Sunday, April 3 was the fourth Sunday in Lent, known in the Anglican tradition as Rose Sunday, which represents a lessening of the penitential character of Lent and the altar and vestment colors are rose; this is the only Sunday in Lent in which altar flowers are permitted.
Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Gospel for the day, St. John 6:1, which tells the story of feeding of the five thousand. In this miracle story a great multitude has followed Jesus to hear him preach, but they have no food. There is a lad with five barley loaves and two fishes and Jesus performs a miracle by feeding the multitude with this small quanity of food. This is one of the Christian traditions best known stories and appears in all four gospels. It is seen as a precursor to the Last Supper in which Jesus establishes the sacrament of communion.
After the service we enjoyed a potluck dinner served from our new kitchen cabinets and serving counter newly built by Eric Fancher who has done a beautiful job of carpentry for us. The meal was followed by a work day with much raking, trimming and cleaning of the church property.
Everyone is welcome at St. Francis Anglican Church (Traditional Episcopal) where Bishop Glen Hartley conducts services Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Visit our website at stfrancisavamo.org.
