wfn.org | [ELD] Episcopal Life Daily

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

>Episcopal Life Daily
>December 17, 2008

Episcopal Life Online is available at  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.

>Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:

* DIOCESAN DIGEST - MICHIGAN: Economic crisis hits home for churches
* WORLD REPORT - INDIA: Churches cheer poll wins by Christians in Hindu
heartland
* WORLD REPORT - MIDDLE EAST: Jerusalem diocese clarifies incident  involving
former bishop's wife
* PEOPLE - Donald Armentrout to retire from Sewanee School of Theology
* ARTS - Saving the tapestries: Conservators work to restore priceless
treasures
* CALENDAR - Upcoming special events and services
* SPIRITUAL REFLECTION - Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year B
* DAYBOOK - December 18, 2008: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - I Loved Jesus in the Night: Teresa of Calcutta -- A Secret
Revealed

>_____________________

>DIOCESAN DIGEST

MICHIGAN: Economic crisis hits home for churches

>By Herb Gunn

[Episcopal News Service] People at Trinity Church, Belleville, Michigan,
knew the United States was in an economic crisis long before the  catastrophe
crashed into the consciousness of the rest of the country. During the  same
week the financial reports confirmed the U.S. economy was officially in  a
recession, similar data marked Michigan's eighth year of economic  downturn.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_103859_ENG_HTM.htm

More Diocesan news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>WORLD REPORT

INDIA: Churches cheer poll wins by Christians in Hindu heartland

>By Anto Akkara

[Ecumenical News International, Bangalore, India] India's Bharatiya  Janata
Party, accused by opponents of pursuing a Hindu nationalist agenda, has
swept to victory in Madhya Pradesh state, but leaders of the minuscule
Christian community there say they have reason to rejoice.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103851_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

MIDDLE EAST: Jerusalem diocese clarifies incident involving former  bishop's
wife

>By Matthew Davies

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem has said  that
the wife of former bishop in Jerusalem Riah Abu El-Assal was "at no time  ...
ever physically or verbally abused" during a December 4 incident at the
diocesan offices to which the police were called.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103856_ENG_HTM.htm

More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>PEOPLE

Donald Armentrout to retire from Sewanee School of Theology

[Sewanee] Noted scholar and author the Rev. Dr. Donald S. Armentrout has
announced his retirement as professor of church history and historical
theology, the Charles Quintard Professor of Dogmatic Theology, and  director
of the Advanced Degrees Program at the University of the South School of
Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee.

Armentrout, who joined the School of Theology faculty in 1967, will  retire
effective December 31 after 42 years as a teacher and leader at the  school.
Armentrout and his wife, Sue Ellen Gray Armentrout, plan to stay in  Sewanee
for their retirement.

Armentrout graduated from Roanoke College in 1961; he was recognized as  a
Distinguished Alumnus in 1992 and received an honorary Doctor of Humane
Letters degree from his alma mater in 2007. He earned a Master of  Divinity
from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 1964 and in 1972 was
ordained as a pastor in the Lutheran Church in America (now the  Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America). He received his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt
University in 1970 and has received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from
General Theological Seminary in New York.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_103861_ENG_HTM.htm

More People: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>ARTS

>Saving the tapestries

Conservators work to restore priceless treasures

>By Jerry Hames

[Episcopal Life] On December 20, 2001, the fire at the Cathedral of St.  John
the Divine in New York had just been extinguished. Debris and water  covered
the floor of the nave and thick, black smoke hung in the air. There were  no
lights. In this gloom, the Textile Conservation Laboratory staff, under  the
direction of Marlene Eidelheit, began the difficult and laborious task  of
ascertaining the future of The Resurrection and The Last Supper, two
priceless 17th-century tapestries that were severely damaged.

The pair, each approximately 16 feet by 16 feet and part of a series of  12
Barberini tapestries, The Life of Christ, had hung high on the north  wall of
the cathedral. Now they resembled a soaking wet heap of rags piled on a
table.

The conservators' first step was to carefully slide the tapestries,
encrusted with soot, pieces of glass and other debris, onto plastic  sheets
spread on the floor of the nave. Lead in the stained-glass windows had
melted from the heat of the fire and dripped onto the works, where it
solidified.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81827_103857_ENG_HTM.htm

More Arts: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81827_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>CALENDAR

A round-up of upcoming special events, services, concerts and diocesan
conventions taking place throughout the Episcopal Church is available at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/calendar.htm

>_____________________

>SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS

>Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year B

(RCL) 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Canticle 3 or Canticle 15 or Psalm 89:1-4,  19-26;
Romans 16: 25-27; Luke 1: 26-38

>By the Rev. Amy E. Richter

[Sermons That Work] Of today's gospel lesson, Frederick Buechner, in his
book Peculiar Treaures, wrote:

"She struck the angel Gabriel as hardly old enough to have a child at  all,
let alone this child, but he'd been entrusted with a message to give her  and
he gave it. He told her what the child was to be named, and who he was  to
be, and something about the mystery that was to come upon her. 'You  mustn't
be afraid, Mary,' he said. And as he said it, he only hoped she wouldn't
notice that beneath the great, golden wings, he himself was trembling  with
fear to think that the whole future of creation hung now on the answer  of a
girl."

The whole future of creation hung now on the answer of a girl. Imagine  all
the angels gathered around, looking down, holding their collective  breath.
"What will she say? Will she do it? C'mon, Mary, say yes!" Because they  all
know the way God works is only by allowing people freely to answer  "yes."

Full reflection:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work_103533_ENG_HTM.htm

More Spiritual Reflections:  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>DAYBOOK

>On December 18, 2008...

* Today in Scripture: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm

* Today in Prayer: Anglican Cycle of Prayer:

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm

* Today in History: On December 18, 2001, a fire swept through the north
transept of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York  City,
destroying the gift shop and threatening the sanctuary.

>_____________________

>CATALYST

"I Loved Jesus in the Night: Teresa of Calcutta -- A Secret Revealed"  from
Paraclete Press, by Paul Murray, 125 pages, hardcover, c. 2008, $18.95

[Paraclete Press] Mother Teresa hit the bestsellers lists last year, as  well
as the covers of Time and Newsweek. Her personal letters were published  for
the first time, and they showed how for nearly five decades she  struggled
mightily with belief in God.

The world was shocked. In a culture dominated by Richard Dawkins and
Christopher Hitchens lambasting the beliefs of religion as nonsense and  even
dangerous -- the letters of Mother Teresa seemed to be further evidence  of
why God and faith must go away forever.

I Loved Jesus in the Night is the compelling story of one priest's  memories
of the icon of compassion. Sharing anecdote and firsthand experiences  with
her, Paul Murray helps to explain why she had feelings of being a "saint  of
darkness." This remarkable and beautiful book is an attempt to  understand
the dark night experiences that she endured in the light of the Gospel  and
of the mystical teachings of St. John of the Cross. And something else  as
well ... revelations of Mother Teresa's sense of humor!

To order: Episcopal Books and Resources, online at
http://www.episcopalbookstore.org, or call 800-903-5544 -- or visit your
local Episcopal bookseller, http://www.episcopalbooksellers.org

More Catalyst: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/83842_ENG_HTM.htm