The Passover Celebration

Reflections onThe Season

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS

Walking in the Steps of Abraham

ShieldThe

ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH • LENT/EASTER/PENTECOST 2015

Receiving • Living • Sharing THE ABUNDANT LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST

ST. GEORGE’S CLERGY

The Rev. R. Leigh Spruill Rector

leigh.spruill@stgeorgesnashville.org

The Rev. Chris BowhaySenior Associate Rector

chris.bowhay@stgeorgesnashville.org

The Rev. Samuel AdamsAssociate Rector

samuel.adams@stgeorgesnashville.org

The Rev. Dr. Kristine BlaessAssociate Rector

kristine.blaess@stgeorgesnashville.org

The Rev. Michael BlaessAssociate Rector

michael.blaess@stgeorgesnashville.org

The Rev. Malone GilliamAssociate Rector

malone.gilliam@stgeorgesnashville.org

The Rev. Sarah PuryearPriest Associate

sarah.puryear@stgeorgesnashville.org

The Rev. Roger SenechalPriest Associate

roger.senechal@stgeorgesnashville.org

The Rev. Timus TaylorPriest Associate

www.stgeorgesnashville.org615.385.2150

info@stgeorgesnashville.org

he theme of this issue of The Shield is “Following in the Footsteps.” While there are many directions in which one could go with this focus, my desire in this introduction is to invite consideration of how we follow in the footsteps of Jesus through our participation in an historic church that embodies an inherited annual liturgical pattern. How might we appreciate anew our worshiping together through Lent, Holy Week, and Easter as a spiritual pilgrimage into the mysteries of the cross and resurrection of Jesus, a procession led by our forbearers in the faith?

As you know, St. George’s sponsored a pilgrimage “In the Footsteps of Paul” last fall. Forty-two of us enjoyed the tremendous experience of traveling to Turkey and Greece. We visited many of the places where St. Paul proclaimed the gospel in the three decades following the death and resurrection of Christ. We read his epistles on the very soil where the first network of congregations was birthed. It was an unforgettable experience.

With others, I have a deepened appreciation for the sheer energy and relentless passion driving St. Paul in his missionary journeys that covered significant distances. From where did a middle-aged Paul get the stamina and bravery to travel so far by foot and by sea in the first century? And to do so more than once!

Most impressive to me, however, has been fresh consideration of the Christians Paul left behind in the cities and towns along his missionary path, but with whom he maintained deeply important personal connections to the end of his life. As I have taught many times, it is important not to regard the success of Paul’s mission as simply the result of his unique charisma and persuasive rhetorical skills whereby Jews and pagan masses everywhere were suddenly convert-ed to Christianity. His was not a first century version of a Billy Graham crusade. Rather, Paul’s missionary strategy was to introduce Christ to certain people God put before him in the various communities of Asia Minor, Greece, and ultimately in Rome; to mentor them in leading their respective households in the faith; and finally to empower them to take the gospel to other households and communities. In each location and among every congregation, the shape of the story was the same: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, precisely the story we relive every year in Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.

A fair amount of modern biblical scholarship has been mistaken in interpreting early Christian congregations as isolated communities existing independently, if courageously, at the margins of society. In fact, the New Testament witnesses to what other early Christian documents clearly reveal: from the very beginning the

first congregations of the Middle East, Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy understood themselves to be in communion with one another and belongingto a worldwide Christian movement.

There was considerable and constant communication between the congregations peppering the Roman Empire, of which the transmission and preservation of Paul’s letters themselves is the best evidence. Within just a couple of generations of the original apostles, we see the emergence of a common way of worshiping through the gospel, an ordered liturgical expression of the story of the Good News.

We are the blessed beneficiaries of this holy inher-itance. It matters deeply to me that when I journey through the liturgical calendar, I do not walk alone in the way of the cross and resurrection. I do so with you, my fellow pilgrims at St. George’s. But it also matters deeply that together we all walk in the communion of saints beginning with those first Christians that Paul left behind in the fledgling but powerful communities of the ancient world. When he writes that “we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7), Paul is reminding us that more is happening than meets the eye when we follow in the footsteps of our Lord. Please know I look forward to this walk with you again in the coming days.

Letter From The RectorFOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS

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WALKING IN THE STEPS OF ABRAHAMWhat Is It to Be the Elect of God?

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ST. GEORGE’S YOUTH PRAYER INITIATIVE

MEMBER FOCUSMartha Livengood

Table of Contents

LETTER FROM THE RECTORFollowing in the Footsteps

WALKING IN THE STEPS OF ABRAHAMWhat Is It to Be the Elect of God?

ST. GEORGE’S CYCLING CLUBA Gift from God

JOURNEY TO FREEDOMRestore Ministries Impact on the World

THE PASSOVER CELEBRATIONWhat It Means to Us Today

WHAT’S FOR SEDER?Take a Tour Around Your Seder Plate

CONFIRMATION AND THE BISHOPJourneying into the Body of Christ

REFLECTIONS ON THE SEASONThoughts from Our Clergy

ST. GEORGE’SYOUTH PRAYER INITIATIVE

MEMBER FOCUSMartha Livengood

FROM THE WARDEN’S DESK

BOOK NOOKBook Review

TRANSITIONS

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LENT/EASTER/PENTECOST 2015

THE PASSOVER CELEBRATION: What It Means to Us Today

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ST. GEORGE’SBICYCLING CLUBA Gift from God

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JOURNEY TO FREEDOMRestore Ministries Impact on the World

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CONFIRMATION AND THE BISHOP: Journeying into the Body of Christ

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spirited debate erupts at an outreach funding committee meet-ing in which a few members argue against allocating parish monies to a missionary organization whose grant application is clear in seeking support to share the gospel with non-Chris-tians. The committee members’ opposition is not rooted in reluc-tance to share finite congregational resources with outside agencies. Rather they simply question whether it is presumptuousness for Christians in our day and age to tell people of other religions or persuasions of the “superiority” of Christ.

This illustration is not an imagined construct. It is has occurred in two parishes I have served over the years and raises another question: how might local congregations gain confidence that, despite our limited capacity to know all truth, we may nevertheless proclaim the Lordship of Christ as true for all humankind – that is, to affirm the uniqueness of the gospel with universal intention? We can begin by recalling that from the

underserved election of Abraham, the overarching purpose for the people of God has been for the blessing of the entire world.

To the minds of contemporary west-erners educated to appreciate the multi-cultural character of our global context and to respect the diversity of religions among all peoples, the Christian doctrine of election is a stumbling block. The misgivings with which this doctrine may be regarded by so many, including many Chris-tians, lie in the perceived elitism of the church’s testimony that truth of universal significance has been re-

vealed and inaugurated through a particular historic person belonging to a culturally unique religious com-munity, the ancient Israelites. Again, does not such an assertion arise out of a kind of blind historical prejudice or religious arrogance?

This very cultural skepticism about divine election is precisely why reengagement with the doctrine is necessary in today’s modern church-es. Christian reticence to affirm that revelation is mediated through one people for the sake of all evidences neglectful contemplation of this crit-ical aspect of our identity. Rather than being scandalized by election itself, the church would be well-served to reassess its central importance in shaping our self-understanding and mission in today’s cultural milieu, one often quickly dismissive of universal truth claims.

Rightly discerning the nature and implications of election is a recur-ring subject in the writings of Lesslie Newbigin, one of the leading mission-

ary theologians of the 20th century and a personal spiritual hero whose writings have profoundly blessed me. Few Christian leaders of the last 100 years have been more perceptive of the church’s modern social situation or more prescient about the pressing challenges of missional engagement in a post-Christian culture. Through-out his long and very distinguished vocation that included almost four decades as a missionary and bish-op in India, influential leadership roles in the worldwide ecumenical movement, and voluminous pub-lished lectures, essays, and books, Newbigin stressed that before the church can effectively engage cul-ture, it must first apprehend its own missionary identity originating in the call of Abraham to be God’s people for the sake of the world.

Acknowledging that the idea of divine election is “as offensive to our human reason as it is central to the Bible” (A Faith for this One World, 1961), Newbigin recognized in much late 20th century western

By The Rev. R. Leigh Spruill

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“We can begin by

recalling that from the

underserved election of

Abraham,the overarching

purpose for the people of

God has been for

the blessing of the

entire world”

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WALKING IN THE STEPS OF ABRAHAM What Is It to Be the Elect of God?

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Christian theology and ministry a great discomfort with the church’s unique status before God. In the face of strongly negative cultur-al attitudes toward any claims to privileged truth, liberal Protestantism especially has tended to stress the universal purposes of God, and to deemphasize the particular plan of election resulting in a stunted sense of missional identity. For example, many of us favor outreach proj-ects aimed at helping the poor and needy (as critically important as these are) over the call to share the Good News with those who have not heard it. One reason is because we are not clear why the latter is import-ant. Another is because the church may not have equipped us.

To be sure, the Scriptural witness consistently affirms God’s universal loving concern for all people. And certainly the desire to find com-mon ground with other religions via interfaith dialogue is necessary and does not arise solely as a matter of cultural pressure. The need for peo-ple of diverse faiths in any pluralist

society to seek mutual understand-ing and respect is particularly obvi-ous in light of recent and ongoing religiously-motivated violence in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. But Newbigin argues that for Christians to ignore or downplay election in its engagement with the world and other religions arises from biblical misunderstanding creating negative implications for mission.

For Newbigin the subordination of election belies thoughtful Christian perspective about how God is made known in the first place. One of Newbigin’s most important schol-arly contributions is his unsparingly incisive examination of the harbored assumptions Western people inevi-tably employ in interpreting what can be reliably known of reality. These assumed ways of discerning what is true have traveled a long way from their Enlightenment roots but they privilege “objective” scien-tific method and critical reasoning over “subjective” claims to divine or spiritual truth. Newbigin’s writings counter that “true” knowledge can

not be deduced from the position of a detached and neutral perspective. Such a position about objective truth does not exist since the perspec-tive itself begins from a subjective presupposition: the personal com-mitment that what can be reliably known as true is limited to scientific inquiry and deductive reasoning.

Newbigin’s concern is to affirm the Christian perspective that “real” truth is revealed from a personally communicating God who is not limit-ed to philosophical reasoning and scientific observation. He reminds us that understanding of our spe-cial election as the people of God derives from a fundamental insight about human nature: we are created for personal relationships which are the contexts for human knowing and flourishing. We come to know God through shared life with others. This is the Scriptural pattern from the creation of humanity (Genesis 1-2), to the calling of Abraham (Genesis 12), to the announced reign of God in Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 1:15), to the Great Commission (Matthew

28), and the life of the early church (Acts 2). In his early 1953 work, The Household of God: Lectures on the Nature of the Church, he writes: “…God’s saving purpose is executed through the calling of a particular people, one tribe among all the tribes of the earth. The thread which binds the whole Bible story together is emphatically not the history of an idea but the history of a people.”

To modern sensibilities it may seem somehow unfair for God to choose one people over another. But either we believe in a personal God or we do not. If so, then God will be free to choose whom he wills to share his loving purposes with the rest of humankind. God’s universal love for all peoples is not contradicted by the unique calling of just one people. God’s redemption is universal in its scope, concerned with the resto-ration of all people and the entire cosmos (Colossians 1:19-20). But God’s way of working out this plan finds its center “wrought out at an actual point in history and at a par-ticular place. Its manner of commu-

(cont. p.6)

But Newbigin argues

that for Christians to

ignore or downplay

election in its engagement

with the world and other

religions arises from

biblical misunderstanding

creating negative

implications for mission.

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WALKING IN THE STEPS OF ABRAHAM(cont. from p.5)

nication is through a human com-munity, wherein men are re-born into a new relation one with another, and become in turn the means of bringing others into that new relationship” (The Household of God). The possibility of being this visible community of new relatedness rests solely in Jesus.

Thus, there are clear implications for our self-understanding as the church, a people constituted by God in Christ. We are not simply a voluntary associa-tion who share an experience or insight about God that is unique but is no more or less true than other people’s religious experiences and insights. We belong to the particular person of Christ, and Christ is the link between the unique and the universal. Election into Christ is for the sake of all. To em-body this link is to fulfill our apostolic mission as the church for the world.

For reasons of God’s own choosing, the church is the particular instrument for this plan. The church cannot an-swer why it was chosen as opposed to some other form of human community. But it can answer the purpose for its election. It is so that God’s own pur-pose through Christ might be offered and known to all. The “logic of elec-tion” is located and only makes sense within the giving of the gospel itself.

As Newbigin says, “To be chosen, to be elect, therefore does not mean that the elect are the saved and the rest are the lost. To be elect in Christ Jesus, and there is no other election… means that this particular body of people who bear the name of Jesus through histo-ry, this strange and often absurd com-pany of people so feeble, so foolish, so often fatally compromised with the world, this body with all its contingency and particularity, is the body which has the responsibility of bearing the secret of God’s reign through world history.”(The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, 1989).

The implications of Newbigin’s work on the doctrine of election for con-temporary missions are significant, especially in a global situation where daily exposure to international news confronts us with atrocities committed against religious minorities in Syria and Iraq by Islamic terrorist armies. Is this a logical end of what happens when one religious group purports to be the exclusive owner of special revelation from God and decides to act out of that unique status in relation to oth-ers? Of course, the missing element in militant Islam is the person of Jesus whose way was not of the sword but of the cross. And Christianity itself is a distortion whenever it seeks to engage the world from any other perspective than the way of the cross.

Newbigin is keen to stress that the doctrine of election is never to be interpreted by Christians as an earned privilege conferring favored status in the eyes of God vis-à-vis other peo-ples. The church is not the exclusive beneficiary of God’s loving self-reve-lation in Christ but his elected trustee. We would all be wise to understand that through generous self-conscious evangelism, the church bears a gra-cious gift rather than a presumptuous demand. We point to the cross where-by all of us are enemies of God and all of us are forgiven, and therefore there is no place for pride and no excuse for imposing our religion on others.

Rightly understood, the doctrine of election is a scandal primarily insofar as we do not deserve it. “[God] might have chosen others. In the nature of the case, he must choose someone. In the mystery of his will, he has chosen us, the weak and foolish and insig-nificant. That ought to leave in us no room for pride, but equally it ought to leave no room for disobedience” (A Faith for this One World). The very essence of the church is expressed through our humble embrace of elec-tion, our acceptance in being chosen as God’s light for the whole world. And so therein is also found the key to the end of all humankind.

WHERE ANGELS TREADLast fall, 43 adventurous St. Georgians and friends set off to the ancient lands of Turkey and Greece, following the arduous path that Paul made on foot for more than 30 years following Christ’s resurrection.

The journey not only gave the group an idea of the physical landscape and trials of traveling through this territory, it also provided an opportunity to better understand the faith and courage Paul and others had professing Christ’s word.

Pilgram Luanne Daggett, recalls traveling to Mary’s house secluded on a rocky mountain top in Ephesus:

“Today we visited...the place where John took Mary to live the final years of her life safely hidden from the Romans and enemies of the church. The peace and beauty of this place must have been wel-come after the turmoil of those days.”

Connecting both experientially and emotionally to the journey, the group left enlightened and spiritually recharged—prepared to spread their faith further into the world.

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The Areopagus • Athens Mary’s House • Ephesus

Site of Lydia’s Baptism • Philippi

Gymnasium • Sardis

By Lisa and Michael Fael

hen the St. George’s Cycling Club was announced, Mi-chael and I were so excited! We showed up for the first ride and were delighted to find a mixture of people at the church, all looking forward to a beautiful morning ride through some of the most scenic parts of Nashville. Some of the riders only rode a few miles, some took a shorter alternate route, and some flew by at a com-petitive pace.

The ride around Radnor Lake was especially lovely! A few of the steep hills in Warner Park brought out the prayerful side of several of us who had not ridden in the park before this trip. We all shared our love of being outdoors, the joy of a great downhill breeze, a well-planned bike route, and lots of laughter. We met church mem-bers we had not met before and saw parts of Nashville parks we had never explored. Since there are a variety of skill levels, we appreciated people giving us

advice and also waiting on us when we were slower. The group was reluctant to break up and go home after that first ride. We enjoyed sharing stories of riding adventures and misadventures, snacks, a lively assessment of the day, and (of course) the latest bike gadgets. Subsequent trips had a different dynamic with people in-viting friends, new people joining, and even picking up a few new biking companions along the ride.

The group was a great motivation to get into shape, but it also gave us something different to share with new friends. Attending the 7:00am service, a stress free bike ride through a beautiful park, and lively sharing was a Saturday morning gift from God. We are fair weather bikers and did not ride this winter, but we can’t wait for spring to ride again. We look forward to making new connec-tions, competing for the best group name, and spinning joyous-ly through Nashville!

ST. GEORGE’S CYCLING CLUB

A Gift from God

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JOIN US. St. George’s Cycling Club meets the second Saturday of each month. We meet at the Administration entrance at 7:45am and the ride begins at 8:00am sharp! Meet us for the 7:00am Saturday service in the Chapel before our ride. If you have questions please contact Valorie Corley at valorie.corley@stgeorgesnashville.org.

By Lisa and Michael Fael

ST. GEORGE’S CYCLING CLUB

A Gift from God

JOURNEY TO FREEDOM Restore Ministries Impact on the World

s part of its outreach mission, St. George’s has supported Restore Ministries for nearly ten years. A recent gift allowed Restore to trans-late Journey to Freedom, its primary curriculum, into Spanish. Journey to Freedom is an eight-week program that allows participants to examine their life with God and identify specific areas in their life that require change. Restore offers a confidential small group environment, led by trained facilitators. In the safety of this small group experience participants come out of isolation and grow in communi-ty and in relationship with Christ.

Restore’s mission is to initiate pos-itive change and commitment to

action that allows participants to break through life-controlling issues, including self-esteem issues, general discontent or depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders. As a past participant at a course offered at St. George’s some years ago I can say that Restore Small Groups offer realistic, relevant, and accessible programming that brings the healing power of Christ to anyone. It is truly a life-changing experience.

While local mission is vital, Restore also partners with national and global initiatives to offer Christ centered life-changing experiences to disad-vantaged individuals. One of Re-store’s main global partnerships is in

Belize. Restore has partnered with the Belize Project to bring the Journey to Freedom program to many popula-tions within the country. Jacob’s Farm is a treatment center founded 20 years ago in Belize that now uses Journey to Freedom for residents and at safe houses it has established for woman throughout the country. Prisoners are another group benefiting from the Spanish language curriculum sup-ported by St. George’s. Journey to Freedom was initiated at Belize Cen-tral Prison in January of 2014. Pris-oners are in desperate need of help to break the behaviors that got them into prison in the first place. Journey to Freedom brings the healing power of the Holy Spirit to their aid. In January,

250 inmates received Certificates of Completion for having gone through the program Journey to Freedom.

Restore founder Scott Reall expressed his appreciation for St. George’s this way: “St. George’s amazing support over the years opened the door to allow God to help the Latino popula-tion in Nashville and now throughout the world. Restore is now meeting with Christian leaders seeking to build Christ-centered healing communities in Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, and elsewhere. Because of St. George’s generosity, we have just scratched the surface of what we are able to do. Thank you.”

By Bob Schwartz and Emily Lange of Restore Small Groups

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Restore Ministries • Belize

THE PASSOVER CELEBRATIONWhat It Means to Us Today

his is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remem-brance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

We hear these words repeated every week as we celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist, the pinnacle of our corporate worship. These words were not spoken at a commonplace meal, but as a part of an ages old celebration of the Passover. Just as our Christian faith is rooted in Judaism, our most sacred liturgi-cal moment sprang from the most important Jewish feast, Passover. For on the night described in Corin-thians, Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the meal together.

Jesus could have chosen a different night on which to institute this cele-bration of the new covenant between God and God’s people. Could the fact that Jesus chose this particular night and this particular celebration

help us to understand what it means for us today? I believe so. Our lives as Christians are set in the context of an overarching story which noted author and theologian N. T. Wright calls a “five-act play.” Any attempt to understand our part in this play while being unaware of the previous acts will rob us of the depth and richness which comes with under-standing the foundation on which our own faith is built. The God who gave himself to us and invited us into a covenant relationship in the person of Jesus Christ is the same God who brought forth a people for himself from Abraham, delivered them from slavery, and set out the terms of a covenant relationship we call the 10 commandments. This is but one example of what Sofia Cavalletti, Christian author and Old Testament scholar, calls “the golden thread” of our faith.

“And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your chil-dren forever” (Exodus 12:24). After God delivered his people from a 400 year-long enslavement in Egypt, God

By Joanna Williams

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MARY AND JOSEPH WOULD

If you are interested in hosting

Mary or Joseph please contact

Elizabeth Nash at

(615) 385-2150 x 268.

commanded them to commemorate this event annually. Even today, when Jewish people celebrate the Passover, they use language in-cluding themselves in the original event. “When God brought us out of Egypt.” The ancient Jewish con-cept of memorial was not simply a recalling of past events, but the idea that the celebration of that event brings the moment into our present so that we are also there. In addi-tion, we are joined with all who have celebrated it before us and all who will celebrate it until its moment of ultimate fulfillment. We might think of this as a collapsing of time. It was in this context that Jesus spoke these new words and instituted this new celebration.

Therefore, when we celebrate the Eucharist, we understand in much the same way that we are doing so as a part of the communion of saints—past, present, and future. At least every other year, my family joins with a small group to celebrate the Passover together. We enjoy a meal and a liturgy together which helps us to participate in the history of the Kingdom of God in the sense of memorial, celebrating a God who

not only has a plan for history, but also for each of our lives as well. We acknowledge and celebrate his acts in history, deepening our understanding of God’s plan for us, seeing the way his plan was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and looking forward to the ultimate fulfillment at Jesus’ return.

Understanding what has come before us strengthens our faith in a God who has a plan for us and for our world. Understanding what is yet to come provides hope when it is difficult to see that plan unfolding in our everyday lives and inspiration to join with God in bringing about that future for ourselves and all of humanity.

Moses said “When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall observe this rite. And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyp-tians, but spared our homes.’ And the people bowed low and wor-shiped” (Exodus 12:25-27).

JOIN US

forSt. George’s

Celebration of Passover,

also know as Seder Dinner

***THURSDAY,

APRIL 2, 2015 at

5:45PM***

For more information about how

you and your friends and family

can celebrate the Passover and

join in this special dinner, please

contact Joanna Williams at joanna.

williams@stgeorgesnashville.org

or visit our website at

www.stgeorgesnashville.org.

“This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the

same way he took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new cov-

enant in my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me”

(1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

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WHAT’S FOR SEDER?Take a tour around your Seder Plate this Passover.

ROMAINE LETTUCEOne of several select

bitter herbs used to rep-resent the bitterness the Israelites endured before their escape from Egypt.

MIXED FRUITA mixture of apples

and walnuts signifies the mortar which the Israelites were forced

to make when they were slaves in Egypt.

SHANK BONESymbolic of the

Passover Lamb and the deliverance which the

Lord wrought for us by the blood of this sacrifice. It is served on a plate reserved

for Elijah.

Seder, or the Passover Meal, serves to celebrate and

remember the night when God rescued the Israel-

ites from slavery in Egypt.

Moses told his people, “You shall observe this rite

as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children.

When you come to the land that the Lord will give

you, as he has promised, you shall keep this obser-

vance. And when your children ask you, ‘What do

you mean by this observance?’ you shall say, ‘It is

the passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he has passed

over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he

struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.’

And the people bowed down and worshiped.”

--Exodus 12:24-2712

PARSLEYA symbol of springtime, pars-ley is placed in salt water, a sign of the tears that need

to be shed before joy can be experienced.

EGGThe egg symbolizes the

desire for freedom to which hard labor gave birth and

for the Israelites mourning.

HORSERADISHOne of several

bitter herbs used to represent the bitterness the Israelites endured before their escape

from Egypt.

UNLEAVENED BREADThe bread of haste, made in eagerness to experience the

Lord’s deliverance.

WINEThe Four Cups of wine repre-sent the four expressions of

deliverance promised by God Exodus 6:6-7: “I will bring out,” “I will deliver,” “I will redeem,”

and “I will take.”

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CONFIRMATION AND THE BISHOPJourneying into the Body of Christ

ur Book of Common Prayer states: “In the course of their Chris-tian development, those baptized at an early age [or as adults] are expected, when they are ready and have been duly prepared, to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop” (BCP p. 412). So we can think of confirmation as “con-firming” our desire to live within the church and follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our union with Christ, symbolized in our baptism, now coalesces with our desire to “claim the Christian faith” as our own.

There are two challenging elements to this, however. First, the “respon-sibilities of our Baptism” cannot be lived out by will power. Our ability to love and serve our neighbors results from the grace of God in our lives, not simply by an intentional decision on our own. So we need some amazing grace for the journey ahead. Thankfully we have it “…

because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

Secondly, our faith is meant to be a communal experience; living among one another for the pur-poses of mutual encouragement, strength, comfort, and counsel. That is to say, while “claiming the Christian faith” as our own, it’s never meant to remain private or hidden.

To this end, it’s why confirmation occurs within our liturgy of Holy Eucharist. The Body of Christ is gathered together to worship and celebrate Jesus Christ. Confirma-tion is a community activity admin-istered by the diocesan bishop. The bishop is the individual who, symbolically, represents the unity of the entire diocese. The basic “unit” of The Episcopal Church is the diocese, and the bishop as a person is a visible means of re-minding us of our common bond in Christ within The Episcopal Church.

Bishop John Bauerschmidt will join us on May 10, 2015 for confirmation at St. George’s.

By The Rev. Malone Gilliam

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CONFIRMATION AND THE BISHOPJourneying into the Body of Christ

When the bishop lays hands on your head during the service, it is a very tangible way for you to experience your own faith journey being wel-comed into the larger journey of the Body of Christ. For many people, this portion of the sacramental service is very meaningful. A sacra-ment is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain

means by which we receive that grace” (BCP p. 857). In this way, the touch experienced in the laying on of hands forever remains in your memory as an experience of grace through the Church.

Finally, when we think about mar-riage, vows that are made at a wed-ding ceremony (forever love, fidelity, honor) take a lifetime to work out,

but we stand there and say that it’s done. The couple is married. Sim-ilarly, the vows taken at baptism which are renewed at confirmation, take a lifetime to experience. When I get discouraged or tired, I think upon my baptism and confirmation experiences. From those moments on, the Holy Spirit became the source for my living the Christian life. It is remembering that Christ

started this and will see it through to completion.

“Therefore, since we are surround-ed by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Je-sus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

CONFIRMATION CLASS OF 2014In 2O14 these adults and their sponsors stood before the congregation and experienced the “laying on of hands” by Bishop Bauerschmidt (far right).

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By The Rev. Chris Bowhay

orgiveness of our sins was se-cured once and for all with our Lord’s death on the cross “who made there, by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world” (Rite I, BCP p. 334). Nevertheless, imme-diately after his resurrection, Jesus shared with his disciples his author-ity to forgive sins, saying “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them” (John 20:22-23). Therefore, forgiveness by God is both a one-time event and an ongoing sacrifice that is continu-ally offered and must be continually received.

The church’s understanding about how it offers God’s forgiveness has developed over the past two thou-sand years. In the second century, confession of sin and absolution was a public affair. In his work entitled De poenitentia (“Of Penitence”), church

theologian Tertullian (160-225 A.D.) outlined a three-step process: First, penitents would pronounce their sins to the congregation and were “excommunicated” from receiving Holy Communion for a period of time; after their public confession, they continued to attend worship but left the congregation before the cel-ebration of the Eucharist. Secondly, during this time of excommunication, they performed acts of penance that revealed the sincerity of their desire to return to God and their desire to make restitution to those whom they had wronged or scandalized. Finally, once each year, usually during the Easter Vigil, the penitents received absolution through the laying on of hands by the bishop in front of the congregation and then would be readmitted to the community through receiving the Eucharist with the con-gregation. In this way, the penitents’ forgiveness by God and reconcilia-tion with him paralleled their own

forgiveness by the Christian commu-nity and reconciliation with them.

After the seventh century, under the influence of the Celtic church in Wales and Ireland, this Rite of Reconciliation became a private affair. Those who sought absolution spoke privately with a priest who prescribed penances drawn from printed manuals for confessors known as “Penitentials.” The change from public to private confession and absolution changed the order for the Rite described by Tertullian. Confession of sin still came first, but absolution was pronounced immedi-ately afterwards, and the subsequent penances were performed as a way of expressing gratitude for the gift of being reconciled with God.

The leaders of the Protestant Refor-mation, in reaction to certain abuses of private confession in the medie-val church, chose to return to the

F

ALL MAY, NONE MUST, SOME SHOULD A Brief History of Confession In the Anglican Tradition

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DID YOU KNOW? REFLECTIONS ON THE SEASON

ASH WEDNESDAYAshes and Dust. Self -Examination. Offenses. Repentance. Giving Up and/or Taking On. Fasting and Praying. Pondering God’s Inex-haustible Mercy and Grace. Mov-ing from Self-Centeredness to God-Centeredness. Spiritual Dis-ciplines. Accountability. Forgiving and Asking Forgiveness. Taking up my Cross. Steadfastness. Basking in God’s love. Sharing God’s love with others, especially the hard-to-love. Thankfulness and Joyfulness. Living Into My Baptism. Growing in Grace. Looking forward to Palm Sunday and Holy Week, and cele-brating Easter because He is Risen, indeed!

–The Rev. Roger Senechal

MAUNDY THURSDAYOn this evening we remember how Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Passover meal he shared with his disciples on the night before he died. After communion we watch as the all decorations are removed from the church in preparation for Good Friday. As Fr. Leigh washes the altar, we are reminded of how Christ’s body will be stripped of his garments, subjected to great suffering, and then prepared for burial. The service ends in darkness, preparing us to walk into the dark-ness of Calvary with Christ on the following day.

–The Rev. Sarah Puryear

GOOD FRIDAYGood Friday is the commemoration of our Lord’s death on the Cross, through which he shares our mortal suffering, embraces the conse-quence of our self-alienating sin, and secures our reconciling atone-ment with the God the Father. Yet Good Friday is not only something that happened once a long time ago to Jesus; it also expresses some-thing that constantly happens to us. The highest expression of love is to lay down our life for our friends (John 15:13). Since Christ has called us his friends (John 15:15), we daily lay down our self-control and sur-render ourselves to God, as Jesus did on the cross. By virtue of our Baptism in Christ, we share in his life and his death so that we might share in his resurrection. We die daily (I Cor. 15:13) so that we might live eternally in Christ.

–The Rev. Chris Bowhay

EASTER VIGILI wonder how it was for the disciples, wrestling through the nights after their Lord died. “We had hoped you were the one to save us” they might have said. The stone cold darkness swallowed their cry. But then new fire kindles. A spark leaps in the dark. Hear the sharp breath. Flesh scrapes against stone. The stone rolls. New life flames into the world. New fire is kindled in us, too. When we were dead, new life

came for us. Christ alive came for us. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. The new fire burns bright. Christ is risen. Alleluia.

–The Rev. Dr. Kristine Blaess

EASTERWhy is this day different from all other days? Because it is filled with a light that has never been seen before. It is: the light from another world. The light is dazzling. It is awesome. It fills us with something like fear, but the fear is overtaken and swallowed up by inexpressible joy.

–The Rev. Tim Taylor (adapted from Tim’s Sermon Book, pg. 55)

THE ASCENSIONQuoting Daniel 7:13, Jesus says, “In those days…they will see the ‘Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory” (Mark 13:24-26).

“Those days” have already come. The ascension was Jesus coming to the Ancient One and being seated at the right hand of the Father.

We don’t need to wait for Christ to come again for him to be in charge. In the Ascension, Jesus is already Lord. This means that even now he is making all things new.

–The Rev. Michael Blaess

PENTECOSTWhat Peter, the other disciples and the assembled crowd witnessed was a monumental event in salva-tion history. Joel’s prophecy was in line with the Jewish understanding of the coming of the promised Mes-siah—the one who would pour out the Spirit not just on a few leaders and prophets of Israel but on all people—both Jews and Gentiles. This matters because Pentecost is the delivery system, if you will, of what God has promised us through Jesus Christ. Salvation was made tangible for the world through the giving of the Holy Spirit.

–The Rev. Malone Gilliam

SEASON AFTER PENTECOST Ordinary Time in the liturgical calen-dar is that time between the Feast of Pentecost and the beginning of Advent. It is called “ordinary” not because it is mundane and normal, but in contrast to the extra-ordi-nary seasonal cycles of Christmas and Easter. You might think of it as “Christian Standard Time”, which involves us coming together every Sunday to celebrate a “mini-Easter.” Because for Christians, “ordinary time…is eschatological time, a participation in the new age that has broken into the world with the resur-rection of Jesus Christ.” And that is anything but ordinary!–The Rev. Sam Adams

REFLECTIONS ON THE SEASON

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DID YOU KNOW? REFLECTIONS ON THE SEASON

ST. GEORGE’S YOUTH PRAYER INITIATIVE

By Daniel Bradley, Youth Staff, and Sally Graham, Prayer Team Coordinator

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he Youth Prayer Initiative is a way for the community of St. George’s to connect to our youth through prayer by providing opportunities for adults throughout the parish to be involved in the specific prayer lives of our young people. Prayer unites us. It is a place to express needs, concerns, and doubts as well as joy, celebra-tion, and thankfulness. Our youth continually experience these as-pects of life in intense ways. Prayer presents an opportunity to journey alongside our youth in supportive and spiritually formative ways: “We, who are many and diverse, come together in Christ through our wor-ship, our common prayer.”

What is the goal of this initiative?

Our goal is to bring together adults from all walks of life to pray for our youth in ways that would otherwise be impossible. Through prayer, our parish will grow in awareness of the individual needs of our youth, and our youth will be blessed with a

cloud of witnesses investing in their spiritual lives. The Youth Prayer Ini-iative includes our Prayer Team, a group of adults who pray weekly for our youth through specific concerns and celebrations as well as through general prayer.

Why is it important for adults to pray for youth?

Mark DeVries, a well-known author and youth ministry pioneer, empha-sizes the importance of an extended family of faith that teens can find in the church. Studies show that youth who continued in their faith into adulthood had multiple adults actively involved in mentoring them spiritually through their adolescent years.

Every week at St. George’s, youth write down their prayers during Sunday gatherings. Every time they write down a concern or celebra-tion, they are reminded that there

are adults throughout the church who care and are praying for them every week. Those prayers are dis-tributed to the Prayer Team via e-mail each Monday. The mission of the Prayer Team is to pray for these specific concerns. In turn, the youth pray for the various adult ministries and their activities week by week, as well as for issues in the world at large.

How does the Youth Prayer Initiative connect to the rest of the Youth Ministry?

Youth discipleship at St. George’s is a journey that incorporates the church’s “receive, live, and share” mission in ways that balance in-vitation and challenge among the youth. There are many ways people can enter into youth ministry here at St. George’s. Prayer is a healthy starting point for engagement in the lives of our youth, and there are many other opportunities as well,

including a new Prayer Space. The Youth Prayer Initiative plans to introduce a Prayer Space during Lent where parishioners, adults and youth, can engage in some hands-on, creative prayer activities on their own schedules.

What else could a team member do besides pray for our youth?

Adults can be involved in the lives of our youth in many ways and on many levels. Please see our list on the youth section of the church website, www.stgeorgesnashville.org/youth, for a few examples of ways you can share your gifts and talents with St. George’s youth.

If you have any questions or would like more information on the Youth Prayer Initiative, please contact the youth staff at youth@stgeorgenashville.org or by calling 615-385-2150 x222.

What is the Youth Prayer Initiative?

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Bob Tuke and youth enjoying the great outdoors.

MEMBER FOCUS

Q.Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from originally? How Iong have you been in Nashville?

A.After growing up in Alabama and Georgia, and graduating from Mercer University with a degree in Social Work, I met and married a career military officer, Ray Livengood. We enjoyed 41 years of marriage and lived in many interesting places. I had never been out of the Deep South but soon learned that there is a great big world out there. I spent 31 years enjoying life in new places from Georgia to Alaska until Ray’s retirement to Auburn, Ala-bana. After the death of my husband in 2008, I decided to move to Nashville where my daughter, Mary Jo Shankle and her family live. It has been wonderful to watch my two grandchildren grow up.

Q.What brought you to St. George’s?

A. I visited St. George’s on many occasions before moving to Nashville and felt welcomed by everyone I met. After relocating here, I attended St. George’s on a regular basis and was immediately invited to join activities and classes. I found that the clergy as well as parishioners were eager for me to feel at home. Very quickly I felt that this was MY church.

Q.What most excites you about our church right now?

A.St. George’s is so important to me, and I am excited about all the plans being made for additional activities and opportunities to serve with my fellow mem-bers. The warmth and welcoming spirit that is shown to all is very important to me. I also feel that our clergy and staff are anxious to provide new programs and services to meet the needs of the growing parish. As an example, The Table seems to have drawn many more people to St. George’s through its unique worship experience and warm atmosphere.

Q.You are involved in many areas of our church life from volunteer receptionist to Prime Time and lots of activities in between—is there one area that you are most passionate about?

A. I have found many ways to serve at St. George’s and enjoy being a Greeter, a member of the Senior Ministry Committee, serving as a member of Caring Connections, volunteer receptionist in the church office, serving as a reader at our Healing Prayer services, and serving as an officer in our chapter of Daughters of the King. I also enjoy attending our exercise/movement class held at St. George’s and participating in many of the Bible studies offered here. I can’t name just one!

Q.You certainly are extremely active at St. George’s. Can you tell us what some of your interests or activities are outside our church walls?

A. I enjoy traveling, spending time with friends and family, and learning more about Nashville and its history.

Q.You have been on several trips with the church and have a couple of upcoming trips that you have organized. Do you have a favorite mo-ment from a past trip that you would share? What are you looking forward to most with regard to your upcoming travels?

A. I’ve always enjoyed learning about where I live, so I began to visit some of the more interesting locations in and around Nashville. When I moved here, many friends visited and I loved to take them on tours.

There are those who have lived in this area their entire lives and have not visited some of Nashville’s most inter-esting places. When asked if I would plan some day trips for Prime Time, I was more than happy to agree, and our first day trip in December 2011 was to the Upper Room to see Nativity sets from all over the world.

We continued to plan day trips and in March 2013 we took our first five-day trip with Diamond Tours to Savan-nah, Georgia. We have since taken trips to Chicago and Natchez, Mississippi. In 2015 we have a trip planned to the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina.

These trips have provided safe, comfortable travel as well as fellowship for our older members. It has now become an outreach activity with other non-members joining us as well.

Martha Livengood

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ancient practice of public confession, but did so in a way that did not require that each individual recite in detail his or her sins. From this move-ment we receive the “General Confession” that we recite on Sunday mornings (BCP p. 331, 360). Private confession was still offered by these Prot-estant churches, but they were seen as spiritual tools to be used only by those who felt the need to quiet their conscience through them. In the 1549 version of the Book of Common Prayer, the Church of England described the Anglican attitude in the Exhortation recited by the celebrant before Holy Communion:

“And yf there bee any of you, whose conscience is troubled and greved in any thing, lackyng com-forte or counsaill, let him come to me, or to some other dyscrete and learned priest, taught in the law of God, and confesse and open his synne and griefe secretly, that he may receive suche ghostly counsaill, advyse, and comfort, that his conscience maye be releved, and that of us (as of the ministers of GOD and of the churche) he may receive comfort and absolucion, to the satisfaccion of his mynde, and avoyding of all scruple and doubtfulnes.”

The Episcopal Church, in its 1979 Prayer Book, puts it this way:

“And if, in your preparation [to be reconciled with God and one another before receiving Holy Com-munion], you need help and counsel, then go and open your grief to a discreet and understanding priest, and confess your sins, that you may receive the benefit of absolution, and spiritual counsel and advice; to the removal of scruple and doubt, the assurance of pardon, and the strengthening of your faith” (p. 316).

To emphasize the pastoral value of making a private confession, the 1979 Prayer Book includ-ed a Rite for Reconciliation in two different forms (pp. 447-452). Its preceding notes concerning the rite (p. 446) stress that confessions may be heard anytime and anywhere, that any penance that may be assigned should be “a psalm, prayer, or hymn to be said, or something to be done, as a sign of penitence and [an] act of thanksgiving,” and that “the secrecy of a confession is morally absolute for the confessor, and must under no circum-stances be broken.”

In short, while our baptism washes away the spiritual consequences of our sin and reconciles us forever with God, we still find that we fall and need God’s grace to repent and return to the Lord. We can always simply pray to God and ask for his forgiveness, which he constantly delights to offer us. As a congregation, we confess our sins and re-ceive absolution in the General Confession, which is always effective and complete. Yet, from time to time, some feel the need for the added grace that comes from confessing our sins to a priest and receiving the comfort of hearing that those sins in particular are put away by God. His forgiveness is constantly before us; it is up to us to decide how to receive it. The classic Anglican adage states, “All may, none must, some should.”

***St. George’s is pleased to offer private con-fession March 28th through April 4th. For more details, please contact Rebecca Teel at rebecca.teel@stgeorgesnashville.org

ALL MAY, NONE MUST, SOME SHOULD A Brief History of Confession in the Anglican Tradition

(cont. from p.16)

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t. George’s is truly blessed. The financial resources available to our church are matched only by the talent and dedication of our clergy, staff, and lay leaders that I have been privi-leged to witness first-hand for the last few years. Yet with these great bless-ings, comes great responsibility. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). I have no doubt that St. George’s has been and can con-tinue to be like that city. The city that Jesus speaks of is not merely there to serve as an example to others. Nor is it simply to serve as refuge for those

searching for home. Although it is undoubtedly both of those things, it is first and foremost a place from which those empowered by God must go forth and make disciples.

Our myriad blessings would not be possible without the hard work of our clergy and countless lay leaders. It has been a privilege as Senior War-den to have had a front row seat to witness all of the growth and change over the last two years. There is not nearly enough time or space for me to recognize and thank all whom I should. I must especially thank three individuals. Butch Baxter, our out-

going Junior Warden, has served our church faithfully in countless ways over the years and has been an es-pecially invaluable source of wisdom and experience this past year. Laura Zabaski, our Parish Administrative Officer, works tirelessly behind the scenes and is an absolutely critical ingredient in the success of St. George’s. Finally, Leigh has been a tremendous support to me and a profile in healthy leadership. He has helped to give us both direction and purpose. I look forward to following the path he has guided us toward and thank God for this opportunity to serve.

By Jason Callen

FOR YEAR TO DATE JANUARY 2015

Actual Budget Variance Prior Year Variance

Pledges $238,950 $276,231 ($37,281 ) $264,791 ($25,841)Other 30,040 30,615 (576) 51,093 (21,053)Total Income 268,990 306,846 (37,856) 315,884 (46,894)

Expenses 341,293 403,081 61,788 344,730 3, 437

Excess Income Over Expenses ($72,203) ($96,235) $23,932 ($28,846) ($43,457)

FROM THE WARDEN’S DESK

Being ChristianBaptism, Bible,

Eucharist, Prayer

Rowan WilliamsDo not be fooled by the slim-ness of this little book. It is a deep and rich read. Rowan Williams, the recently retired Archbishop of Canterbury, has written an outstanding in-troduction on the essential el-ements shaping the pattern of life for those who call them-selves Christian. Williams is a world-class theologian writing here in an extraordinarily ac-cessible way to bless believ-ers at any stage of commit-ment or maturity, especially for confirmands, those new to the church, and any who yearn for a return to funda-mentals. I suspect this will book will become a classic on Christian basics. —RLS+

BOOK NOOK

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Clergy book selections

are 20% off at the Bookstore.

Get your copy today!

S

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Inreach shepherds step in to help smooth out temporary rough spots in times of need for our parish-ioners. Remember to call the Shepherd of the Month or call the parish office for short term help with driving to doctor’s appointments, letter writing, errands, clerical help, reading to the home-bound, light tasks, or other needs. Want to be on our list of volunteers? Please contact Jeanne Gore at 615-371-9078 or jengalan@comcast.net.

Upcoming Shepherds of the Month

March Judi Echols 615-297-8666

April Sue Sieveking 615-373-9392

May Margaret Wallace 615-269-0266

Inreach

BIRTHSElizabeth May Adams, granddaughter of Beth & Cooley ScruggsBrett Robert Berger, grandson of Luann & Bob DaggettAnne Childress Friary, daughter of Elizabeth and Richard FriaryBenjamin Rye Gowdy, son of Sarah & Jeff GowdyAdelyn Love Grant, daughter of Stephanie & Allen GrantAndrew James Hockaday, son of Sarah & James Hockaday

Mary Frances & Kingslea Johnson, daughters of Katie & Bill Johnson Tate & Graham King, sons of Allison & Rocky KingCecil Owen Myers IV, son of Betsy & Trey MeyersKelvin Michael Lee O’Connor, son of Amanda & Ethan O’ConnorEmmett Pierce Powell, grandson of Karen & Ron PowellEva Louise Shell, daughter of Callie & William Shell

BAPTISMSAidan Connor Arnold, son of Kelley & Mike Arnold

Elise Michaela & Katherine Ann Baucom, daughters of Rebeccah & Dustin Baucom

David James Berutti, son of Kristen & Tyler Berutti

Grace Paxton Cassetty, daughter of Chrissy & Todd CassettyJackson Thomas Cassetty, son of Chrissy & Todd CassettyConnor Le Cate, son of Hoa & Jack CateLuke Hamilton Douglas, son of Jessica & Kevin DouglasAnne Childress Friary, daughter of Elizabeth & Richard FriaryWarner McLaughlin Frist, son of Ashley & William FristMary Allis Gilmor, daughter of Stephanie & Matthew GillmorDayton Foster Hale, IV, son of Sharon & Dayton HaleLucy Lefler Herzog, daugh-ter of Laura & John HerzogBoyte Kihara Howell, son of Jessica & Houston HowellGeorgia Catharine Husbands, daughter of Catharine & Collin HusbandsEvangeline Dean McKenzie, daughter of Jennifer & Michael McKenzieOscar Thomas McKenzie, son of Jennifer & Michael McKenzieVirginia Elizabeth McMillan, daughter of Elizabeth & Brandt McMillanMadeline Brooks Moore, daughter of Brooks & Bret Moore

Sara Inez Ortega, daughter of Josie & Izzy OrtegaDaniel Hays Puryear, Jr., son of Sarah & Dan Pur-yearLaurel Blythe Richardson, daughter of Amy & Cory RichardsonCharles Davis Russell, son of Amber & William RussellLattie Anne Schaufele, daughter of Catherine & Fraser SchaufeleJames Robert Vogel II, son of Sarah & Stephen VogelClara Meigs Wilson, daugh-ter of Margaret & Justin Wilson

MARRIAGESMary Katharine Barnard & Dudley Alexander Cheadle

Nicole Corlew & Wayne Curtis

Carolyn Platt & Caldwell Lucas

Mollie Sloan & Cole Fields

DEATHS

Dot DeMontbreun

Harrold Flintoff

Mary Fort

Anne Stahlman Hill

Matthew Kauffman

Jimmy Kellam

Lolita Nutley

John Reiser

Milly Rodes

Bob Rourke

Mary Soldi

Florence Swearingen

Mary Louise Tidwell

Shawn Wilson

Dorothy Youngblood

NEW MEMBERS

Tyler & Clara Berutti

Kevin, Lyndsay, & Mary

Mason Botts

Lauren & Penelope Brunner

Chris & Sedley Hassel

Janet Luiz

Marc & Hannah Ozburn

Caroline Peyton

Sandra Plant

Heidi Rose

David & Margaret Turner

Megan Turner

Birgitta Williamson

Nancy Zambito

TRANSITIONS

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NEED PHOTO AND CUTLINE

WEEKDAYS7:00am Daily Holy Eucharist10:00am Wednesdays Healing Service with Holy Eucharist

SUNDAYS

7:30am Holy Eucharist8:45am Holy Eucharist with Children’s Chapel*+

9:00am The Table+ 10:05am Sunday School+ 11:15am Holy Eucharist*+ 5:00pm Evening Prayer with Holy Eucharist

SPECIAL SERVICESHOLY WEEKMaundy Thursday, April 27:30pm Holy Eucharist+ Good Friday, April 37:00am Litany12:00pm Good Friday Liturgy+

6:00pm Good Friday Liturgy+

Holy Saturday, April 47:30pm The Great Vigil of Easter+

Easter Sunday, April 57:00am Holy Eucharist8:45am Holy Eucharist with Children’s Chapel*+

9:00am The Table+ 10:05am Sunday School+ 11:15am Holy Eucharist*+ 5:00pm Evening Prayer with Holy Eucharist

+Nursery for ages 6 weeks through 5 years will open 30 minutes prior to each service

*Live vIdeo feed of this service at www.stgeorgesnashville.org

Winterworship schedule

Non Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDNashville, TN

Permit No. 1228

The Shield is a quarterly publication of St. George’sEpiscopal Church and is distributed to members and friends

to engage and inform readers about what is happening in the life of our church community.

Communications TeamThe Rev. Michael Blaess

Elizabeth Reavis, Director of CommunicationsSandra Beld, Communications Coordinator

Rebecca Teel, Parish SecretaryLaura Zabaski, Parish Administrative Officer

Contributing PhotographersKim King, Lisa Johnson and Rebecca Teel

Cover photo: Rebecca Teel

On the cover: St. George at the Acropolis