The book was described as a collection of autostereograms, although you probably don’t know what that word means. If you entered a bookstore in the late 1990’s undoubtedly at some point you found yourself staring at one on the pages of a “Magic Eye” book, waiting for a 3D image to appear from a 2D pattern. Back when they were the rage, it was common to see people in airports or malls staring into one of these books as the world walked by. Novices would be standing nose to page with patient friend coaxing them to let their eyes slip out of focus. Others would be exclaiming over images of waterfalls and mountains, birds in mid -flight, water droplets tantalizingly close. Once the image was visible, it was strange how freely you could move your eyes and even peek behind the objects to see what was lying deeper.
Recently during a discussion about communion, a student in confirmation class confided that they were having a hard time believing some of the stories of our faith. After honestly interacting with scripture, they were struggling to believe things like the Red Sea parting or the Angel of the Lord passing over houses simply because they had been painted with sheep’s blood. The student was learning that reading the Bible isn’t a passive activity; there are parts that should be tough to believe, there are details that really are not plausible. It’s tempting to glance at those passages and expect something deeper to quickly emerge. When nothing does, people usually assume that there is nothing is really there, the whole book and the whole faith, gets chucked. Sometimes we need to allow ourselves to look at the page differently. This takes some convincing as many may think there can’t possibly be something more than what is seen on the page. With a few attempts and some guidance, the reader is able to see that beyond the decorative surface that for some is enough, there is actually a whole world underneath.
This fall in Sunday school we are looking at the beginning chapters of Genesis and topics like creation, the fall and the flood. Beautiful stories are recorded in Genesis with brilliant representations of people, community and our timeless struggles. We also hope that in addition to learning stories that are the pillars of our faith, students will understand some of the deeper issues highlighted in these stories and be able to appreciate them on a deeper level.
~ Upcoming Events ~
Thursday, September 21
Huntington Middle School Auditorium
Partnership for Awareness
Stuck in the Middle: How to Help Your Middle Schooler Not Just Survive but ThrivePanelists will consist of Dr, Alex Cherniss, SMUSD Superintendent, Mr. Jason Kurtenbach, Huntington Middle School Principal, Chief John Incontro, SMPD and Huntington Middle School Counselors. Discussion will center on issues faced by middle school students followed by a Q&A session with panelists.
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Saturday, September 23
Yoga with Goats
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Sunday, September 24
Team 4 Acolyting
Family Worship
10 am | Chapel
Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
Teaching: Rebecca, Antonio and Heather
Confirmation Class
4-6 pm | Church
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Sunday, October 1
Team 1 Acolyting
Blessing of the Animals
Please note we will not be having Family Worship or Sunday School.
Confirmation Class
4-6 pm | Church
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Sunday, October 8
Team 2 Acolyting
Recognition of Darlene Porter & Installation of Liz Westphal
as Director of St. Edmund’s Nursery School.
Family Worship
10 am | Chapel
Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
Teaching: Shannon, Antonio and Heather
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Friday, October 13
SENS Fall Festival
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
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Sunday, October 15
Team 3 Acolyting
Family Worship
10 am | Chapel
Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
Teaching: Shawna, Allison, Antonio and Heather
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Sunday, October 22
Team 4 Acolyting
Family Worship
10 am | Chapel
Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
Teaching: Rebecca, Antonio and Heather
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Saturday, October 28
Confirmation Rehearsal
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Sunday, October 29
Confirmation Sunday and Visit from Bishop Bruce
Send Off for the Smythes
We would like to have as many Acolytes as possible
for this very special day.
Please join us as we celebrate our confirmands and
as we say a very hard “goodbye” to Father Colville and Sylvia.
