A Message from a Parishioner:
In a random Facebook post last summer, former member of St. Andrew’s, Debra Johnson, recommended watching a Korean drama on Netflix titled “Crash Landing on You.” What you must understand is that Korean culture has become a global phenomenon. From the boy band, “BTS” leading the popularity of K-pop to the movie “Parasite” winning the Oscar for best picture in 2020 and from Korean food and K-beauty cosmetics trending in the marketplace to K-drama, this “Korean wave” or “hallyu” which is the term used to describe global interest in the country, has necessitated the Oxford English Dictionary to add 26 Korean words.*
I was already riding the K-wave, so I watched. After that, I discovered another one that intrigued me called “Cinderella and the Four Knights.” I found both humorous, entertaining, and fascinating from a cultural viewpoint. Why am I telling you this? Because something as innocuous as watching a foreign episodic television show caused me to notice and reflect upon my own beliefs.
Confucianism has a long record of influence in Korea which may inform the concept of hierarchy exhibited in both series. Your age, job status, education level, general social rank, and the emphasis placed on one’s elders and ancestors played an important role. The influence of Buddhism is also evident, which is no surprise considering 46% of the population of South Korea is Buddhist.
Each series had romantic elements and the key couples discovered they had encountered each other previously years before, though they did not immediately recognize this. I think fate plays a big role in their belief system. Personally, I have had enough happy coincidences and “God winks” in my life to attribute them to divine intervention more than fate.
In “Cinderella and the Four Knights” a young lady is tasked with bringing three wealthy cousins (with a great deal of animosity towards each other) together in a more conciliatory relationship. She had lost her mother and all three young men their fathers. She visits her mother’s place of rest often. In Korea there is a tradition of visiting the tombs of ancestors and/or deceased family members on the anniversary of their deaths. There is a service and a feast planned in memory of the boys’ fathers who all died on the same day. They refuse to attend. She admonishes them for their petty differences and lack of respect, but more so because their fathers must be so lonely. What! Lonely? I have never even thought about my parents and other deceased loved ones being lonely in heaven. As a Christian, it is not a concept I have entertained. That was kind of an epiphany for me.
Perhaps, I have given you something to ponder during Lent, like what can inspire thought provoking reflection. When Easter arrives, I will be joyful for the Resurrection and give thanks. We have been forgiven our sins. But also, I just know that I am at peace, not worrying about my loved ones being lonely in heaven. Not “hallyu” but Hallelujah!”
*Marketplace 11-18-21 Kristin Schwab
Pam Smith
Instructed Eucharist 2.0: Rich Tradition, Layered Meanings – Liturgical Colors
Purple and green and red and white are the colors of the year.
Purple and green and red and white remind us of the light.
Purple is for preparation, white is for celebration.
Green is the growing time, red is for Pentecost!
Purple and green and red and white are the colors of the year.
Purple and green and red and white remind us of the light.
In the Episcopal Church, worship is an experience of body, mind, and spirit. We use all our senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Part of the “sight” is the sanctuary and chancel which are set with lovely materials. The faithful Altar Guild prepares the sanctuary for worship each Sunday; part of their work is to clothe the sanctuary in the color of the church season as a marker of our focus and intention. The liturgical colors are:
- Purple/blue: preparation—Advent and Lent
- Blue: Advent
- Linen Lent
- White: celebration—Easter, Christmas, All Saints, Trinity, funerals, (which are services of resurrection), marriages, and other saints’ days
- Green: “growing” or “ordinary” time, the seasons of Epiphany and the season after Pentecost
- Red: Pentecost, the saint’s day of a martyr
- Oxblood red is designated for Palm Sunday and Holy Week
The colors connect us to the narratives in the Gospel that are the focus of the season, and to the emotion and sentiment of the season. Advent is a time of waiting, preparation, thinking about ends and beginnings—and is thus a time of change, and penitence. The purple marks these waiting and penitential times. Blue has become an alternative color for Advent to honor the Virgin Mary, who is traditionally shown wearing a blue cloak. St Andrew’s is fortunate to have a set of blue paraments (the cloth decorations on the lectern and altar) and vestments (the garments the priest and deacon wear over their white robe) that was donated to St Andrew’s in honor of Fr. Bill’s mother.
Lent is also a time of preparation and repentance and is thus purple. Another possible color is unbleached linen, which evokes the burial shroud that Jesus was wrapped in on Good Friday, and that was found in the empty tomb on Easter Sunday.
White marks celebration. It is the color of the high holy days of Easter and Christmas, the color to honor a saint, and the color for the sacraments of marriage and burial. The BCP has a beautiful meditation on funerals that tells us that while sorrow and tears are natural and appropriate, the “liturgy for the dead is an Easter liturgy….therefor characterized by joy in the certainty that ‘neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You’ll find this on page 507 of the BCP.
Green marks the “growing time”—the time when the light of Epiphany grows and reveals more about the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed, and the long season after Pentecost when crops are growing in the fields, and we are growing in our grasp of Jesus’ life, work, and promise in parable, encounters with others, teachings, and healings.
We will see red on Pentecost, bringing to mind the flames on the heads of those gathered at the first Pentecost as the Holy Spirit descended and they began to speak in languages that allowed all present to hear them. Some churches also have a deeper red, oxblood, for Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
Jen+
Lent Madness: Who Will Win the Golden Halo?
It’s Lent Madness! If you’ve never played Lent Madness before, now is the time to start. 32 saints of all sorts and characters are chosen each year—through voting, saints make their way through the brackets until one is awarded the Golden Halo on the Wednesday of Holy Week.
There are four brackets:
Ancient and Apostolic
Mostly Monastic
Royals Roundup
Modern Mayhem
From the Lent Madness website (https://www.lentmadness.org/):
The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and people vote for their favorite saint.16 saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch. If you’re not sure about terminology, check out our glossary. It’s free!
Saint Andrew’s Lent Madness 2023: Play a Bracket—or two!
Go to https://www.lentmadness.org/#Bracket
Fill out a bracket and bring it to church—we’ll copy it and put brackets on the wall.
We’ll have a betting pool, sort of—the money will go to a favorite charity.
Each week we will update findings in the Saint Andrew’s Newsletter.
The grand prize winner who gets the most points will receive a Grand Huzzah of Congratulations and Awe–choose which
charity gets the money put into the betting pool.
For more info, go to the Lent Madness website at https://www.lentmadness.org/ and follow the links. We have a poster sized bracket in Hamilton Hall, and a Saintly Scorecard book that will fill you in on the saints ancient and modern you will find in this year’s bracket.
Tuesday 4:30 p.m. In-Person & 6:30 p.m. Zoom Bible Studies & Lenten Readings
There are two Bible studies: one that meets at 4:30 in Hamilton Hall, the other meets by Zoom at 6:30. Click here for the Zoom link. You can also find the Zoom link on the bottom of the very last page of the St. Andrew’s website.
For the Lenten reading, we will look at Marcus Borg and John Crossan’s The Last Week. This book details Jesus’ life from his triumphal ride into Jerusalem to the cross, and will be excellent preparation for the events of Holy Week.
Jen+
Connect With Us
Sunday Worship Online Streaming
We have upgraded our Sunday worship online streaming option.
You will find our worship service being streamed from our Facebook Page or continue to go to St. Andrew’s website and be redirected from the link on the front page.
Rector’s Office Drop-In Time
Rev. Jen has set her office drop-in day as Wednesday of each week from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to stop in and visit. You are always invited to make an appointment for a time convenient for you. Mondays are her Sabbath day.
The First Sunday in Lent
Sunday Morning In-Person Worship Service, February 26, led by Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oldstone-Moore, 10:15 a.m.
You can stream the service via St. Andrew’s Facebook Page. Click on this link to view the Live Stream. We will start the Live Stream at 10:10 a.m.
Click here for the service booklet for February 26.
The Latest Updates
TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY – 4:30 P.M. IN HAMILTON HALL & 6:30 P.M. VIA ZOOM
On Tuesday, February 28, our Bible study will continue its exploration of questions about salvation. We will finish Rob Bell’s Love Wins and begin C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce. Beginning March 14, we will look at Marcus Borg and John Crossan’s The Last Week. This book details Jesus’ life from his triumphal ride into Jerusalem to the cross, and will be excellent preparation for the events of Holy Week. The Zoom link can be found on the St. Andrew’s website at the very bottom of the last page.
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES: INVITING YOU TO OBSERVE A HOLY LENT
Ash Wednesday is today, February 22. We will have services in the Sanctuary at both 12:00 noon and 6:30 p.m.
NEW ZOOM LINK
The new link can be found on the St. Andrew’s website at the very bottom of the last page. Click on the Zoom icon to join as an attendee.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING FEBRUARY 26
Today, February 26, we will have our Annual Meeting immediately following the service. You are invited to come with your questions and comments.
COMMUNION AT THE WATERS
Once a month Sunday services have resumed at The Waters. The next service will be this Sunday, March 12 at 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. If you’d like to help with this ministry in any way, please contact Rev. Jen or Renee. All are welcome to attend!
ON-GOING COVID PROTOCOL
We continue to respond to both our county’s current CDC designation and to the current variant. Masking is optional. Those who serve bread and wine will mask so that anyone who comes to the altar can feel secure. Decisions on COVID policy have moved from the Reconvening Committee to Rev. Jen and the Wardens.
Prayers and Reflections for This Week
We have heard that the daily reflections and scripture readings provided during Lent were appreciated. The meditations are written by persons from Gobin UMC and Beech Grove UMC. They will be in the newsletter each week and go from Wednesday to Tuesday, except for Sunday. Whether you enjoy these every day or as the Spirit moves you, may this resource continue to bring you spiritual food for the journey. Blessings!
Click here to view the readings and accompanying links.
Non Food Pantry Latest
Saturday, February 25
• Noon to 3:00 p.m.
There will be a drive through distribution and sack lunches will be served. We are very grateful to Kate Berry, Martha Rainbolt, Carl Huffman, Karen Hirt Mannon, and Christiane Wisehart who have worked very hard to obtain supplies for the Non-Food Pantry. Kroger is not able to acquire enough products for us so the items are being purchased from a variety of sources. This is much more expensive. Donations to help offset this extra cost will be gratefully accepted!
Top 3 Needed Items
Your prayers are asked for:
Haile Bane, grandson of Joanne Haymaker
Gary Barcus, friend of Joanne Haymaker
Beth Benedix, friend to many of us at Saint Andrew’s
Douglas Butler, brother-in-law of Claudia Butler
Richard A. Butler, father-in-law of Claudia Butler
Adam Cohen, friend of St. Andrew’s
Family & friends of Michael Condra
The family of Bernice Emrick, mother of Karen Hirt Mannon
Bob Fatzinger, brother of Barbara Pare
Nancy Ferriani, friend of Warren & Connie Macy
Katie Gleichman, relative of Jim Ensley
Alan & Vickie Good, father of Tim Good
David Grueber, stepson of Scott Kissinger
Kimberly Heithaus, niece of Joe & Jenny Heithaus
Shandol Hoover, friend of Dave & Sue Murray
Terumi Imai, friend of Jen+
Kaylee, Ryan, and baby
Lisa Breese Kincaid, daughter of Bob & Mimi Breese
The families of those killed in the Monterey Park shooting, Sara Nimori & Ross Whitten
Mary Mountz
Tom Mullen, father of Patti Harmless
Emmanuel Myril, Karen Hirt Mannon’s son-in-law’s father
Michael Oldstone, father of Jen+
Sarah Oldstone, sister-in-law of Jen+
Pamela & Linda
Gordon Redden
Elizabeth & Natalie Sheffler, daughter & granddaughter of Page & Narda Cotton
Gloria Smith
Skip Sutton
Jerry Taylor, friend of Warren & Connie Macy
Sydnor Thompson, brother of Harriet Moore
The people of Turkey and Syria
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: St. James, New Castle: The Rev. Brown Mulimi Mujete, Rector.
Our companion dioceses: The Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil: The Most Rev. Mauricio Jose Araujo De Andrade, Primate of Brazil and Bishop of Brasilia. The people and Diocese of Haiti and Saint Andre’s in Mithon.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: The Scottish Episcopal Church.
Birthdays: Patti Harmless, February 28; Gwen Morris, March 4.
Anniversaries: None.
THE COMMON CUP, INTINCTION, AND FULL COMMUNION
I would like to discuss our returning to communion by wine via the common cup.
Background: The Diocese of Indianapolis has stated that we may return to full communion (both bread and wine), but that receiving the wine can be by common cup only. Several parishioners have had questions about this. Here’s what I’d like you to know at this point.
- The Vestry voted and approved our new COVID guidelines recommended by the Regathering Committee.
- We might use the words “full communion” to indicate that we are finally back to both bread and wine, but it has ALWAYS been true that taking either one is a complete communion. You do not need both to fully commune.
- The choice is yours, Eucharist by Eucharist. You can decide to let the cup pass because you have a cold; if you are worried about others you can pass; you can wait until we return to intinction. Just cross your arms over your chest—or just shake your head and quietly demur.
Yours in health, restoration, liturgical engagement, and literature review,
Rev. Jen
Special Events and Services
