Dear friends in Christ,
The four horsemen of the apocalypse are characters from the sixth chapter of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine. As personifications of violent conquest, bloodshed, famine, and death – with Hades thrown in for good measure – their appearance is the result of the first four seals of the scroll being broken by the Lamb. (As usual Albrecht Durer’s depiction spares no gory detail.) We discuss chapter six, peacefully, this Sunday at 10am on the fifth floor.
Andrew McGowan, Dean and President of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University, offers reflections on the relationship between sacrifice, Eucharist, and gift-giving at his lecture The End of Sacrifice: Violence, Ritual and Redemption. The lecture is on Tuesday, November 15 at 6:30pm in Andrew Hall, and a light reception follows.
Creation and Covenant: Our Stewardship of the Created World, taught by Professor Jeremy Waldron, continues Wednesday at 6:30pm in Andrew Hall. In last week’s class, Professor Waldron examined the idea of creation: God’s creation of the heavens and the earth. This week, he continues with a discussion of God’s love for his creation, expressed in the covenant with Noah and elsewhere. This is the second of a three-part class. The final session, on stewardship of the earth, is on Wednesday, November 16. All are welcome; previous attendance is not required.
The Friday Bible Study led by Father Spurlock continues today at 12:40pm, as the group makes their way through the gospel of Luke. Note that the class will not meet on Friday, November 11.
Next week the Christian Doctrine II class continues its study of the service of Holy Eucharist in the Book of Common Prayer, as it is celebrated at Saint Thomas Church, looking particularly at Holy Communion. If you were recently confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church, or transferred into Saint Thomas from another parish, please be in touch with me about this class.
Finally, “The Living Church” is a monthly magazine historically associated with the Episcopal Church. You may be interested to know that this month’s issue includes an article on Father Spurlock’s work with the Karen people in Tennessee – “Little Church, Big Screen” – and Father Victor Austin’s essay on the relationship between worship and evangelism: “Let the Liturgy Be.”
Yours in Christ, Joel
