The CATHEDRAL TIMES The weekly newsletter of the Cathedral of St. Philip · Serving Atlanta and the World · March 14, 2021
THE CHURCH AS A HOLY MARKETPLACE By the Very Rev. Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral Talking with parishioners before one of our outdoor services last Sunday, I remarked that I sure look forward to another routine. I don’t really know what our next routine will be, in terms of Covid-19 protocols and safety, but I sure am tired of this routine! It’s time to move on! However, our Cathedral of St. Philip did resume a holy routine just this past Saturday, March 6! The Cathedral Farmers Market resumed its service of neighborhood community and holy commerce. We are underway! Please join us every Saturday! I loved that the opening of the Cathedral Farmers Market occurred on the Saturday right before the Third Sunday of Lent, when our gospel for the day was about Jesus overturning the moneychangers’ tables, driving out cattle and sheep, and saying, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” ( John 2:16). What? Does our Cathedral Farmers Market somehow contradict what Jesus was saying? Quite simply: No, emphatically not! Our Farmers Market exists to serve the people of God: farmers and artisans of integrity and good will. The practices of the first century temple of Jerusalem, whose tables Jesus overturned, did not. Here is how it was going down, back in the first century. The faithful people of God, on holy occasions like the Passover, travelled to the temple in order to make sacrifices, to give offerings at the accustomed places, in order to make right their relationship with God. But the stringent priestly holiness codes of the day demanded that such offerings and sacrifices be without blemish or impurity. One had to present an unblemished dove, or sheep, or cow. Further, the religious authorities of the time had inspector-types who would certify the purity of those offerings. If an offering of one of the faithful did not meet the standard, the pilgrim would be directed to another area of the temple complex where “pre-certified” pure offerings were being sold. One could buy their pure offering there! However, to make matters more complicated, the money used in the temple was a temple currency, not the Roman coin of the realm, which most ordinary people used. Thus, in order to buy a properly pure offering, the pilgrim first had to visit the currency exchange and get the proper coinage. Obviously, there were transaction fees involved. The result was that faithful pilgrims were having to pay exploitative amounts to the religious authorities, all in the name of holiness. The point is that the religious authorities were not accepting the regular offering of the people of God! Jesus exhibits a righteous indignation at the practice, and he turns over the moneychangers’ tables. He drives out the (certifiably pure!) cattle and sheep. Jesus is showing something of the accepting grace of God. The God of Jesus is a God who accepts regular offerings, the offerings of ordinary people no matter what condition we are in. God does not need our offering to be pure and perfected before we can offer it! In fact, God needs the regular offerings of faithful people of all sorts and conditions! The lesson of Jesus in the temple applies to churches these days, too. The church is here to accept our offering, in whatever shape our offering is. None of us—not one of us!—is without blemish or wound or scar. We are what we are, wounded and blemished and imperfect. But God accepts our offerings anyway. And holy churches—holy temples—accept our offerings in whatever shape they are in. In fact, God doesn’t just accept our ordinary offerings; God NEEDS those ordinary offerings. Our Cathedral, like all good churches, is a place of holy community. Together, we offer and receive, we continued on back page...
This SUNDAY
MARCH 14, 2021 · The Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B
Numbers 21:4-9 · Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 · Ephesians 2:1-10 · John 3:14-21
REGISTER FOR IN-PERSON SERVICES OF KOINONIA AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG, ON THE CATHEDRAL APP, OR BY CALLING 404-365-1009 STARTING WEDNESDAY, 10 A.M. THESE SERVICES ARE LIMITED TO 50 ATTENDEES, WITH MASKS REQUIRED.
7:45 A.M. SERVICE OF KOINONIA, CLOISTER GARDEN 8:45 A.M. SERVICE OF KOINONIA, CATHEDRAL NAVE 11:15 A.M. SERVICE OF KOINONIA, LABYRINTH 1 P.M. SERVICIO DE KOINONIA EN ESPAÑOL, CLOISTER GARDEN REGISTER BY CONTACTING DEACON JUAN SANDOVAL, JSANDOVAL@CATHEDRALATL.ORG. CONTINUE TO WORSHIP WITH THE CATHEDRAL ONLINE AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG/STREAM, ON THE CATHEDRAL APP, AND ON THE CATHEDRAL FACEBOOK PAGE.
8:45 A.M. AND 11:15 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST Celebrant: The Rev. Julia Mitchener Preacher: The Rev. Canon Lauren Holder Music: Jeanne Demessieux (1921-1968), Attende Domine (Hear us, O mighty Lord) Hymn 690, “Guide me, O thou great Jehovah”Cwm Rhondda Trisagion S-102, after Alexander Archangelsky Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 (Plainchant Tone V.1) Hymn 469, “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” St. Helena Bob Chilcott, God so loved the world Franz Schubert, Sanctus & Benedictus (S-130) from Deutsche Messe David Hurd, Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes Hymn 473, “Lift high the cross” Crucifer Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897), Toccata in D minor
PRAYER List FOR THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR RECOVERING: IMMEDIATE NEEDS LONG TERM PRAYERS: R. Huntley Allen • Penny Barnett • Edgar and Judith Beach • Perry Benton • Virginia Bicksler • Heather
Clark • Sharon Crews • Lynne D’Huyvetter • Terry Dornbush • Sarah duBignon • Deborah Ellington • Dan Elson • Jenny Ham • Jane Jones • Louise Kan • Lisa Krysiak • Sandy Land • Carol McDonald • Glenn Miller • Ashley Minear • Royce Mitchell • Laura Moore • Susan Myers • Charlie Neal • Linus Nickel • Marion Palmore • Beth Pitzer • Garry Pryor • Rowland Radford • Rubye and Wayne Reid • Lorraine Reynolds • Agnes Elizabeth Robertson • Louis “Skip” Schueddig • Marjorie Singley-Hall • Linda Stallcup • Tommy Truesdale • Susan Tucker • Ron Wallace • Faye Van Winkle
FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Bettina Bass • Bella Bond • David Bond • Ethan Bortner • Lynn Chandler • Andrew Clark • Vickie and Bob
Coffman • Marie Corrigan • Ava Corroon • Apryl Roberts Cox • Robyn Kim Crennan • Carleton Fuller • Cadel Ingraham • Vivian Johnson • Stephen Jones • Robin Kemp • Grace Lawson • Pete Livezey • Lauren Makhlouf • Pat Martin • Marge Massey • Michelle Maxwell • Katie McRae • Betsy Moore • Mary Nelson • Steven Norman • Jack and Cindy Pike • Courtney Rosenthal • Antonio Pablo Sandoval • James Sands • Cindy Snell • Paul Sturtz • Caroline Southerland • Tina Susco • Yvonne Tate • Pierson Thames • Jeffrey Thomas • Wayne Thurman • Roger Traylor • Whit A. Wright • Hollis Youngner • Michael and Barbara Zakel
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED: Betsy Hunt-Pike • James Patrick Kelly, Jr. • Ken Millar
SUNDAY AFTERNOON RECITAL THIS WEEK: ATLANTA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA MEMBERS EVAN FEW & JEANNE JOHNSON, VIOLINS WITH CAROLINE ROBINSON, CONTINUO ORGAN Antonio Bertali, Sonata Violino Solo (Partiturbuch Ludwig) Heinrich Schmelzer, Sonata Quarta (from 6 Sonate, 1664)
Adult EDUCATION These classes gather on Zoom each Sunday. Go to cathedralATL.org/education for links.
• OLD FASHIONED SUNDAY SCHOOL (10:10 A.M.) • HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING TO GOD’S PEOPLE (1 P.M.)
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Partita IV (from Harmonia Artificiosa-Ariosa) STREAMING LIVE AT 3:15 P.M. SUNDAY AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG/RECITALS AND ON FACEBOOK
YOUNG Professionals REFLECT AND CONNECT LENTON MINI-RETREAT FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Young Professionals (20s and 30s): We hope that you will join us for this Lenten miniretreat, a day of reflection, connection, and spiritual renewal. Drawing on insights from Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak and other sources, we will be listening for God’s call through our lives and through the stories of others. Whether you grew up at the Cathedral or are brand new, this retreat is a great opportunity to “observe a Holy Lent” and connect with other Cathedral YP’s in meaningful way. The retreat includes lunch and the cost is $10; you can pay at cathedralATL.org/payments or on the Atrium kiosk. Please RSVP to Canon Cathy Zappa, czappa@cathedralATL.org.
A SIMILAR SEASON: AN INTERFAITH CONVERSATION ON OUR SPRING HOLIDAYS OF REFLECTION & RENEWAL As our Christian and Jewish faith communities approach the spring holidays of Easter and Passover, we take an opportunity to reflect and learn together in this interfaith
conversation. In this online group hosted by the Temple on Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m., Canon Lauren Holder and Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus will lead a discussion on how these holidays function spiritually and theologically in our respective faiths, and have the opportunity to learn more about our neighbors' celebrations as we enter this holy season. Register at www.the-temple.org/tamid-classes or contact Canon Holder for more information.
The CATHEDRAL off ST. PHILIP The Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Dean
Dale Adelmann, Ph.D., Canon for Music
The Rev. Lauren R. Holder, Canon for Community and Education The Rev. George M. Maxwell, Jr., Vicar
The Rev. Catherine Zappa, Canon for Liturgy and Pastoral Care The Rev. John William Harkins III, Ph.D., Priest Associate The Rev. Julia B. Mitchener, Priest Associate
The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval, Deacon for Hispanic Ministries The Rev. Theophus “Thee” Smith, Ph.D., Priest Associate Del King, Senior Warden
Samuel T. Wilmoth, Junior Warden
CATHEDRAL TIMES SUBMISSION DEADLINES: FOR THE SUNDAY, MARCH 21 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10. FOR THE SUNDAY, MARCH 28 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17. TO RECEIVE THE TIMES BY EMAIL, CONTACT MELANA DICKSON, MDICKSON@CATHEDRALATL.ORG. TO SUBMIT AN ANNOUNCEMENT REQUEST, CONTACT DAN MURPHY, DMURPHY@CATHEDRALATL.ORG.
404-365-1000 | cathedralATL.org pastoral care emergency line: 404-365-1003
cathedralatl
...continued from front page give and take. We enjoy the gifts of each other here. Sometimes, money is involved, and sometimes it is not. That’s okay; money is a kind of stored energy – currency, if you will! Our goal is to use money for good, for others, for God – and not merely for self-interest. In holy community, God is honored and people are honored – all of us. There are marketplaces that exploit the people of God, and there are marketplaces that accept and serve the people of God. The Cathedral of St. Philip seeks, of course, to be the second sort, a holy marketplace. That’s why we include such enterprises as the Cathedral Farmers Market – and the Cathedral Book Store, too! In our every exchange here, something of value is being added to our community. As the economists say it, we are “adding value.” We are adding value to our goods and services, and we are certainly adding value to our holy community. This value we Christians add is beyond measure; it is the wideness of God’s mercy. It is the accepting love of God. With our ordinary offerings— pure or impure—whatever we have, we seek to love God and to love neighbor.
The Very Rev. Sam Candler Dean of the Cathedral
POSTMASTER: Dated Material. Please deliver by March 13, 2021 POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 404-365-1000
CATHEDRAL TIMES (USPS-093440) is published weekly by The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, GA
Holy Week
march 28 – april 4 Palm Sunday, March 28
Services of Koinonia (7:45, 8:45, and 11:15 a.m.; 1 p.m. in Spanish) Holy Eucharist online (8:45 and 11:15 a.m) Maundy Thursday, April 1 Online liturgy (7 p.m.) Good Friday, April 2 Services of Koinonia (12 noon and 6 p.m.) Stations of the Cross (2 p.m; 5 p.m. in Spanish) Online liturgy (12 noon and 7 p.m.)
SATURDAYS 8:30 A.M. – NOON IN THE CATHEDRAL PARKING LOT
Easter Sunday, April 4 Easter Vigil and Holy Eucharist online (6, 8:45, and 11:15 a.m.) Services of Koinonia (6, 8:45, and 11:15 a.m.; 1 p.m. in English and Spanish)
Registration for in-person Holy Week services begins next Wednesday, March 17.
Please consider making a donation for flowers, in memory of or thanksgiving for a loved one, for Easter Day by Sunday, March 28. Complete and return the form below, or make your donation online at cathedralATL.org/easterflowers.
R EQUEST FOR EASTER ALTAR FLOWER S
Please list name (or names) as you want them to appear: In Memory of:
In Thanksgiving for:
name(s): In Memory of: name(s):
In Thanksgiving for:
Please complete the following information about you: your name(s): daytime phone:
date:
Please include a check with your request, made payable to The Cathedral of St. Philip. While any gift is appreciated, a minimum of $100 per printed line is suggested. Checks and forms should be sent to the Cathedral, attn.: Melana Dickson, You may also make arrangements by contacting Melana Dickson, 404-365-1034 or mdickson@cathedralATL.org.