Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA
A very busy Saturday for Outreach today! Habitat for Humanity house dedication in Lawrenceville, stocking the shelves at the SE Co-OP with the St. Matts family donations this month (over 500 pounds!), and a St. Matt’s group participating in the Superheroes for Seniors 5k Run at Lilburn Park.
May is food drive month! Thank you to everyone for donating food items for the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry. The St. Matthew’s Outreach Committee will take all of the donations collected in May to the co-op in Grayson on Saturday, June 3. We’d love for you to join us to sort the items and stock the shelves. This is a great opportunity to see the inner workings of the co-op! We will load vehicles at the church at 9:30 a.m. and expect to finish by noon.
Sign up on the Outreach bulletin board, contact a committee member, or text Cheryl Wheeler at 404-580-0970 if you are interested in participating.
St. Matthew’s is sponsoring the Superheroes for Seniors 5K on Saturday, June 3 in Lilburn, and some complimentary race registrations are available. The walk/race starts at 8 a.m. at Lilburn City Park. Everyone from expert runners to walkers are welcome to participate.
Contact Cheryl Wheeler at 404-580-0970 if you would like any of the complimentary race numbers. First come, first served!
The Superheroes for Seniors 5K is an annual fundraiser for Mending the Gap, a nonprofit organization that provides food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, social services and an array of programs to nearly 600 low-income seniors in metro Atlanta each week.
School’s out for summer, which means time for family vacations, summer camps, adventurous long weekends and more. Although you can’t take all of us with you on your trips, you can take Flat St. Matt! Send your pictures to admin@stmatthewssnellville.org with information about where they were taken, and we’ll display them on a bulletin board for all to enjoy. We’ll miss you while you’re away, but with Flat St. Matt, we’ll be with you in spirit. We look forward to seeing all the adventures you and Flat St. Matt will have this summer!
Resurrection and Mothers’ Day
We have eighteen days left in Eastertide (or the Great Fifty Days of Easter). We are still celebrating the joy of the Resurrection. The Paschal Candle remains lit when we worship as a reminder of the hope that carries us from darkness to light. If that spirit and gladness of the Resurrection have worn off, or you are anticipating a summer vacation to the mountains or the beach, don’t worry; you still have plenty of days to praise God for the victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ. Easter is still going strong!
This coming Sunday is Mothers’ Day. If you forgot, or maybe you overlooked it with the craziness that the end of the school and program year entails, don’t worry; you have a few days left to get a gift or card or maybe make a reservation for lunch on Sunday (after you come to worship, of course). We celebrate all women who have been mothers in some way, shape, or form throughout our lives. We honor the women who gave us life in many ways – physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Perhaps this Sunday is a way to commemorate the mother figures in our lives and remember the Resurrection, which gives us new life and beginnings.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus proclaimed, “I am resurrection and life.” This statement is profound and encompasses not only the future and past but also the present. Our mothers were given to us by God to lead, protect, and, most importantly, love us. Our existence is due to both our mothers and the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. What better way to celebrate Easter than to lift the women who made a difference in our lives and did their best to direct and guide us through life? Some of the most critical women showed me what it meant to live a whole life, and I thank God for their roles and how they shaped my life.
However you recognize and celebrate our mothers this Sunday, let’s also praise God for motherhood and how it has changed and enriched our lives. Let’s boldly declare, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” for the rest of these Great Fifty Days. And let’s not forget the presence of God, who is always making things new and giving us new life!
Father Tim
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We are entering one of the busiest times of the church year: Holy Week. It is a time filled with multiple liturgies, schedules, and arrangements between the various ministry groups, worship times, and many bulletins (I say this as I finish another round of proofreading). The church will have a lot of activity as we prepare to welcome visitors, seekers, and guests. We will do our best to enter into the sacred space of Holy Week. But I want you to consider taking a little time for yourself in the presence of God.
A clergy colleague always says during the season of Advent, “Slow down, be quiet; it’s Advent.” Maybe we can apply this slogan to Holy Week and hear me out before you say, “That’s all well and good, Father Tim, but you know how insane this week can be?” When I invite you to take some time to yourself, it can be just about anywhere and anytime during Holy Week. You may find the time for silent meditation for a moment throughout one of the liturgies, especially during the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday liturgies, where there is intentional silence. You may find time on Holy Saturday as you prepare for the Easter celebrations. Perhaps you can find time to reflect on the last week of Jesus during a walk in the beautiful spring we are experiencing in Snellville. You could find time during an early morning in the week as you pray and offer yourself and your day to God with your first cup of coffee.
And you may find that the only time you get is during a drive to church or somewhere else. Regardless of where you find time for yourself, know that all our occasions with God are holy, sacred, and unique, and God is interested and wants to be with you and, hopefully, vice versa. However, as you enter and experience Holy Week this year, I hope you are intentional and open to the time God gives you and the wonder of this week’s liturgies.
May God be with us as we travel with Jesus to the cheering crowds of Jerusalem to the intimacy of Maundy Thursday, from the solemnity of Good Friday to the joyful proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection and victory over death at the Great Vigil of Easter and Easter Sunday. I pray that we all have a wonderful Holy Week and find God in some unexpected places during our journey with Jesus.
Holy Week Blessings!
Father Tim Meyers
Rector
