Today’s services at St Nicholas with the Holy Innocents were different and yet the same; the music chosen for each service expressed the longing to come together to do God’s work in the world. People of many faiths can come together to work for peace and justice, and to heal one another even if there is struggle, strife, or sacrifice.

Above: “10 Modern Martyrs” from the West Door of Westminster Abbey. Dr Martin Luther King is near the center, and also with him are Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. All were killed before their time, cutting short the work they had done for equality, peace, justice, and freedom of thought and belief. There are several African and Asian martyrs who died for their faith as well.

In the early service, we ended with “In Christ there is no East or West.” The metaphors attached to both “east/west” and “north/south” pairs are still relevant today, and in the opening song in the late service, we carried on with the theme of the four cardinal directions, and the wholeness and sacredness of the Earth based on North American Indian belief.

Song From The Center

From the corners of creation to the center where we stand,

Let all things be blessed and holy, all is fashioned by your hand;

Brother wind and sister water, mother earth and father sky,

Sacred plants and sacred creatures, sacred people of the land.

Another song we sang at the second service, “We Are Many Parts,” enlarged on this theme, and included some spirited tambourine accompaniment. The chorus went:

We are many parts, we are all one body;

and the gifts we have we are given to share.

May the Spirit of love make us one indeed;

one, the love that we share, one, our hope in despair

one, the cross that we bear

“Service to the poor and lowly is not optional…it is a requirement for the follower of Christ.”
— Gerard Thomas Straub

Bishops’ committee focuses on structure

When the Bishop’s Committee met this past Sunday, much of the talk was about the need to standardize some of our practices and focus on developing structures that will serve us better and facilitate our growth.

Much of this began with the observation that our collection of the offering is often haphazard, and sometimes people who wish to put money in the basket, do not ever have the basket come their way. Starting today, expect this to be more formal.

That discussion then served as a springboard to additional discussions about how we welcome and incorporate people, how we prepare coffee hour, and more.

There also was some vigorous discussion about whether we are well served by having two liturgies or whether it would be better to have one. This led to a recognition that there is a yearning in the congregation to be one congregation. We talked about how we could accomplish this in a variety of ways, noting that during the summer we will have a single liturgy, but that the wonderful start with adult education offered another, and some social events will offer still another.

We agreed, though perhaps not unanimously, that staying with two liturgies during much of the year was an important tool for growth.

Choir note

Mary reminds choir members – and any who would like to join the choir – that the first rehearsal will be on February 11 at 8:15 a.m. sharp. During the week, rehearsals will be on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m., beginning on the 14th, with a time adjustment during the season of Lent.

Rides to church needed

Help needed to transport a family of 4 from Hoffman Estates to St. Nicholas with the Holy Innocents. The Bollyn family – two adults, two children — does not have a car and will need a ride to get to the new building. They live just a couple of blocks from the Holy Innocents building. Let me know by email ASAP if you can help — onebreadonebody@sbcglobal.net.

Additionally, two women who live near Alexian Brothers Hospital need rides to church on Sunday. Pam lives at Alexian Village Assisted Living, and Dorcas lives in a condo down the street. Frank and Suzie Pleticha have generously offered to give them a ride, but would like to alternate with some others so that they can attend adult ed on Sundays. If you can help out, please let Mary Anne O’Rourke or Frank and Suzie know.

Visit to Buddhist Temple on February 3rd

A discussion during a recent Team Awesome teen education class revealed a desire by many to learn more about Buddhism and, in particular, to visit a Buddhist temple. On Saturday, February 3rd at 11 a.m., St. Nicholas with the Holy Innocents will be visiting the Shinnyo-en Japanese Buddhist Temple in Elk Grove Village for a service to celebrate the coming of spring. We will be throwing beans around the temple, but you’ll have to come to find out why! The service at will be followed by a tour of the temple, during
which visitors are invited to ask questions. The temple is located at 120 E. Devon Avenue in Elk Grove. As everyone is coming from different directions, we will just meet at the temple. For more information on Shinnyo-en Buddhism, and the religion in general, you are encouraged to visit http://www.shinnyo-en.org.

Anyone wishing to attend should contact Ethan Jewett at jewett_ethan@yahoo.com, so that he can give the temple a final count of participants. Adults and children, as well as teens, are more than welcome to attend.

Annual meeting to be in April

Rather than try to hold an annual meeting of our newly combined congregation at the typical time in late January or early February, we will hold this year’s annual meeting after Easter.

Bring one or more food items each Sunday

Our food pantry will benefit greatly if we all remember to do this each Sunday. Place it on or beneath the table just inside the worship space.

Regular schedule now underway

• Worship at 9 – the more formal liturgy
• 10 Education hour for children, youth, and adults
• Worship at 11 – the more informal liturgy

Given the tightness of this schedule, we are going to try very hard to start everything on time. You can help make this possible by arriving a few minutes early. Thanks.

Make yourself a name tag whenever you worship

It will help us get to know one another faster, and it’s a great way to make guests feel welcome.

Adult education at 10

This week, as part of our series on Growing Our New Church, we’ll be looking at formation. Children and youth who would like to share ideas are welcome to attend this session in lieu of their regular church school programs.

One bread, one body

Thanks to Denise and Anna for doing some great organizing in the sacristy, to David T. for his devotion to getting the building into shape, and to all of you who do so much to make this congregation work.

— Steve

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Psalm 71:1-6

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Luke 4:21-30

The Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Old Testament

Jeremiah 1:4-10

The word of the LORD came to me saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the LORD said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;

for you shall go to all to whom I send you,

and you shall speak whatever I command you,

Do not be
afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the LORD.”

Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me,

“Now I have put my words in your mouth.

See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to pull down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.”

The Psalm

Psalm 71:1-6 Page 683, BCP

In te, Domine, speravi

 

1

In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; *
let me never be ashamed.

 

 

2

In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; *
incline your ear to me and save me.

 

 

3

Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *
you are my crag and my stronghold.

 

 

4

Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *
from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.

 

 

5

For you are my hope, O Lord GOD, *
my confidence since I was young.

 

 

6

I have been sustained by you ever since I was born;
from my mother’s womb you have been my strength; *
my praise shall be always of you.

 

 

The Epistle

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete
comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

The Gospel

Luke 4:21-30

In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus read from the book of the prophet Isaiah, and began to say, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'” And he said, “Truly I
tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They
got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.