The ground was wet and the sky a bit drippy as the service started. The band played from the Narthex, we had a speaker a chairs in the Fellowship Hall, and the broadcast over the radio continued as usual. Overall, the service went well despite weather unfriendly to electronics. Prelude - "Thout Art Worthy" (arr. Fred Bock) - Micah Wright, pianoWelcome & News of the ChurchCall to WorshipOpening Hymn - (#546) "We Are God's People"Moment for Mission, presented by Marcia MillarConfession and Assurance, led by Rev. Sharon YagerlenerPraise SongsSermon - "Be on Your Guard" (II John) - by Rev. Jason GrifficeOffertoryPastoral Prayer, led byRev. Sharon YagerlenerBenedictionWe Are God's PeopleWe are God's people, the chosen of the Lord, Born of His Spirit, established by His Word; Our cornerstone is Christ alone, And strong in Him we stand: O let us live transparently, And walk heart to heart and hand in hand. We are God's loved ones, the Bride of Christ our Lord, For we have known it, the love of God our poured; Now let us learn how to return The gift of love once given: O let us share each joy and care, And live with a zeal that pleases Heaven. We are the Body of which the Lord is Head, Called to obey Him, now risen from the dead; He wills us be a family Diverse yet truly one: O let us give our gifts to God, And so shall His work on earth be done. We are a Temple, the Spirit's dwelling place, Formed in great weakness, a cup to hold God's grace; We die alone, for on its own Each ember loses fire: Yet joined in one the flame burns on To give warmth and light, and to inspire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dispatches from Brandon Dio is a 3-part mini-series by From the Narthex. This week on the podcast, we start off with a great conversation with Rt Rev, William Cliff. We talk about different roles in the church such as lay readers, altar guild, and deacons, to name a few. Join us every Wednesday. Follow us @fromthenarthex on Instagram and Twitter for updates. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review!

The winds blew gustily, today. The band took refuge inside the Narthex to keep their sheet music in place, while several people braved the wind to speak out-of-doors. Prelude - "I Will Serve Thee" (arr. by Fred Bock)Welcome & News of the ChurchHistory of PCC's Youth Program, presented by Erika FarlessCall to WorshipOpening Hymn - (#659) "We've a Story to Tell to the Nations"Confession & Assurance, led by Amy Hemseri-SabalaPraise Songs2021-02-28 Sermon - "Get Behind Me Satan" (Mark 8:31-38) - by Rev. Jason GrifficeOffertoryPrayers of the People, led by Amy Hemseri-SabalaBenedictionWe've a Story to Tell to the NationsWe've a story to tell to the nationsThat shall turn their hearts to the right, A story of truth and mercy, A story of peace and light, A story of peace and light[Chorus]For the darkness shall turn to dawning, And the dawning to noonday bright, And Christ's great kingdom shall com on earth, The kingdom of love and lightWe've a song to be sung to the nationsThat shall lift their hearts to the Lord, A song that shall conquer evilAnd shatter the spear and sword, And shatter the spear and sword. [Chorus]We've a message to give to the nationsThat the Lord who reigneth aboveHath sent us His Son to save usAnd show us that God is love, And show us that God is love. [Chorus]We've a Savior to show to the nationsWho the path of sorrow has trod, That all of the world's great peopleMight come to the truth of God, Might come to the truth of God. [Chorus] See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on From the Narthex, Ryan chats with Rev. Dr. Lissa Wray Beal from Providence University College & Theological Seminary. Dr. Wray Beal's work explores the literary, historical and theological dimensions in Joshua-Kings, Jeremiah and the Psalter. Today's topic is about the Bible; how did we get this piece of work called the Bible, the different sections of the Bible, and more. If you're wondering what to look for when you're buying a Bible, you should listen to this episode. Join us every Wednesday. Follow us @fromthenarthex on Instagram and Twitter for updates. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review!

Sacred Sound and Space Campaign Re-launch Feb. 7, 2021 I am here today to announce the re-launch of Christ Church’s Sacred Sound and Space Capital Campaign. Active fund-raising for the Campaign was paused almost a year ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic so let me refresh your memory about the campaign. It has as its objective the renewal of our worship space, The Nave. More specifically, after involving the parish in a Feasibility Study we identified six projects that had broad parish support. The replacement of our failing organ and some work in the balcony to accommodate and support the new one. Improving the acoustics of The Nave by Removing the old, worn carpet and restoring the 150 year old heart pine floors covered by the carpet. Stiffening the ceiling Taking care of deferred maintenance needs such as Replacing the broken lighting control system. Refurbishing and refinishing our pews. I believe that all the good things at Christ Church start in the Nave. In the Nave together we sing hymns and we pray and affirm our faith as we say the creeds. Perhaps it is silent prayer and contemplation that speaks to you. Our worship in The Nave is what motivates us to go out and do good in the world and the Sacred Sound and Space Campaign aims to renew that worship space. As I said earlier, we paused find raising early last year and at that time almost 200 parishioners had pledged just under $1,200,000.00. We need another $300,000.00. So what have we been doing since we paused the Campaign? Our original plan was to do the non-organ related projects later this year. That would have required shutting The Nave down for worship for a number of months. As it turned out the pandemic beat us to it so we took advantage of our inability to worship in The Nave and moved a number of projects up by a year. We have removed the old carpet and restored our 150-year-old heart pine floor. We removed all the pews and had them refurbished and refinished. They should be installed within a few weeks. They will have new kneelers, cushions, and book racks. We replaced the broken lighting control system and relocated the controls from the balcony to the Narthex. We cleaned the ceiling – believe me, it needed it. We re-affixed loose ceiling boards, patched numerous large gaps (with the attic lights on and The Nave lights out you could see lots of light coming from the attic). We also reinforced and stiffened the ceiling from above which will enhance the acoustics of The Nave. And for the first time in 150 years there will be insulation above the ceiling which will reduce energy usage. While all this work was going on, using funds from other sources and generous gifts from individual parishioners we Significantly increased the brightness of the lighting. Painted the wainscoting and white walls Made significant improvements in the way light comes through the altar window, something we have struggled with ever since we built the Chapel. So we have done everything included in the Campaign except the new organ which will be installed in 2023. We have done these things on time and on budget and have utilized many local workers to do it at a time when the local economy was struggling. I look forward to worshipping in The Nave again. I look forward to being able to see the hymnal and Prayer Book. I look forward to hearing music, sermons, the scriptures, the prayers and the creeds reflected back by our floor and ceiling rather than being absorbed by them. I look forward to 2023 when a glorious new organ built specifically for our Nave will be installed, not an organ that will last forty or fifty years but one that will last for many generations of worshippers. And I look forward to experiencing all these things with you. We only have three things left to do. Some adjustments to the balcony to accommodate the new organ. The installation of the new organ. And finishing the fund-raising. We need at least $300,000.00 in additional pledges. We are resuming solicitation of pledges today and hope to conclude by June. If you have not pledged please consider doing so. No pledge is too large and no pledge is too small. Every member counts. You know, we are fortunate. We have a beautiful and inspiring place to worship. Not long after the Civil War it was faithfully re-built following a fire. It was provided to us by those who came before us. This is our chance to renew it and provide for those who will come after us. Please help us reach the finish line.

Welcome to a bi-weekly conversation of church terms you may not know about. This week, we discussed terms such as the narthex, sacristy, and so much more. Join us every Wednesday. Follow us, @fromthenarthex on Instagram and Twitter for updates. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review!

A  l'occasion des Journées du Patrimoine, Pauline de Torsiac nous propose de pousser cette semaine les portes de nos églises, cathédrales, basiliques et abbatiales.  "Dans les premiers siècles, les églises sont des lieux privés. Puis au début du IVème siècle, ces églises vont être construites sur un lieu significatif, c'est-à-dire le tombeau d'un martyr parce que l'on fait mémoire. Cela va perdurer durant quelques siècles mais avec la mise en place de la manière de vivre médiévale, où l'on se regroupe, rapidement l'église, qui concentre la force morale des habitants va se trouver au centre du village ou de la ville, souvent à côté du château seigneurial, qui lui a fonction de défendre physiquement les habitants", explique l'historien Bernard Berthod. Basilique ou cathédrale : quelle différence  Très tôt, il y a eu deux types de communautés chrétiennes : ceux qui s'enferment ensemble et forment le monachisme et ont une église au sein de leur monastère et ceux qui se retrouvent en paroisse. L'autorité de celui qu'on appellera ensuite évêque est fondée sur le lieu où il réside. "Il s'assoit dans l'église sur une cathèdre, ce qui va donner le mot de cathédrale. Il ne faut pas l'assimiler au mot de basilique qui est un mot antique au départ, pas du tout chrétien. Avec la paix de l'Eglise au IVème siècle et l'autorité de Constantin, Constantin va établir des églises en forme de basiliques, des églises vénérables fondées sur le tombeau de Pierre à Rome, du Saint-Sepulchre à Jérusalem. C'est une maison que le roi donne au peuple de Dieu et à la communauté. Ces grandes basiliques très vénérées font ensuite faire des petits. Le Pape de Rome va donner la permission à ses frères évêques d'ériger telle ou telle église vénérable avec la même puissance spirituelle que les basiliques romaines".  Un plan en forme de croix grecque, puis latine  L'église va s'organiser en fonction du service qu'elle rend, indique Bernard Berthod. Il va falloir faire de la place pour le clergé qui va vouloir se différencier du non-clergé. L'autel est le lieu central de l'église, les transepts permettant aux personnes d'être plus proches, plus présentes et de mettre en place le choeur chantant des gens qui accompagnent la liturgie.  "Il y aussi des églises rondes, comme la basilique du Saint-Sépulchre à Jérusalem, qui permettent de voir le centre de partout". Tournées vers l'orient  Les églises sont orientées vers l'Orient, le lieu où le Christ est mort et ressuscité. C'est le jour qui se lève. "On a très vite assimilé le Christ au soleil levant, à Janus", souligne Bernard Berthod.  Parvis, narthex, nef, choeur... Le conservateur du musée d'art religieux de Fourvière à Lyon nous explique chacun de ces termes et leur signification.   

Fr. Roger J. Landry Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Fresno, CA Nuptial Mass for Philip DeVoe and JoAnna Kroeker August 1, 2020 Song of Songs 2:8-10.14.16, Ps 34, Rom 12:1-2.9-18, Jn 2:1-11   To listen to an audio recording of today’s homily, please click below:    To watch the marriage ceremony, held in the narthex of the […] The post Getting Married in a Narthex, Nuptial Mass of Philip DeVoe and JoAnna Kroeker, August 1, 2020 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

Bradley Santos is the lead designer for the University of Washington central marketing team and the creative director of One Secret Mission, a creative studio leading a conversation to Christ with beauty. Bradley’s work in photography, graphic design, and art direction — and his Filipino background — help him tell untold stories and see beauty in new places. He joins us in the Narthex to geek out about Kanye and tell his story.Thanks to our sponsor The Little Catholic Box! Visit their website now and click the pink banner along the top to have a chance at a free year’s worth of boxes.Resources mentioned in this episode: Cory Heimann CC Podcast Episode, The Freshest Kids breakdancing documentary, God Is (Acoustic Cover) by Noah PepmeyerAdditional music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.

In the Narthex this month is spoken word artist and thrifting queen Clare McCallan! Clare has traveled all over performing poetry, serving, and bringing the mic to underrepresented voices. She joined us in the Narthex to share stories of her Brooklyn adventures before she jetted off to Washington to be the Grunewald Guild artist-in-residence. If you’d like to bring Clare to perform poetry at your church, school, or home, get in touch with her through Instagram or email.Thanks to this month’s Narthex sponsors: The Little Catholic Box and Sock Religious!Blue Dot Sessions provided select music for this episode.

Nicholas Gerald Roach hails from Washington, where he began his career in entrepreneurial business and ecommerce marketing. He has worked with Filson and Lucchese Boots; recently, he began his own ecommerce and marketing consulting service — and is continuing to pursue photography and music. In the Narthex, Nick shares his hope to use meaningful, holistic work to help others. You can get in touch with Nick at nick@runningwindriver.com.Keep making this podcast possible by supporting Catholic Creatives.Additional music for this episode provided by Blue Dot Sessions.

Welcome to The Narthex! It’s our new short-form podcast where we can be a little louder, a little less reverent, and just as inspired. We’ll be dropping new episodes from The Narthex every month.In The Narthex this week is Ali Hoffman, the curly-haired mastermind behind Oodles of Doodles. Ali is the Youth Director at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Carrollton, Texas; a Catholic speaker; a hand lettering instructor; and an all-around inspiration who believes that everyone is loved, wanted, and necessary.Resources mentioned in this episode: Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley, Tattoos on the Heart by Fr. Greg BoyleMusic for this episode provided by Blue Dot Sessions

Every subculture has its own set of insider language and jargon - and the Christian subculture is no exception. We lovingly call our insider language Christianese (see how self-aware we are?). And in this video, we’re going to present to you our power rankings of the best Christianese words and phrases.      ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-ultimate-christianese-power-rankings-top-7-christian-phrases/     Show Notes:   What is Christianese? (0:35)   Bootstrapping, MVP, Ramen profitable (1:55)   #7. Narthex, lobby, foyer (4:20)   #6. Partake (7:00)   #5. Baby Christian (8:10)   #4. The Anthropomorphics (10:00)   #3. Love offering (11:35)   #2. Fellowship (13:15)   Honorable mention (16:20)   #1. Problematic Prepositions (20:10)  

Join us as we record in front of a live audience at the first annual Narthex Con! John and James share hilarious clean comedy stories and interact live with storytellers in the audience. Not to be missed!

This week's episode is a question and answer panel recorded at the Narthex Con event here in Saint Louis. It was recorded in front of a live audience and included questions submitted in person and online. The panel was made up of James Kennison, Jennifer Kennison, Jenna Kennison, J Kennison and John Steinklauber. Enjoy!

Jenna and James are recording LIVE in front of an actual audience at Narthex Con 2019! Tons of great stories from online and in-house! Enjoy!!

Jenna and James are recording LIVE in front of an actual audience at Narthex Con 2019! Tons of great stories from online and in-house! Enjoy!! The post 15: Narthex Con 2019 appeared first on Nobody's Listening Podcast Community.

This week’s episode is a question and answer panel recorded at the Narthex Con event here in Saint Louis. It was recorded in front of a live audience and included questions submitted in person and online. The panel was made up of James Kennison, Jennifer Kennison, Jenna Kennison, J Kennison and John Steinklauber. Enjoy! The post 103: Narthex Con 2019 Q&A Panel appeared first on Nobody's Listening Podcast Community.

Join us as we record in front of a live audience at the first annual Narthex Con! John and James share hilarious clean comedy stories and interact live with storytellers in the audience. Not to be missed!

We begin our session with Daryl attempting to defeat Nega-Daryl once again to hopefully attain his mother's gift. Daryl forgot he has spell resistance in Karstim form so this fight went very different. Once ND was defeated Daryl found an icy town village with dragon statues called Norwich.Dranas is sucking titties.Daryl (in Karstim form) begins to explore Norwich and finds that it is very cold and a gazebo in the middle of town is made of ice. magical ice. ice that never seems to melt, despite giving off a cold steam. D's then discovers a cathedral with a large dragon statue atop it's roof. below is inscribed a depiction of 2 eggs, one on the left and one on the right. There is also a depiction of Apsu giving birth to various deities. a sign is displayed on the front of the cathedral that reads: Norwich Church of ApsuThe cathedral is cloudy with ice and ivory. There is an area big enough for a full size dragon to enter the Narthex. Pews seem to be arranged such that humans are meant to sit to the left while dragon-sized pews are located to the right."Dernbach, Karstim" is written on a door. Upon entering the room, Karstim finds a fine adamantite set of armor and a ring that seem to be the gifts his mother intended for him. He also discovers a mysterious picture of an unknown girl (Una for now). She seems to be a daughter of the Karstim family. Has Daryl found a long lost sister? The boys teleport to the library under the Oasis.Sweets and Gaelic aren't there but Volkorn uses this opportunity to scold Dranas after learning the cost of their Black Lotus collection. They brought 3 jars with 3 bulbs of Lotus in each one... but at what cost? Volkorn is aware that entire villages have been ravaged by these creations.SweetChuck is scryed only to be found participating in a ménage à trois with 2 goblin "ladies of the night".The Party teleports there and Stug Immediately:finds snuffsnuffs the snuffbreaks the tablebegins to quickly repair the table. A weird orgy ensues. Post-Coitus, the party remembers they still haven't accounted for Gaelic's whereabouts and scry him as well but are shocked to find him being questioned by BrokeBack bandits! A super top secret highest clearance stealth tactical mission quest assignment began as the team teleported in and successfully extracted the HVT (High Value Target) from the Hot Zone without detection.Now that the Party is complete again, Volkorn scryes the undead hill giant army we've seen once before, when searching for Zarkan and the team forms a 2-step plan.1. spell cast.and2. beat ass.Volkorn and the boys then proceeded to interrupt an unexpecting wizard's lunch to turn the quarry into a murder-disco as Dranas paralyzed the caster and Karstim went to town on some hill giants.The wizard was found to be dressed in a reddish robe with a golden necklace. He also had a Mantle of Faith, and an Evil Wand of Protector.What will happen next time? Will Karstim get to satiate his hunger? are there more giants? Tune in next time to find out. or not. whatever. we have like 2 listeners on this bullshit and one of them is me. we have more party members than 2 for Cayden's sake. like... really?

Aramis returns from the Narthex, Paul returns to Prometheus, and we learn the consequences of Soma's arrest lists.NewAlephChapter19

Aramis' group fights for their lives at the Narthex.NewAlephChapter18Part2(And check out this chapter's plug, The Lounge, at MisdirectedMark.com !)

Aramis leads the group of refugees to the Narthex, heading for the hub world of Threshold, but getting through won't be a simple matter.TheNewAlephChapter18Part1

Recap2My segment with the guys is in the second half of the episode, but don't be a jerk and fast-forward to that, hang out for the whole episode! It's all good, I guarantee it, guys.DontPanicRadioShowE160Story recap, of everything since last recap! (Spoilers spoilers spoilers......SPOILERS!)(ACT I ended in mid-May, as Soma decided to settle in to Pan, Nathan had to go back to Prometheus, and Aramis and Paul became friends at the Remnant study meetings.ACT II (about a half a year later)Early December: Soma pressures Ignacio to help her begin her vendetta against the Alephs (and to bond with her). Nathan goes on top of a hill to pressure Irse into appearing to answer some questions. Aramis has strong feelings for Paul, but he's still set on getting back to his girlfriend in PrometheusMid December: Irse tells Nathan that Mebar is no longer a computer simulation but instead a real, physical multiverse. Soma and Ignacio are captured when trying to get into Babel to gather evidence of Aleph corruption. Around Christmas: Nathan goes to Pan because Irse tells him something is about to happen, referring to the appeal hearing that Soma demanded upon her arrest. Nathan, impatient with Aramis' hesitant explanation of the preyvede bond, does his own detective work and meets Milton and Aubry, two older Preyvedes. APPEAL HEARING: The head Aleph of Pan, Negri, kills Ignacio after he killed many people at the hearing in an escape attempt. He then tells Soma he's going to wipe her memory and change nothing to help the soul space offender problem. Soma, now boosted by Ignacio's power (as per one of the conditions of their bond), loses control and explodes in fire, killing everyone in the room except Negri. Embarrassed by losing control of things, Negri passes on his Assembly seat to Soma, telling HER to try and fix the soul offender problem. ACT III (Three weeks later)January 17th. Soma has handed down orders to all the head mayors in Pan, saying that all soul offenders on the Main Continent must be arrested. If they turn themselves in before the deadline (February 22nd), they'll be sent to prison. If they don't, and they're found guilty, they will be executed. Preyvedes are fleeing the Continent in droves, since almost all of them have at least incidental connections to soul offender activities. Late January: The Remnant study group's leader, Kamel, turns himself in as a soul offender. The aggressive response to this from the Hempstock police, plus the Preyvede exodus, motivates Aramis to put together a plan to smuggle frightened people off of Pan.Early February: Nathan and Soma both seek out allies, the former with a smuggler syndicate called the Soyou Cult, the latter with a semi-anarchist group called the Kaze Cult. Aramis finds out that over two hundred people want to join the group leaving Pan. February 20: Soma attends a Assembly meeting, discussing major problems multi-verse-wide, and gains important perspective. Aramis and Paul and the group, now diminished down to about 90, begin their march to the Narthex. Viktoria, on probation since Soma's hearing, has joined them, partly because Aramis does not want to bond with Paul in order to get him strong enough to open the Narthex door. The Deadline (February 22): Soma travels from city to city, delivering arrest lists (first to her Kaze Cult contacts, then to the mayors). Aramis and Paul are nearly to the Narthex, but after an argument concerning Viktoria, their friendship is strained. 

Soma takes care of final business before her deadline and Aramis takes care of last second problems before hiking to the Narthex.NewAlephChapterSeventeenPartOne

Dean Sabatino aka Dean Clean/May 19, 2014 Joseph A. Gervasi interviews Dean Sabatino, better known under his nom-de-Milkmen Dean Clean. Dean was born in Camden, NJ, but grew up in a rural area outside Philadelphia. By the early 1980s, he was in the two-person band Narthex and playing shows in Philadelphia, including at the (in)famous Hot Club. Upon the demise of Narthex, Sabatino joined The Dead Milkmen as their first and only drummer. We talk about Dean’s young life (where he was a fun of progressive rock!) and his incremental move to Philadelphia, where he ultimately lived with the three other members of the band for some years. The Dead Milkmen’s surprise hit song “Punk Rock Girl” earned them play on MTV and got the band a Club MTV in a performance (with a bemused and abused Downtown Julie Brown) that must be seen to be believed (but for the benefit of those who haven’t seen it, Dean discusses the performance in detail). Since Dean was the last remaining living original member of the band I needed to interview, we also talk a bit about the sad demise of Dave Schulthise (aka Dave Blood), the bass player in The Dead Milkmen who took his own life in 2004 at the age of 47. Despite breaking up for several years, The Dead Milkmen are back and continue to record and perform. Dean Sabatino is genial and thoughtful throughout the interview and I know any fan of the band or individuals curious about Philadelphia’s underground music scene of the 1980s will enjoy my talk with him. The Dead Milkmen website The post LOUD! FAST! PHILLY! Episode 51: Dean Sabatino aka Dean Clean of The Dead Milkmen appeared first on Cinepunx.

Die Leipziger Buchmesse 2016 nahm in den Glashallen des neuen Messegeländes seinen Betrieb auf und auch wir strömten technologiebeladen an die Foliantenstände. Aus dem klimatisierten Narthex flanierten wir vorbei an Kenianischem Speckstein und Orangenbäumen geradewegs zur Verleihung des Leipziger Buchpreise. Intermezzos mit Christoph Türcke und Nis-Momme Stockmann.

Do we just assume that anyone who shows up at Mass already knows what it means to be Catholic? Do we really ever reach outside our property line to evangelize or do we wait for them to come to us? Does our parish have an easy "on-ramp" or introductory way to find out more about our faith? These are all good questions we should be asking ourselves as Christians. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they take on the topic of welcoming the stranger.

Ben and Colin interview Lutheran pastor Keith Anderson about his new book The Digital Cathedral: Networked Ministry in a Wireless World. Pastor Keith is co-author of Click2Save: the Digital Ministry Bible with Elizabeth Drescher, and editor of the Narthex. We discuss the impact of social media and the internet on congregational life, ministry, evangelism, pastoral care, and spirituality. www.pastorkeithanderson.net https://medium.com/the-narthex   Special thanks to audio tech Jenny Hack for recording and editing this episode.

Sunday, September 28 was MINISTRY FAIR … the Narthex was abuzz with all Harvest Ministries onsite to inform, recruit and connect with people! Pastor Scott […]

Actor, comedian and fantasy novelist Matt Cox joins us to talk churchy stuff, Liisa's painful guilt and almost give away his address several times. All this and: Entry Level LARPing, Gork the Happy Orc, D & D Flirting, Fainting in Church, When Liisa Brutalized David as a Child, Apses, Narthex, Rococo Home, Southern Gentleman, Cockroach Graveyard, The Pros and Cons of Immortality, Finally Take Down Those Jerk Windows, David Murray: Glass Smasher Music from this episode: Blasto Podcast Theme: “Blast Off” by the Monks —- Go see Matt in The Mysteries! Follow David on twitter @DavidBlasto Follow Liisa on twitter @LiisaBlasto Follow Matt on twitter @Matthewthecox

The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area. Why is that funny? Get your participant code and you'll find out!

Recorded in front of a live audience at Narthex Con 2022, this episode has a little something for everyone!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Recorded live in front of a studio audience at Narthex Con 2022, this week we get stories from all over the place!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Join James, John, and little James at Narthex Con 2022 discussing behind the scenes topics about recording That Story Show and Red School Bus.