Take a look at what is happening this month in religious life!
Celebrating the Season!
The “why” behind Thanksgiving by Resident Jim Wasson
History tells us the first Thanksgiving in America was held in November 1621 after the first harvest proved to be successful. Governor William Bradford organized the celebration feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag Tribe, now remembered as America’s first Thanksgiving. Future Thanksgivings were celebrated at different dates, and the respective Colonies celebrated their own Thanksgiving.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation encouraged all Americans to ask God to commend to His tender care all those who had become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife and to heal the wounds of the nation. Lincoln scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day until 1939.
President Franklin Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales, and in 1941, the President signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.
Sadly, in many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance. Instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and/or friends, football, parades, shopping, and other activities. These events aren’t all bad, but we should be looking beyond our personal pleasure and include time to be truly thankful for the blessings in life we have been so fortunate to have experienced.
So for Thanksgiving 2021, as we prepare to munch down on that turkey, ham, or whatever is on the table, let us take time to go back in history to the words of Abraham Lincoln and ask God to “help heal the wounds of this great nation.” Further, let us be thankful for all our first responders, veterans, current military members, and the nurses, doctors, and support personnel who place themselves in harm’s way to protect us. I want to especially thank our current military personnel who serve with such dedication in an effort to preserve the foundation of our democracy. Their willingness to serve, even in missions we and they don’t always understand, is a commitment so deserving of our thanks.
We have so much to be thankful for, and we should share the many things that are so important. Take a few minutes and just review all those things YOU are thankful for, and express them this Thanksgiving Day. In doing so, we will make this Thanksgiving truly a blessed THANKSGIVING.
Sports and Giving Thanks! by Resident, Jimette McLean
I was asked to write an article on the topic of gratitude and had it basically worked out in my mind by the time I went to Vespers last Thursday. Lo and behold, the sermon was almost exactly what I was planning to write! I decided that since Vespers was not televised last week I would go ahead and write more or less what I had planned with a little help from the sermon.
The scripture was I Thessalonians 5:18 where Paul tells the early Christians to “be thankful in all circumstances.” The preacher went on to clarify that Paul did not say FOR all circumstances, but rather IN all circumstances. I can relate. There are many circumstances for which I am not thankful: the pandemic comes to mind, or the Thunder not having a chance at a winning season. But we can be thankful IN those circumstances. For instance, the pandemic has given us an opportunity for creative communication and for Thunder fans to watch on a game-by-game basis the progress of these very young players.
It has been my practice for several years to write down five things for which I am grateful each evening before I go to bed. Sometimes these are really significant events–like the Thunder winning the Lakers game. Other times, they are small observances like catching a few birds splashing in a puddle of water in the median while waiting for a light to change. During the sermon, the preacher listed a variety of things for which he has been grateful. I will do the same in the hope that some of these things may encourage an attitude of gratitude in you.
I am grateful for sports. My teams are the Detroit Tigers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Michigan football, Duke basketball, OU softball, and OKC Thunder. But it isn’t only the entertainment–and sometimes frustration–that I get from following these teams, it is the opportunity it gives me to share the experience with others, like Betty Harding who is a major sports fan. Or to continue to have a nearly 50-year friendship with a man from Ann Arbor, Michigan. When I served the church there, Bobby was in junior high and the oldest of five boys in a blended family. I learned that to have a relationship with those guys, I was first going to have to have a relationship with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Michigan football. I was hooked. I became a sports fan, and Bobby and his brothers became active in the youth program.
I am thankful for my cat and for Bill Zumwalt who cares for her when I am away. I am thankful for my sisters and for the trips that we have taken together for the past 20 years. I am thankful for the staff here at Epworth and that Taylor, Dernard, and Monica always remember that I want V-8 and iced water. I am thankful for the Upper Room and for the Religious Life committee that provides it. I am thankful for Aldi’s. I am thankful for music: opera, country-western, show tunes, sacred music, and for Ginger and Wes who make our choir a joy. There are many other things for which I am grateful, but you get the picture. Try your own list. Hopefully, it will make Thanks-giving even more meaningful.
The preacher closed his sermon with the child’s prayer that most of us prayed when we were young: “Thank you for the world so sweet. Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you, God, for everything.” This simple prayer is profound, and we would do well to pray it on a regular basis as we thank God in all circumstances.
Joy in the Morning with Pastor Laura!
Joy in the Morning with Pastor Laura!
Father Emil Kapaun—Servant of God by Chaplain Dwight
Emil Joseph Kapaun was a Roman Catholic priest and United States Army captain who served as a United States Army chaplain during World War II and the Korean War. During WWII, he served in the Burma Theater from April 1945 to May 1946 where he and one other chaplain ministered to approximately 19,000 servicemen and women. Father Kapaun ministered to U.S. soldiers and local missions, sometimes traversing nearly 2,000 miles a month by jeep or airplane.
Father Kapaun served again with the U.S. Army in Korea, and his division engaged in several skirmishes. Kapaun and his assistant learned of a wounded soldier stranded by enemy machine gun and small arms fire. The two braved the enemy fire and saved the man’s life, for which Kapaun was awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor.
Kapaun gained a reputation for bravely serving the troops, rescuing the wounded, and ministering to the living by performing baptisms, hearing confessions, offering Holy Communion, and celebrating Mass on an improvised altar set up on the front end of a Jeep. He was a missionary and disciple of hope, and that hope kept many people alive.
Later, he and other members of the 3rd Battalion were taken prisoner by the Chinese. He died in the POW camp at the age of 35. He told fellow prisoners, “Don’t worry about me. I’m going where I always wanted to go, and when I get there, I’ll say a prayer for all of you.”
In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Kapaun a Servant of God, the first stage on the path to canonization, and in 2013, Kapaun posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Korea. He is the ninth American military chaplain to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Kapaun’s body was not fully accounted for until March 2, 2021, and on September 29, 2021, a Mass of Christian Burial was held in Kapaun’s home state of Kansas.
Special thanks to Resident, Maggie Vater for directing Chaplain Dwight to Father Kapaun’s story.
Joy in the Morning with Pastor Laura!
The blessings of mentors by Larry Becker
A mentor is a wise and trusted counselor or guide. As I reflect on my life, I realize I have been greatly blessed by having a variety of mentors.
One of the early mentors who greatly influenced my life was a pastor who, in my teens, sensed that the Lord was calling me into ministry. Consequently, he urged me to begin assisting him by leading worship services in two different churches he served. This pastor also frequently invited me to accompany him on pastoral visits so I could witness first-hand caring and effective visits.
Later on, after I had completed my educational requirements for ordination in the ministry, I was privileged to have several District Superintendents who spent time mentoring me. One of these Superintendents was the one who performed the wedding for Marcia and me. During the preparation for the wedding ceremony, he gave us wise counsel regarding our life together and how to handle our finances. This counsel served us well in the years that followed.
Another District Superintendent took a special interest in me, spending a great amount of time teaching me how to lead effective stewardship campaigns. Because of his mentoring, I was able to lead the members of several congregations I pastored to experience the joy of generous giving and, as a result, these congregations were able to add staff and ministries they had never dreamed possible.
While serving as a District Superintendent myself, I was privileged to mentor each of the more than forty pastors in my district. I would set aside time each year to meet in private with each pastor. During these visits, I would affirm the strengths I had observed in their ministry and suggest areas of ministry they might commit to working on in the year ahead. Also, during the seven years I served as a District Superintendent, my Bishop asked me to be the mentor of a minister who was new to the Cabinet. As a result of this opportunity, this minister and I became very close friends.
The most trusted and helpful mentor in my life has been the Holy Spirit. As Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit would be with us forever serving as our constant counselor and guide. — Larry Becker
Independence Monday – Blue Zoo
Independence Monday. Residents of Epworth Villa can still maintain their independence even if they aren’t driving.
Off-campus fun with friends. There are plenty of activities that are planned for those that don’t drive or just want to take advantage of spending time with others. Epworth Villa is here to serve your needs and allow you to be as independent as you want!
Come see what else we have to offer! Call us at 405-752-1200 and schedule your tour today.
