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Immanuel Highlands Voice Immanuel Episcopal Church, Highlands May 15, 2022 | Volume 22, Number 19 |Fifth Sunday of Easter A Message from Father David - A Long Life May 12, 2022 Dear friends, Groucho Marx once said that “age is not a particularly interesting subject; anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.” Living to a ripe old age used to be considered an achievement, although that depends on your point of view. My mother used to say, at the age of 92, “Old age is not for the timid.” Growing old brings a whole new set of challenges. Young people rightly view old age as something to put off for as long as possible.  The writer P.J. O’Rourke, who died earlier this year, once said, “There’s one more terrifying fact about old people: I’m going to be one soon.” When does this happen exactly? Is it at 50, 60 or 70? Perhaps one day you wake up and simply say to yourself, “I am feeling old.” But then last week there was a news story which seemed to pour cold water over the whole idea. The world’s oldest person, a Japanese lady named Kane Tanaka, died at the age of 119. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to live to 119, but maybe 200 years ago they were saying the same thing about 90 year olds. Nowadays it is not unusual to live beyond 100. What all these long livers seem to have in common is a calm-headed and down to earth attitude to life. The 119 year old Japanese lady’s motto was: “Don’t give up and say there’s no point. Live with all your heart.” Another centenarian I remember extolled the benefits of a nightly glass of brandy. My favorite quote comes from a man who had just turned 100; he was a life-long drinker and smoker. He said, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.” Old age is supposed to confer certain benefits, such as wisdom, although this is not always the case. In the first book of Kings, King Solomon began as a wise young king, but became less wise the older he got. In the first chapter of the gospel of Luke, the elderly priest Zechariah is visited by the angel Gabriel. The angel brings tidings that Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth will conceive and bear a son. Had he been wise, Zechariah would have accepted the news with gracious silence. Instead, he questioned how Elizabeth could bear a son in her old age. For his lack of faith, God struck Zechariah dumb (although not forever). The older you get, the more memories you accumulate. They are like chapters in a manuscript that you carry around with you, although like a working novel they are susceptible to being re-written over the years. Memories are selective: if I recall a shared event from years ago with my children, they always remember it differently to me. They recall details or things said which have slipped my own memory. I shake my head when I hear some of the things I’m supposed to have said. The re-writing of past events sometimes serves to put you in a more favorable light than you deserve. Even memory is subject to vanity. Unlike the centenarians mentioned above, I don’t have a clear philosophy about growing old, but I have kept in mind what others have said or done. As a creative artist, the jazz trumpeter Miles Davis always looked forward rather than back. I saw him play late in his career, and he was still trying out new things and hewing his own creative path, rather than playing “hits” or trying to please the crowd. If you know Miles, you will know he had an “attitude”. During the concert I attended, he glowered at the audience for not sufficiently appreciating one of his solos.  The poet T. S. Eliot wrote, “Old men ought to be explorers”. That applies whether you are a man or woman. There is always something new to learn, or a new path to take, or a new call to serve. On the Sunday before last, I spoke about the disciples who, in the period between the resurrection and the ascension, had returned to the safety and familiarity of their former occupations. “Safe and familiar is not the gospel life,” I said at the time.  One of the challenges of old age is to learn how to keep taking risks. Jesus calls us out of our comfortable places to serve as disciples. That may mean joining a group of volunteers to do some work for the church. It may mean developing a care or interest in others, both in and outside the church. A valuable way of serving is to pray - as a discipline, morning and evening prayer is a good place to start (and easier too, since the prayers and readings are already written down.) Whatever you choose, allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide. Make of yourself a daily offering to God. That way, you are also preparing yourself for the next stage of the journey, following death. “Don’t give up and say there’s no point. Live with all your heart.” Kane Tanaka’s simple philosophy of life encapsulates both the wrestle to exist and find meaning, along with the best way of achieving that. Life can be hard, and it is easy to get disheartened. God is our help in time of need, and his spirit guides us along the way. Our teacher in life is Jesus Christ, who lived with all his heart and gave up his life for the sake of many. The lives of the saints - those who have followed Jesus - can be inspiring to us. The aim of life is not to live to 119, or 219, but to live well in the years you have. A long life can be a blessing, if you have the right attitude. Easter blessings Father David In this issue: A Message from Father David This week in the parish Lessons and readings Gathering Guidelines Children's Sunday School Adult Education Sermon, Sunday, May 8 Choral Pilgrimage to England Highlands Community Association Spring Food Drive Wednesday Eucharist discontinued Taize service, May 18 Sunday May 22 - Save the Date! New Approach to the Prayer List Sanctus Bells Racial Justice and Reconciliation Workshop, May 19 Help Ukrainian Families Birthdays and anniversaries From the editor This week in the parish Sunday, May 15 8:00 am - Holy Eucharist, Chapel 10:30 am - Holy Eucharist, Church Monday, May 16 6:00 pm - Vestry meeting Wednesday, May 18 7:00 pm - Taize Service Lessons and Readings Sunday, May 15 Acts 11:1-18 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35 Psalm 148 Link to readings: Lectionary Page Gathering Guidelines Let us celebrate together, as a community: Face masks are optional inside the church building Maintain a social distance of 3-6 feet Riverview Avenue and Parish House Entrance doors are open. Face masks and sanitizer are .available in the foyer. Watch online: Immanuel Church Highlands Facebook Livestream Children's Sunday School Sunday, 10:30-11:15 am Children meet for Sunday School during the 10:30 service in the upper level of the Clash Wing. Adult Education Sunday, 9:00 am On Sunday, May 15, we will conclude our study of  Pilgrim: The Creeds, Book 5, which explores the core of Christian belief in greater depth through the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds.    May 15 - Session Six: One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church May 22 - We will read and discuss the poem, The Summer Day by Mary Oliver. Adult Education will take a summer break from Memorial Day weekend, returning in September. All are welcome to join us in the Common Room or by Zoom. To join us via Zoom:  Adult Education Zoom Meeting   or by phone, dial: 1 929 436 2866 Enter Meeting ID: 267 681 9154## Enter Password: 782531# Father David's Sermon, Sunday, May 8 Click on this link for the text of Father David's sermon on Sunday, May 1. Choral Pilgrimage to St Paul’s, London and East Anglia, July 19 to August 1, 2022. Father David and Ruth Beresford will be leading a choral pilgrimage in the summer of 2022. We begin in Norwich, visiting cathedrals and other sites of historic and cultural interest in East Anglia. The pilgrims then travel to London, each day visiting some of the world’s great museums, churches, cathedrals, and attending Evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Each night will provide free time for all to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. Join us as we explore sacred sites and share in worship and fellowship as companions of the Christ Church Christiana Hundred choir. An itinerary can be found here. For further info, please contact Father David at davidberesford@gmail.com. or go to the Christ Church webpage for the pilgrimage. Highlands Community Association Spring Food Drive From Thursday, May 19th through Sunday, May 22nd, please donate new, nonperishable foods, toilet and paper articles, snacks for kids' backpacks, detergents, school supplies, and pet foods. No candy, soda, or expired foods, please. All donations can be placed on the front porch at 1420 Hamilton Street. The porch will be unlocked from 7 am through 10 pm. If you need to have your items picked up, please email me at acassidy21@gmail.com to arrange a time for pickup. Monetary contributions are also appreciated and enable the Food Bank to purchase food and supplies in bulk. Please make checks payable to the Food Bank of Delaware and leave them in the mailbox. Questions? Please contact: acassidy21@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your generosity.    Allison Cassidy HCA Food Drive Coordinator Wednesday Eucharist I have decided to cancel all future Wednesday noonday services, due to poor attendance. I am currently reviewing the options for what else we can be doing to encourage members to attend worship, which is the heartbeat of our church life. Thank you for those who have attended in the past. Father David An evening of Taizé music and prayer. Wednesday, May 25, 7 pm Immanuel Highlands Episcopal Church, Wilmington  Our theme this month is Spiritual Darkness.  Many believers experience times of spiritual darkness or dryness. It is a subjective feeling that God is distant, aloof, or even absent. During a time of spiritual dryness, prayers feel empty, hymns are sung without energy, sermons are lifeless, and Scripture appears to have no power over daily life. These are the times when our faith is being tested, and it is easy to give in to despair. We strengthen our faith through the beauty of worship and in the prayerful company of the faithful.  You are warmly invited to join us for an evening of music, readings, silence and candle lighting in the tradition of the Taizé community of France. For more information, please contact Immanuel Highlands Office on 302 658 7326 or email jbarrett@immanuel-highlands.org. Sunday, May 22 - Save the Date! Join us on Sunday, May 22, immediately following the 10:30 service for food, family fun, and games. Details to follow. A New Approach to the Prayer List Praying for those in need.  Effective Sunday, May 1, we will enter the names of those to be prayed for in a “Prayers of the People” book. This book will be found in the foyer of the church on weekdays, and on Sundays it will be at the back of church. After the Peace, the book will be carried to the altar, and those in need of divine assistance will included in our offering to God. If you know someone who is sick and in need of prayer, please write the full name of the person, along with the date, in the book. Those who names are entered will be prayed for and included on our prayer list. After four weeks - or before if requested - their name will be removed from the prayer list. To continue to include them on the prayer list, after four weeks their name must be entered again in the book. Sanctus Bells You will have heard two Sundays ago the sound of bells ringing during the Eucharistic prayer. This is the Sanctus Bell, whose purpose is two-fold: 1. to focus attention that a supernatural event is taking place on the altar. 2. to create a “joyful noise to the Lord” as a way to give thanks for the miracle taking place atop the altar. The Episcopal Dictionary of the Church describes it as “A bell rung by a server during the eucharist to emphasize and call attention to particular moments in the liturgy. The bell may be a small hand bell or set of bells, or a gong rung with a clapper, or the tower bell of the church. The term is based on the practice of ringing the bell three times during the Sanctus. The practice of accompanying the Sanctus with bells dates from the fifteenth century. It is also traditionally rung during the institution narrative when the celebrant elevates the elements of bread and wine.” Father David Free Virtual Racial Justice and Reconciliation Workshop Preparing the Church for Civic/Community Engagement and Advocacy, Thursday, May 19, 6-8pm This is an advanced workshop designed to move parishioners and ecumenical, interfaith, and community partners into action with established organizations that are actively engaged in all three Delaware counties. More information here and registration here Help Ukrainian Families Your immediate support will help Episcopal Relief & Development and other Anglican partners provide humanitarian assistance to people fleeing the violence in Ukraine. To learn how to help, click on this link. MAY Birthdays May 1 Cheryl Richter May 3 Sam Fernandez May 4 Sherry Capwell May 4 Connie Shultz May 7 John Day May 9 Carl Burnam May 9 Timothy English May 17 Sarah Elizabeth Hunt  May 17 Janis (Jan) Murray May 20 Linda Young May 21 Alex Lehr-Maunder May 23 Vicki Anthos May 23 Cis LeSieur May 24 Steven Gwinn May 25 Kirk Bailey May 25 Richard Sharpe  May 25 Marianne Dages May 26 Darla Max May 30 Janet Kerr May 31 Brendan Jeynes   Anniversaries May 7 Julie and Matthew Donohue May 16 Laura and Jason Deitcher  May 23 Barb and Rob Volko  May 28 Jillian and Taylor Morgan From the Editor If you have an item to be included in the Voice, please email it to me, Bonnie Swan, by the Tuesday before the Thursday release of the newsletter. If you don't have access to email, please leave your written request in my mail slot in the mailboxes across from the Parish Administrator's office no later than the Sunday before the Voice goes out. Thank you! Bonnie Swan (bonnie.swan@verizon.net) Immanuel Church, HIghlands immanuelhighlands.church

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