Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Spring Equinox Church Service Roundup

Almost missed this one, but here is a brief roundup of Episcopal sect services celebrating the vernal equinox. 
St. David's in Spokane, WA: A Mandala of Spring -- Equinox Ritual and Celtic Celebration
Invigorate your spiritual journey as we give thanks for the coming season of spring.
This Eucharist service is open to any and all in the area; please invite your friends to be a part of the thanksgiving. All are welcome to the potluck reception following the service. 
Oh dear, mandalas, celtic celebrations, and "Equinox rituals". The pagans have taken over this congregation which has lost nearly half of its Sunday attendees over the past decade. Plus, it sounds like communion of the unbaptized is being practiced in the Diocese of Spokane.

Next up, throw in a labyrinth walk,
St. Paul's Smithfield, NC: The Daughters of the King chapter at St. Paul's will host two Spring Equinox Labyrinth Walks at the Labyrinth at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on
Tuesday, March 20.  The first is from Noon to 1 pm (actual equinox is at 12:15 pm), and the second is from 7 to 8 pm (candlelight)
Why not call it a Stonehenge instead a labyrinth and make the druids happy.
St. Brigit in Frederick Colorado invites people to walk their labyrinth before the service, The Vernal Equinox celebration is a part of St. Brigit’s A’it Caol series.  A’it Caol (pronounced atch qweel) is Gaelic for “A Thin Place.”  These quarterly services are created to offer guests an experience of God through a unique liturgy, which combines ancient tradition with contemporary language.  They include specially designed meditation areas, reflecting the Scriptural lessons, and sacred music with a Celtic sound.
Ancient people marked this day with thanksgiving for the return of light and warmth. Spring promised rebirth and hope.  In the Christian church, the Vernal Equinox is significant in that it is used in determining the date of Easter, the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Equinox.
Older children are welcome at the Vernal Equinox Service.  Childcare will be provided for children under age six.  Guests are invited to come early to walk St. Brigit’s outdoor labyrinth, weather permitting.
Episcopal druids see these rituals as recruiting tools. The next one up admits it in their advert,
St. Luke’s, Renton, WA: Seasonal Liturgies returns in 2018 with Spring Afresh. We will gather on the Spring Equinox (Tuesday, March 20) at 7 p.m. for an evening of poetry, story, song, and chant. These liturgies are one of St. Luke’s major ways of welcoming and engaging the wider community. Your family, friends, and guests are more than welcome.
I would strongly advise the "wider community" to stay away from these "liturgies" because we have been warned,
"Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
     I am afraid of you,
lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." Galatians 4:10-11 (KJV).


4 comments:

  1. Three of these four parishes are led by women. St. Luke's, Renton, has a male rector, but it's in the Seattle area, so there you are.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It seems to me that the former ABC Rowan Williams was a Druid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always had a hard time figuring out what he believed.

      Delete
    2. I am not a fan of Rowan Williams. However, I think the Druid society he joined is viewed as a Welsh cultural institution rather than a religious one. There aren't really practicing Druids around, except maybe for that pretend one in ECUSA a few years ago. Perhaps some of these solstice celebrants think of themselves as Druids or something like it. But this is all on the "spiritual, but not religious" line.

      Delete