St. Thomas Tidings: April 10, 2025
St. Thomas Tidings: April 10, 2025
A collect for the Fifth Sunday of Lent: O God, you have called us to be your children, and have promised that those who suffer with Christ will be heirs with him of your glory: Arm us with such trust in him that we may ask no rest from his demands and have no fear in his service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
April 10, 2025 is the memorial of William Law, Priest 1761.
William Law (1686 – 9 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, King George I. Previously, William Law had given his allegiance to the House of Stuart and is sometimes considered a second-generation non-juror. Thereafter, Law continued as a simple priest (curate), and when that too became impossible without the required oath, Law taught privately and wrote extensively. His personal integrity, as well as his mystic and theological writing, greatly influenced the evangelistic movement of his day, as well as Enlightenment thinkers such as the writer Samuel Johnson and the historian Edward Gibbon. In 1784, William Wilberforce (1759–1833), the politician, philanthropist, and leader of the movement to stop the slave trade, was deeply touched by reading William Law's book A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (1729).[1] Law's spiritual writings remain in print today.
A Bible Moment:
(Philippians 3:7-9, 12) - A reading from the April 6 Sunday Lectionary:
"Yet whatever gains I had (from the Law); these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. .... Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own."
A Meditation On the Reading:
Paul's zeal for the law as a good Jew and a Pharisee was "as rubbish" compared to the gain through his faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, following that profession, he seems to say that this is not enough: "not that I have already obtained this..."
Is Paul saying that there is more for him to do after he has faith in Jesus? Protestants and Catholics have debated for centuries the question of "faith alone” versus the need to do "works." Does this passage have something to say about that question? Paul already has faith in Jesus Christ, yet he also questions whether he has reached his goal.
What do YOU think this means? How does this impact your spirituality?
St Martha’s Guild: Please join us at St. Martha’s Guild. We are a very friendly group that gathers each Tuesday morning. We crochet, knit and handcraft items. We would love to give free lessons in knitting and crocheting. This is also a great opportunity to build community and have a nice chat. We meet Tuesdays in Larkin Hall from 9:30-11:30 am.
Easter Floral Decorations: Please consider donating for our Easter Decorations in honor, memory or thanksgiving. Donation envelopes will be in the narthex. Please respond by Palm Sunday April 13, 2025 for your message to be in the Holy Week Bulletin.
Lenten Schedule
Stations of the Cross
12:00 Noon - Every Friday in Lent including Good Friday
Palm Sunday-Episcopal Rosary Making
Sunday, April 13 - 9:00-10:00 am (between Services) and 11:30am -12:30 pm (after 10:15 service)
Maundy Thursday
Thursday, April 17 – Agape Service Meal in the Church at 6:30 pm. Sign-up sheet in the Church Narthex
Good Friday
Friday, April 18, 7:00 pm (at St. Gregory’s)
Great Vigil of Easter
Saturday, April 19 – If there is sufficient interest in having this liturgy
Easter Morning Services
Sunday, April 20, 2025: 8:00 and 10:15 am
St. Thomas High Tea: Saturday, May 10, 2025
11:30am-1:00pm
$25.00
Presale Tickets Only
Contact Shelley
shelleyarnold1@aol.com Or text 562-477-7665
Supper Club and game night at St. Thomas: April 28, 2025. To be held in Larkin Hall. Please bring a friend. Signup sheet is in the Narthex of the Church.
Study of the Rule of St. Benedict begins April 24, 2025 at St. Gregory’s: Have you ever wondered what monastic life is like? Ever been curious why The Rule of Benedict is still important 1500 years after St. Benedict’s life? Would you like to know how Benedictine spirituality can help everyone better live as Christians in today’s world? Then please consider signing up for this year’s book study on The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21st Century. Using Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister’s commentary on the Rule and its applications for life today, we’ll learn about how a rule of life written in the sixth century can still inform and nurture us today. The class will start on Thursday, April 24 and run through mid-September (exact date to be determined, as we will miss a few Thursdays here and there over the course of the summer). We’ll meet from 6:00 to 7:00 PM in the Parish Hall Conference Room at St. Gregory’s. You are welcome to purchase and use either a print copy or an e-copy of the book; both versions are readily available online or your favorite bookstore. Contact Mother Sharon if you have any questions. See you there!
From the Diocese
Episcopal Relief & Development is offering Lenten Meditations with deep reflections from Jerusalem Jackson Greer on the divine gifts we find in community. Here are some ways your congregation can participate. Subscribe to daily email meditations Daily email meditations will be delivered to your inbox every day (except Sundays) starting March 5. These emails will include thoughtful questions to inspire your own reflections. Download the full booklet If you don’t want to receive meditations one at a time, you can download the full booklet of meditations at once, print it out or view it digitally at your own pace. This option is great for groups or for making printed versions available to your worshiping community.
Episcopal Church Immigration Action Toolkit for dioceses, churches, and individuals
Amid executive orders on mass deportation and the halting of new refugee resettlement, many are asking how to respond in support of our immigrant and refugee neighbors. The Episcopal Church offers advocacy tools, links to upcoming webinars, ways to help, and more in the Immigration Action Toolkit. Resources are available in Spanish where indicated.
Public Policy and Witness Weekly Prayers
Join us in these weekly prayers to ground us and to discern what actions we each feel compelled to take. We are one church united in prayer; we name truth in the face of lies; we create space for grief in the face of denial; and we free space in our souls for hope. Join in prayer and share..
Episcopal Church offers free Lent resources
Find new and updated Lent resources for individuals, small groups, and congregations, including “Holy Week Explainer” videos, curricula, sermons, lesson plans, podcasts, and much more. Review each listing for available languages.
‘Prophetic Voices’ podcast: ‘Preaching the Easter Vigil’
This episode features a discussion of the lectionary for the Easter Vigil, with guests the Rev. Jo Ann Lagman, missioner for Asiamerica Ministries for The Episcopal Church; the Rev. Shana McCauley, canon vicar of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon; and Rachel Ambasing, missioner for community vitality and diversity for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. “Prophetic Voices” is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, Episcopal Church staff officer for racial reconciliation. Learn more.
‘Good News and Gratitude’ podcast:
New episode: Gratitude In Times of Division
In its inaugural season, this podcast from the United Thank Offering—hosted by the Rev. Erin Jean Warde—explores the messages of gratitude and good news found in Scripture and the world around us, as well as through the wisdom of guests and personal spiritual practices.
St. Thomas Post Scripts
May Canterbury Tales: We are in need of articles for the St. Thomas Canterbury Tales publication. Please send all article information to Bill Henderson at whender808@yahoo.com, whender808@gmail.com or Rick Fridrick at stlb47@verizon.net, or call the Church office. Articles should be submitted no later than noon on Monday, April 28, 2025.
St. Thomas Tiding: If you have any article/announcement for the tiding please send to Rick Fridrick at stlb47@verizon.net or call the Church office.
Service Reminder: All our services stay on our Facebook page so you can view them whenever it’s convenient for you. It’s always better to view a service later in the day than not at all! The link to the page for all our services is here: https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Thomas-of-Canterbury-Episcopal-Church-of-Long-Beach-CA-124554214274325
Share Our Services: Please feel free to share our Sunday services. The more people we reach, the better we do at evangelism. People are hungry for what we have to offer, and I encourage you to do your part to share our services with your friends and neighbors. Send them the link when you email them, invite them to join you on Facebook or in person… whatever way works best for you to share what we have to offer.
Episcopal News Updates: These email updates from the diocese are a great way to stay informed about what’s happening all over our six-county diocese. If you want to receive the Episcopal News, visit https://diocesela.org/episcopal-news/contact/ and enter your email address in the box provided.
Reminder the Church office is open Monday-Friday: If you have any need, Rick Fridrick is in the Church office Monday-Thursday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm and Friday from 9:00 am – Noon. 562-425-4457
Pastoral Care: If you have normal “every day” pastoral concerns, contact Rick in the office, or Allen at (714) 381-5910. But if you have more profound concerns (serious illnesses, deaths in the family, significant problems in coping with life’s challenges, etc.), please feel free to contact Fr. Michael Fincher (Rector at St. Gregory’s). Fr. Michael’s cell phone is (909) 373-6478.
We hope to have a more detailed pastoral care plan soon.