Dear friends,
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany (March 2) celebrates the manifestation of Christ's glory on the mountain of Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration event evokes so many elements of the paschal mystery that it seems like an epitome of the entire scripture. The mountain, the cloud, the presence of Elijah and Moses remind us of the Exodus, the Law and the Prophets; Peter and John and James with Jesus and the Voice from Heaven echo Jesus' baptism, and foreshadow the birth of the Church; the reference to Jesus's exodus, his departure, and his glorious transfiguration speak to his predicted return in glory, as well as the hidden glory of his death, resurrection and ascension.
For anyone seeking a summation of scripture, salvation, and the gospel in 10 words or less, here it is - This is my Son, the Chosen One, listen to him.
We should resist the temptation to explain or over interpret the meaning of such mountain top experiences in scripture and in our own lives. They rarely have any impact beyond being a touchstone to remind us of a reality that is far greater than our comprehension. And an assurance that the One who does comprehend reality cares for us, has our interests and well being at heart, as unlikely as that sounds. Life quickly returns to "normal" and often to being very difficult.
The Transfiguration may serve as some assurance as Jesus turns and leads his disciples toward Golgotha, the even greater incomprehension of the crucifixion as a manifestation of true glory.
Perhaps the important thing to take away from the Transfiguration is the reminder that the LORD is King, that God is always awesome in every sense, and that we can trust in this awesome incomprehensibly good and powerful God to work in, with, and through our small inconsequential lives even when we are most confused and the world seems most hell bent.
Our confusion and impotence is never an excuse for passivity or inaction. God is accomplishing greater and better things for us and for the whole world than we can imagine or pray for. So, trusting that in and with and through us God is doing greater things than we can pray for or imagine we should keep trying, keep working for release of the prisoner, recovery of sight for the blind, for good news for the poor, for the acceptable year of the LORD's favor.
With Gratitude, Tuck Bowerfind (he/him)
Rector | Grace Episcopal Church
Worship Services | Last Sunday After the Epiphany | Sunday, March 2
Holy Eucharist Rt I | 8 a.m. | In-Person and on Zoom
Christianity and Culture | 9:15 a.m. | In-Person and Zoom
March 2: Anne Hansen discussing this week's Psalm 99
Upcoming Christianity and Culture Sessions
March 9: Bishop Mark Bourlakas
March 16: Rethinking Equal Opportunity Harlan Beckley
March 23: Rethinking Equal Opportunity Harlan Beckley
March 30: Saint John's Bible Joanne Robblee
April 6: Susan Eastman Personhood in Paul
Holy Eucharist Rt II | 10:30 a.m. | In-Person and on YouTube
First Sunday Lunch | Following the 10:30 a.m. Service
We are honored to have our Men's Prayer Breakfast Group cooking our meal! They will be making pancakes, eggs, sausage, and baked apples. Please help us round out the meal by bringing donuts, muffins, cinnamon buns, breakfast breads or coffee cake to share.
Women's Bible Study | Welles Room/Library | 3:30 p.m.
Lent Information and Programming
Lent is a journey toward the celebration and renewal of our faith in the Paschal Mystery - Christ's death and resurrection for us.
During Lent we journey together as participants in Christ's redeeming work, not just recipients of its benefits. Lent culminates in Holy Week with our celebration and reenactment of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection.
Beginning with Ash Wednesday services, March 5 (8am, noon, 6:30 pm) the Church invites us all to observe the season of Lent by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word.
In addition to the regular liturgical observances on Sundays and weekday Morning Prayer, Grace offers a Wednesday Evening program from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with a brief order of Evening Prayer followed by supper prepared by Anne Sauder and then David Cox and Michael McLaughlin will present the program:
“WHAT LORD IS THIS?” WHO IS JESUS?—A LENTEN STUDY BASED ON THE “GREAT ‘O’ ANTIPHONS”
March 12: Introduction: Who are you? Christ as Wisdom from on high
March 19: What’s in a name? Christ as “Adonai” or “Lord” gives—and interprets--the Law.
March 26: Where do you come from? What do you do? Jesus as “Root of Jesse” comes from human (and royal) backgrounds; as “key of David” he is the messianic embodiment of Israel and deliverer of his people, opening the way to wisdom, light, and life.
April 2: What is your purpose? As the “Morning Star” he enlightens the world, and as the “King and Desire of Nations” he unites all peoples as one.
April 9: What Lord is this? As Emmanuel, “God With Us,” he abides with us, eternally present through all of God’s creative work, in suffering and in resurrected triumph…and with us today.
Grace participates in the Lenten Habitat for Humanity Build on Tuesdays, 1:20-5 pm at Greenhouse Village (3/11, 18, 25; 4/1, 8, 15). No previous experience necessary. Many other opportunities to help others are available.
Stations of the Cross are displayed in the church and the liturgy for the stations is available for use at any time during the day. The stations are especially appropriate on Fridays. We include a version of the Stations that draws attention to injustices endured by people in our Diocese.
Lent Madness: Those who are interested in learning more about some of the exemplars of the faith are encourage to subscribe to Lent Madness, participate in the voting, and gather with other Lent Madness devotees at 5 pm Friday at Purveyors on Main Street to review scorecards.
The Saint John's Bible has inspired some wonderful opportunities during Lent for encountering God's Holy Word.
The Saint John's Bible will be at the Rockbridge Regional Library Lexington Branch, and Joanne Robblee will show a video presentation. March 12, 5:30 p.m.
Illumination Workshop, Fr. Rich Workowski, a Roanoke area illuminator, brings his own work for a talk and demonstration. March 15, 10 a.m. Grace Church.
Calligraphy Workshop, Retired art teacher, Dee Dee Lischer will lead a calligraphy workshop at Grace Church. Suitable for middle school age and up. March 22, 10 a.m.
Manuscript Illumination, Professor George Bent of W&L Art Department will speak on how manuscript illumination arose in the Middle Ages and changed in the early Renaissance. With introduction by Alexandra Brown tying in traditional illumination and The Saint John's Bible. March 29, 1 p.m.
Illumination Workshop with David Connolly at Grace. Participants may bring a Scripture verse or other short writing to incorporate in the project. April 5, 10 a.m.
Thursday Open House, The Saint John's Bible is also in the church for visitors each Thursday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 6- April 10, except for March 20. A Visio Divina will be offered at 1 p.m. each Thursday.
We invite you to join on Monday Tuesday and Wednesday evenings of Holy Week, 5-8pm April 14-16 for public readings of the Synoptic Gospels from The Saint John's Bible in the Nave. Readers will take turns reading chapters. Monday April 14 - Matthew, Tuesday April 15 - Mark, Wednesday April 16 - Luke.
Those seeking to learn more about the Episcopal Church are welcome to gather from noon to 1pm in the Welles Room Library with Tuck Bowerfind and others. March 16 - Church history; March 23 Church organization; March 30 Church membership, ministry and spiritual growth. Your questions about Grace and the Episcopal Church will be invited.
Holy Week
Palm Sunday, April 13 8 am and 10:30 am Blessing of Palms, Reenactment of Our Lord's Passion, Celebration of Eucharist. 9:15 Community Procession and blessing of Churches.
Holy Monday April 14 5:30-8 pm Public Reading of the Gospel according to Matthew from The Saint John's Bible
Holy Tuesday April 15 5:30 - 8pm Public Reading of the Gospel according to Mark from The Saint John's Bible
Holy Wednesday April 16 5:30 -8 pm Public Reading of the Gospel according to Luke from The Saint John's Bible
Maundy Thursday April 17 6:30 pm Celebration of Eucharist with Foot Washing and concluding with the Stripping of the Altar
Good Friday April 18 noon Good Friday Liturgy, 1 pm Stations of the Cross, 6:30 pm Good Friday Liturgy
Holy Saturday 6:30 pm Great Vigil of Easter and Holy Eucharist followed by Lamb Feast in the Parish Hall
Easter Sunday 8 am and 10:30 am Festival Holy Eucharist
Lent, Holy Week and Easter Offerings
It is traditional to use money saved by acts of fasting and self denial for charitable purposes and to make additional offerings for the poor in thanksgiving for the blessings of God and in faithful observance of our Lord's command to be generous to those in need.
Please make your Lenten and Easter Offerings to support the Lanford Mission Emergency Fund. The Good Friday Offering supports the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. We also encourage you to make offerings of support for the Kelly School in South Sudan and Ecole Saint Marc Cerca La Source Haiti.
Through your self-examination, prayer, fasting, self-denial, works of charity, and meditation on God's Holy Word in fellowship with friends and neighbors may you enjoy a holy Lent and grow in the joy and peace of Christ's victory over sin and death for us.
Morning Prayer | Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.
In-Person & Zoom
The Saint John's Bible
If you have photos you would like to share of the St. John's Bible in our community and beyond, please send them to Lisa.
As the visiting volume of The Saint John’s Bible makes its home with us for three months, we also turn to other volumes to share with the congregation and visitors.
Donald Jackson’s illumination of the Transfiguration has some similarities to earlier illuminations in the Book of Mark, notably of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. In the Baptism, Jesus is seen as a distant figure and entirely illuminated in gold, the ongoing motif of divinity throughout The Saint John’s Bible. In the Transfiguration illumination, however, his human face is still clearly seen, his gaze penetrating.
He has taken the disciples Peter, James and John up on a high mountain; Mark tells us, as they “stood apart by themselves, he was transfigured before them.” Jesus’ clothing shines radiantly, and Moses and Elijah (Elias) appear on either side of the man who until now has been the disciples’ leader and teacher. But now he is fully revealed: when Peter proposes that tabernacles be made for all three, God’s voice is heard, saying, “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
God’s words are seen in the illumination, gold against the Cubist rocks of the mountain. Moses and Elijah appear much as they have in earlier Old Testament illuminations. Like John the Baptist earlier, their human feet are firmly planted on the ground. They are robed in red and blue, and Moses bears with him the tablets of the Old Testament commandments. Their presence signifies that Jesus’ coming and his Transfiguration are the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
As in many of Volume VI’s other illuminations, Jesus also appears with a gold cross directly behind his head, transecting a gold halo, and his radiant garment is the gold of divinity. But it is overspread with the same crosses that appear in illuminations throughout the Gospels, reminding the viewer always of the totality of what lies ahead and of the Resurrection that will follow.
As The Saint John’s Bible resides with us, it is also traveling around our county and beyond; on Thursdays from 1 to 6 p.m., it will be in the Grace nave, where individuals and groups can come spend time with the volume – read, contemplate, share, or simply sit and meditate. A docent or docents will be available to assist visitors if needed.
Two Announcements from The Rt. Bishop Mark Bourlakas and the Diocese of Virginia
RARA Related W&L Event
Due to the interest of Grace parishioners in food, housing, and heath security in our community, attached is a flyer for a program at W&L March 14-15 including a keynote address on Friday and a local panel discussing the issues Saturday morning. All events are free if you do not wish to attend the Friday reception and dinner, but you will need to register to attend the Friday afternoon and Saturday programs using the QR code on the program description. I am hopeful parishioners will attend to become even better informed about pressing needs and the opportunities to address them
Opera at Grace
Friday, Feb. 28–Saturday, March 1: Opera at Grace! Directed by Dr. Mackenzie Romriell (who was a co-director for The Winter Star Christmas Pageant) and Dr. Jakob Hofer (who has played violin at Grace many times), the Puccini Opera will be presented Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Tickets are required and can be purchased below.
Southern Virginia University presents the opera, Suor Angelica, on Friday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. Doors open half hour before show time.
Mardi Gras Spaghetti and Bingo Night
Sign up now for an evening of good food and good fun on March 4 to support our ministries to children in Haiti and South Sudan! The evening features drinks and hors d'oeuvres, a spaghetti dinner, bingo and fun together as we raise funds for St. Marc's School in Haiti and Kelly Academy of Hope in South Sudan. The cost is $50 per person and the sign up sheet will displayed during church coffee hours and located in the church vestibule during the week.
Habitat Build
The mission of Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity is “to partner with the community to create safe, affordable housing solutions for individuals and families of limited means and work toward the elimination of substandard housing in Rockbridge County. Putting faith into action, RAHfH brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.” To date, RAHfH has completed 85 houses and an additional 6 are currently under construction.
With the intent to deepen our individual Lenten journeys, strengthen our collective community, and serve this important outreach mission, the Tuesday Morning Men’s Prayer Breakfast Group invites you (ALL of you - men and women, young and old, experienced and weekend- warriors) to participate in our Habitat Build during the upcoming Lenten Season. Our build starts on March 11th and will last for six Tuesdays (March 11, 18, 25, April 1, 8, and 15). The concept is to muster each Tuesday afternoon at 1:20pm in Greenhouse Village up behind RCHS, and work from 1:30 until 5:00.
We recommend you bring a pair of work gloves and perhaps some “dirty boots” to change into should the weather be wet. No experience or tools are required; only a willing heart! We would love for you to join us. Please contact Steve Shultis, shultis@rockbridge.net or 540 460-3177 for more information.
2025 Backyard Compost Challenge
Join Boxerwood in this year's Backyard Composting Challenge!
Bakers Wanted for the Community Table
Please contact Virginia Cooke at 348-5367 if interested!
Clothes Closet at Christ Episcopal
The Clothes Closet at Christ Church, Buena Vista, continues to need girls' clothing sizes 10-18, queen-size sheets, silverware, and brand new socks and underwear for everybody, young and old. The Clothes Closet is open every first and third Saturday of the month from 9 am until noon. You may drop your items off then. Alternately, you can bring your items to the Grace Church office and Lisa will ensure your items are conveyed to the Clothes Closet. Thank you for your support of this valuable asset to our community.
Province 3 Youth Event
Dates: Apr. 25-27, 2025
Where: Claggett Center 3035 Buckeystown Pike, Adamstown, MD 21710
Who: 6th-12th graders
Cost: $175 (includes dinner on Friday, 3 meals on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday).
Transportation: Will be provided from Evans House for those in and around the New River Valley.
• Arrangements will be made for the pick up of youth from the northern portion of our diocese on our way to Maryland.
• A late afternoon departure from Roanoke is expected with additional details to follow.
If you have multiple children attending or have questions, email us at youth@dioswva.org.
Paws to Connect
Paws to Connect will be back soon!
Prayer List
Please pray for the wider Church and intercessions requested by our Congregants: Pray for Presiding Bishop The Most Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe. Pray for the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, and our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas. Pray today for the Lay Employees and Volunteers of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. Pray for the healing of Pope Francis. Pray for Brendon, Timmy, John Perry, Glen Jones, Laura Stearns, Lynda deMaria, Polly Lawrence, Betty Cadden, Jeff Mason, Joe Irby, Kent Wilson, Diana Kenney, Jerry & Ann Nay, Paula Cooper, Ned Henneman, Barbara Bova, Sharon Humphreys, Nancy Mastin, Elizabeth Klein, Cullen Bahr (friend of Drusie Milford), Mary Etta Randolph, Carl & Rachel Pattison, Grace, Palmer Stickley and his family, Mercedes Aravena-Echaurren, Patricia Williams, Justin, Rodrigo, Wes O’Dell and family, Peggy DePasquale, Danny Anson friend of Pat & Keith Gibson), Bill Cannon, Virginia Poston (sister of Betsy Carter), Dot Fogo, Roger Baroody, Michelle & John Evola (cousins of Darlene Keane), David Austin (friend of the Keanes), Ellen Fure, Buddy Atkins, and those we name aloud or in our hearts. Pray for the people of Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, Ukraine, and pray for cessation of violence, and for reconciliation, and peace. Pray for those who have died, Tom Strickland.
In Thanksgiving for February and March Birthdays
2/28 Caitie Carrington, Erin Carrington
3/2 Katherine Greene
3/3 Scott Centorino
3/6 Connor Rothermel
3/7 Woody Sadler
3/8 James Brown, Emma Brooke, Carole Elmore, Charles Moore
3/9 Anne F Grizzle, Susan Mead
3/10 Mary Price
3/11 Daniel Mastin
3/14 Cindy Mullen
3/15 John Milford
3/16 Shay Peters, Catherine Harcus
3/17 Ed Craun, Bill Sayre, Pat McGuire
3/18 Elizabeth Knapp
3/19 Wade Branner, Cecile West-Settle
3/23 Polly Lawrence, Laura Stearns
3/24 Rose Gordon
3/26 AP Smith
3/27 Kathryn Hill
3/31 Will Edgar
We're so glad you're here! If you or someone you know is new to Grace and would like more information about Parish life, follow the link below.
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