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St. Stephen News

Lyons, Colorado, and the Devastating Flood

Idyllic, amazing…This picture is the Lyons Community Church, in Lyons, Colorado, a hamlet at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. We, the youth and sponsors of St. Stephen, held a week-long Vacation Bible School at this church in July, 2013, just two months ago.  As the rains have inundated these foothills these last few weeks, I am in mourning for the loss of life, limb, possessions, and this loving small township.

Lyons, ColoradoLyons Community Church is 1/10 the size of St. Stephen with a heart bigger than both. It is a white clapboard church atop a rocky ridge with a basement that affronts the Main Street.  Our first day into service, we met adult volunteers, Holly and Jani and Zeke, in the basement of the church fixing our breakfast and asking us to advertise the VBS with hand colored poster boards.  It worked, along with Facebook, as everyday our crowd grew bigger and bigger.  We started upstairs in the small old fashioned Sanctuary singing our signature Christian songs with movement and abandonment. Read More »Lyons, Colorado, and the Devastating Flood

The Ecclesiastical Calendar (part 1)

ADVENT

(The Ecclesiastical Year begins with Advent, a season to recollect the hope of (1) the coming Christ (his birth), and to look forward to (2) the Lord’s coming again:  the Parousia.)

1. First season of the Ecclesiastical Year

2. Begins with the Sunday falling upon or nearest St. Andrew’s Day (Nov. 30th), however an easier way to calculate the beginning of Advent: Advent begins 4 Sundays before Christmas Day, not counting Christmas Day if it falls on a Sunday.  There are always four Sundays in Advent.

3. Originated out of early Christian practice having to do with a fasting period for candidates who were to be received into the fellowship on January 6th (Epiphany Day) when it served as a time for study and preparation.

4. Often called, “Winter Lent,” Advent is considered a period of penitence in preparation for the coming of the Savior: (1) the human Incarnation of Christ ; (2) the “Second Coming” of Christ in glory at the end of time (Parousia).

5. Liturgical color is purple or violet (less often, blue) which represents penitence as well as the “royal” color (Kingship of Christ).

6. Key Words and Phrases: Prepare, Watch, Wait, Darkness, Anticipation; Humility; Expectation; Hope; Listen; Evening;Read More »The Ecclesiastical Calendar (part 1)

WORSHIP: Music and the Choreography of the Service for the Lord’s Day

Synopsis of the Class (September 1, 2013)

Basic Biblical Pattern of Reformed Worship:  God’s INITIATION to humankind; humankind’s RESPONSE to God

Earliest Records of music in worship music in the Jewish Temple and Synagogue

Temple – heart of worship was the sacrifice; highly trained professional musicians (Levites); conservative worship; strict guidelines for music; proscribed forms; little spontaneity; singing, dancing, playing instruments including percussion instruments; highly ritualized; Psalms sung; Temple worshipers viewed Synagogue worshipers as crude, ill-educatedRead More »WORSHIP: Music and the Choreography of the Service for the Lord’s Day

But Where Are the Color Pictures?

(Recent reads by Mark Scott, Summer 2013)

1. “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” – David Sedaris (2013, Little, Brown and Company) Sedaris is one of my favorite writers.  He is a frequent contributor to “The New Yorker,” and a skillful wordsmith as well as a wonderful humorist.  The title is an example of his humor.

2. “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” – Mark Haddon adapted Simon Stephens (Methuen Drama)

The author speaks through the voice of the main character, a child, verbalizing the thoughts of that child.  It becomes apparent that the child suffers from some kind of autism.  The author has spent his career studying these conditions and working with  adults and children so afflicted.  He is cleverly able to give the reader a look into the inner workings of this particular child, “Christopher.”  It is a great, informative read.  Although the subject matter is quite serious, you will laugh out loud at the predicaments in which Christopher, his family and friends find themselves.  It immediately draws the reader into a world of extreme logic, often perilous to a given situation.  I think any teacher would benefit from reading this book that maps the thought process of people with autism.Read More »But Where Are the Color Pictures?