  St Alban’s Episcopal ChurchBolivar, Missouri Friday in Easter Week April 22, 2022 Looking towards Sunday News Hail, tornado, flooding yesterday If you had any damage, and I hope you didn’t, do let us know if you need anyone to help clean up. St Albans had hail – but no broken windows, thank God. We did get a bit of damage though. All four of the translucent plastic panels in the patio roof were shattered, and part of the roof of the larger shed was ripped off. I did NOT get into the shed to see if there was water damage to whatever is in it, because it was almost 8pm and getting dark when I went by to check on it – but this might be a reason to check it out and clean it out sooner rather than later. Adult Christian formation/Sunday School will begin again this Sunday at 9:30. Olivia Cox will entertain your littles. Ryan Williams will be leading a new class about the Episcopal church. Even if you have been around for a long time, this will be good! Michael Elliott will bring donuts for those who are attending the class – and for the children who aren’t! Also on this Sunday Ryan Williams will preach, and Sandy Sherry will provide the music at the offertory. If the weather is clear and dry, there will be an Easter Egg hunt after church. If not, no problem. SOME Sunday in Eastertide will be! If anyone would like to bring fruit or veggie trays or anything else for the coffee hour, please feel free to do so.     Friday in Easter Week Acts 4:1-12 (Just before these events, Peter and John had gone up to the temple at the hour of prayer, like good Jews often did. When they got near, they saw a man lame from birth. And Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And the man found himself well. This gave them a chance to preach to all who happened to see this miracle – and they took it! You can see what they had to say in Acts 3). While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is resurrection of the dead. So they arrested them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand. The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiphas, John and Alexander, and all who were of the high priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power, or by what name did you do this?” Then, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick, and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is the ‘stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Notice that nowhere does it say the lame man “believed”, or that he “accepted Jesus”, or that he even knew who Jesus was, or that he was was “saved” in the sense you so often hear it. So what, in this context, does “salvation” mean? What does it mean that they focus on this in their preaching: “In Jesus there is resurrection of the dead.”  |
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