Calling all musicians!
All instruments and experience levels welcome.
Music Ministry
Do you play a musical instrument? Have you ever thought about playing during our church services? Our Music Committee welcomes you! All instruments (including voice) and experience levels welcome. Contact us to learn more. We look forward to hearing you!
Monthly Calendar and Seasonal Shepherd's Staff
Read the latest issue of the Shepherd’s Staff
The May calendar is available online or on the oak desk in the Parish Hall later. Any changes or updates to the calendar are reflected in the weekly eblast or the Sunday Shepherd's Fold.
You can also download the most recent version (Late Spring 2019 Edition) of the Seasonal Shepherd's Staff.
Presiding Bishop Curry: 2019 Easter Message
“In the moments of despair, in the moments of the worst darkness, God had done something incredible,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry said in his Easter 2019 Message. “God had raised Jesus from the dead.”
Easter 2019 Message
The Rt. Reverend Barbara Harris was the first woman ordained and consecrated a bishop in The Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion. In her memoir, entitled Hallelujah, Anyhow! [she] quotes an old Gospel hymn that says it this way:
Hallelujah anyhow
Never let your troubles get you down
When your troubles come your way
Hold your hands up high and say
Hallelujah anyhow!
When I get to Heaven, I want to meet one person, and her name is Mary Magdalene. Because if ever there was another Hallelujah, Anyhow sister, it was Mary Magdalene. And her life, and her example, tells us what it means to follow in the way of Jesus, in the Way of Love.
Mary Magdalene showed up when others would not. Mary Magdalene spoke up when others remained silent. Mary Magdalene stood up when others sat down.
John's Gospel tells us that when many of the disciples fled and abandoned Jesus, Mary Magdalene stood by him at the cross. Hallelujah, Anyhow.
Against the odds, swimming against the current, Mary Magdalene was there.
John's Gospel says in the 20th chapter, early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene and some of the other women went to the tomb. Hallelujah, Anyhow.
They went to the tomb when it didn't make any sense. They went to the tomb when the evidence was against them. Jesus was dead. They knew that. The power of the Empire had crushed the hope of love. They knew that. And they got up in the morning and went to the tomb anyhow. Hallelujah, Anyhow.
But more than that, John's Gospel says it was dark. It was dark. That's not just the time of day in John's Gospel. The darkness in John is the domain of evil. In John's Gospel when Judas leaves the Last Supper to betray Jesus, John inserts a parenthetical remark. When Judas leaves to betray him, John says, "And it was night." The darkness is the domain of wrong, of hatred, of bigotry, of violence, the domain of sin and death and horror.
And early in the morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, Hallelujah, Anyhow.
The truth is, she didn't know that Jesus was alive. She was just doing what love does. Caring for her beloved, her Savior, her friend, in his time of death, to give him the last rites of burial. And when she got to the tomb, and the other women with them, they eventually discovered that Jesus was alive, and in the silence of the night, in the moments of despair, in the moments of the worst darkness, God had done something incredible. God had raised Jesus from the dead.
The truth is, nobody saw Jesus rise from the dead, because God had done it secretly and quietly, when nobody was looking.
When I was in high school, I learned a poem composed by James Russell Lowell. He wrote it in the 19th century, in one of the darkest periods in American history, when this country was torn asunder by the existence of chattel slavery in our midst. In this great land of freedom, there were slaves being held in bondage. And this nation literally went to war, tearing itself apart, trying to find the way to do what was right. And James Russell Lowell wrote, in the midst of this darkness, in this dark hour:
Though the cause of evil prosper, yet 'tis truth alone and strong . . .
Though her portion be a scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own
Hallelujah, Anyhow.
Christ is risen
The Lord is risen, indeed.
God love you, God bless you, and may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.
The Episcopal Church invites all to virtually join the congregation of St. Paul's/San Pablo Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Kansas for their Holy Week services. Beginning with the Maundy Thursday Eucharist and Foot Washing service on April 18, 2019, the Office of Communication will live stream Holy Week services through Easter Sunday's Festive Eucharist. Available on both the Episcopal Church website and the Episcopal Church on Facebook page, as live streams and later on demand, these digital offerings make Holy Week worship accessible to those not attending a service or program at a local church.
Other Episcopal Churches may be live streaming their Holy Week and/or Easter services. For a list of streamed services in your area, please contact your diocesan office.
Interim priest named
Rev. Melissa Buono has accepted the call to become the Church of the Good Shepherd’s interim priest.
Well, it has been four months since Gareth left. During that time the Vestry has been working on stabilizing and building the life of the church. As you know, it hasn't been easy times, but we are working through the obstacles and taking things one day at a time. Melissa has been our Bridge priest which has truly been a blessing.
Last week I received an email from the Diocese that we had a candidate for the Interim position. Well, to my surprise our own Rev. Melissa Buono was asked by the Bishop to be our Interim. Melissa took the time necessary to talk with her family, and with lots of prayers decided to accept the call. The Wardens then met with Melissa and after our discussion, we agreed. The discussion was then brought to the Vestry last night and all present voted to hire Melissa as our new Interim Priest! Thank you for all of your prayers and thank you to God for answering them in such a wonderful way.
Please congratulate and support Melissa as she guides us through our transition.
Faithfully,
Anthony Geanisis
Sr. Warden
Rectory renovations to wrap up this month
Sign up for one of the remaining tasks to help us meet our deadline.
We’re in the home stretch with the rectory renovations! We have created a new punch list of items which much be finished up by the end of March—our completion date. You can work at your convenience as long as your task is finished by the deadline. See what remains to be done and sign up here.
Parishioners celebrate start of Lent at Acton, Littleton train stations
Wednesday’s windy and bitterly cold weather was not ideal for standing out on a train platform and waiting to distribute ashes to commuters.
Federal Employee Food Drive
As we listened to news reports of the longest government shutdown in history and federal workers approaching a second missed paycheck, we explored ways to help.
As we listened to news reports of the longest government shutdown in history and federal workers approaching a second missed paycheck, we explored ways to help. The Acton Food Pantry had not seen an uptick in need but Open Table in Maynard reached out to Hanscom Air Force Base where the Coast Guard and civilian workers were directly affected and provided a special “shopping” day for government workers.
We held a food drive to support their efforts spanning the first two weekends in February and, true to form, Good Shepherd came through with 33 bags of groceries!
Thank you everyone for your generosity! The folks at Open Table were so grateful.
2019 Altar Flower Calendar now available
Sign up to support the altar flower ministry.
Altar flowers
The 2019 Altar Flower Calendar is now available if you'd like to sign up to donate altar flowers. The cost is $62.50 and any check or cash should be designated for Altar Flowers. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your flower order or dedication, contact Diane Cooke. There are no altar flowers during Lent.