S
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Volume 47 No. 6
February 12, 2017
And with Thy Spirit
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The substitute priest, so the story goes, was leading the service in an unfamiliar church.
The microphone didn’t seem to be working right, so he paused, looked down toward
the contraption and asked, "Is this thing on?"
Hearing no response, he fiddled with the buttons, finally shouting, "Something is wrong
with this mic!" In unison, the congregation replies: "And also with you!"
The joke, of course, is based on a truism that regular Sunday worshippers will know
well. If the priest turns to say something to you and you’re not quite sure how to answer, the right response is usually “and also with you”--or maybe, at Saint Francis, “and
with thy spirit.”
After about a year and half of switching between Rites One and Two during your
interim period at the principal Sunday service, you could be excused for not knowing
exactly how to answer. For this season of our life, though, we have settled into praying
together in what has been, for you, the most familiar way. Using the traditional
language of Anglican worship, you now always answer me “and with thy spirit.” A few
of you have remarked on this, asking me why “thy spirit.”
The traditional phrase means the corny joke doesn’t work so well any more. But like so
many features of the liturgy, it also reveals to us some deeper truths of our faith that
are easily lost in the more pedestrian response.
continued on p. 2
Spirit...continued from p. 1
JOY AND CONCERN
Both parts of the response come directly from
the Scriptures, like so many other phrases in
our liturgy. Boaz uses the phrase “The Lord
be with you” to greet the reapers gathered to
harvest his field in Ruth 2:4. The context
suggests that it is a common greeting, not
uncommon in Christian cultures—think of
“Goodbye,” which was once “God be with you.”
Boaz is a pious and dutiful man, but not a
religious official. The setting is domestic, not
liturgical. The reapers respond to Boaz with
“the Lord bless thee.”
Please pray for Otha Shriver (95-year old aunt
of Nancy Cressy), who has died.
Pray for the comfort and healing of Sarah
Bennejma and Jean Rowe, Max Corwell
(grandfather of Fr. Mark), Beth Hunter and
family, Sue Tull and family, Angus Lamond, dear
friend of Chrissie Martin, Joan Maroulis, Pat
Oleson (sister-in-law of Fan Oleson), and
Barbara D. Brown.
Thee and thy are the second person singular
pronouns in traditional English. As in many
other European languages, they were
generally used between people who were
significantly familiar with each other, family
members or close friends. The fact that the
reapers respond to Boaz in the “thee” form
shows that he is not a proud and distant
master, but someone who takes a concern in
their lives, who knows them as friends.
God, throughout Scripture, is generally
addressed in the second person singular form.
We take this for granted, but really it is a
surprising sign of God’s nearness and
accessibility to His own people. It may sound
formal and distant when you answer me in
the thee form, but it technically means exactly
the opposite. I am not your master in the
faith, but one called to be to you as a father
and a friend. The thee form points to the fact
that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ,
children of one heavenly Father.
The reapers’ response to Boaz, curiously, did
not catch on in Christian liturgy. Instead, from
our earliest complete Christian liturgy, the
Apostolic Tradition, which dates from the
third century, Christians have paired Boaz’
greeting with another phrase, also Scriptural,
“and with thy spirit.” The phrase is consistent
in all the ancient liturgical languages: Greek,
Armenian, Slavonic, Arabic, and Latin, from
which it was translated literally into modern
liturgical use in languages like German,
Spanish and English.
This phrase “and with thy spirit” does not
appear to have been common in any of the
languages spoken in the ancient world. It
may have originated with Saint Paul, who
closes three of his Epistles with the phrase
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
your spirit, [brethren].” (Gal 6:18; Phil 4:23;
Philemon 25). He also bids his beloved
spiritual son Timothy, “the Lord be with thy
Spirit.” (II Tim. 4:2)
At first glance, we could assume that the
“spirit” Saint Paul had in mind was the
human spirit, as he commonly speaks of people as being body, soul and spirit, and the
one Holy Spirit can never be the possession
of a single individual. The more modern
liturgical greeting “and also with you” seems
to make that assumption, essentially leaving
our response to one another in the liturgy as
a slightly pious way of saying hello (perhaps
with a distant reminder that the Lord has
brought us together).
But it’s more likely that Saint Paul is actually
speaking here of the Holy Spirit, who dwells
in each member of the Church, binding us
together into one. In Romans 8:15-16 he
describes the Spirit as the source of new life
for each of us, and also the One who enables
us to address God the Father. “For you did
continued on p. 3
Spirit ...continued from p. 2
not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back
into fear, but you have received the spirit of
sonship. When we cry “Abba! Father!” it is
the Spirit himself bearing witness with our
spirit that we are children of God.” Similarly,
in I Corinthians 12:13, he describes the Holy
Spirit as the One who unites all believers and
enables their participation in God through
the sacramental life: “For by one Spirit are
we all baptized into one body, whether we be
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or
free; and have been all made to drink into
one Spirit.”
To invoke the Name of the Holy Spirit each
time we address each other in our common
prayers is to remind ourselves that we can
only pray to God through the Spirit’s
presence and activity. The Holy Spirit also
binds us together in love, making us one
united
body.
Anthony
Sparrow,
a
seventeenth century Anglican bishop,
expressed the latter emphasis elegantly in
his book, entitled A Rationale Upon the Book
of Common Prayer of the Church of England
when he wrote:
“Such mutual Salutations and Prayers as this
and those that follow, where Priest and
people interchangeably pray for each other,
are excellent expressions of the Communion of
Saints. Both acknowledging thus, that they
are all one body, and each one members one of
another, mutually caring for one another’s
good, and mutually praying for one another,
which must needs be, if well considered, and
duly performed, excellent Incentives and
provocations to Charity and love of one
another; and if these solemn mutual
salutations were religiously performed, it
were almost impossible that Priest and people
should be at enmity.”
Yet there is also a distinction in the greetings.
Our current prayer book is more ambivalent
about this, as it uses the greeting at the Daily
Office, which lay people may lead. But
traditionally, the greeting and response has
been reserved for the clergy. Most of the
earliest commentaries on the phrase “and
with thy spirit” refer specifically to the
outpouring of the Spirit received at
ordination, the special grace to pray on
behalf of God’s people, offering the spiritual
sacrifice in their midst.
Saint John Chrysostom, in a Pentecost
Homily, describes this in the context of the
Eucharistic practice in the church of his time,
which remains our own. “For this reason, not
only when [the priest] goes up into the
sanctuary and when he addresses you and
when he prays for you do you shout this
answer, but when he stands at the sacred
table and when he begins to offer the
awe-inspiring sacrifice – the initiates will
understand what I say – he does not touch
the offerings before he himself has begged
for you the grace of the Lord and you cry in
answer to him: ‘And with thy spirit.’ By this
reply you are also reminded that he who is
there does nothing, and that the right
offering of the gifts is not a work of human
nature, but that the mystic sacrifice is
brought about by the grace of the Holy Spirit
and his hovering over all. For he who is there
is a man, it is God who works though him. Do
not attend to the nature of the one you see,
but understand the grace which is invisible.
Nothing human takes place in this sacred
sanctuary. If the Spirit was not present there
would be no Church assisting, but if the
Church stands round it is clear that the Spirit
is present.”
“Nothing human takes place in this sacred
sanctuary.” That’s ultimately why we say
“and with thy Spirit,” because our common
worship on Sundays is a glorious and
transformative mystery, enabled by God’s
grace.
In Christ
Fr. Mark
AN INSTRUCTED EUCHARIST
For the next two Sundays, February 12 and
19, we will be offering an Instructed
Eucharist at both Sunday morning services.
The way we worship is beautiful and rich,
soaked in Biblical wisdom and seasoned by
centuries of devotion by the faithful. We say
the same words week by week because
through them God’s truth and power takes
root in our hearts. But we can also grow too
familiar with the words and gestures we use,
failing to consider their meaning, missing
their potential to spur us to deeper prayer.
An Instructed Eucharist explains a few of the
most important features of each part of the
service. Instead of a single sermon delivered
by the priest, Father Mark has prepared four
short addresses each week, which will be
read by the lay readers immediately before
the words and actions that they describe. On
February 12, we will focus on the Liturgy of
the Word, the service up to the Offertory. On
February 19, we will turn to the Holy
Communion, the service’s second half.
Norma Young, in her former capacity as the
manager of the vestry’s worship portfolio,
suggested the idea to me shortly after my
arrival. I’ve offered instructed Eucharists
several times before, and the participants
told me that they learned a great deal, and
that their use of the Eucharist as a form of
personal prayer was deepened.
You might consider inviting a friend to join
you these weeks. We sometimes worry that
our service is difficult for visitors to understand—but it might help to come for the first
time when it is being explained to you. If you
have particular questions you’d like me to
cover, feel free to let me know. Sometimes
the answers are more complex (like why we
say “and with thy spirit”), but chances are
you aren’t the only one who has wondered
about a certain phrase or action. It can
certainly be a great gift to learn together.
LIGHT IN MIDWINTER
Join us this Sunday,
February 12, at 5pm for
“Light in Midwinter,” a special
presentation by David
Tozer about the vision
behind the architectural
design and enhanced lighting system in our newly
renovated sanctuary. David designed and supervised our recent renovations, drawing on his experience designing
lighting systems for historic homes and
churches on both sides of the Atlantic. Aided by
a series of stunning photographs taken by our
own John Troha, David will point out some of
the distinctive features of the new space.
Father Mark also will offer some opening reflections about the significance of light in Christian
theories of church architecture, and the
presentation will close with music and
devotions. A reception will follow in Saint
Francis Hall.
David is a fascinating speaker, and his work in
our church builds on a long career of expressing his faith in architectural design. Consider
inviting friends who are interested in architecture and history, and bring your questions.
Please R.S.V.P. to the church office or via
returned Communication Card by Friday,
February 10 if you plan to attend.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE A NEW CHASUBLE?
ST. FRANCIS NEEDS YOU!
Father Mark and Nancy Mion met recently
with Trevor Floyd, a craftsman who designs
and produces vestments for the church’s
worship. We worked with Trevor to design
the beautiful blue vestments used during
Advent. We are in the process of completing
earlier plans to have a chasuble made in each
liturgical color to match our beautiful Altar
hangings, and that allow us to use existing
stoles, when possible.
Did you know that Yelp now includes
churches? It’s true; just type “churches” into
Yelp and see what happens. But currently
we only have one review, and this is where
we need your help. Yelp, ChurchFinder.com,
Google, and Facebook all need positive
reviews and ratings. Please consider writing
about what appeals most to you about St.
Francis; it would be great to have other
viewpoints opining about all the facets of
Potomac Parish: the beautiful services, the
Evensongs and other special events, our
community outreach activities, our men’s
and women’s fellowship groups, the
Savvy Seniors, Bible study groups, Morning
and Evening prayer, the Youth Group, our
Sunday School, the Choir, our Altar Guild, the
Petal Pushers and Flower Guild, and options
to attend services with only the spoken word
or with music.
Father Mark’s arrival and the renovation of
the nave, make us ideally positioned to
increase our visibility in the community. The
good news is not many other parishes
around us have many reviews yet, so now is
our time to start. Here, for an example, is my
5-star review on Yelp: "Located in downtown
Potomac, this lovely church features inspirational liturgies, melodic choir music, and a
friendly congregation. This Episcopal parish
recently installed its sixth rector, Father Mark
Michael. The nave has just finished a 3-year
renovation, and looks beautiful. Many ministries are part of parish life, including a youth
group, a Sunday school, men's and women's
fellowship groups, and an active outreach committee. Stop by and take a peek. Communication cards are available just inside the door to
receive more information."
During his visit, Mr. Floyd was able to take
photographs of our existing hangings, and he
certified that all the fabrics used in them are
still in circulation, and that he can design
chasubles for us in violet and green, to be
used during Lent and Ordinary Time (the
seasons after Epiphany and Trinity). We are
grateful to Saint James School for the loan of
their extra green chasuble for our use this
Epiphany season.
The chasuble is an ancient vestment, and was
originally a kind of poncho worn over other
clothes when travelling. The name is derived
from the Latin casula, which means “little
house.” The traditional prayer used by the
priest when vesting speaks of the chasuble as
a symbol of the yoke of Christ, the discipline
and calling a priest assumes in his or her
service of God and His people.
The
broadness of the vestment, and the way it
covers the priest’s other clothes, is sometimes analogized to the love which should
crown all a priest’s work.
We haven’t yet received plans for the
chasubles (and for the stole that must be
made to match the violet one), but Mr. Floyd
estimates that each will cost between $2000
and $2500. If you are interested in giving
one of the chasubles to Saint Francis as an
offering in memory of a loved one or in
thanksgiving for a special blessing, please
contact Nancy or Father Mark.
Fr. Mark
If you desire, I would be more than happy to
host a meeting where we use our various
mobile devices to begin writing our reviews.
Just contact me at [email protected], or
call me at (240) 441-9288. Thank you in
advance for your contributions.
Chris Rigaux, Chair, Membership Working Group
SAVVY SENIORS
Michael Cronin
The February meeting of the Savvy Seniors is
on Thursday, February 16 at 12:00 pm in St.
Francis Hall. Please be sure to bring your
sandwich or your salad; beverages along with
sweet treats and an assortment of chips will be
provided.
Our speaker for the luncheon will be retired
U.S. Navy Captain and former Prisoner of War
(P.O.W.) Michael Cronin. Captain Cronin is a
graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at
Annapolis, Class of 1963. During the Vietnam
War he was shot down on January 13, 1967,
and was interned as a POW until his release on
March 4, 1973. Captain Cronin’s story is a story
of ‘courage and faith.’ All are encouraged to
come out to hear his remarkable story.
Please R.S.V.P. to the parish office no later than
Tuesday, February 14.
Please contact Lynne Astrich or Don Harrison if
you have any questions.
Lynne Astrich
DELEGATES REAFFIRM CHURCH’S
COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL JUSTICE
At the 122nd Annual Diocesan Convention held
January 28, 2017, at the National Cathedral,
Clergy and Lay Delegates overwhelmingly
passed a resolution to “reaffirm the Church’s
commitment to social justice in a divisive
political climate.” Authored by Delegate Kate
Rebholz, (Christ Church, Washington Parish),
the resolution read in part "consistent with
our Baptismal Covenant to 'strive for
justice and peace and respect the dignity of
every human being,' we recommit
ourselves and our congregations to fight
discrimination in all of its forms, including
racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, and
sexism.” The only other resolution that
passed commemorated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, dating from
October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther
posted his 95 theses on indulgences.
In other news, 10 parishes were recognized
for full compliance with the Bishop’s call for
congregations to give 10 percent [of their
total revenues] to EDOW; another 38
parishes (out of a total of 88) were
recognized for having increased their
pledge amount in 2016. Along with several
other parishes, St. Francis was recognized
for increasing its 2017 pledge amount.
Bishop Budde has called for all parishes to
donate 10 percent of total revenues in
support of EDOW. With the increase this
year, St. Francis will be donating 3.6% of
our total revenues.
It is worth noting that although congregations contributed $2,698,734 to EDOW in
2016, the diocese returned $2,433,297 to
the congregations through direct congregational
investment and ministries. In
addition, $160,000 was awarded in direct
grants to fund new congregational or
regional activities. Our region, the Central
Montgomery County Region, received such
a grant to support a region-wide youth
ministry initiative. A complete report of the
convention can be found on https://
www.edow.org/about/diocesangovernance/convention/. St. Francis was
represented by Fr. Mark, Senior Warden
Dexter Ewel, and Diocesan Delegate Chris
Rigaux.
Chris Rigaux
ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Join us this Sunday, February 12, when our topic will be Strengthening the Weak. Next Sunday,
February 19, our topic will be Stewarding the Treasures.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR—YOUTH GROUP NEWS
Would you be willing to prepare dinner (casseroles are great; spaghetti or chili, too!) for the Youth
Group for one of their Thursday evening meetings? If you answered yes, please see the sign-up
sheet posted on the Youth Group bulletin board by Director of Student Ministries, the Rev. Tony
Carr. Pastor Tony would like to enlist the help of volunteers, beginning in February and continuing through May, who are willing to contribute a meal for the youth each Thursday. Youth Group
meetings are held at Glenolden House from 6-8 pm. Preparations should be made to accommodate 12.
The Youth Group also wants to remind you to Mark Your Calendar
for the annual St. Francis Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, February 28th from 6-8 pm in St. Francis Hall. Funds raised
from this activity are used to help underwrite the Youth Group’s
annual mission trip, so we hope to have a great turnout for this
event. We will be serving Pancakes (of course), along with bacon,
sausage, applesauce and other delectable dishes. The cost is $7 a
person, or $21 for a family. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Student Ministries Tony Carr at
[email protected] or [email protected]
Pastor Tony Carr
SEEING DEEPER: SPACE, LIGHT AND SOUND—AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL
Monday, February 13 | 7:00pm
Marvel at a vast, open space unlike anything in Washington. Special lighting highlights the
gothic architecture and sounds of soothing music invite you to nurture your soul and “see
deeper.” Wander, sit, lie down, or walk the labyrinth. Find your place in this special place.
Special thanks to Atmosphere Lighting for this night’s special lighting, and harpist and Native
American flute player Karen Rugg for the meditative music. This event is free and open to the
public.
SOUNDS
St. Francis Episcopal Church
10033 River Road
Potomac, MD 20854-4902
www.stfrancispotomac.org
If you would like to receive SOUNDS by
email, please contact the church office at
(301-365-2055) to provide your email
address.
Coming Up at Saint Francis Episcopal Church
www.stfrancispotomac.org
Sunday, February 12
8:00 am Holy Eucharist—Church
9:15 am Holy Eucharist—Church
10:30 am
Fellowship
Sunday School for Children & Youth
Adult Christian Education—SFH
5:00 pm Light in Midwinter Service—C
Reception—SFH
Monday, February 13
Parish Office Closed
Tuesday, February 14
7:30 am Morning Prayer—Chapel
5:00 pm Evening Prayer—Chapel
Wednesday, February 15
10:00 am Holy Eucharist
11:00 am Bible Study—KL
Thursday, February 16
7:00 am Men’s Bible Study—KL
12:00 pm Savvy Seniors Luncheon—SFH
5:00 pm Evening Prayer—Chapel
6:00 pm Youth Bible Study
Friday, February 17
7:30 am Morning Prayer—Chapel
5:00 pm Evening Prayer—Chapel
Sunday, February 19
8:00 am Holy Eucharist—Church
9:15 am Morning Prayer—Church
10:30 am
Fellowship
Sunday School for Children & Youth
Adult Christian Education—SFH
The Scripture appointed for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany is
Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37