Readings, News & Announcements Oct 2-9

 Chirst Episcopal Church Blog/Website click here http://christchurchsmithfield.blogspot.com/

News and Announcements:

                                               

Sun    Oct 2                   Early Morning Prayer – 7:45am

                                    Morning Prayer – 9:00am

                                    Sunday School - 10:00am All ages

                                    Morning Prayer – 11:00am

                                      Blessing of the Animals – St Lukes 2:00pm

*Sundays at Four ~ Christ Episcopal Church*

Mon  Oct 3                    Bible Study – 7:00-8:30pm

Tues  Oct 4                   Daughters of the King - 7:30pm

                                    Executive Committee 1^st Tuesday meeting - 7:00pm

Wed  Oct 5                     Midweek Eucharist – 5:00pm

Sat    Oct 8                   Souper Saturday – 11:00am

Sun   Oct 9                   Early Quiet Service – 7:45am

                                    Celebration Service – 9:00am

                                    Sunday School 10:00am - All ages

                                    Traditional Service – 11:00am

††††††††††††††††††††††††††

Sundays at Four…………..

  ‘The Belle of Amherst Revisited”

    The Life of Emily Dickinson in Word, Song and Poetry

October 2 at Christ Episcopal Church

Selected poems by Emily Dickinson about Nature, Life, Love, Time, and Eternity. Such poems became the lyrics for composers Copland, Persichetti, Hoiby, Duke, and others which will be performed by soprano, Georgeann Paddock; pianist, Millie Andrews Young, Elizabeth Wiley, drama professor at The College of William and Mary will take on the persona of Emily Dickinson, and Marj Tongue will provide commentary...an overview of the life of one of America’s finest poets.

 A reception follows the program. For information, call 757-375-9140.

Series tickets (three concerts) $45 Adults, $20 Students. Individual tickets at the door: $20 Adults, $10 Students.

*****Would you like to dedicate flowers in honor or memory of a loved one?*Flower dates available October 16,23, & November 13*

Please contact Judy Cutler 757 357 5133.

Souper Saturday

October 8^th 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church,

201 Cedar Street

in downtown Smithfield  Featuring home-made soup and desserts prepared by volunteers from local churches, this popular annual event is a fundraiser for the Christian Outreach Program's heating assistance program.

Cost for all-you-can-eat soup, ham biscuits, dessert and drinks

is $5 for adults and $3 for children age 12 and under.

Live music throughout the day!

We are looking for volunteers to provide soup and desserts, please see sign up sheet in CEC hall. Further information- contact Pam Glanville

Finances at Christ Church
Pledges and plate at Christ Church have been very low in recent months, so that -- although we have continued to tighten our belt on expenses -- we have a negative budget income verses expense of nearly $20,000 for the year as of September 1.   If you have pledged and not been able to keep up on your promise, please try to catch up.  If you have pledged and plan to give a larger gift near the end of the year, please let our treasurer, Bob Amato, know that.   If you did not pledge this year, please consider giving more for the ministry of Christ at Christ Church.  If you are able, consider an extra gift.   Thank you.   

AUGUST

BUDGET                ACTUALS            VARIANCE  

13,925.00                  6,717.00                  (7,208.00)      

YEAR TO DATE

BUDGET      ACTUALS       VARIANCE       

 111,400.00     92,182.54         (19,217.46)

Sep 18 -- SUNDAY OFFERINGS

BUDGET      ACTUALS       VARIANCE       

3481.25   2338.00      -1143.24

Readings Oct 2 7.45 & 11am

+Psalm  19: Page 606, BCP

The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.

One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,

Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.

In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the LORD is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

The fear of the LORD is clean
 and endures for ever; *
 the judgments of the LORD are true
 and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.

By them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can tell how often he offends? *
cleanse me from my secret faults.

Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

+The First Lesson: Moses gives the people the commandments he has received from the Lord. These laws describe the people’s duties toward God and their obligations to one another.
 Reader: A reading from Exodus [20:1-4,7-9,19-20]

Then God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin."

Reader: The word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God

Canticle:  S-266 A Song to the Lamb (Canticle 18)                  Dignus es

Splendor and honor and kingly power are yours……                  

A Reading from Philippians [3:4b-14]

Paul contends that his qualifications for being a teacher of the faith count for nothing compared to knowing the risen Christ.

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Yet whatever gains I had, 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. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

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. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus..

Reader: The word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God

Readings Oct 2 9am

+Psalm  19: Page 606, BCP

The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.

One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,

Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.

In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the LORD is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

The fear of the LORD is clean
 and endures for ever; *
 the judgments of the LORD are true
 and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.

By them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can tell how often he offends? *
cleanse me from my secret faults.

Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

Reader: A reading Philippians [3:4b-14]

Paul contends that his qualifications for being a teacher of the faith count for nothing compared to knowing the risen Christ.

The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it. We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book. The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it. I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

Reader: Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

People: Open our ears to hear your Word

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, October 2 – Blessing of the Ani-mals and Celebration of St. Francis at St. Luke’s at 2 pm. Bring Rov-er, Puss, Cleo, Mr. Ed or any other of your furry, scaly, feathery friends for the celebration!