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December 16, 2007 "Called to
Proclaim!" |
Join the St. Martin's Prime Timers A.B.F for Advent!
We meet in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209, right after the 9am Sunday Service, from 10:10 to 10:50am. As the Christmas Season of Advent begins we are following a program titled Responding to God's Call and will be reading from the Book of Luke.
The St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowships (ABF's) will meet on Sunday, December 16th, and we hope you will join us. For the three weeks following, December 23 and 30, and January 6, 2008 the ABF's are suspended for other wonderful events at St. Martin's. During that time this page will update the Bible reading and continue its quest for great art celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and the events surrounding his birth.
The St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowships (ABF's) are following a course of study based on the work of the Committee on the Uniform Series, also known as the International Lessons. Bible students around the world are using this same framework, and so can you!
Annunciation, by El Greco, 1595-1600, Oil on canvas, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary. The annunciation is a favorite theme of El Greco.
Annunciation, by Leonardo da Vinci, 1472-75, Tempera on wood, at the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.
Prime Timers Good News
We hear our members Good News to begin our class. It just takes a $1 donation to our Good News chicken, Henny Penny. Currently we are donating this money to the Amistad Mission in Bolivia, a Christian partnership between North Americans and Bolivians for the benefit of children in need.
Janet brought some wonderful news; her organization raised over $300,000 for the Pediatric Cancer Center. Lynn celebrates her son's birthday and the return of our peripatetic members Caroline and Skip Maryan. They are celebrating Christmas in Houston with their family after returning home from Korea. Speaking of Caroline, she gave thanks for the St. Martin's choir, who performed Gian-Carlo Menotti’s musical play Amahl & the Night Visitors on Saturday, December 8.
Called to Be a Vessel!
Donn Fullenweider is teaching the Prime Timers during December and today his lesson is about a story everyone knows, Luke 1:26-38, the Annunciation, where Mary gets the call from the angel Gabriel to be the mother of Jesus. To make the point that most everyone knows this story, Donn read from the Koran, where the story of Jesus birth is related!
At the time the coming of the Messiah was expected to be a great king, like King David, who would slay the enemies of Israel and establish a great kingdom. Instead we have the humble family of Mary and Joseph, giving birth in the town of Nazareth, a town never mentioned in the Old Testament, and a kingdom of the spirit. Nazareth is in Galilee, where many Gentiles live. Jesus is to be the savior of all mankind and not just the Jews.
When we entered the classroom this morning, Donn greeted us with music from Bach and photos of art from ancient masters depicting the Annunciation. We are fortunate that our faith produces such a wealth of artistic output. Some of these are on this page. It is interesting how often Mary is depicted in fabulous surroundings, or even on a throne. Donn told us of Collyridianism, a heresy in the fourth and fifth century that sought to deify the Virgin Mary. These people worshiped Mary, in direct violation of Exodus 20:2-5, "...You shall have no other gods before me."
Class member Bobbie reminded us that artists stretch reality, and she was speaking from experience! George allowed as how God knew the number of hairs on his head and marveled "what did I do to merit this?" Donn asked us if we had experiences where God touched our lives. Another member said that while God always answers prayers, sometimes its not what we want to hear.
Donn then concluded class with a short prayer.
Prime Timers Contact names and numbers
Mentor
Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org
Leaders
Anne Berry
832/251-8868 H
anne.berry@comcast.net
Max Kech
713/802-0690 H
maxkech2003@yahoo.com
Marty Smith
713/464-6737 H
martys47@comcast.net
Teachers
Richard Cruse
Donn Fullenweider
Pete Seale
Ben Welmaker
bhwjr@flash.net
Outreach (inviting and welcoming new members)
Anne Berry
832/251-8868 H
anne.berry@comcast.net
Elizabeth Sleeper
jsleeperjr@comcast.net
This weeks reading from Luke 1:26-38 is the Annunciation, Mary hearing the call from the angel Gabriel. Click on these pictures to see a larger version. Then click the "back" button to return here!
The Annunciation, by Francesco Albani, date unknown, Oil on copper, at The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Annunciation, by Fra Angelico, 1440-41, Fresco, at the Convento di San Marco, Florence, Italy.
Cestello Annunciation, by Sandro Botticelli, 1489-90, Tempera on panel, at the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy
The Annunciation, by Caravaggio, 1608-09, Oil on canvas, at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nancy, France.
The Lesson for Sunday, December 2nd is titled "Called to Proclaim!"
Key Verse: Luke 1:64
Focus of the Lesson: We often talk about experiences that change us. What difference do these transforming events make in how we live? At John's birth, Zechariah proclaimed the vision of God's future for his son John, who would prepare people for the coming of the Messiah.
The reading is Luke 1:67-80. This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)
Background Scripture: Luke 1:57-80
Zechariah's Song
67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy
Spirit and prophesied:
68"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed
his people.
69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70(as he said through his holy prophets of
long ago),
71salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75in holiness and righteousness before him all
our days.
76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of
the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare
the way for him,
77to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us
from heaven
79to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."
80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
NIV
Many thanks to the Web Gallery of Art for the photos of biblical art by the great masters.
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