Jazz Vespers
Sunday, December 7, 2008 from 5:00 to 6:00 PM
Norm Freeman is a Grammy Award-winning percussionist who has traveled the world performing with megastars such as Barbra Streisand. He is a Juilliard-trained percussionist and jazz musician whose talents and gifts translate easily into liturgy and ritual. His Sunday messages are word and music; he interprets Scripture through vibraphone. The Fr. Norm & Friends quartet will delight you with their quality music during the service.
Vespers, originally begun at the rising of the evening star, are the Church's Evening Prayer, one of the two main hours of the daily Office. Lucernarium (literally: lamp, lamp lighting time) was another early name for Vespers. The fading of the light of day inaugurated the time when lamps were lighted. The Jewish tradition accompanied this transition in time with a blessing prayer, and Christians continued the custom. Thus the lucernarium, a preliminary rite, gave its name to the prayer service that followed.
Vespers was also called the evening sacrifice, a counterpart of the sacrifice of incense offered every evening in the Temple at Jerusalem. Psalm 140 alludes to this practice. "Let my prayer come like incense before you; the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice." (Ps. 140:2) This psalm prompted the use of incense during its recitation within the Office and again during the Magnificat. The Church Fathers regarded burning and sweet smelling incense as a symbol of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. The Church made Vespers her evening sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, commemorating Calvary and the Last Supper and offering thanks for all the benefits of Creation and Redemption.
The evening Office of Vespers has roots extending into the worship life of the Jewish people. Our tradition has molded and shaped these forms of worship and prayer through an evolutionary process that is both faithful to our heritage and open to creating new traditions of praise.
Thanksgiving Service
Wednesday, November 26 at 7:30 PM
WEB SITE
: St. Francis Website Under Construction
We apologize that
some of the links and pages are not yet
working. These updates are coming soon!
Please keep checking back with us for the
latest news and events going on at St. Francis
Episcopal Church of Simi Valley. Thank you!
Spiritual
Direction:
There is a group
spiritual direction class meeting weekly on
Wednesday. If this isn't convenient
please call the office to get more
information. 526-5141
BELIZE MISSION:
A St. Francis Mission Together with St.
Cross
A mission in conjunction
with St. Cross in Hermosa Beach, CA which
has already completed five houses and a
church in a small village in western Belize,
near the Guatemalan border. We have two
people going again in late February to
teach, build and care for the citizens of
Selena and Frank's Eddy. If you
would care to contribute, please call the
church office.
Prayers for
the Troops in Iraq
St. Francis accepts
request from local family members of military
men serving overseas to hold support meetings
at the church grounds.
Please contact us to get your soldier on
our prayer list.
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