"A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." (Luke 9:35)

Prime Timers is a St. Martin's Adult Christian Education group,or Adult Bible Fellowship. We are age 50 and beyond, although we invite one and all to come to the Parlor near the Church Offices each Sunday from 10:15 am to 11:00. We are following the Revised Common Lectionary this year. 2010 is a great time to jump in: our chairs are comfortable, the coffee is hot and the donuts are fresh! Welcome aboard!

This is a classical view of the Seraphim from Isaiah 6:1-8. This is a fresco attributed to Giotto, in the Church of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy.

Here is a modern imagining of the Seraphim, by Luke Allsbrook in 2009.

Prime Timers Celebrate Good News

We celebrate our members Good News at Prime Timers with a $1 contribution to Henny Penny, our Good News chicken. Periodically Henny donates the money she collects to a charity, currently the Amistad Mission in Bolivia. Today was Prime Timer Larry's 86th birthday! Linda asks us to pray for her father John, who is undergoing surgery this week.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

The annual festivities before the season of Lent are just around the corner! As usual the Prime Timers will be represented with a float and some foolishness with our mentor the Rev. Dick Elwood. If I let you know any more it would spoil the fun, so come down to the Activity center this Saturday, February 13, at 10:00am as we put our float together.

Chinese New Year

Our monthly dinner organizer Lynn Swaffar is planning our February dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year. This is the year of the Tiger and festivities begin February 12 continuing through February 28. Last year we had a good time at Vietopia restaurant on Buffalo Speedway. This year we are going to the Shanghai River restaurant, on Westheimer just east of Kirby, Friday February 12, at 7:00pm. Festivities with dragons and drums take place in the parking lot starting at 8:15. This is the restaurant's biggest event of the year so we need solid reservations. Please call Lynn at 281-495-3832 if you are going.

Outreach Opportunity

Carol tells us there is a good outreach opportunity coming up Sunday, March 7, from 3:00-4:30 pm. as St. Martin's hosts an Ice Cream Social at New Hope Housing, 2821 Canal Street. Sign up by March 1 and meet at the Canal Street address. For more information send email to outreach@stmartinsepiscopal.org.

Camp Good News

PrimeTimers is participating in an outreach project with Camp Good News, a camp for children who have a parent in prison. The outreach project will be writing letters or cards of encouragement or inspiration to these children who receive very little mail. The camp session is the first part of June and more information will be forthcoming. Click on the Camp Good News name for more information about this organization.

The Abundant Catch of Fish

Donn Fullenweider led the Prime Timers on our Lectionary journey today. The theme is Jesus' call to us to follow him, and whether we are worthy. Jesus often picks people who are not paragons of virtue to spread his word, and this gives us hope for ourselves! The reading from Isaiah describes an encounter with seraphs with six wings and Isaiah's doubts that he can be a messenger of God. The seraphs touch a coal to Isaiah's lips, taking away his sin. The seraphs are thought by some to be the earliest and highest of God's angels.

The scripture reading from Luke describes Jesus and the fishermen on Simon Peter's boat, the huge catch of fish where earlier there were none, and Jesus making them fishers of men. This same event is chronicled in Matthew 13:1-3a and 4:18-22:

¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ²Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³Then he told them many things in parables...

¹⁸As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." ²⁰At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²²and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

And in Mark 4:1-2 and 1:16-20:

¹Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. ²He taught them many things by parables...

¹⁶As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." ¹⁸At once they left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

The message is that anyone can get the call. Donn asked if any of us experienced a similar calling. George felt that in his experience it was a series of events that led him to follow Jesus and get involved in church activities, rather than a singular event. He recalled a story from when Tom Bagby was Rector. The church had a phone bank set up during stewardship season, where every member who hadn't pledged was contacted. George was so not wanting to do this that he figured it was something he just had to do! George reported that it was just as bad as he suspected.

Lynda pointed out how Jesus was concerned about people's motives, were they performing an action because they had to or because they wanted to?

Donn concluded class with this from Psalm 138:7:

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me."

The Readings for Sunday, February 14th are from Lectionary Year Three, Last Epiphany-C, "Revealed in Glory"

The Readings this week are Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2; Luke 9:28-36 (37-43). The text is from the New International Version.

Exodus 34:29-35

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.

Psalm 99

¹ The LORD reigns,
let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake.

² Great is the LORD in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.

³ Let them praise your great and awesome name—
he is holy.

⁴ The King is mighty, he loves justice—
you have established equity;
in Jacob you have done
what is just and right.

⁵ Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at his footstool;
he is holy.

⁶ Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel was among those who called on his name;
they called on the LORD
and he answered them.

⁷ He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

⁸ O LORD our God,
you answered them;
you were to Israel [a] a forgiving God,
though you punished their misdeeds.

⁹ Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at his holy mountain,
for the LORD our God is holy.

2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2

¹²Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. ¹³We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. ¹⁴But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

¹Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

The Transfiguration

²⁸About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰Two men, Moses and Elijah, ³¹appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³²Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." ³⁶When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.

The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit

³⁷The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. ⁴⁰I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."

⁴¹"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."

⁴²Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

NIV