St. Francis Episcopal Church
is located at
16608 Highway 76
Pauma Valley, CA 92061
Church phone and answering machine. (760) 742-1738
Mailing Address
St. Francis Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 1220
Pauma Valley, CA 92061
Check out our new Facebook page by clicking here.
is located at
16608 Highway 76
Pauma Valley, CA 92061
Church phone and answering machine. (760) 742-1738
Mailing Address
St. Francis Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 1220
Pauma Valley, CA 92061
Check out our new Facebook page by clicking here.
Join us for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany. February 16, 2020
Exploring the Value of Restraining the Ego
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus continues teaching his followers. You have heard the commandment to not murder, “But I say to you that if you even get angry with a brother of sister, you will be liable to judgment.” And Jesus continues to expand on the commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” then he adds a new refinement, if we look a woman lustfully, “we have already committed adultery in our hearts.”
I have to be honest with myself; these additions of Jesus are really hard to follow literally! How many times have I gotten angry with someone, just today? Trying to get on the freeway and someone decides to share my lane with me and I am supposed to just say “thanks for sharing”? I really have begun to notice when I get angry on the road and I really am trying to turn over a new leaf, but it is so hard for me . And if looking lustfully at a woman is a sin, then I might just be in trouble with that one too. After all weren’t JLow and Shakira really hard to see without having at least one passing lustful thought? Maybe my libido has slowed down over the years, but haven’t I heard that a sexually active man has a sexual thought every matter of seconds! I hope you see where my confession is going; Jesus is purposefully trying to make us question our own behavior and make a change.
Of course there will be many things that will want to make us angry, but we always have a choice to make in how we respond to life’s disappointments. We can choose to be forgiving and smile. And when our own ego makes us look at any other person as less than, and we put our own needs first, we can make an effort to change our behavior. We can see our own motivations and move to heal and forgive. The persons that Jesus is calling us to be should be hard for us to achieve, and honestly if it were simply up to us, we would fail. But God’s spirit, if allowed, will continue to guide us into becoming the Christian that we know in our hearts that we want to become.
Blessings
Michael+
Please follow the link listed below for the readings for the week.
The Kedusha
Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing. Let there be moments when your Presence, like lightning illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed. And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder, "How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it."
Exploring the Value of Restraining the Ego
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus continues teaching his followers. You have heard the commandment to not murder, “But I say to you that if you even get angry with a brother of sister, you will be liable to judgment.” And Jesus continues to expand on the commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” then he adds a new refinement, if we look a woman lustfully, “we have already committed adultery in our hearts.”
I have to be honest with myself; these additions of Jesus are really hard to follow literally! How many times have I gotten angry with someone, just today? Trying to get on the freeway and someone decides to share my lane with me and I am supposed to just say “thanks for sharing”? I really have begun to notice when I get angry on the road and I really am trying to turn over a new leaf, but it is so hard for me . And if looking lustfully at a woman is a sin, then I might just be in trouble with that one too. After all weren’t JLow and Shakira really hard to see without having at least one passing lustful thought? Maybe my libido has slowed down over the years, but haven’t I heard that a sexually active man has a sexual thought every matter of seconds! I hope you see where my confession is going; Jesus is purposefully trying to make us question our own behavior and make a change.
Of course there will be many things that will want to make us angry, but we always have a choice to make in how we respond to life’s disappointments. We can choose to be forgiving and smile. And when our own ego makes us look at any other person as less than, and we put our own needs first, we can make an effort to change our behavior. We can see our own motivations and move to heal and forgive. The persons that Jesus is calling us to be should be hard for us to achieve, and honestly if it were simply up to us, we would fail. But God’s spirit, if allowed, will continue to guide us into becoming the Christian that we know in our hearts that we want to become.
Blessings
Michael+
Please follow the link listed below for the readings for the week.
The Kedusha
Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing. Let there be moments when your Presence, like lightning illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed. And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder, "How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it."
-Saint of the Week- Martin Luther
Feast Day February 18th
Surprising facts you may not know
about Martin Luther
Martin Luther was an academic and religious figure who was strongly against the corruption of the Catholic Church in the 16th century.
Around this time, the church was heavily involved in the politics of the Holy Roman Empire and the practice of selling 'indulgences' was becoming increasingly common.
This meant those who felt they had sinned could simply buy a pardon and, in exchange for their money, a prayer would be said or a candle lit to 'absolve' them of their sins. These pardons were essentially religious 'get out of jail free cards' and the more money people paid for them, supposedly the more years were taken off their time in purgatory.
Increasingly resentful of the ways of the Catholic Church, on the 31st of October 1517, Martin Luther published his 95 Theses attacking the corrupt practices of the papacy and essentially sparking the biggest revolution the Christian faith has ever seen.
The legend of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church is just that, a legend
The story goes that Luther stormed up to the Castle Church in Wittenburg, hammer in hand, and nailed his incendiary document to the front door. While this is a fittingly forceful image for the start of a religious movement which has violently shaped European history, several scholars have agreed that there is little evidence to suggest this dramatic gesture ever took place.
There were apparently no eye-witnesses and according to the New Yorker, Martin Luther himself seemed unclear on what he actually did to spread his 95 Theses, apart from sending them to the local archbishop.
Martin Luther was not originally his name
The father of Protestantism was in fact born 'Martin Luder' to a family from a coal mining town. It is commonly believed that, in the same year he published his theses, Martin changed his surname from 'Luder' to 'Luther', which some believe was in line with the Greek word 'erleutherios' meaning freedom and liberty.
A near death experience inspired him to become a monk
Martin Luther was the eldest of a large family and his father planned for him to study law in order to help with the family business. But it appears Luther had other plans. At age 21 he was caught up in a large storm and the story goes that he prayed to St. Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, to save his life, promising to become a monk if he survived. Some claim this was a common practice in young people at the time, who did not want to follow in the path chosen for them by their parents. Whatever his reasoning, Luther honored his promise and was ordained two years later.
He had a big influence on Christmas
Before the reformation, children in Germany often received presents on December 6th, the day of St. Nicholas. Meanwhile Jesus' birth was not specifically celebrated at all, as the Epiphany on January 6th was the main day of celebration as this was the day the three wise men are said to have visited Bethlehem. Luther was against St. Nicholas being so particularly revered, so over time St. Nicholas' day lost more and more of its importance in the Protestant faith. In its place the birth of Christ began to be celebrated which led to the modern celebration of Christmas Eve on December 24th in Germany and many other European countries.
The scandal of the century: an ex-monk marrying an ex-nun
Katharina von Bora spent more than a decade of her early life cloistered in convent schools and then as a nun herself. But in early 1523, she and other nuns were smuggled out of their convent by a merchant delivering herring. After making her way to Wittenberg, von Bora married Luther in 1525, scandalizing Catholics and opening up the possibility for married clergy in Reformation churches. But von Bora’s contribution to Luther’s work hardly ended there. She also had six children, managed the household and their finances, and participated in scholarly gatherings Luther held at their home—something unheard of for the time. Luther even named his wife his sole inheritor, something so unusual that judges ruled it illegal after Luther’s death.
Luther had to be 'kidnapped' by his friend to avoid severe repercussions from the Catholic Church
After publishing his 95 Theses, Luther was called to Rome to answer for his heresy. When he did not comply, he was excommunicated but brazenly burned the paper which announced his excommunication in a pit used by a Wittenburg hospital to burn old rags.
He avoided execution for this because of his huge popularity with the general public, but in 1521 he was called to a Diet in the town of Worms, an assembly of the Holy Roman Empire, to explain himself. In Worms, Luther announced he would only retract his criticisms of the church if they could show him sufficient evidence from the holy scripture to support the practices he deemed to be corrupt. As he was traveling back from Worms, Luther's protector, Frederick the Wise, ordered a group of knights to "kidnap" and hide him until the Catholic church had calmed down.
Martin Luther not only had a huge impact on the church, but also on the German language
Luther was a prolific writer and wrote almost 120 works in his lifetime. What's more, he was lucky to have been born just 10 years after the invention of the printing press. This meant his works reached thousands of people at a time when literature was sparse. Most of his writing was in Early New High German and experts credit the widespread use of this dialect to the popularity of Luther's writing, especially his translation of the bible.
3,000 copies of the first edition of Luther's German New Testament were made and each cost the equivalent of a calf. Despite this high price, all 3,000 copies of the bible sold out as soon as they were put on sale. The Lutherian bible also included 128 woodcut illustrations all done by the same artist.
A pint of home-brewed beer made Luther’s day
Not only did Luther defy Catholic teachings and get married, he was also a big fan of beer. “Sometimes we must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves, aye, and even sin a little to spite the devil,” Luther wrote. “We are conquered if we try too conscientiously not to sin at all.” He also found it helpful for falling asleep, and in one letter home to his wife said, “I keep thinking what good wine and beer I have at home, as well as a beautiful wife.”
Source:https://www.thelocal.de/20191031/12-interesting-facts-about-martin-luther
and https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/escaped-nuns-knight-disguise-10-facts-about-life-and-legacy-martin-luther-180967022/
Editor's note: Each week we will be highlighting a Saint whose feast day is celebrated in our church the following week. May we all be enriched by their stories and the wisdom they have handed down to us.
Feast Day February 18th
Surprising facts you may not know
about Martin Luther
Martin Luther was an academic and religious figure who was strongly against the corruption of the Catholic Church in the 16th century.
Around this time, the church was heavily involved in the politics of the Holy Roman Empire and the practice of selling 'indulgences' was becoming increasingly common.
This meant those who felt they had sinned could simply buy a pardon and, in exchange for their money, a prayer would be said or a candle lit to 'absolve' them of their sins. These pardons were essentially religious 'get out of jail free cards' and the more money people paid for them, supposedly the more years were taken off their time in purgatory.
Increasingly resentful of the ways of the Catholic Church, on the 31st of October 1517, Martin Luther published his 95 Theses attacking the corrupt practices of the papacy and essentially sparking the biggest revolution the Christian faith has ever seen.
The legend of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church is just that, a legend
The story goes that Luther stormed up to the Castle Church in Wittenburg, hammer in hand, and nailed his incendiary document to the front door. While this is a fittingly forceful image for the start of a religious movement which has violently shaped European history, several scholars have agreed that there is little evidence to suggest this dramatic gesture ever took place.
There were apparently no eye-witnesses and according to the New Yorker, Martin Luther himself seemed unclear on what he actually did to spread his 95 Theses, apart from sending them to the local archbishop.
Martin Luther was not originally his name
The father of Protestantism was in fact born 'Martin Luder' to a family from a coal mining town. It is commonly believed that, in the same year he published his theses, Martin changed his surname from 'Luder' to 'Luther', which some believe was in line with the Greek word 'erleutherios' meaning freedom and liberty.
A near death experience inspired him to become a monk
Martin Luther was the eldest of a large family and his father planned for him to study law in order to help with the family business. But it appears Luther had other plans. At age 21 he was caught up in a large storm and the story goes that he prayed to St. Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, to save his life, promising to become a monk if he survived. Some claim this was a common practice in young people at the time, who did not want to follow in the path chosen for them by their parents. Whatever his reasoning, Luther honored his promise and was ordained two years later.
He had a big influence on Christmas
Before the reformation, children in Germany often received presents on December 6th, the day of St. Nicholas. Meanwhile Jesus' birth was not specifically celebrated at all, as the Epiphany on January 6th was the main day of celebration as this was the day the three wise men are said to have visited Bethlehem. Luther was against St. Nicholas being so particularly revered, so over time St. Nicholas' day lost more and more of its importance in the Protestant faith. In its place the birth of Christ began to be celebrated which led to the modern celebration of Christmas Eve on December 24th in Germany and many other European countries.
The scandal of the century: an ex-monk marrying an ex-nun
Katharina von Bora spent more than a decade of her early life cloistered in convent schools and then as a nun herself. But in early 1523, she and other nuns were smuggled out of their convent by a merchant delivering herring. After making her way to Wittenberg, von Bora married Luther in 1525, scandalizing Catholics and opening up the possibility for married clergy in Reformation churches. But von Bora’s contribution to Luther’s work hardly ended there. She also had six children, managed the household and their finances, and participated in scholarly gatherings Luther held at their home—something unheard of for the time. Luther even named his wife his sole inheritor, something so unusual that judges ruled it illegal after Luther’s death.
Luther had to be 'kidnapped' by his friend to avoid severe repercussions from the Catholic Church
After publishing his 95 Theses, Luther was called to Rome to answer for his heresy. When he did not comply, he was excommunicated but brazenly burned the paper which announced his excommunication in a pit used by a Wittenburg hospital to burn old rags.
He avoided execution for this because of his huge popularity with the general public, but in 1521 he was called to a Diet in the town of Worms, an assembly of the Holy Roman Empire, to explain himself. In Worms, Luther announced he would only retract his criticisms of the church if they could show him sufficient evidence from the holy scripture to support the practices he deemed to be corrupt. As he was traveling back from Worms, Luther's protector, Frederick the Wise, ordered a group of knights to "kidnap" and hide him until the Catholic church had calmed down.
Martin Luther not only had a huge impact on the church, but also on the German language
Luther was a prolific writer and wrote almost 120 works in his lifetime. What's more, he was lucky to have been born just 10 years after the invention of the printing press. This meant his works reached thousands of people at a time when literature was sparse. Most of his writing was in Early New High German and experts credit the widespread use of this dialect to the popularity of Luther's writing, especially his translation of the bible.
3,000 copies of the first edition of Luther's German New Testament were made and each cost the equivalent of a calf. Despite this high price, all 3,000 copies of the bible sold out as soon as they were put on sale. The Lutherian bible also included 128 woodcut illustrations all done by the same artist.
A pint of home-brewed beer made Luther’s day
Not only did Luther defy Catholic teachings and get married, he was also a big fan of beer. “Sometimes we must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves, aye, and even sin a little to spite the devil,” Luther wrote. “We are conquered if we try too conscientiously not to sin at all.” He also found it helpful for falling asleep, and in one letter home to his wife said, “I keep thinking what good wine and beer I have at home, as well as a beautiful wife.”
Source:https://www.thelocal.de/20191031/12-interesting-facts-about-martin-luther
and https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/escaped-nuns-knight-disguise-10-facts-about-life-and-legacy-martin-luther-180967022/
Editor's note: Each week we will be highlighting a Saint whose feast day is celebrated in our church the following week. May we all be enriched by their stories and the wisdom they have handed down to us.
Saint Francis Vestry
2023
Roselyn Kraus
Stevens Turner
Faith Much
2022
Tom Paul Burch, Clerk
Bob Hubers
Larry Luther, Jr. Warden
2021
Steven Much
Eva Rosa, Assistant Treasurer
********************
Charles Mathews, Treasurer
Property Committee
Tom Paul Burch
Larry Luther
Lay Delegates to the 2019 Diocesan Convention.
Steve Much
Allegra Much
2023
Roselyn Kraus
Stevens Turner
Faith Much
2022
Tom Paul Burch, Clerk
Bob Hubers
Larry Luther, Jr. Warden
2021
Steven Much
Eva Rosa, Assistant Treasurer
********************
Charles Mathews, Treasurer
Property Committee
Tom Paul Burch
Larry Luther
Lay Delegates to the 2019 Diocesan Convention.
Steve Much
Allegra Much
Stations of the Cross - click here.
Report Misconduct
The Episcopal Church has suspended the statute of limitations for reporting clergy sexual misconduct. Until December 31, 2029, persons who believe they have been a victim of misconduct at any time in the past in our diocese may file a report with our intake officers: Equilla Luke, aequilla@icloud.com, or John Seitman, jseitman@edsd.org. If you believe you have been harmed, please make a report. Our diocesan task force on compassionate care is available to support you. Speak with the intake officers for more information.
Report Misconduct
The Episcopal Church has suspended the statute of limitations for reporting clergy sexual misconduct. Until December 31, 2029, persons who believe they have been a victim of misconduct at any time in the past in our diocese may file a report with our intake officers: Equilla Luke, aequilla@icloud.com, or John Seitman, jseitman@edsd.org. If you believe you have been harmed, please make a report. Our diocesan task force on compassionate care is available to support you. Speak with the intake officers for more information.
Click here for weekly readings from the Lectionary from the Episcopal Church.
Click here for weekly readings from the Lectionary from the Episcopal Church.
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sunday School lessons each week involve a Bible story, a art project, Prayer, and a song. The children join the adults in church at the passing of the peace and are invited to be a part of the Holy Eucharist.
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For Daily Devotions provided by the Foreward Movement, click here.
The current Forward Day by Day booklet is available now in the back of the church.
