All Saints Church Pasadena Joins Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath

On Sunday, March 17, All Saints Church in Pasadena will join religious congregations across the country for Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath, a proactive movement by people of faith to reflect, unite and act on the issue of gun violence.

“Today, 85 Americans will die because of firearms, because we have not found the political will and organization to put a stop to our idolatrous worship of the gun,” said All Saints’ rector Ed Bacon. “As people of faith we are called upon to be healers who know how to grieve and to mourn, but also know how to take effective prayerful, persistent, political action. We have a responsibility to work for better gun safety measures, including mandatory background checks, a ban on high capacity clips, and semi automatic weapons.”

Bacon will address gun violence in his sermon “A New Script of Grace” at the 7:30, 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. services. Between services an "Action Table" will provide the opportunity for church members and visitors to sign letters to California State Senators in support of several gun control bills that have been introduced in the Legislature – and members of the All Saints Gun Violence Prevention Task Force will also be available to answer questions about their work.

Also available will be "Save the date" information on upcoming events/actions in April and May along with resources for ongoing education and advocacy.

For more information on the All Saints event, contact Keith Holeman, All Saints Church Director of Communications, at or 626.583.2739.

For more information on National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath visit their website. 

HOLY WEEK and EASTER at ALL SAINTS CHURCH

Commit yourself to walk with Jesus this week. The services of Holy Week commemorate Jesus’ descent into death before the great miracle of Easter. The crowds’ cheers at Jesus’ triumphal parade into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday turn to jeers and the demand for his blood on Good Friday. If you allow yourself to descend to the depths of despair in what seem to be Jesus’ final hours, you will experience in new ways the incomparable power of the resurrection of Easter. Daily Eucharist traces the journey, building through Maundy Thursday and Good Friday to the triumph of Easter.

PALM SUNDAY, March 24

Begin your Holy Week with the waving of palms during the grand procession followed by a dramatic retelling of the Gospel.

• 7:30 a.m. Eucharist is held in the Chapel; at 9 & 11:15 a.m. Coventry Choir offer music of Casals and Bach; Ed Bacon preaches.
• 9 a.m. Childrens' Choirs offer music followed by a special Family Eucharist upstairs in the Learning Center.
• 11:15 a.m. Youth Choir members join Coventry Choir to sing Hosanna by Gregor.
• 1 p.m. Spanish Language liturgy, Dan Cole leads music; Ed Bacon preaches.

HOLY WEEK DAILY EUCHARISTS:

• Monday March 25 - Wednesday, March 27 | 7:00 a.m., 12:10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, March 28 --Eucharist: 7:00 a.m. and 12:10 p.m.

MAUNDY THURSDAY, March 28

At 7:30 p.m. in the Church a beautiful evening service recalls the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples. The congregation is invited to participate in the washing of the feet, symbolic of the servant ministry Jesus instituted with the disciples. The Trouvères offer music. This is a Spanish/English liturgy. All are welcome. Parking is available at Plaza Las Fuentes.

GOOD FRIDAY, March 29

Good Friday Three-Hour Service: Noon to 3 p.m. (Church). This service commemorating the passion and death of Jesus is a major moment in Holy Week. The rector and members of the clergy staff offer five meditations on the meaning of the crucifixion in our own time. Canterbury and Coventry choirs offer spirituals and music of Connor, Greene, Hairston,Howells, Barber, Deering, Bach, Casals and Hogan. Parking is available at Plaza Las Fuentes. Signs and parking attendants will direct you.

Tenebrae (God in the Darkness): 7:30 p.m. (Church). This ancient candlelight service commemorates the somber in-between-time of waiting, offering an opportunity to grieve Jesus’ death and sense a glimmer of hope of the resurrection. Coventry Choir Renaissance Singers offer music. Susan Russell offers the meditation. Parking is available at Plaza Las Fuentes.

HOLY SATURDAY, March 30

Children’s Easter Vigil: 4 p.m. (Church). Celebrate the conclusion of Holy Week and beginning of Easter with children leading this service through reading and music with infant and child baptisms. Mastersingers and Troubadours offer music. Bring a bell to ring at the Easter proclamation!

The Great Vigil of Easter: The service begins at 7:30 p.m. in the street with the kindling of the fire and lighting of the Paschal candle, then proceeds into the Church to experience the stories of our faith and to baptize adults by candlelight. You’re invited to bring bells to ring during the Gloria. Parking is available in the Plaza Las Fuentes.

EASTER SUNDAY, March 31

Festive Eucharist: 7:00, 9:00 and 11:15 a.m.; 1:00 p.m. Spanish-language Eucharist
The rector preaches in the midst of a blaze of candles, lilies and trumpets.

At 7:00, 9:00; 11:15 a.m. Coventry and Canterbury choirs and Trouvères, brass and percussion ensemble, and soloists offering music of Gabrieli, Hancock, Curry, Brahms and Marshall;
At 1 p.m. Dan Cole leads music. Normal Sunday parking is available in Kaiser and Plaza Las Fuentes. (Remember, the Plaza is free only until 1 p.m.)

Child care: Child care is available for 7:30 p.m. weekday Eucharists, Maundy Thursday evening, Good Friday noon and evening, the Children’s Vigil, the Great Vigil, and all services on Easter Sunday.

The Power and Healing of the Flower: Many members of our faith community are unable to attend our Easter services – and what a joyous way to share the good news of the resurrection through having them receive a flower from the Easter service. Please let us know if you are available to carry an Easter flower to those members of our community who are unable to be with us. We will have a table available on the lawn for distribution following the 9:00 am, 11:15 am and 1:00pm services. Please call 626-583-2737 or email acamacho@allsaints-pas.org to indicate your preference.

For more information on any of the above, visit the All Saints website or contact Liturgy Director Melissa Hayes

A Vision for Peace & Justice in the Middle East

We are delighted to welcome

Israeli President of Rabbis for Human Rights,

Arik Ascherman

to the All Saints’ Rector's Forum

on Sunday, March 3, at 10:15 a.m.

 

Head of Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel, Rabbi Arik Ascherman has given his life to making a just peace between Israel and Palestine a reality. Born in Pennsylvania and educated at Harvard, Ascherman emigrated to Israel in 1994. His passion for peace with justice comes from the rabbinical concept tikkun olam, “repairing the world.”

Join us for an exceptional opportunity for a window into the current state of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

For more information call 626.796.1172 or visit the All Saints website

 

Lenten words of wisdom from Bishop Steven Charleston

"We are the children of God. All of us. No exceptions. No orphans. Every human being is a child of God. Every one of us. God called you into life when you took your first breath. God has watched over your life every year that you have lived. And God will hold your life in safe keeping even after you lay it down and walk from this world to the next. There is no space outside the circle of God's care. We are all the beloved of the household of God. No exceptions. No orphans. We are the children of God. We are what love becomes when love is given life."
                                                                                                                         Bishop Steven Charleston

Marcus Borg Returns to All Saints Church: March 17 & 18

"RECLAIMING THE CHRISTIANITY OF JESUS" with Marcus Borg

We are delighted to welcome noted theologian and gifted teacher Marcus Borg as the keynote speaker for All Saints’ LENT EVENT 2013.

Internationally known in both academic and church circles as a leading biblical and Jesus scholar, Dr. Borg has been in the forefront of the movement calling the church to reclaim the Christianity of Jesus by putting its faith in action in the world.

Calendar for the entire Lent Event weekend:

Sunday, March 17: Marcus Borg in the Rector’s Forum at 10:15 a.m.
“Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time”

Taize Contemplative Worship,
4:30 p.m. in the Forum

Marcus Borg’s presentation:
“The Passion of Jesus: The Way and the Kingdom,” 6:00 p.m.

Monday, March 18: Marcus Borg’s presentation:
“The Passion of Jesus: Holy Week, Good Friday, and Easter,” 7:00 p.m.

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 $20 for any and all of the weekend, payable online or at the table on the lawn on Sundays

For more information and to register visit the All Saints website
or call Norma Sigmund at 626.583.2734

Lent One: Reflections on "The Imperial Temptation" by Marcus Borg

LENT I — February 17  
Luke 4:1-13

 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Jesus ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Chosen One, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led Jesus up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only God.’” Then the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying, “If you are the Chosen One, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘God will command angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Having finished every test, the devil departed from him until an opportune time.

 

Reflection from Marcus Borg* on The Third Temptation

The third temptation. “You can have all the kingdoms of the Earth if you will fall down and worship me,” the devil says to Jesus. “You can have all the kingdoms of the Earth.” 

On a personal level, I suppose this is the temptation to power; perhaps even to wealth; to standing out, if you will.  But it's also the imperial temptation--the temptation to rule the world.

This is the temptation that we as a nation face in our time, for we are the imperial power of our time.  Ever since the end of the Cold War, we are the world's only superpower, and that power is made up of two elements: military power and economic power.  Those are the two classical marks of empire.

Empire is not simply about geographical expansion.  Empire is possessing military and economic power to such a degree that you can shape the world in your own interest.  We, the United States, are the imperial power of our time, and how we use that matters greatly. 

It's very important to realize that in the First Century, the phrase “Kingdom of God” was a political metaphor, and it was also a religious metaphor. Jesus could have talked about the community of God or the family of God, but he talks about the Kingdom of God.

 He lived in a world in which there were other kingdoms.  When he spoke about the Kingdom of God, his hearers would have thought to themselves, “Well, we know about the kingdom of Herod, and we know about the kingdom of Caesar. Here is this fellow talking about the Kingdom of God. That must be something different.”

The imperial temptation is the temptation that we now face as a country.  It is a test of loyalty that faces us as Christians.  I don't mean that Christians can come out on only one side of an issue.  But I do mean that Christian reflection needs to take seriously the Biblical suspicion of empire and Christian teaching about war and peace.

We need to be as thoughtful, responsible, and creative as possible in the use of our imperial power … for imperial power can be used in two very different ways.  We can use it to control the world in our own self-interest – to structure the system so that it serves us to impose our will on the world.  Or imperial power can be used to build up.  We can use it with the world's well-being in mind, rather than with primarily our own well-being in mind.

Lent is a season in which we are reminded of the temptations that face us, not just in this hour, but more comprehensively across our lives – a season of repentance in which we need to be discerning about the temptations of our lives.  In this season, we are called to repent, which means to return to God – to reconnect with the one from whom we came and in whom we live and move and have our being.  It means to go beyond the mind that we have as we learn once again and learn more deeply: that we do not live by bread alone, that we should not put God to the test, that we are to worship and serve God alone, that God alone is our Lord. Amen.

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* We are delighted to welcome noted theologian and gifted teacher Marcus Borg as the keynote speaker for All Saints’ LENT EVENT 2013. Internationally known in both academic and church circles as a leading biblical and Jesus scholar, Dr. Borg has been in the forefront of the movement calling the church to reclaim the Christianity of Jesus by putting its faith in action in the world. For more information or to register for the Lent Event click here.

Lent One and the Temptation of Scriptural Literalism

by Susan Russell

Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread."

Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."

Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until a more opportune time.

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I can’t even begin to estimate how many times I’ve heard and/or preached this Gospel According to Luke appointed for the First Sunday in Lent … and yet this year I had one of those “heard it again for the first time” experiences with it.

And what I heard – for the first time – is that the third temptation … the one that sends the devil off to wait for “a more opportune time” … is arguably the Temptation of Scriptural Literalism.

Seriously. Check out the passage above.

In the first two challenges, Jesus responds with quotes from Scripture: “One does not live by bread alone” and “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him” – and the devil is stumped.

It is in the third one that the pattern changes.

This time it is the devil who leads with Scripture – trying to tempt Jesus to jump off the temple with: “For it is written 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you” and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”

And while Luke records Jesus’ answer as “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” what I also heard his year was “Dude! You’re not supposed to take this stuff literally! These Scriptural texts are powerful metaphorical language for the love of God that so palpably surrounds us that even in times of trial, challenge and danger we can dare to risk all for the Good News of God’s love, justice and compassion, knowing that nothing can separate us from that love and from its source. This isn’t about jumping off a roof, for Pete's Sake – it’s about changing the world! Now get out of here – I’ve got work to do.”

And there it is. After decades of reading, marking, learning and inwardly digesting this Gospel According to Luke, on this First Sunday in Lent 2013 I was struck with the divine irony that when the devil had run out of other temptations, he turned to Scriptural Literalism in his last ditch effort to keep Jesus from his appointed rounds as the rabble rousing rabbi from Nazareth.

I am confronted with how that pattern has continued in the church over the last two thousand years as it has succumbed over and over again to the temptation to confuse the Living Word of God with the Literal Words of God and has let the devil tempt it into using the Scriptures as weapons to defend the Institutional Church rather than as tools to build the Kingdom of God.

And I am convinced that we can do better than that. Just as Jesus refused to let the devil tempt him with Scriptural Literalism in the 1^st century wilderness, we must resist the same temptation in the 21^st – because it makes no more sense now than it did then to take the Living Word of God and misuse it as the Literal Words of God. Jesus knew that – and when he called the devil on it, the devil had no option but to “retire until a more opportune time.”

May God give us the grace – and the wisdom and courage – to go and do likewise. Because God knows we've got work to do!