Vision Statement for St. Paul’s, Marfa, Texas
St. Paul’s is an open, loving community
growing in the experience and understanding of the love of God,
acting to share the visible presence and compassion of Christ.
Mission Statement for St. Paul’s, Marfa, Texas:
Our mission is to be a welcoming, prayerful, caring community
actively sharing the love of God.
Values Statement for St. Paul's Marfa, Texas To accomplish our mission, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church bases its decisions and actions on the following core values:
Love of God and neighbor by honoring the worth and dignity of every human being including ourselves.
Daily relationship with God all through our lives through prayer and service.
The importance of giving and receiving forgiveness through the generosity of the Holy Spirit.
We value continual learning.
We value the Episcopal tradition of communal worship.
Practicing hospitality by welcoming all and serving and sharing with our communities.
The stewardship of God’s creation and all its inhabitants.
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful,
for beauty is God's handwriting." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Book Study Group on Zoom On December 3, We are beginning a new book. Return of the Prodigal Son by Henry Nouwen
A chance encounter with a reproduction of Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son catapulted Henri Nouwen on an unforgettable spiritual adventure. Here he shares the deeply personal and resonant meditation that led him to discover the place within where God has chosen to dwell.
A Service of Evening Prayer
for the LGBTQ+ Community
Our Friends and Allies
Third Sunday of Advent
December 13
6:00 PM
The Rev'd Meg Burkel Hunn
We are excited to welcome the Rev'd Meg Buerkel Hunn as our preacher for the December service of Evening Prayer.
Meg is a priest in the Episcopal Church. A graduate of Mary Baldwin College and the General Theological Seminary, Meg has been ordained for 15 years.
She and her family moved to New Mexico so her husband, Michael, could serve as the bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande.
Meg is currently not serving a parish, but she is laboring (hard!) as their daughter’s learning coach.
Her passions include the arts, teaching, working with people who are differently abled, and food.
Please join us for Evening Prayer
and online "coffee hour"
via ZOOM or Facebook
The Bishop's Committee has set a threshold number for active cases in the Tri-county area to determine whether to offer in-person worship. When that threshold is crossed, we will have only live-stream worship on that particular Sunday. The decision will be made every Friday and put in an email with the regular Saturday announcements We will always live-stream!
Just go to the VIDEO tab and at 10:30 a live stream will begin, you just need to push the play button on the live video to join us.
As we have done since our pandemic responses have been in place, please let me know if you wish to receive communion at home or wish for a pastoral visit in person or by Zoom. We will look forward to seeing you, one way or another, on Sunday.
Love one another. Pray for one another. Stay calm.
Wear a mask, keep your distance and wash your hands.
A Prayer for Quiet Confidence O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning
and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, p. 832
~DECEMBER~
1st
Tuesday, December 1: “Grace,” St. Augustine of Hippo taught, “is given not because
we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.” Women and men share a common humanity for the same reasons: to give glory to God, to grow to the fullness of their stature, to bring the church itself to hear the Word of God in all of creation, female as well as male.
Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, 1637 Charles de Foucauld -
Hermit and Martyr in the Sahara, 1916
7:00 PM - WAY OF LOVE GROUP
on Zoom
2nd
Wednesday, December 2: There’s something missing, something wrong, when we reject the insights and gifts of grace of half the church, of half the human race, and then say that God has made us all equal. But how? Not inmind, apparently, definitely not in soul. So how? “Grace fills empty spaces,” Simone Weil wrote, “but it can onlyenter where there is a void to receive it...” and we don’t allow it in.
Channing Moore Williams,
Missionary Bishop in China and Japan, 1910 A Francis Xavier, Missionary to the Far East, 1552
3rd
Thursday, December 3: It is when the light of women is allowed to suffuse the church, too, that the message of Mary, Madonna of Light will have been understood and clearly seen.
4:00 - Book Study Group on Zoom Return of the Prodigal Son by Henry Nouwen CLICK HERE
3rd - 7:00 PM - Migrant Cycle of Prayer Click Here
4th
Friday, December 4: Mary, Madonna of Light—the woman who gives us a new sign of the actions of God in the world—is not “better than” men. She is “equal to” men in all the dimensions of humanity. Neither of us holier, more a disciple, than the other. The mystic Julian of Norwich called all of us to take our place in the work of God on earth. She writes, “In God’s sight we do not fall; in our own we do not stand.”
John of Damascus, Priest, c. 760
5th
Saturday, December 5: The church cannot be whole until women are an equal part of it in all places, in all ways. Anything else is a very blurry attempt to convince ourselves that God only works through half of us.
Clement of Alexandria, Priest, c. 210
11:00am-1:00pm - NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR
Learning Event Click Here
6th
Sunday, December 6: For centuries the church has taught that women are inferior spiritually, morally, intellectually. How can the church itself be whole until that error is totally untaught?
Monday, December 7: Why have the Christmas crib at all if not to picture, to image, the whole of humanity—both male and female? The crib is a reminder of the Incarnation among us, the presence of Christ in every human being, in every dimension of creation.
12:30 - 1:00 - Centering Prayer
The Casita
Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 39
8th
Tuesday, December 8: When a woman comes to recognize her own spiritual self, she has two choices: she can accept the lie about her spiritual deficiency or she can assert her equality. The question is, What does the God who made her equal want her to do? Rosemary Radford Ruether wrote of it: “The liberating encounter with God/ess is always an encounter with our authentic selves resurrected from underneath the alienated self.”
10:30 Marfa Ministerial Alliance
Richard Baxter, Pastor and Writer, 1691
9th
Wednesday, December 9: Men are taught simply to assume their spiritual superiority. They argue that Jesus wa:s male to prove that males are holier, closer to God, God’s agents on earth. Which is probably why Thomas Watson wrote: There are “none so empty of grace as they that think they are full.”
3:30 - Sin Fronteras Book Study
The U.S. Immigration Crisis by Miguel De La Torre
Chapters 4&5
A Karl Barth, Pastor and Theologian, 1968 Thomas Merton, Contemplative and Writer, 1968
10th
Thursday, December 10: The prioritizing of human beings is the bane of the human race. It is the foundation of racism, sexism, nationalism, clericalism, and slavery. Why? How can this go on in the face of the findings of science, education, and the nature of creation everywhere in all aspects of life? Flannery O’Connor puts it very directly. She says, “All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us—and the change is painful.”
Friday, December 11: What is it that keeps such inequality and poor theology in place? We do. Ourselves. We drank the Kool-Aid and are afraid to refuse it now—for fear that weak and frightened men, compliant and weak women—won’t like us.
The Rev. Frederick B. "Ted" Howden Jr.
Priest + Soldier + Martyr
+ died December 11, 1942 +
The Cathedral of St. John will again be hosting a Diocesan Service honoring our Local Saint and Martyr, Chaplain Ted Howden this December 11th at 7pm. Links to come.
Saturday, December 12: The problem is that, all the while, the next generation is waiting.... “There is no other teacher but your own soul,” Swami Vivekananda says. Which means that such invisibility will end when we refuse to believe in it.
Francis de Sales, Bishop, and Jane de Chantal, Monastic, Workers of Charity, 1622 and 1641
5:00pm - Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration
Santa Inez, Terlingua
13th
Sunday, December 13: Twenty-five years ago Black men united in their pain—and power. That’s what the Million Man March meant—and started. When will we have, in respect of the Madonna of the Light, a “Million Women of the Church March” that begins to tell the rest of the holy and very spiritual story of the creation of women?
6:00pm - Prayer Vigil for Refugees
Sponsored by Episcopal Migration Ministry
Episcopal Migration Ministries, in partnership with their Asylum Ministry Network and their Immigration Detention Ministry Network, will host a virtual Advent vigil on Sunday, December 13, 6:00 – 7:00 pm CT. The Advent vigil will offer a time of prayer and reflection in a world being transformed by forced migration, through Zoom webinar and Facebook Live,. Registration is required. To join the prayer vigil, register using the link below.
Lucy of Syracuse, Martyr, 304 Ella Baker, Social Reformer, 1986
Samuel Johnson, Priest, 1772
14th
Monday, December 14: Women are the foundation of the world. We build our greatest institutions on their backs— the family, education, nursing, cooking, child care, agriculture—and hardly notice their quiet presence. But, oh, if they ever stop...then what?
12:30 - 1:00 - Centering Prayer
The Casita
Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, Educator, 1906
Juan de la Cruz (John of the Cross), Mystic, 1591
15th
Tuesday, December 15: Before women can believe that they are valued in this world, gender-based violence which affects women’s ability to thrive and succeed must be seen as criminal behavior—even in marriage. Until the world clamors for change the oppression of women will simply be taken for granted.
Nino of Georgia, Missionary, c.332
16th
Wednesday, December 16: Before women can believe that they are really valued in this world, women must be given basic human rights to determine their life choices. The important thing is for the rest of us to note these things—like the childhood marriage of little girls in Afghanistan—and educate our own circles about it. Until the world clamors for change the oppression of women will simply be taken for granted.
17th
Thursday, December 17: Before women can believe that they are really valued as full human beings in this world, they must have the right to secure private property rights and land tenure. Otherwise, they are denied the right to life and the right and means to support themselves in case of tragedy. In Kenya, Uganda, and other countries in Africa, women do most of the farming but are denied the right to own the land. Until the world clamors for change the oppression of women will simply be taken for granted.
c
Dorothy Sayers, Apologist and Spiritual Writer, 1957
11:00 - Southwest Deanery Clericus
4:00 - Book Study Group on Zoom Return of the Prodigal Son by Henry Nouwen CLICK HERE
Friday, December 18: Before women can believe that they are really being treated as full human beings they must have full access to education and especially higher- educational opportunities. In many societies, girls stop going to school at the time of puberty because there are no private toilet facilities provided for their new needs. Until the world clamors for change the oppression of women will simply be taken for granted.
3:00 Rio Grand Borderland Ministries Meeting
19th
Saturday, December 19: Before women can believe that they are actually adult human beings they must have the opportunity to assume leadership roles. The United States has fewer women in government positions than any other developed country, including Russia. Until we insist that women be part of our own decision-making process, we will continue to cater to the needs of men and women will remain second-class citizens here.
20th
Sunday, December 20: Before women can believe thatthey are important people they must have a place in decision-making in society, in their local communities, in their homes. Marriage is meant to be a partnership not a property exchange. Until the world clamors for change the oppression of women will simply be taken for granted.
Monday, December 21: Knowing that there is no ceiling above your head to keep you down is what enables aperson to grow, to flourish, to become more than they knew they were. That is the light of the soul that Mary, Madonna of Light shines into our souls and shows us what we should be doing in life.
SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE
12:30 - 1:00 - Centering Prayer
The Casita
22nd
Tuesday, December 22: When we are fully grown of soul—both women and men—we are mature enough to care for others as well as ourselves. Anything other than that is spiritual immaturity. As Henry Nouwen reminds us, “The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it.”
Ruth Elaine Younger, Monastic, 1986 Henry Budd, Priest, 1875
Charlotte Diggs (Lottie) Moon, Missionary in China, 1912
7:00 pm - The Longest Night Service https://facebook.com/stpaulsmarfatx Live Streamed at 7:00 pm Join with us in sharing and hearing prayers, scripture, and music that acknowledge that God’s presence is for those who mourn, for those who struggle - and that God’s Word comes to shine light into our darkness.
23RD
Wednesday, December 23: The courage to accept the self, to be what we are rather than waste our lives wishing we were someone, something else, is the beginning of the flowering of our souls. Brené Brown puts it this way,“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.’’
24th
Thursday, December 24: Becoming ourselves rather than a carbon copy of some cover-girl woman, is a woman’shighest call to selfhood and society’s definition of that for her is a woman’s greatest barrier to adulthood.
24th - 7:00 PM - Migrant Cycle of Prayer Click Here
25th
Friday, December 25: On Christmas, on the feast day of the birth of Jesus, we are called to commit ourselves to the birth of our own best self. May Sarton writes, “We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”
THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
26TH
Saturday, December 26: Born to be another Christ means that we will grow into the heart of Jesus for which our own world is now waiting in this time. It is to that light that the Madonna is leading us.
SAINT STEPHEN, DEACON AND MARTYR
27th
Sunday, December 27: For women to grow beyond society’s expectations of women Barbara De Angelis warns us, “It takes a lot of courage to be the same person on the outside that you are on the inside.”
Monday, December 28: In the darkness of life remember that it is the Madonna of Light that will lead you beyond your fear. Then, you will be ready to lead others, too.
12:30 - 1:00 - Centering Prayer
The Casita
HOLY INNOCENTS
29th
Tuesday, December 29: For a woman to lead, she must first stand up, as Mary did to the Angel, and make her own ideas known.
30th
Wednesday, December 30: One of the greatest women the church has ever had to deal with was Teresa of Avila. She continues to call women to the womanliness of spir-itual adulthood when she says, “Authentic prayer never leads to complacency but needles us.... It leads us to true self-knowledge, to true humility.” And self- knowledge leads us to find the courage to become who we are meant to be.
31st
Thursday, December 31: Growing to fullness of life— within and outside ourselves—is the goal of life. “What you are,” theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar teaches, “is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.”
Prayers of the People - First Sunday of Advent - November 29, 2020
The Kingdom of God is upon us. Let us put away the works of darkness and be clothed in the brilliance of God’s light, as we offer our prayers as I pray...for this we pray and you respond by saying, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
+ Come between the warring nations of the world, enter the chambers of
government and the hearts of our leaders, and bring the peace that passes all
understanding;.... for this we pray.....Come, Lord Jesus.
+ Come to those suffering from addiction, free them from falsehood, shame, and guilt, fill them with courage that overcomes temptation, and give them an abundance of your grace; .... for this we pray.....Come, Lord Jesus.
+ Come to those who sit alone in empty rooms, who suffer from the pain of hunger and grief, and who live with anxiety and fear, and invite them into the glorious fellowship of the blessed Trinity; .... for this we pray.....Come, Lord Jesus.
+ Come, spare us from our deceit and selfishness, from our attachment to the false idols of our age, from our excuses for not living the gospel, and awaken us to your hope that we may keep watch for your appearing; .... for this we pray.....Come, Lord Jesus.
+ Come in the Eucharistic Meal, that strengthened by your Body and Blood, we may proclaim your kingdom in our daily lives; .... for this we pray.....Come, Lord Jesus.
+ Come and open wide the gate of heaven, that the faithful departed may find
themselves in the arms of your mercy; .... for this we pray.....Come, Lord Jesus.
Come, Lord Jesus, dwell in our hearts, as we continue the offering of our prayers.
For a greater sense of gratitude, that we may recognize all the ways that God has shown love for us, and be filled with awe and thankfulness for God's gifts. Let us take time and name what we are thankful for... for this we pray.....Come, Lord Jesus.
God of mercy, we pray for all in any kind of need or trouble: For all whose lives have been touched by storms, fires, and the pandemic, ALS and other diseases that they may find help, hope, and compassionate care from those around them....For those whose lives are closely linked with ours, and those connected to us as part of the human family. Let us remember by name those we know and can name in the silence of our hearts; for those we don’t know but know about, and for those worldwide who suffer...Awaken in us compassion and humility of spirit, as we seek and serve Christ in all persons...... for this we pray.....Come, Lord Jesus.
For Our Country
Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our
heritage: We humbly ask you that we may always prove
ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will.
Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and
pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion;
from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend
our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes
brought here out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue
with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust
the authority of government, that there may be justice and
peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we
may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth.
In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness,
and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail;
all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for St. Paul's (adapted from a prayer written by Richard Rohr)
O Great Love,
thank you for living and loving in us and through us.
May all that we do
flow from our deep connection with you and all beings.
Help our faith community become a community
that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory.
Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world.
Guide us in living out our mission to to be a
welcoming, prayerful, caring community
actively sharing the love of God . . .
Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking,
we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God,
Amen+
Prayer for the Pandemic
Loving God, hasten the day when the virus will have run its course; quicken scientists to develop medications and vaccines; call out the best instincts of your people- love, neighborliness, compassion, and a sense of caring for every member of your beloved community on Earth. We pray out of the depths to you, O God of hope. Amen
Prayers are asked for…..
The Church
Justin, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael, our Presiding Bishop, Michael, our Bishop and Michael, our Vicar….In the Anglican cycle of prayer we pray for the Lusitanian Church (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury), Sekondi (West Africa), Eastern Michigan (The Episcopal Church), Seoul (Korea), Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador (Canada), Seychelles (Indian Ocean), Eastern Oregon (The Episcopal Church), Sheffield (England), Eastern Zambia (Central Africa), Easton (The Episcopal Church), Shinyanga (Tanzania), Eau Claire (The Episcopal Church), Gasabo (Rwanda) Edinburgh (Scotland)....In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Ministry of Men....Brotherhood of St. Andrew…We also pray for St. James, Alpine, St. Stephens, Ft. Stockton, Santa Inez, Terlingua, Chapel of St. Mary & St. Joseph, Lajitas, and the Marfa and Alpine Ministerial Alliances…. For Connor Travis and the ministry of Young Life
For Our Leaders
For Donald, our president, Greg our Governor, Manny our mayor and the mayors and city managers of our surrounding communities…. For Joe, our president-elect and Kamala, our vice president-elect and all newly elected officials as well as our elected officials in Washington and all who exercise authority at any level of government. For all who struggle to make a more just society
St. Paul’s Prayer Box and Prayer Wall
Living out our mission to be a welcoming, prayerful, caring community actively sharing the love of God….On our wall…To day I Pray: For families who have lost battles with COVID-19...Rudy with ALS....Friends, Families and peace...4 health and peace....Families who are suffering...Roberto and Julia...Ofelia Gonzalez...Patsy and Yung Family...Four our country...3rd step prayer & surrender for my children...for peace...safe travel...Healing and peace of mind...For all who I love...Today I Hope: For unity...For a safer tomorrow....Things will get better...Love, peace in the land...Ending racism...Peace in our world...For change...serenity...Today I Thank: His grace, patience, guidance...God for His grace...Universe for its enduring embrace...my family...For our Democracy...Live to see another day...God for Gace...Finding a home here...Marfa for being accepting of all...His grace, patience and guidance...For this life I've been given...God 4 my life...God, that I live to see another day...This new beginning-11/7/20......Mom...family & love...Jesus 4 his mercy...Bill W & Dr. Bob...Prayer Box: For our long trip and our families far away...Becca's recovery from a broken ankle...For our family friend "R" who is facing serious surgery on October 1...Mariano Faiardo reecovery from cancer (my father)...Victor Amram, grandfather of 92 that is struggling for strength...Zanfini...
St. Paul’s Prayer List
Gail, Patty, Holly, D'Ette, Merit and the Fowlkes family, James, Shere, Kevin and Jay, Lesly, Lila, Melodie, Mimi, Pat & Mary, the Vana Family… FOR Jeanie Olivas, Vijaya, Frank, Larry, Jack Risen, Kathryn Anschutz, Sue Ellen, Kelly, Brian Hutchins who have cancer… for Michael Simpson, Lee Ann,. for James, Brian Neal & Jacob, Linda, for Jenny, Megan and Elizabeth, for David who has MSA, Frank, for Ralph...Kathleen….Bishop Jerry and Jane Lamb…Jessie Ann….Francisco Javier Del Hierro Vega, Juan Paul Del Hierro Vega, Arlyn Del Hierro…..Canon Carole McGowan... Help us remember that whereas some sections of the media are skewed and biased or even untruthful, Your essence is truth and light...for the media that they present with truth, compassion and unbias... Douglas...for those with the coronavirus, those living in isolation because of the virus, caretakers and researchers to find a cure and a vaccine...MEMBERS OF THE TIPTON FAMILY...Amanda, a nurse on the frontlines in New York City....Debbie Hamilton who is a paramedic on the front lines in San Antonio....Dawn who has cancer..Airman First Class Sidney Davis who is overseas.....Andrea, a nurse recovered from COVID-19 and back at treating others, Safe travels, Protection from COVID-19,...Ellen Boyd. After 15 years of being cancer free, her cancer has returned.... Itze who is in hospice...For the Kinney-Morrow family...Father Phil West recovering from a stroke...Gary Stonum who has Covid-19....for Katie who is dying.....Aurie....Mary Steele who is battling stage 3 breast Cancer...Kellie and Rick on their journey together....Pearl....Paul Woods, Cancer....Dorothy Swanson who fell and now has the Coronavirus....Lee Ann....Kaley Bowerman & Judah...Kristy Kimmell...Burt and Doris Ann Brownfield.......Corina & Carlos and their daughters, Iris and Lily....Rudy and Allison....Roberto who has cancer and Julia his wife....Luane Porter...Carol Janocek who has cancer...Layne who is struggling....Marina Z with Covid-19....Yvonne who is in hospice care...Roger Cribdin, Cancer medical trial
Those who have died
World News This Week in Prayer
Creator God,
This year has been different. We know you don’t need us to tell you that – but it helps to get it off our minds and you have broad shoulders to carry our burden.
Easter was different, Eid and Diwali, too. And now Thanksgiving and next it will be Christmas. We know people’s circumstances are constantly changing, that over the course of our lives festivals have always gradually changed. But that was little by little and okay. There are the family stories about “when we moved …” across countries and continents and cultures. We learnt to do the New Zealand haka and we learned those big, dark birds were edible and called them turkeys. We found Norwegian brown cheese palatable but that there is no cheese at all in many tropical countries. So many changes, Lord, but why so many all heaped on us in this one year?
So, we give thanks.
We give thanks that 10 months of concentrated, dedicated work in many countries is being brought to fruition as viable vaccines for Covid19 are discovered and successfully tested.
We give thanks for the generosity of the purchase of at least a billion doses of one vaccine for distribution in developing Countries.
We give thanks that the unprecedented lockdowns across the world are giving the opportunity for fresh, green environment, restarts.
And at the same time we recognise that disasters these lockdowns are causing – the businesses closed; the jobs lost; the lives disastrously changed by diverted medical attention; the failure of human contact.
We pray –
: for the dedicated doctors and nurses working to exhaustion, risking their lives,
: for the ministers and pastors working in unexpected new ways and through unaccustomed media to support others,
: for those who mourn and those who weep,
: for the politicians unsure which science is correct; which advisors are right,
: for elderly family members unable to comprehend the depth and seriousness “Don’t kill Gran”.
: for those who are turned into unwarranted scapegoats,
: for our own families and friends,
: for ourselves.
While all this goes on, there remains the continuing battle of wars and rumors of wars, violence used against neighbours in word or action, and refugees everywhere. We hold in our prayers those in Ethiopia and Tigray province, Sudan, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Nigeria, the USA, and in too many corners of your world. We pray for listening hearts and minds unclouded by fear and fake news. We give thanks for all working to bring peace, truth, reconciliation and justice into our brokenness.
Lord, help us to take the road less travelled that we may make a difference for your kingdom. AMEN
"SEE" YOU SUNDAY!
The Rev. Michael Wallens
Vicar - Saint Paul's Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 175, Marfa, Texas 79843
