Sunday, May 12 was the Sunday after Ascension Day, which was Thursday. In his sermon Bishop Hartley noted that the old term for this day was Expectation Sunday because it is the time in the church year of expectation or waiting for Christ’s return in the form of the Holy…
Sunday, May 5 was the fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called Rogation Sunday from the Latin for to pray or ask for and on this day we traditionally pray for successful crops as the Easter season is connected symbolically with spring. This day ends the Easter season on the church…
Sunday, April 28 was the fourth Sunday after Easter and Bishop Hartley noted that we are at the end of the Easter season. He based his sermon on the gospel for the day, John 16:5; “Jesus said to his disciples, now I go my way to him that sent me…
Sunday, April 21 was the third Sunday after Easter. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. John 16:16, ” a little while and ye shall not see me and again a little while and ye shall see me…” In this passage Jesus prepares his disciples…
Sunday, April 14 was the second Sunday after Easter. As it is still Eastertide, or the Easter season, altar and vestment colors are white and gold and Easter lilies are on the altar. Bishop Glen Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, I Peter 2:19, on the…
Sunday, April 7th was the first Sunday after Easter. In the Anglican tradition Easter is not just one Sunday, but Eastertide, or season of several Sundays to stress the significance of the time for the church. Bishop Glen Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Ist St.…
Sunday, March 31 was Easter Sunday. After the solemn season of Lent with its somber colors and rituals the altar was beautifully appointed with masses of Easter lilies and other white flowers and altar and vestment colors are white and gold and the white and gold paschal candle it lit.…
Sunday, March 24th was Palm Sunday, the Sunday next before Easter, celebrated in commemoration of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jersusalem. Bishop Hartley noted in his sermon that this day is a special day in liturgical churches and was first observed in Jerusalem in the fourth century. In liturgical worship an…
Sunday, March 17th, was the fifth Sunday in Lent, commonly called “Passion Sunday.” Altar and vestment colors are violet and crosses are veiled in purple as a visual reminder and symbol of the seriousness of the Passiontide season. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, Hebrews…
Sunday, March 10 was the fourth Sunday in Lent. This is also a Rose Sunday in which altar and vestment colors are rose, looking forward to the new life promised by Easter and in contrast to the usual somber colors of the Lenten season. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on…
Sunday, March 3 was the third Sunday in Lent. Bishop Hartley noted that we are halfway through Lent and should be re-evaluating our lives as Christians throughout the season. He based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Luke 11:14, in which Jesus proves his power over evil…
Sunday, February 24 was the second Sunday in Lent. Altar and vestment colors are violet and during Lent morning prayer is replaced by The Litany or General Supplication for God’s mercy which is chanted by the priest and congregation. Bishop Hartley based his seromon on the Epistle for the day,…
Lent began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13 with our traditional service beginning with the chanting of The Litany or General Supplication for God’s mercy followed by the Penitential Office for Ash Wednesday, then the imposition of ashes and communion. Sunday, Feb. 17 was the first Sunday in Lent. Altar and…
Sunday, February 10th was the Sunday called Quinquagesima or the Sunday next before Lent, approximately 50 days before Easter. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, st. Luke 18:31 “and they (the disciples) understood none of these things…” Jesus had tried to prepare them for the…
Sunday, February 3 was sexagesima, or the second Sunday before Lent, approximately sixty days before Easter. Bishop Glen Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, II Corinthians 11:19, in which St. Paul gives a sort of resume of his qualifications as apostle. We are a history-minded congregation…
Sunday, January 27 was Septuagesima Sunday, the third Sunday before lent, approximately 70 days before Easter. Bishop Hartley explained that the “gessima” Sundays, or pre-Lenten season, is a very old Christian tradition dating to sixth-century Italy which today is kept only by traditional Anglican churches such as ours. Altar and…
Sunday, January 20 was the second Sunday after Epiphany. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Mark 1:1 “Behold I send my messenger before me…” This messenger was John the Baptist and his baptism of Jesus and this passage tells us both the facts and…
Sunday, January 13 was the first Sunday after Epiphany. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Luke 2:41, Jesus in the temple when he was twelve. This is one of the most popular Bible stories and contains Jesus’ first recorded words; “know ye not that…
Sunday, January 6 was Epiphany Sunday designated in the Books of Common Prayers as The Epiphany, or the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Bishop Hartley explained in his sermon that this day is the start of a new season in the church calendar and has been designated as such…
On Christmas Eve we gathered at St. Francis for the traditional midnight mass or communion service, as is traditional in Episcopal churches, except we did ours at 7:00 p.m. since most of us would not make it until midnight. The church was beautifully decorated by the altar guild and all…
Sunday, December 23rd was the fourth Sunday in advent and the last before Christmas. Altar and vestment colors return to royal blue and the fourth candle on the advent wreath is lit. This candle is known in the Anglican tradition as the Angel’s Candle and the herald of God’s coming…
Sunday, December 16 was the third Sunday in advent known in the Anglican tradition as Rose Sunday because the altar and vestment colors are rose to remind us of the nearness of what we are waiting for: the new life in the birth of Jesus. The third candle on the…
Sunday, December 9th was the second Sunday in Advent colors continue to be royal blue and the second advent candle was lit. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Luke 21:25: “…and then they shall see the son of man coming in a cloud with…
Sunday, December 2 was the first Sunday in Advent and so the beginning of a new season and a new year in the Christmas calendar, a season of expectation of the advent or coming of Christ. Altar and vestment colors are a deep royal blue appropriate for the coming king.…
Sunday, November 25 was the last Sunday in Trinity, known in the Anglican tradition as the Sunday next before Advent. It is also known as “stir up” Sunday from the words of the collect prayer for the day, “Stir up,” O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people. Bishop Hartley…
Sunday, November 18 was the twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity. We are still collecting items for the Food Harvest and have the church decorated with beautiful autumn colors by the altar guild. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Colossians 1:3, “We give thanks to God and…
Sunday, November 11 was the twenty-third Sunday after trinity. It was also our annual harvest festival when we bring contributions of food and supplies for the Ozarks Food Harvest. The women of the altar guild had the church decorated in beautiful autumn colors and altar and vestment colors were dark…
Sunday, November 4 was the twenty-second Sunday after Trinity; altar and vestment colors were once again green for Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Philippians 1:3, in which St. Paul gives this church his thoughts on how Christians should live with one another. Paul…
Sunday, October 28 was the twenty-first Sunday after Trinity. It was also Christ the King Sunday and the Feast Day of Saint Simon and Saint Jude Apostles. Altar and vestment colors for this special day were white for Christ the King and red for the martyred apostles about whom not…
Sunday, October 21st was the twentieth Sunday after trinity. Bishop Hartley was away to do a confirmation ceremony at our sister Anglican Church in Heber Springs, Arkansas so instead of our usual communion service we had a morning prayer service conducted by our lay leader, Joe Criswell, who also read…
Sunday, October 14 was the nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Ephesians 4:17, “This I say therefore….that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind…” It is the Christian’s duty to follow not what others…
Sunday, October 7 was the eighteenth Sunday after Trinity. Thursday, October 4 was the Feast Day of our patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi and the annual Blessing of the Animals was held on Saturday, October 6. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Matthew…
Sunday, Sept. 30 was the seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the scripture readings for the day on the theme of our preoccupation with self leaving no time for God’s purpose. Psalm 10 is on the ungodly who are so proud that their lives are futile.…
Sunday, September 23 was the sixteenth Sunday after trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Ephesians 3:13, “I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you…” We must find our place in God’s plan and for what purpose He created us, and for…
Sunday, September 16 was the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Old Testament reading for the day, Deuteronomy 7:6-12, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people of his own possession….”…
Sunday, September 9 was the fourth Sunday after trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Old Testament lesson for the day, Micah 6:1-8, “what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with you God?” In this passage the…
Sunday, September 2 was the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Galatians 3:16. “To Abraham and his seed were the promises made….to thy seed which is Christ.” In this passage Paul discusses Christ’s relationship to the law of Moses: God’s grace…
Sunday, August 26 was the twelfth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, II Corinthians 3:4 “God had made us able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”…
Sunday, August 19 was the eleventh Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, I Corinthians 15:1, “Brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received and wherein ye stand.” These lines are meant to refresh…
Sunday, August 12 was the tenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, I Corinthians 12:1 “Concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you be ignorant.” Spiritual gifts are the manifestation of the Holy Spirit and are an important part of the…
Sunday, August 5 was the ninth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Luke 15:11, in which Jesus tells the story known as the parable of the prodigal son. This is one of the best known stories in the Bible and has…
Sunday, July 29 was the eighth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day. St. Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets…” He began his sermon with a quote from our namesake St. Francis of Assisi: “There was a time when I believed in words.”…
Sunday, July 22nd, was the seventh Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, Romans 6:19, in which Paul writes to the new church at Rome, founded by Peter around 42 AD, to instruct them in the essentials of the Christian faith: faith in…
Sunday, July 15 was the sixth Sunday after Trinity, Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Romans 6:3 “like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the newness of life.” We must recognize that our old self dies when we become…
Sunday, July 1 was the fourth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Romans 8:18: “I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” In the passage St.…
Sunday, June 24 was the third Sunday after trinity, which is the longest season of the liturgical or Christian year, taking up one-half of the year, and is the time in which we put into practice use the lessons learned during the first half of the year in which the…
Sunday, June 17 was the Second Sunday after Trinity. Altar and vestment colors are green for this season, the color of growth. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Luke 14:16, known as the parable of the great supper: “A certain man made a great…
Sunday, June 10th, was the first Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley, based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, I John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God…He that loveth not knoweth not God.” God’s love…
Sunday, June 3 was Trinity Sunday. Altar and vestment colors were white, the color of purity and joy. In his sermon Bishop Hartley noted that the doctrine of the Trinity – God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – does not appear in the Bible, it is based on scripture…
Sunday, May 27 was Pentecost, Greek for the fiftieth day, a Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles on the day of the Jewish festival observed on the fiftieth day from the second day of Passover. Altar and vestment colors are red symbolizing the tongues…
Sunday, May 20 was the Sunday after Ascension Day which was Thursday the 17th forty days after Easter, and commemorates the ascension of Christ. It is also known as Holy Thursday. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the scripture reading for the day, the epistle I Peter 4:7, “The end…
Sunday, May 13th, was the Fifth Sunday after Easter. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, St. James 1:22, “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only,” in which James stresses the need for Christian faith to be shown to the world in action…
Sunday, May 6 was the Fourth Sunday after Easter. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, St. James 1:17, in which St. James tells us that “every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights. This can refer to…
Sunday, April 29, was the third Sunday after Easter; altar and vestment colors continue to be white and we also have all white altar flowers. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Gospel for the day, St.John 16:16, “Jesus said to His diciples, a little while and ye shall not…
Sunday, April 22 was the Second Sunday after Easter, also known in the Anglican tradition as Good Shepherd Sunday from the Epistle reading for the day, St. John 10:11, “Jesus said, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.: Bishop Hartley based his sermon…
Sunday, April 15 was the first Sunday after Easter. Altar colors continue to be white and we had white altarflowers as well. In the absence of Bishop Hartley, who was away performing confirmations at one of our sister churches, instead of Holy Communion we held the morning prayer service led…
Holy week at St. Francis began on Thursday, April 5 with the Maundy Thursday communion service. The day takes its name from the Latin mandatum or mandate as Jesus mandated the communion service as a sacrament at the Last Supper. Then on Good Friday, April 6, we held the Good…
Sunday, April 1 was the Sunday next before Easter, known as Palm Sunday. In one of the most beautiful services in the Anglican tradition we began the service with the blessing of the palms in which members kneel at the altar to receive palms blessed by the priest then process…
Sunday, March 25 was the fifth Sunday in Lent, being the second before Easter, commonly called Passion Sunday, and in stark contrast to the joy of Rose Sunday the altar and vestment colors return to violet and the altar cross as well as the crosses in the sanctuary, nave and…
Sunday, March 18th, was the fourth Sunday in Lent. In the Angelican tradition, this day is rich in symbolism and is known as Rose Sunday, as well as Laetare or Rejoicing Sunday. It is something of a pre-Easter Sunday, in that the emphasis is on a lessening of the somber…
Sunday, March 11 was the third Sunday in Lent. In the early church this day was known as Scrutiny Sunday because candidates for baptism were examined to determine if they were ready for baptism or confirmation which took place on Easter Sunday. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Epistle…
Sunday March 4th, was the second Sunday in Lent. The usual Morning Prayer Service is replaced by the chanting of the Litany or General Supplication asking for God’s mercy; altar and vestment colors are violet. This day is sometimes known as Perseverance Sunday, in which Christians should renew their dedication…
Lent began on Wednesday, February 22 with the usual evening prayer service replaced by the Ash Wednesday service during which we chant the Litany or General Supplication asking for God’s mercy, followed by the imposition of the ashes created by the burning of the palms from last year’s Palm Sunday,…
Sunday, February 19 was quinquagesima or approximately 50 days before Easter and is also the Sunday next before lent. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Luke 18:31, one of the passages in which Jesus predicts his death and resurrection but the twelve “understood none…
Sunday, February 12, was our Sexagsima, or the second Sunday before Lent. Latin for sixteenth, segagesima is approximately 60 days before Easter. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, II Corinthians 11:19: “Ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.” This epistle was written around…
Sunday, January 5 was Septuagesima Sunday or approximately 70 days before Easter and the third Sunday before Lent; Septuagesima is Latin for seventieth. We begin a new season in the Christian year, the pre-Lenten season, and altar and vestment colors are somber, but beautiful indigo blue, The “gesima” Sundays are…
Sunday, January 29 was the fourth Sunday after epiphany and the last Sunday of this season. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Matthew 8:1, in which Jesus heals both a leper and the servant of a Roman centurion. Thus the season of showing forth…
Sunday, January 22 was the third Sunday after epiphany. The episcopal hymnal has hymns for each season of the Christian year and today we sang the epiphany hymn, “Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning,” one of the lovelies of hymns, which we only do during epiphany. Bishop…
Sunday, January 15 was the second Sunday after the Epiphany and was also the 34th anniversary of the founding of our congregation on January 15, 1978. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the meaning of this season, the Epiphany, which means a manifestation or showing forth, in this case the…
Sunday, January 8 was the first Sunday after epiphany which falls on January 6 and is the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Altar and vestment colors continue to be white and gold. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Romans 12:1, in which St. Paul…
Churches in the Anglican tradition follow the English tradition of celebrating Christmas on the Twelve Days of Christmas (as in the well-known carol) between Christmas Day and Epiphany, so our Christmas decorations and flowers were still up at St. Francis Sunday, January 1 and the Advent Wreath and candles were…
Since Sunday, December 25 was Christmas Day, there was no church that day and our Christmas service was held the day before on Christmas Eve. After the austerity of the Advent Season, when no flowers are allowed, the altar was bursting with red and white poinsettias given by church members…
Sunday, December 18 was the fourth Sunday in Advent and the last Sunday in this pre-Christmas season. All four candles on the Advent wreath were lit and our altar colors were back to royal blue. Bishop and Mrs. Hartley were at St. Joseph’s in Branson for the parish meeting there…
Last Weeks News – Sunday, December 4 was the second Sunday in Advent. Altar and vestment colors continue to be royal blue and the second candle on the Advent wreath is lit. In Anglican churches this day is popularly called Bible Sunday and stems from the fact that the collect,…
Sunday, December 4 was the second Sunday in Advent. Altar and vestment colors continue to be royal blue and the second candle on the Advent wreath is lit. In Anglican churches this day is popularly called Bible Sunday and stems from the fact that the collect, the prayer that introduces…
Sunday, November 27 was the first Sunday in Advent, the first Sunday of the church year. In the Anglican tradition Advent is a penitential season and is completely separate from the Christmas season. A penitential season means one in which Christians are to think seriously about their faith and prepare…
Sunday, November 20 was the Sunday next before Advent and is close of the trinity season which represents the season of growth in Christian life with the help of the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. This is the longest season in the Christian year and the altar and…
Sunday, November 13 was the twenty-first Sunday after trinity and was olso our annual Harvest Festival in which we collect items for the Ozarks Food Harvest. The altar guild had the church beautifully decorated with autumn colors. Our altar colors are still green but for this occasion a special set…
Sunday, November 6 was the twenty-first after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Matthew 22:1, the parable of the wedding feast in which “a certain king…sent forth his servants to call them that were hidden to the wedding and they would not come.”…
Sunday, October 30 was the nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. It was also the Sunday before All Saints Day and our processional hymn was the wonderful “For all the saints” by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Ephesians 4:17, in…
Sunday, Ocotber 23 was the eighteenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Ist Corinthians 1:4, “I thank my God always on your behalf….” This letter was written by St. Paul around 56 A.D. and written from Ephesus to the church at Corinth.…
Sunday, October 16 was the seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Ephesians 4:1, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation where with ye are called…” Paul means that his life is not…
Sunday, October 9 was the sixteenth Sunday after Trinity. We have two very nice additions to our altar as Carrie Compton has brought two large potted palms to be set on either side of the altar and they add beautiful greenery to the altar. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on…
Sunday, October 2 was the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters…. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” By mammon Paul means earthly needs and desires, which must not be allowed to obsure…
Sunday, September 25 was the fourteenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Galatians 5:16, ” I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fullfil the lust of the flesh.” In this passage St. Paul gives practical advice on living…
Sunday, September 11 was the twelfth Sunday after trinity. Since it was also the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York and Washington, Bishop Hartley included special prayers for the nation and for the lost in the attacks in his pastoral prayers. His sermon was based on…
Sunday, September 4 was the eleventh Sunday after trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Luke 18:9, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, which contrasts the arrogance of the Pharisee with the humility of the publican: “for everyone that exalted himself shall…
Sunday, August 28 was the tenth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Luke 19:41, in which Jesus weeps over Jerusalem: ” If thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace!” In this passage…
Sunday, August 14 was the eighth Sunday after trinity. Bishop Hartley was away fulfilling his duties as Bishop at our sister church in Rogers, Arkansas so instead of communion our lay leader, Tom Berthold lead us in the morning prayer service. In lieu of a sermon Bishop Hartley had left…
Sunday, August 21 was the ninth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, I Corinthians 10:1, “Brethren,I would not that ye should be ignorant…” in which he first discusses Moses and the ancient Hebrews and “the spirtiual Rock that followed them” which for…
Sunday, August 7 was the seventh Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Old Testament reading for the day, Hosea 14 “Return, O Israel to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.” In this passage the prophet exhorts the Israelites to remember…
Sunday, July 24 was the Fifth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, I St. Peter 3:8, ” Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another…” in which St. Peter exhorts Christians to get along with one another and remember…
Sunday, July 31 was the sixth Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley was away for the weekend attending the ordination of a deacon at All Saints Anglican Church in Boaz, Alabama so at St. Francis our lay leader, Tom Berthold, had charge of the service and we did the morning prayer…
Sunday, July 10, was the third Sunday after Trinity. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, I St. Peter 5:5 “All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility” in which St. Peter gives advice on how to live a Christian life…
Sunday, June 19 was Trinity Sunday, marking the beginning of the Trinity season, the longest in the church year, during which it is the Christian’s duty to put into practice the teachings and example of Jesus, where life and works are commemorated during the other seasons of the church year…
Sunday, June 12 was Pentecost which commemorates the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles on the day of the Jewish festival of that name. The word means fiftieth day and in the Christian tradition takes place approximately fifty days after Easter. Altar and vestment colors are red symbolizing…
Sunday, June 5 was the Sunday after Ascension Day, which was last Thursday. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, I St. Peter 4:7, “The end of all things is at hand” and St. Peter exhorts us to “be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”…
Sunday, May 29 was the fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called Rogation Sunday. Bishop Hartley explained that the three days before Ascension Day are known as days of prayer for the successful flourishing of the crops; rogation means supplication or prayer. The importance of this period in the Christian calendar…
Sunday, May 22 was the fourth Sunday after Easter. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the epistle for the day, St. James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of light….” The greatest gift from God is grace, which we receive from…
Sunday, May 15 was the third Sunday after Easter. Biship Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. John 16:16 in which Jesus tells his disciples “A little while, and ye shall not see me and again, a little while, and ye shall see me…” explaining to…
Sunday, May 8 was the second Sunday after Easter. Altar and vestment colors continue to be white and we have our Easter lilies and Paschal candle to celebrate the season. Now that Kip has restored the chimes on our organ he opens and closes the service with chimes, making our…
Sunday, May 1 was the first Sunday after Easter. Altar and vestment colors continue to be white, the color of purity and we have the Easter lilies and beautiful seasonal decorations put up by our altar guild. Bishop Hartley based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. John…
Sunday, April 24 was Easter Sunday, the oldest and most important feast of the Christian church marking the birth of new creation through Christ. Bishop Hartley wore his cape and miter for this service, marking as a special day in the church year. He began his sermon with a history…
Sunday, April 17 was the Sunday next before Easter, or Palm Sunday, which commemorates Christ’s enty into Jerusalem to be crucified accompanied by crowds waving palms, a symbol of victory in Roman times. At St. Francis we begin the Palm Sunday service with the blessing of the palms in which…
Sunday, April 10 was The Fifth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Passion Sunday. This designation is unique to the Anglican tradition and commerates Christ’s physical suffering. It is a fairly recent addition to the liturgical calendar, dating from the 19th century and first incorporated into the 1928 edition of the…
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…
Sunday, March 20 was the Second Sunday in Lent and we continue to replace the morning prayer segment of our worship service with the chanting of The Litany or General Supplication for God’s mercy. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, 1st Thessalonians 4:1 “we beseech…
Sunday, March 27 was the Third Sunday in Lent; we continue during Lent to replace the Morning Prayer section of the Sunday Service with the chanting of the Litany or General Supplication for God’s mercy. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the Gospel for the day, St. Luke 11:14, in…
The season of Lent began on Wednesday, March 9 with our Ash Wednesday service consisting of the Litany or General Supplication followed by the imposition of the ashes. The Litany is a service asking for God’s mercy which is chanted by the priest with responses by the congregation; chanting is…
Sunday, March 6 was Quinquagesima, or the Sunday next before Lent, approximately 50 days before Easter. It is an ancient Christmas tradition to celebrate just before the beginning of the austercity of Lent resulting in such traditions as Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) in New Orleans and Carnival in…
Sunday, February 27 was sexagesima (Latin for 60th) or approximately 60 days before Easter, second in the three “gesima” Sundays in the ancient church tradition of a pre-lenten season. Altar and vestment colors continue to be dark blue in keeping with the solemnity of the season. Fr. Glen based his…
Sunday, February 20 was Septuagesima, Latin for seventy, meaning approximately 70 days before Easter, a pre-Lenten season of three Sundays before Lent, an ancient Christian tradition observed today only in Anglican churches. Altar and vestment colors are dark blue in keeping with the solemnity of the season. Fr. Glen based…
Sunday, February 13 was the sixth Sunday after epiphany and marks the end of the epiphany season with its theme of the showing forth or manifestation of Jesus to the world. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the epistle for the day, I John 3:1, and the gospel for the…
A small but determined group of worshippers gathered at St. Francis on Sunday, Feb. 5 in spite of the snow and ice. I appreciate the Connell family for giving me a ride in their four-wheel drive since I would not have been able to go otherwise. Feb. 5 was the…
Sunday, January 30 was the fourth Sunday after epiphany. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Matthew 8:1 in which Jesus heals the servant of a Roman soldier, a centurion who has come to Jesus for help. This passage continues the theme of the epiphany…
Sunday, January 23 was the third Sunday after epiphany; altar and vestment colors continue to be green and our hymns are the beautiful epiphany hymns, which are always sung during this season. In the Anglican tradition all elements of the service – music, vestments, scripture readings – are integrated and…
Sunday, January 16 was the second Sunday after epiphany. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the gospel reading for the day, the first chapter of St. Mark, which relates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Fr. Glen explained that the gospel readings for epiphany concentrates on the theme…
Sunday, January 9 was the first Sunday after epiphany; altar and vestment colors are green, the color of growth and new life. The word epiphany is from the Greeks for manifestation and commemorates the manifestation or showing forth of the Christ child to the world as represented by the Magi,…
Sunday, January 2 was the second Sunday after Christmas Day. After a Sunday of red for St. Stephen’s Day, altar cloths and vestments are white for Christmas. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the reading for the epistle, Isaiah 61, in which the prophet tells the Hebrews that God has…
Sunday, December 26 was the first Sunday after Christmas and is also the feast of Saint Stephen. The church was ablaze with the color red with poinsettias around the altar and red vestments and altar linens in honor of the martyr Stephen; red is used on the feasts of martyrs.…
Sunday, December 26 was the first Sunday after Christmas and is also the feast of Saint Stephen. The church was ablaze with the color red with poinsettias around the altar and red vestments and altar linens in honor of the martyr Stephen; red is used on the feasts of martyrs.…
Sunday, December 26 was the first Sunday after Christmas and is also the feast of Saint Stephen. The church was ablaze with the color red with poinsettias around the altar and red vestments and altar linens in honor of the martyr Stephen; red is used on the feasts of martyrs.…
Sunday, December 12 was the third Sunday in advent, known also in the Anglican tradition as Rose Sunday as the altar and vestment colors are rose symbolizing a lightening of the advent penitence as well as the new life we look forward to in Christ. The third candle on the…
Sunday, December 12 was the third Sunday in advent, known also in the Anglican tradition as Rose Sunday as the altar and vestment colors are rose symbolizing a lightening of the advent penitence as well as the new life we look forward to in Christ. The third candle on the…
Sunday, November 14 was the twenty-fourth Sunday after trinity. It was also the annual Harvest Festival at which time we collect items for the Food Harvest of the Ozarks and a good number of items were brought to the church as donations. As always the altar guild under the leadership…
Sunday, November 7 was the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Matthew 22:15. In this passage the Pharisees – the Jewish religious authorities ganged up with the Herodians – the ruling dynasty appointed by the Romans – and try to…
Sunday, October 31 was the twenty-second Sunday after Trinity as well as the eve of All Saints Day. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the gospel reading for the day, St. Matthew 18:21, in which Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive…
Sunday, October 17 was the twentieth Sunday after trinity. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Ephesians 5:15, in which St. Paul admonishes the Christians at Ephesus to “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise…” This means that a Christian life is one of awareness…
Sunday, October 10 was the nineteenth Sunday after trinity. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the epistle for the day, Ephesians 4:17, in which St. Paul instructs the new Christians in the church be founded at Ephesus on leading a Christian life and “henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,…
Sunday, October 3 was the eighteenth Sunday after trinity. Altar and vestment colors continue to be green, as trinity is the “green season” of growth, both physical and spiritual. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the gospel for the day, St. Matthew 22:34, in which the Pharisees ask Jesus “which…
Sunday, September 26 was the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, Ephesians 4:1, in which St. Paul refers to himself as a “prisoner of the Lord and discusses the responsibilities of the Christian life, humility and avoidance of arrogance. God demands…
Sunday, September 19 was the sixteenth Sunday after trinity. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the Epistle for the day, Ephesians 3:13, in which St. Paul addresses the new Christians at Ephesus in the form of a prayer on his knees and prays that they be strengthened by the Holy…
Sunday, September 12 was the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the Old Testament lesson for the day, Deuteronomy 7:6-13 “For you are a people holy to the Lord…” which discusses Israel’s relationship to God as chosen people and the responsibilities and blessings that come with…
Sunday, Sept. 5 was the fourteenth Sunday after Trinity. Altar and vestment colors continue to be green. Fr. Glen based his sermon on the Old Testament lesson for the day, Micah 6:1-8, in which the prophet criticizes Israel for its lack of obedience to God and points out all the…
