Our walking with Jesus in the season of Epiphany will take us back to the synagogue at Nazareth this Sunday (Luke 4:21-30). Just after Jesus has revealed to them his cosmic fulfillment of Isaiah’s hope-filled words and issued a personal message of comfort and deliverance, his fellow Nazarenes respond quite oddly - they try to kill him. More on that Sunday.
In my initial observations of this gospel lesson I’m struck that the people of Nazareth knew Jesus, but they didn’t know him. They both marveled at his persuasive speech and despised him for his familiarity. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” They begged him to show the miracles that he had done in Capernaum but bristled at his allusion to the faithlessness of Israel during Elijah and Elisha’s times. He was trying to show them “a still more excellent way,” as St. Paul would later say, but they had no space for the love of God (1 Cor 13:1).
Come ready to receive from our Lord God. I look forward to worshiping the living God with you.
Jay+
Seeking Him Together
Many of you may be wondering what your next steps are at St. Bartholomew’s. If you’re not in a Pastorate, I urge you to visit one on a night that works for you - it’s not too late to register. Chris mentioned in Sunday’s sermon that God reveals himself to us and to the world through the body of Christ, that community gathered in Jesus’ name and marked by the Holy Spirit. Besides Sunday worship, Pastorates are the primary way we express and experience this community.
Secondly, you might be ready to attend Membership Class. The beginning of our membership process, Membership Class will run five weeks and cover the St. Bart’s story, Anglican distinctives of prayer, worship, and history, and the specific ways you can grow and flourish here. You can register at this link.
No matter where you find yourself in your journey with Jesus and his people, continue to seek him with all your heart, putting your whole faith and trust in him.
See you Sunday -
Jay+
Pastorates Resuming!
If you’re wondering how to get more deeply connected with the community God is building at St. Bartholomew’s, you should consider joining a Pastorate. Pastorates are mid-sized groups that meet every other week all over East Dallas for connection and desired transformation. Pastorates are our presence in the city. Just like the early church grew from house to house, St. Bartholomew’s will grow from neighborhood to neighborhood through Pastorates.
For more information or to join a Pastorate, follow the link https://stbartsdallas.churchcenter.com/groups/pastorates
Jay+
God’s Steadfast Faithfulness in the New Year
First off, thank you for your generosity in December and all of 2018! It was a huge year for St. Bartholomew’s as we became our own church. I believe God will continue to work powerfully in each of your lives as he continues to form us as his people on mission for him.
It’s the new year and we’re revving back up at St. Bart’s especially as we finish the Christmas season and begin Epiphany. Don’t forget to bless your house on the Twelfth Night of Christmas, January 5. If you didn’t get chalk and a blessing liturgy, there are plenty at the church. The whole season of Epiphany is a great time to bless your home.
Then, on January 6th, we’ll gather for our regular Sunday 5 pm worship service to celebrate God’s revelation of himself to all peoples of the earth in his Son. Three Kings from the East might even make an appearance to honor the newborn King. Be at church on time to see this happen.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Remembering Our Story: Continued Generosity
Dear Friends,
The year is drawing to a close, and we have so much to be thankful for at St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church. We just celebrated Christ’s birth in beautiful fashion with a candlelight Christmas Eve service. We’ve experienced an Advent season where our hope in Christ’s sure and redemptive coming again has been deepened and refined, palpably so. But more has happened since we became St. Bartholomew’s on July 1.
In July, we started from scratch financially. Many of you gave over and above so we could have seed money, operating cash to get us on our feet as a church - thank you! We celebrated our new identity with a great St. Bart’s Day Festival in September. We helped more than 30 people discern their call in Christ’s kingdom at a retreat held on campus beginning work in them that will last a lifetime. Our Pastorates partnered with Buckner Children and Family Services' Family Pathways program to provide childcare for single mothers enrolled in enrichment and continuing education. We have baptized many and buried one. And there is more to come as we grow and our vision and mission take clearer shape. God is doing something unseen in our midst - the promise of his vision and the hope of fruitfulness are deeply ingrained in me, and I know in many of you as well. But none of this happens without your generous giving.
You’ve been welcomed at St. Bart’s; you and your family and circle of friends have grown deeper in Christ. We want to continue Christ’s welcome to those in East Dallas and the surrounding areas, to see God continue to draw to himself those who call Jesus Lord, God their Father, the Spirit their Counselor and Comforter, and St. Bart’s their home. Please consider giving generously to continue God’s mission and ministry at St. Bart’s. Thank you for the ways you’ve fueled God’s mission here over the last year, and for giving generously as you hear God’s call for the years and decades to come.
Merry Christmas!
Jay+
Remembering Our Story: St. Bart’s Day Festival
As we progress further into Advent and draw closer to Christmas, my mind is drawn to what God has done in us over the past year. My anticipation of the return of Christ is encouraged by the way you all have engaged in God’s mission here at St. Bartholomew’s. And at the top of my mind is our story of “becoming St. Bartholomew’s” in 2018.
A key part of our becoming St. Bartholomew’s was our St. Bart’s Day Festival held on September 9th. Our Bishop Philip Jones presided over our service to dedicate us as our own church. He prayed for us as a people, for Chris and me, your clergy, and for God’s vision to be fulfilled in our mission and ministry. After the service we celebrated with a feast in the courtyard - it was a tremendous time of celebration and joy. That day the reality hit me that what God is doing in our midst at St. Bartholomew’s is beyond us, our efforts, our ability to keep up. And yet God delights in calling us to partner with him to participate in his mission. I hope you have felt that joy and delight as you’ve engaged in God’s mission at St. Bart’s.
As the year draws to a close and you grow in your anticipation of Christ’s return and the celebration of his birth, please remember St. Bartholomew’s - where we’ve come from, where we’ve been, and where God is taking us in 2019 and beyond.
On mission with you -
Jay+
Remembering Our Story - Becoming St. Bartholomew's
As the calendar year draws to a close and we kick off the season of Advent and a whole new liturgical year, my mind is drawn to what God has done in us over the past year. My anticipation of the return of Christ is encouraged by the way you all have engaged in God’s mission here at St. Bartholomew’s. And at the top of my mind is our story of “becoming St. Bartholomew’s” in 2017.
On July 1 we set off as our own organization, out from the cover and direct care of our sending church All Saints Dallas. One consequence of this move was to open a checking account so we could conduct the day to day mission, ministry, and business of the church. That bank account started with $0.00. But, as we began to talk about raising Seed Money, operating cash that could give us 2-3 months of funds, you all stepped up and responded in courage and faithfulness. And it’s in that courage and faithfulness that we’ve operated and lived over the past 5 months as you’ve continued to tithe faithfully.
As the year draws to a close and you grow in your anticipation of Christ’s return and the celebration of his birth, please remember St. Bartholomew’s - where we’ve come from, where we’ve been, and where God is taking us in 2019 and beyond.
On the Journey with You -
Jay+
Instructed Eucharist
This Sunday we’ll celebrate an Instructed Eucharist. We’ll have our customary worship service, but Chris and I will take some time to explain the various portions of the service, the signs and symbols imbued with meaning that narrate and inform our worship. A great Sunday to bring a friend, this Sunday is a key part of our formation as Anglicans because we are a people who gather around Word and Sacrament each week to confess our sins, sing God’s praises, proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, feast on his Body and Blood at the Table, and are sent out into the world on mission for our king and God. See you Sunday!
Jay +