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www.saintpaulsbrookfield.com (203) 775-9587 May 10, 2012
Sword Points Transforming
Lives Through
Jesus
† 1937 St. Paul’s Fire Sparked Controversy
S eventy five years ago on Valentine’s Day, St. Paul’s was destroyed by fire. We have
three pictures of the fire on our website as well as a Danbury News article. Recently
Stuart Terrill, a parishioner whose family was
active at the church in 1937, brought in
another article from the Bridgeport Post with
a picture we hadn’t seen before. Apparently
there was a political twist to the fire that has
been forgotten with time. The fledgling
Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department had
been trying get money to purchase equipment,
but the County Commissioner didn’t want to
tax citizens for it. The town voted to override
his decision. As a result delivery of a new
fire truck was delayed until March 1st, 1937
… 16 days after the fire! Ooops.
See page 2 of Sword Points for a copy of
the Post article. Also, here’s a link to the
history of the Brookfield Fire Department.
† This Week at St. Paul’s
Thu., May 10 - 1:00 pm - Dorothy Day, Danbury
7:30 pm - Property Committee
7:30 pm - Music Night, Sanctuary
Sat., May 12 - 7:30 am - Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Parish Hall
6:00 pm - Marriage Course, Parish Hall
Sun., May 13 - Sixth Sunday of Easter
8:00 am - Traditional Eucharist
9:15 am - Adult Christian Education, Guild Room
9:15 am - High School/Young Adult Bible Study, Youth Lounge
9:45 am - 1st Holy Communion Class
10:30 am - Sunday School
10:30 am - Contemporary Eucharist
5:00 pm - Youth Group
6:15 pm - Vespers
Tue., May 15 - 9:15 am - Ladies Bible Study, Guild Room
Wed., May 16 - 10:00 am - Holy Eucharist and Healing
7:30 pm - Music Night, Sanctuary
Thu., May 17 - Ascension Day
7:30 pm - Holy Eucharist
2
3
4
† Happy Birthday to You!
W endy Cavagna celebrates today!
Sunday is the big day for Ryan Friedly.
Juliet Barbieri will be expecting your card on
Monday. David Hock, Preston Powell, Pamela
Franklin & Pamela Koniecki will be blowing
out candles on Tuesday. Mason Sampson will
be another year older and wiser on Wednesday.
Have a blessed day each one of you!
5
† Scholarly Speaking
Where do we get the Creeds?
A t our service on Wednesday we celebrated St. Gregory of
Nazianzus, a leading theologian among the Eastern Orthodox, and
a strong defender of the faith as taught by Athanasius which became
normative for traditional Christianity. This in turn led to some discussion of
the creeds, particularly the Athanasian, and the request that I write a little more on this
subject. The term creed, incidentally comes from credo (I believe), the opening word (in
Latin) of the Apostles and Nicene forms; but the older term, symbol (in the now archaic
sense of a token of identity-a) refers to the use of the Creed as identifying those who
professed the faith of the Church.
Our Prayer Book, of course, includes three Creeds, the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the
Athanasian-b. The first two are provided for actual use in our services – the former at
Morning and Evening Prayer and at Baptism (here in a question and answer form), and the
latter at the Eucharist – while the third dropped out of the American Prayer Book in 1789
but now appears among the Historic Documents.
Although its present form first appears in the eighth century, the Apostles’ Creed is an
only slightly modified form of the Old Roman Symbol that apparently dates back to the
second century. An early (but historically unlikely) tradition records that the Apostles each
contributed one of the twelve clauses into which it was commonly divided. This, of course
is the source of the common name for the present Creed. The most significant differences
between the two are the addition of “creator of heaven and earth” as a description of the
Father, “Catholic” as a note of the Church, and “the Communion of Saints” as an additional
item of belief. The early origin of this symbol is seen in the fact that it does not deal with
the later controversies about the divinity of Christ (even though they arose before it took its
final shape) and thus has been used by Arians in early Church history, and by
some Unitarians today.
The Nicene Creed is strictly speaking the Symbol adopted in 325 at the
Council of Nicæa, but the form we use today also includes language adopted at
the Council of Constantinople in 381 (our Gregory of Nazianzus presided over
that council) and is technically known as the Nicæno-Constantinopolitan Creed.
The accompanying icon, ironically, shows Constantine and bishops from Nicæa
but the text they are holding is the 381 version. The council had been
summoned to resolve differences in understanding the nature of Christ between
Arius and his followers who saw Christ (and the Spirit) as inferior to the Father,
and Athanasius and his followers who viewed Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as
separate but equal members of the one Godhead. The key word in the text of the
Creed that made this point was ὁμοούσιον (of one Being) while the Arians
would have preferred ὁμοούσον (of like Being). It is from the difference
between the two words that we get the expression ‘an iota (ι) of difference.’ The
Council of Constantinople deleted a few phrases (mostly explanatory rather than
separate statements) and added several more including the whole final section
beginning with “the Lord, the giver of Life.” The Western version of the Creed
differs from the Eastern by adding two phrases. The first occurrence of “God of God” was
in the 325 text but not in that of 381; it was restored in the Latin version. The Latin version
also added “filioque (and the Son)” to the description of
the Holy Ghost as “proceeding from the Father” and this
became a source of considerable controversy. The change
was only gradually adopted over a period of some 400
years, and with various explanations. The modern
(Continued on page 8)
D o you have a question you
would like answered by our
Scholar-in-Residence? Send your
ecclesiastical, liturgical, doctrinal,
historical or other inquiries to:
Icon of Constantine and the
Nicene fathers with the Creed
6
By Pam Szen
Mt. Carmel
F rom Caesarea, we continued on the
first day to Mt. Carmel where Elijah
challenged King Ahab and the prophets of
Baal. Mt. Carmel is often cited in the Old
Testament for its beauty and
fertility. The view of the Jezreel
Valley as seen from the Muhraka
sanctuary at the top of Mt. Carmel
was spectacular with the
Mediterranean Sea in the distance.
It is one of the most scenic panoramas in Israel.
Many of our travel mates were ministers from churches far and wide.
Teachings and meditations were done at most of the sites we visited. At Mt.
Carmel, we found a peaceful grotto for a time of reflection led by Fr. Mic, an
Episcopal/Anglican minister and the Rector of the Church of the Resurrection in
Hopewell Junction, NY.
As a sacred location Elijah
In mainstream Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thought, Elijah is indelibly associated
with the mountain, and he is regarded as having sometimes resided in a grotto on the
mountain. Indeed, one name for Mount Carmel is Jabal Mar Elyas Mount Saint Elias. In
the Books of Kings, Elijah challenges 450 prophets of a
particular Baal to a contest at the altar on Mount Carmel to
determine whose deity was genuinely in control of the
Kingdom of Israel; since the narrative is set during the rule of
Ahab and his association with the Phoenicians, biblical
scholars suspect that the Baal in question was probably
Melqart.
Elijah’s challenge came during a period after successive
kings “did evil in the sight of the Lord.” He had married the
Phoenician princess Jezebel and she turned his allegiance from
Yahweh to her god Baal and had Yahweh’s prophets
slaughtered.
According to the Bible in 1 Kings 18, the challenge was to
see which deity could light a sacrifice by fire. After the
prophets of Baal had failed to achieve this, Elijah had water
poured on his sacrifice several times to saturate the altar,
prostrated himself in prayer to God, fire fell from the sky, and
(Continued on page 7)
† Israel 2012
L ast year Fr. Joe & Tara
and our rector
emeritus Fr. Crocker toured
the Holy Land. This past April
Dave & Pam Szen completed
the same trip and are planning
a pilgrimage to Israel for our
parish for 2013. Each week
Pam is writing a summary of
their journey in Sword Points.
In Elijah, we seem to have found
a patron saint for Sword Points!
7
immediately consumed the sacrifice and the water, prompting the Israelite witnesses to
proclaim, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is
God!” In the account, clouds gather, the sky
turns black, and it rains heavily, ending a long
drought.
Though there is no biblical reason to assume
that the account of Elijah's victory refers to any
particular part of Mount Carmel, Islamic
tradition places it at a point known as El-
Maharrakah, meaning the burning. In ancient Canaanite culture, high places
were frequently considered to be sacred, and
Mount Carmel appears to have been no
exception; Thutmose III lists a holy headland
among his Canaanite territories, and if this
equates to Carmel, as Egyptologists such as
Maspero believe, then it would indicate that the
mountain headland was considered sacred from
at least the 15th century BC. According to the Books of Kings, there was an altar to God on
the mountain, which had fallen into ruin by the time of Ahab, but Elijah built a new one.
Iamblichus describes Pythagoras visiting the mountain on account of its reputation for
sacredness, stating that it was the most holy of all mountains, and access was forbidden to
many, while Tacitus states that there was an oracle situated there, which Vespasian visited
for a consultation; Tacitus states that there was an altar there, but without any image upon it,
and without a temple around.
(Continued from page 6)
Planning is underway for a St.
Paul’s triP to israel in the late
spring of next year. If you
would like to be part of this life
-changing spiritual journey,
contact David or Pam Szen or
send an e-mail to
† Sermon ShortsSermon ShortsSermon Shorts
I n last Sunday’s sermon, Fr. Shepley selects the account of
Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch to explore the historical
aspects of the event coupled with a focus on the Holy Spirit's work
among the early Christians. Mission in the Holy Spirit as the
church's call today surrounds the application points.
To replay or watch sermons follow this link for The Sunday
Sermons each week.
† Adult Christian Education
Join us this Sunday at 9:15 AM in The Guild room for the Adult Education class on
Christian Virtues.
8
† Transforming Saints of God
May 10
Nicolaus von Zinzendorf
N icolaus von Zinzendorf (1700-1760) was a Count of the Holy Roman Empire who
always had more interest in religious matters than in affairs of court. Following
studies at the pietist center of Halle, he developed his own “theology of the heart,” which
placed great emphasis on a close personal relationship with the suffering Savior. This “heart
religion” was not just inner emotion, however, but was to result in a life totally devoted
to the Savior. “All of life becomes a liturgy,” said Zinzendorf, and even the most
mundane task can be an act of worship.
Always a champion of the underdog, he granted asylum to Czech Protestant exiles.
Following a unifying experience on August 13, 1727, in their settlement of Herrnhut
on his estate, the old church of the Unitas Fratrum or Bohemian Brethren was reborn
and developed a rich liturgical and devotional life. This Moravian Church as it came
to be called launched pioneer mission work, first in the Caribbean and then around the
world. Zinzendorf himself became a bishop, and devoted his personal fortune to
furthering the work of the church.
He was an early advocate of ecumenism, and in America he attempted to bring
Protestant denominations together in the “Pennsylvania Synods.” He was not a systematic
theologian, but produced numerous theological writings, widely read in Germany. In
addition to these, he was a prolific hymn writer, and many of his hymn texts remain in use
today in the Moravian Church and beyond. His view of the church is summed up in his
stanza:
Christian hearts, in love united,
seek alone in Jesus rest;
has he not your love excited?
Then let love inspire each breast.
Members on our Head depending,
lights reflecting him, our Sun,
Brethren - his commands attending,
we in him, our Lord, are one. (Moravian Book of Worship 1995: 673)
position of the Vatican is that the
Greek and Latin words translated
‘proceed’ have different meanings and
that when Greek theologians had used
a different Greek work more like the
Latin in meaning they too had spoken
of the Spirit as proceeding from Father
and Son. Thus those Roman Catholics
who worship in Greek are forbidden
from the phrase, but in Latin and in
other languages based on the Latin
they do use it.
Finally we come to the Athanasian Symbol (unlike the others it does not begin with the
word Credo). This was once commonly attributed to Athanasius but it was almost certainly
(Continued from page 5)
(Continued on page 10)
The Creeds
9
† Photo Contest for June Sword of the Spirit
C alling all photographers! We are looking for a cover photo for our
next monthly Sword. The June issue covers the Pentecost, summer,
end of church school year. Have fun. The deadline is May 25th. Send your
pictures to [email protected].
† Sunday’s Readings (click on the red links below to go directly to the text)
No Longer Servants
Acts 10:44-48
I n our New Testament lesson Peter has gone to visit Cornelius, a Gentile and Roman
centurion, and has proclaimed to him the good news of Jesus, that all who believe in
Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins. Even as Peter is speaking, the Holy Spirit falls upon
the gathered and they extol God and speak in tongues, as had happened to Jewish disciples
with the arrival of the Spirit. The Jewish believers who had come with Peter are
astounded that the Spirit has fallen impartially also upon Gentiles, and Peter is
persuaded that baptism must be extended to these new believers.
Psalm 98
A song of thanksgiving and praise to the victorious Lord, who has made
divine righteousness known and shown faithfulness to the people of God.
1 John 5:1-6
In this lesson we hear that belief in Jesus as the Christ, together with love of
all God’s children, form the heart of the Christian faith. This faith is victorious
over the world; that is, over godless society. To love God means to obey God’s
commandments, and the essence of the commandments is the love of all who are of God.
The one who overcomes the world believes that Jesus is the Son of God, who was present in
the world not only through the water of his baptism but in the blood of his crucifixion.
John 15:9-17
In our gospel Jesus speaks of his great love for his disciples and calls upon them to show
this same love toward each other that has come to him from the Father. Jesus is talking with
his disciples shortly before his death, when he will be taken away from them. But this love
has now formed his followers into a new community in relationship with Jesus and the
Father. They are no longer servants but friends.
Luke 11:28 He replied, “Blessed
rather are those who
hear the word of God
and obey it.”
† Pick Up Your Copy Today!
Synthesis CE Study Guides for each weeks readings
will be available at the back of the church.
10
Vespers is a time of
worship and
fellowship, with quiet
moments to pray, and
some upbeat music to
lift our spirits.
† Transforming Stewardship
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love
than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” - JOHN 15:12-13
D o you love Jesus? Do you consider Him your friend? Jesus says that if we love
Him we should be willing to offer whatever we have to Him, not because we want
praise and glory, but simply because we love Him.
originally written in Latin, not the Greek which he used, and there are no texts or references
to it until more than a century after his death. It does, however, spell out his teaching about
the nature of Christ and of the Trinity. Its format is that of a psalm, and when used it is
common to sing it to a Psalm tone. The English Prayer Book called for its use on 19
occasions during the year but various “Shortened Service Acts” of Parliament have reduced
this to just Trinity Sunday. Even though it is rarely recited today it is often referred to as a
statement of Christian teaching, and appears that way in our Prayer Book. It includes
detailed descriptions of the characteristics of God as applied to each of the three persons,
and notes that although there is one God each one of the three has these characteristics
separately. The traditional ‘shield of the Trinity’ represents this graphically. One of these
statements, “The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost
incomprehensible,” has become the source of a theological joke by adding the conclusion,
“The whole thing incomprehensible.” (The word is used in the older sense of ‘not limitable’
except in the punch line which uses the modern sense.) Fr. Bill Loring, Scholar in Residence
a- Specifically, half of a broken object which could be matched up with the other half to prove
one’s identity.
b- See pages 53, 96,303, 326 and 864
(Continued from page 8) Where do we get the Creeds?
11
Save the dates!
VBS 2012
Monday, July 16th
Friday, July 20th
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Stay tuned for more details soon!
† Ascension Day Service at 7:30 pm
'Leader' is mentioned only 6 times in the (KJV) Bible. 'Servant' is mentioned over 900 times.
12
† St. Peter’s Fish
“The fish will be of many kinds” (Ez. 47:10)
† Hopeline Baby Bottle Campaign
T he Hopeline Baby Bottle Campaign begins on
Sunday.
Hopeline is a Christian-based ministry supporting women
during unplanned pregnancies. In addition to material
assistance for the care of the newborn, such as cribs,
clothing, diapers, and other supplies, Hopeline offers
counseling, support, and more recently ultrasounds
performed on newly pregnant women by an Ob-Gyn trained
physician. They offer post-abortion counseling to women of
any age.
St. Paul’s supports Hopeline through its annual “Change
for Change” Baby Bottle Fundraiser. Starting on Mother’s
Day on, there will be baby bottles at the back of the church and in the Parish Hall that we
ask you to please fill with your loose change and bills and return on Father’s Day.
For more information, contact: Rory Palmer, Bonnie Wanzer or Debbie Werneburg..
† Happy Mother’s Day
E arly "Mother's Day" in the U.S. was mostly marked by
women's peace groups. A common early activity was the
meeting of groups of mothers whose sons had fought or died on
opposite sides of the Civil War. There were several local celebrations
in the 1870s and the 1880s, but none achieved resonance beyond the
local level.
In its present form, Mother's Day was established in 1907 by Anna
Marie Jarvis, following the death of her mother Ann Jarvis two years
earlier.
On May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a law designating the
second Sunday in May as Mother's Day and President Woodrow
Wilson issued a proclamation, declaring the first national Mother's Day, as a day for
American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.
Fish Poached in White Wine
“The fish will be of many kinds” (Ez. 47:10)
Ingredients
1 cup white wine
1 sliced onion
Salt & Pepper
1 ½ cups water
2 bay leaves
4 pieces of Tilapia (St. Peter’s fish)
Simmer all ingredients (except the fish) in a
wide pan for five minutes. Season to taste.
Add the fish and cook until soft, about 5
minutes. Remove fish. Serve with Peter’s
Herb Sauce.
Peter’s Herbs Sauce
“One of them went out into the fields to gather
herbs” (2 Kings 4:39)
Ingredients:
1 cup leek, chopped
5 T. olive oil
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 cup finely chopped parsley
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 T. white wine vinegar
Fry the leek in the olive oil until soft. Blend all the
ingredients together in a food processor.
13
† Your Prayers Are Requested For…
I t is such an intimate time when praying for the health and well being of others and
such a privilege. The people that we lift up to The Lord are part of our hearts for all
time. Please pray for…
…..St. Andrew’s, New Haven; St. James’, New Haven; St. John’s, New Haven; St. Luke’s,
New Haven.
…..Sophia DeAnzeris, complete healing of her broken arm.
…..Dot Blake, convalescing from a stroke at Filosa in Danbury.
…..Sue Jennings, healing and strength.
…..Gerry Mullen, strength and freedom from pain.
…..Barbara Hock, healing of back problems.
…..Church Missions Publishing Company; missionaries.
…..Doug Azzarito, healing of blood cancer.
…..Paul Estok, healing of his broken leg.
…..Cy Dennerlein, recovering from a fall.
…..Peggy Bauer, a miracle of healing.
…..Ginny Beck for continued healing and strength.
…..Norma Jean Sporck, recovery and easy rehab from hip replacement surgery.
…..Mike Healey's brother, Tim who had a recent liver transplant; pray that he is able to
assimilate the new liver in his body.
…..Shirley Jessup, healing and comfort for her back.
…..David Palmer, strength and peace as he recovers.
…..Bill Mayers’ daughter, Kathleen for recovery from a heart condition.
…..Walter Biscardi for healing and strength.
…..Kelly & Tim Malloy, their children and their team, safety in Jos, Nigeria.
…..Tom Balash, strength and mobility.
…..Ken Perry quick healing from recent shoulder surgery.
…..a job for Mary Ellen.
…..Kay Tucker who is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, a miracle of healing.
…..Michael for-protection in Afghanistan, in the service.
Psalm 5: 11,12, "But let all who take refuge, in you be glad, let them sing for joy. Spread
your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O
lord, You bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."
Last Thursday Fr. Joe led a group gathered around the flagpole at the Southbury Town
Hall with an opening
prayer in celebration of
the 61st annual National
Day of Prayer.
Similar noon and
evening ceremonies took
place at towns
nationwide, each
offering an hour of
spontaneous prayer for
the nation, its leaders
and its people, in the
spirit of this year’s
theme One Nation
Under God.
14
† Finders, Keepers!
How Did St. Paul’s
Find You?
I was
"born"
into St.
Paul's. My
parents were
members
here when I
was born and
I have
attended St Paul's my entire life.
Click on the following link to tell us your story: "How Did St. Paul's Find You?"
St. Paul’s OWN
May 13th - Youth Group 5-7pm
May 20th - Youth Group 5-7pm
June 10th - Youth Group 5-7pm
June 22nd - Lock-In 7 pm-7am
July 8th - Youth Group 5-7pm
15
† Sacristans for May
The May Sacristans are Lorine Hodge, Sharon Hibler,
and Elaine Skewis.
† Choir Practice for Sword Points Readers (click on the red links below to begin your personal practice)
Opening Hymn As Those of Old Their First Fruits Brought
Gradual Hymn Where Charity and Love Prevail
Offertory Hymn Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant Closing Hymn Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
Holy, Holy, Holy
"Holy, Holy, Holy" was written by Reginald Heber, an
Anglican clergyman, nearly two centuries ago. He wrote hymns
in an attempt to improve the singing in his little congregation at
Hodnet, near Birmingham, England.
Most congregations in those days sang the Psalter - but most
sang it badly. To inject a bit of spirit in the hymn-singing, Heber
introduced his congregation to some of the modern church music
of his day, to include John Newton's "Amazing Grace." He also
wrote dozens of hymns, the best-known being "Holy, Holy,
Holy." He wrote it for Trinity Sunday, as evidenced by the
words, "God in three persons, blessed Trinity," in the first and last
verses.
The hymn tune was written by John Dykes. He called it Nicaea (also spelled Nicea)
after the church council that established the doctrine of the Trinity.
When Rev. Heber was 40 years old, he reluctantly left his beloved England to begin
service as Bishop of Calcutta, India. The scope of the job combined with the hot climate
and primitive conditions, proved too much for Bishop Heber. He died at the age of 43 after
serving only three years in India.
His music was Rev. Heber's true legacy. After his death, a hymnal was published that
included all of his hymns. Even today, most hymnals include two or three of his hymns.
But it is this hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," that has blessed people all over the world.
Translated into many languages and sung in many tongues, it was Rev. Heber's most
enduring gift to the church.
† Announcement Deadlines For the Sunday bulletins please submit your information by the preceding Monday to
[email protected]. For Sword Points please submit it by Wednesday afternoon
each week to [email protected].
† Memorial Day Outreach
T his Sunday and for the next 4 weeks after each service there will be donation
sign ups in the Parish Hall for this year’s Memorial Day Outreach! Join us
at 1:00 pm on May 27th. This is a perfect way for Saint Paul’s to share the love of
Jesus with the community in a casual and fun way. Please sign up to donate Hot Dogs,
Cookies or Lemonade. Contact Preston Powell for more information. Thanks!
16
Just For Fun !Just For Fun !Just For Fun ! (And Christian Fellowship)
† It Takes An Editorial Board
Contributors to this
Weeks Sword Points:
Chris Barrett, Drew
Crocker, Lynne
Donnelly, Jen Falci,
Heather Melody, Beth
Miller, Patrick
O’Connors, Lori
O’Hara, Linda
Pendergast, Kirsten
Peterson, Preston
Powell, Joe Shepley,
David Szen, Pam
Szen, Stuart Terrill,
Bonnie Wanser,
Debbie Werneburg &
Gail Winkley.
Technologically
Speaking
At St. Paul’s we
embrace the digital age
we live in. Click here
for our active website.
And you can follow us
on Facebook and
Twitter. Also if you
would like to receive
the Sunday bulletins in
PDF format for your
iPad or other type of e-
reader to use during
the services contact us
at the following link.
Scan our QR Code.
L evon, our English Mastiff is shown
here breaking in the new copier. So far Levon has decided that the copier is friendly, but hasn’t quite figured out why it doesn’t want to play.
