Psalter and Psepper

Every Sunday we recite/chant/sing a selection from the Book of Psalms from the Bible. In ancient times, the Book of Psalms was often bound as a separate volume and became known as The Psalter. These ancient Psalters were often richly decorated and used to teach people how to read. These 150 Psalms, credited to David among others, are also collected in a section of our Book of Common Prayer also called The Psalter, which caused me no end of hilarity when I was in confirmation class. "And so where is the Psepper?!"

The BCP directs us to recite the Psalms in several ways. Written for chanting or singing, they can also be recited aloud. And then they can be
chanted, sung or recited in several ways. The first is direct recitation, in which the psalm is read aloud in unison, much like a prayer. Two more ways of reading a psalm are antiphonal recitation and responsive recitation. Antiphonal recitation is when the recitation or signing of verses alternates between the choir and congregation, or one side of the church and the other. Responsive recitation is when a leader or cantor reads or sings alternate verses with the congregation.  In responsorial recitation, the verses are sung by the choir or cantor.  After a group of verses, a refrain is sung by the congregation. The refrain is usually drawn from one of the verses. We use this method here at St. Timothy's. Apparently this method is becoming more and more popular.

If you look at the Psalms in the Book of Common Prayer Psalter, you will notice Latin phrases before each psalm. These phrases are the first words of each psalm and serve as a kind of title for each psalm.  Psalm 23 is known as Dominos regit me.  The psalm appointed for each Sunday rotates throughout the year according to the lectionary.

You Are Beautiful

With the words "You are beautiful"  Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves welcomed diocesan delegates in October for the annual diocesan convention. St. Timothy's delegation was composed of lay delegates Darlene Frick, Nelson Frick, Bill Shreve and Amy Witzke, along with clergy delegates the Reverend Lisa McIndoo and the Reverend Michael Ridgway. This year's theme was "Relational Courage." At Sherwood Hall in Salinas, Friday afternoon and evening were reserved for hearings on the resolutions and a social dinner, plus awards given by Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves. Our own Holly McCullough received a "Simple Servant" award for her work with young families at the Episcopal Church in the Almaden.

St. Tim's Holly McCullough 

Saturday was reserved for the work of the diocese. The Bishop delivered her final address to the diocese as bishop.  Expanding on the theme of Relational Courage, Bishop Mary challenged us to remember that "we are the asset that we most need to develop...If we are not present, then the essence of Christianity is not present." She also spoke eloquently about the need to grow into "the church that does not yet exist."

Also on Saturday, we heard reports of various committees and voted on the budget.  We also voted on several resolutions including one that was proposed by Bill Shreve and the Sanctuary Task Force.  The resolution was written to affirm the resolution passed at last summer's General Convention that encouraged all Episcopalians and congregations to reach out to and support immigrants facing deportation. A lively hearing was held on Friday afternoon with speakers struggling to define exactly what "sanctuary" means. An amendment was offered by Bill Shreve on Saturday morning that sought to resolve some of the issues raised at the hearing.  Many in attendance expected that this resolution would cause considerable debate when it was brought to the convention floor for a vote.  In the end, however, no opposition was offered.  It passed with a simple voice vote.

Next year's convention will be presided over by Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves and our new bishop who will be elected in June 2019. Information regarding the search for a new bishop can be found here. The diocesan profile is now live here.  --Amy Phillips Witzke

Dr. Chasuble, I Presume

It was chilly this past Sunday when I walked into church. Lisa was chilly too. She was wearing a green chasuble and announced to the faithful gathered for Sunday service, "It's cold!  I'm wearing my chasuble to stay warm!" I heard a couple of people behind me say, "What's a chasuble?"

This is a chasuble:

It's the green "poncho" she is wearing. (The color will change according to the church season.) A chasuble is a liturgical vestment worn over an alb (the white robe.) It is usually put on for the celebration of the Eucharist, but can be worn for the entire service. And it can also be worn for warmth.

Episcopalians, Anglicans, Lutherans and Roman Catholics make use of the chasuble, while most other evangelical Protestant denominations do not. And most Episcopal churches that are considered "low church" (they do not use incense, candles, chanting, vestments) don't use them either.

There is a page on Facebook called the Society Against Tacky Vestments. This page calls out what their members deem to be egregious examples of vestments in spectacularly bad taste. I am sorry to report that our own Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves has been cited on this page for choices she has made. But no one has been named as often as former Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori. In their defense, they state that many of the cited items have been given to them as gifts and they feel obligated to wear them.  

Oscar Wilde wrote a play that was first performed in 1895 called The Importance of Being Earnest. In this play there is an Anglican priest by the name of The Reverend Canon Doctor Frederick Chasuble. His calling was in his name.    --Amy Phillips Witzke

O Hear Us When We Cry to Thee

I was looking at the leaflet for the memorial service for John McCain, which will be held tomorrow at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.  I was not at all surprised to see that Eternal Father, strong to save (#608 in our hymnal) is one of the hymns to be sung during the service. This hymn is also known as "The Navy Hymn" and has long been sung at the US Naval Academy.  McCain attended the Academy and served in the US Navy for over 20 years.  It is a hymn he would have heard and sung many times.

The lyrics were written as a poem by English choirmaster William Whiting in 1860.  Several sources I read say Whiting had survived a shipwreck and was moved to write the poem in thanks for his deliverance. In any case, it makes a good story.  The hymn's tune Melita was written by the Reverend John B. Dykes in 1861. Melita is the ancient name for Malta where the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked as reported in the Book of Acts. This hymn was sung at the funerals for John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt, and was said to have been one of the hymns played as the Titanic sank.

In 1940 three verses were added to the hymn to include travel on the land and in the air.  This hymn with the additions is listed separately as hymn #579. The 1982 Hymnal added a verse asking protection for those who travel in space--something probably not even dreamed of by Whiting. And even more verses have been written over the years honoring Marines, the Coast Guard, submariners and even loved ones left at home.

Eternal Father, strong to save, whose arm hath bound the 

restless wave, who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep its

own appointed limits keep:  O hear us when we 

cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.

O Christ, whose voice the waters heard and hushed their raging

at they word, who walkedst on the foaming deep, and

calm amid its rage didst sleep:  O hear us when we 

cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.

Most Holy Spirit, who didst brood upon the chaos

dark and rude, and bid its angry tumult cease, and

give, for wild confusion, peace: O hear us when we

cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and power, thy children shield in

danger's hour, from rock and tempest, fire and foe, pro-

tect them where-so e'er they go; thus evermore shall

rise to thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea.  

--Amy Phillips Witzke

First Church of the Internet

Here are some of my favorite Episcopal websites--most of which are also linked to the right--------->

I love Anglicans Online. Completely independent, the site is the world's largest online Anglican resource. Updated every Sunday night, the site's cover page is an essay, sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always thought-provoking. The site collects links from newspapers and websites from around the globe with articles of interest to Anglicans. I scan the News Centre section each week. (You can also find links to the Book of Common Prayer in languages ranging from Afrikaans to Zulu.) This site often sends readers to Thinking Anglicans, which has many similar news resources but includes more analysis.  I find this site harder to navigate to find what I'm looking for.

I rarely look at the website for The Episcopal Church except sometimes to use it to find a specific church if Google hasn't helped. You can sign up for press releases from the Episcopal News Service.  I know I have.  Because I can never get enough news about various new job hires at The Episcopal Church offices headquartered in New York.

Closer to home is the website for our  Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. The site has links to all the churches within the diocese as well as information and minutes for the Standing Committee and Board of Trustees.  Lots of information about the recent General Convention.  Access this site to sign up for the weekly email newsletter from the diocese "Along the King's Highway." This newsletter will keep the diocese up-to-date regarding the bishop search process over the next year or so.

Even closer to home is the website for St. Timothy's. Here you can find info on our various ministries as well as contacts for Stephen Ministry, the vestry and the preschool. You can also sign up for the Wednesday Weekly newsletter. (If you're a woman and Facebook is one of your guilty pleasures, request to be added to the Women of St. Timothy's page.)

Episcopal Cafe is a site for essays about living within our faith as Christians. My essay "Why Not?" from this blog was published on the site a few weeks ago. I enjoy the stories from Episcopalians lay and clergy, scholars and learners from across the country.

Started right here in Silicon Valley in the early 1990s,  The Mission of St. Clare posts the complete Morning and Evening Prayer services (including hymns!) from the Book of Common Prayer for each day plus links to noonday prayer and compline in both English and Spanish. (It was named for St. Clare because, according to the website "at the time, no one had designated a patron of the Internet and...she represented the idea of prayer available anytime and anywhere the best...she was already the patron of television.")

For me, the best site that can search various translations of the Bible is here. You can also enter keywords to locate a particular Bible verse.

I've written before about the Revised Common Lectionary, the three-year cycle of scripture readings.  Vanderbilt University has a great site that explains more about the lectionary and links to each week's readings here.

And just for fun is Lent Madness. This often irreverent site, sponsored by Forward Movement, runs through Lent (which surprise, surprise overlaps with college basketball's March Madness) and pits men and women of the Communion of Saints against each other to see who will take home the Golden Halo. Winners in the past have included Florence Nightingale and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Bios of the saints are posted and readers vote for the most worthy among them. The comments and campaigns for candidates can be quite lively. (Ballot box stuffing has occurred, though no Russian involvement has been verified.) You can sign up for daily reminders to read and vote throughout Lent.

Of course most of these sites also have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. But, really, there aren't enough hours in the day. Happy reading. --Amy Phillips Witzke

Episcopally Speaking

Around the time of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, I heard many references to Episcopalian Bishop Michael Curry. And then this summer during General Convention, I heard announcers say, "Episcopals debated same-sex marriage rites." Episcopalian. Episcopal. What's going on here? (Other than making this word-lover's ears bleed?)

People who belong to the Methodist Church are called Methodists. People who belong to the Presbyterian Church are called Presbyterians. But people who belong to the Episcopal Church are called Episcopalians. Why? I did a considerable amount of research trying to get to the bottom of this question, and finally decided that "because that's the way it's always been done" is probably the easiest and most efficient answer. (The phrase "The Protestant Episcopal Church" has been in use since 1780.)

In any case, episcopal comes from the Latin word for bishop. We are a Church that is governed by bishops. Episcopal is the adjective. The Episcopal Hymnal, the Episcopal Diocese, Episcopal Church Women, etc. Episcopalian is the noun. I am an Episcopalian. Episcopalians debated same-sex marriage rites. Episcopalians go to an Episcopal Church. She is an Episcopalian and she is also an Episcopal priest.

These are all upper-case usages of episcopal. There are some examples of lower-case episcopal that all relate back to its Latin origins. "Under the episcopal form of governing, the churches are guided by a bishop."

We'll leave episcopacy and episcopate for another time. --Amy Phillips Witzke

Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord

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I remember when it was called Vacation Bible School.  The word "school," apparently was viewed negatively by a lot of kids so the name was changed to Vacation Bible Camp.  Camp is always more fun than school.  (The first VBS was held in 1894 in Illinois and lasted four weeks!)

This week 50 kids have been attending our Joyful Noise summer church camp.  Led by Teresa Peters (the "Conductor") over 20 adult volunteers and about 10 teens and preteens have kept the kids engaged from 9 am to noon.  An after-care option is also available to care for kids until 3 pm. "Most of the campers are not members of St. Tim's," said Teresa, "so I love that we are giving a positive church experience to the community."

Unlike in previous years, this year's camp is totally homegrown.  According to the Rev. Lisa McIndoo, "When I was a kid, Vacation Bible Camp meant watered-down Kool-Aid, stale crackers and a record player.  It wasn't engaging."   Working with Lisa, Teresa's team of volunteers developed this year's music-themed camp Joyful Noise. "St. Timothy's is a musical church and we worship in a musical way," said Lisa.  "What better gift than to share that with the children of the community?"

The campers begin each day in the sanctuary with songs led by Teresa, Peter Sammel and Ross Johnson.  Peter noted, "For me, using music as a tool is a very spiritual exercise."  The morning I visited, Will Watkins shared his expertise on the organ for the campers.  The children watched Will play and watched his feet on the pedals and felt the instrument's vibrations translate into joyful noise.


They then divide according to age into groups that are named for orchestral instrument families: brass, woodwind, strings, percussion.  These groups  rotate through stations where they make their own musical instruments, learn how music is created through vibration and learn some line dances led by Lisa herself.  (The snack station is also very popular.)  These groups are overseen by adult volunteers as well as St. Tim's teens and preteens, some of whom had previously been campers for many years.  Ella Nelson is a teen counselor with the kindergarten/first grade group. "The kids are so cute and I like working with the leaders."

The children gather at the end of the morning to share more songs before being sent on their way. The joyful noise continues for the rest of this week. --Amy Phillips Witzke