tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13136638416605468372024-03-04T23:52:20.439-08:00Mustard SeedsThe blog of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Westford, Massachusetts. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-50472663898929231272020-11-01T10:43:00.006-08:002020-11-01T10:45:44.765-08:00I Sing a Song of the Saints of God<p><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.</span></i></b></p><p><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"><i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> ~ 1 Corinthians 1:2-3 </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i> </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">When I was applying for ordination, one of Bishop Gayle’s questions to me was “who is your favorite saint?” I admit I stared at her blankly for a good minute. As a child reared in a fiercely Protestant tradition, the saints had not made much of an impression on me. I had Catholic friends, so I knew St. Anthony was for when you lost things and a St. Christopher medal was supposed to keep you out of danger, but until that moment it had never occurred to me to have a favorite saint. Realizing I had to say <b><i>something, </i></b>I blurted out, “Moses.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">To her credit, Bishop Gayle merely raised her eyebrows and asked me to explain, and I got to talk about how much I love the stories of Moses and how they inspired my own faith journey. Apparently that was good enough, since I was invited to continue in the ordination process! But I also figured I’d better not take chances, and I made a point of learning more about the tradition of honoring the saints.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I discovered that my Roman Catholic friends were not praying *to* the saints, but rather *with* them, asking them to intercede on their behalf with God Almighty. While this may feel odd to people like me who were raised in a deeply Protestant spirituality, I can understand how you might feel tongue-tied and reluctant to bother the Creator of the Universe with your prayers. It helps to have a more human image in mind as we bring our worries and needs before God! The God who meets us where we are is surely appreciative of how the saints offer an introduction for people who are overwhelmed by God’s glory.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">But more important to me is the way the saints show us the great diversity of what a life lived in faith looks like. There are martyrs who died violently for their faith, and gentle souls whose lifetimes of service ended in old age, surrounded by family and friends. There are saints whose faith was lived out in ordained ministry or monastic orders, and saints whose holy work was in schools, or health care, or government. There are saints who were counselors to kings and popes, saints who were modern political activists, and saints whose selfless service was centered entirely on their home communities. There are saints who were famous in their own day, and saints who are barely known today.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">What they all share in common is a deep and abiding love of God that drove them to live lives of service, compassion, prayer, and self-sacrifice. They are people whom we can genuinely aspire to be like – as one of my favorite hymns puts it, “for the saints of God are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This All Saints Day, I invite you to reflect on who has inspired you to live more fully into your Christian faith. Is it someone celebrated in the calendar of saints? Or maybe omeone you know personally whose devotion to God and selfless service encourages you to dedicate yourself to living the same way? Make a list! And then on Nov. 1, join us in offering a prayer of thanksgiving for their lives. And we’ll pray that in remembering, we’ll be inspired to follow in their footsteps and live in ways that will draw others to God, as well. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Suzanne<o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-38914488340619024682020-07-04T10:47:00.003-07:002020-07-04T10:47:45.825-07:00July 4, 2020 Covid 19 Worship Plans Update<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This week, Gov. Baker announced that Massachusetts will move into Phase 3 of the state’s re-opening plan, thanks to an ongoing decline in Covid-19 cases. I am grateful for answered prayers in the form of wise leaders and the actions of neighbors who care for one another, which has allowed the state to make significant inroads in controlling the spread of the virus.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6c460343-7fff-ccd6-2431-1c6504bebca0" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But as can be seen from the news in the rest of the country, the pandemic is not over. We must remain vigilant and careful in order to keep the spread of the disease under control. As much as we may long to return to normal, we cannot simply go back to our usual activities without undoing all the good work and sacrifices that have been made so far. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For that reason, while our bishop has given churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts permission to begin regathering for worship, he is also encouraging us to take things slowly. Our Diocesan Journey by Stages plan imposes serious restrictions on how worship is conducted, which are intended to mitigate the significant risks posed by our traditional practices. Occupancy is limited to one household in every third pew in order to allow for social distancing; there is to be no congregational singing or responsive reading; everyone must wear a mask, including worship leaders; we are not allowed to greet one another before or after worship; and there is to be no Holy Communion, coffee hour, or Sunday School. There are new requirements for cleaning and disinfection before and after worship, as well as instructions to collect contact information for everyone who attends each service, just in case someone is diagnosed with Covid19 after attending worship. Finally, parishioners in high risk categories, including age and underlying health conditions, are strongly advised to avoid in person worship services.</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These restrictions are for the safety of all and were established in consultation with public health experts, but they do mean that even if we return to public worship, it will not be the experience we have been missing. When I dream about being with you all on Sunday morning, I imagine full pews, joyful singing, warm greetings at the peace, and the opportunity to share the sacrament of Eucharist. Our current configuration would only allow 8 families to attend. In addition, many of those we love will be absent: around half of the parishioners of St. Mark’s fall into high risk categories</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rather than settle for worship that is a pale shadow of the joyful gatherings we usually experience at St. Mark’s and that excludes many of those we love and miss seeing, we will continue to make our primary Sunday service an online worship experience for the foreseeable future. Online, we can continue to sing joyously, to read the psalms and the prayers together, to listen and reflect on the words of Scripture. We can continue to gather via Zoom afterwards for a chance to talk about what is going on in our lives and share reflections about our faith. We can continue to invite people near and far to join us, including those who do not currently have a church home and who are longing to hear a word of Good News. We can continue to hear the stories of God’s mighty acts of salvation in the past and remind one another that we can trust God to lead us through to the other side of the current crisis. It isn’t the same as doing it in person, but right now, being together in person won’t be the same, either. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we prepare for fall, we have also formed a joint committee with Trinity Chapel to explore additional opportunities to gather in small groups for prayer, connection, and service in ways that are less risky. These may include outdoor worship, small group prayer gatherings, or socially distanced work parties in support of our food and other ministries; your suggestions for other possibilities are most welcome! </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We will also seek to continue to improve our online offerings. We have received a small grant from our Diocese to purchase equipment to improve our video capabilities, and are exploring ways to improve the online worship experience and our online formation programs. We are also brainstorming ways to connect with newcomers and invite people in the wider community who are seeking to understand God better to join us in prayer, discussion, and learning. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I realize this is not what many were hoping to hear. When we shut down in March, we all thought it would be a matter of weeks before we could worship together again. Now, it appears we will have to love one another at a distance for many months to come. I know this will cause distress for many of you, and I am available for conversation and prayer via telephone and Zoom at any time. I also encourage you to reach out to one another to support each other, as well. If you know of anyone who would benefit from a phone call from me or our pastoral care team, please let me or Herb Elliott, our pastoral care team leader, know. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suzanne</span></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-84236887010243420652020-06-06T10:17:00.001-07:002020-06-06T10:17:30.764-07:00Praying Together for Justice and Peace<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">On Sunday, June 7, we'll pray the following Prayers of the People, written by Rev. Suzanne based on Psalm 130. Won't you join us? </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">In these days of strife and fear, let us pray with the words of the Psalmist</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord hear my voice. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We pray, Lord, for all those who work for justice. We pray for those whose voices have gone too long unheard. We pray that you may turn our hearts towards our brothers and sisters of color and enlighten our minds to understand how we have, knowingly or unknowingly, contributed to their suffering and grief. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand?</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We pray for those who work for reconciliation and for healing. We pray that you will give our leaders wisdom, patience, and restraint. We pray that you will inspire us to learn more and do more for the sake of justice and peace. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>For there is forgiveness with you; therefore you shall be feared.</b> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We pray for the Church and especially for the witness we offer in these troubled times. We pray for our bishops, and offer our thanksgivings for their prophetic words. We pray for all those who minister to the sick, the lonely, the desperate, and the despairing. We pray for preachers, that you will give them words to share today that will encourage and challenge those who hear them. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; in his word is my hope.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We pray for the sick, the oppressed, and the needy. We pray for victims of looting and violence. We pray for the unemployed, and for those who are afraid to return to work. We pray for healthcare workers and first responders. We pray for renewal in all the earth. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We pray for all who have died, and especially for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all who have been victims of fear and racism. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>O people, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We pray for our own needs, and the needs of those we love. We pray for all on St. Mark’s prayer list</span><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">. </span><i>The people are invited to add their own petitions and thanksgivings</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b>With him there is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem the people from all their sins. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-28587180747597504902020-05-23T10:25:00.000-07:002020-05-23T10:25:55.386-07:00Covid-19 Closure Update<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Monday, May 18, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker included churches among the first organizations allowed to resume activities in the state’s phased pandemic re-opening plan. On Friday, May 22, President Donald Trump urged congregations nationwide to begin gathering for worship immediately.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nevertheless, the bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, in conjunction with the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, have continued to prohibit in-person worship until July 1. They have also issued a stringent set of standards that must be met before we can open our doors or return to our traditional practices of worship, including sharing Holy Communion. These standards make it entirely possible that virtual worship will continue past July 1, and that we will not share a service of Holy Eucharist for some time beyond the resumption of in-person worship.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">This is distressing news, made all the more so by the permission afforded by the secular authorities to resume in-person worship. But as St. Paul writes, “</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> ‘</b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">All things are lawful,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other.” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24) There is significant evidence that the governmental green light to churches comes from political pressure rather than an accurate assessment of what is best for worshipping communities. Our bishops, on the other hand, answer to a different authority, one who makes it clear that our first concern must always be the most vulnerable among us and that we must always place love for our neighbor above our own desires. It is that concern that has led the bishops to instruct us to keep our doors closed and our hearts open. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I agree wholeheartedly with the president that churches are essential and that our nation is in more need of prayer than it has ever been in my lifetime. I just don’t agree that we have to risk the health and lives of the people we love in order to do that essential work. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus started his ministry with just 12 followers and no permanent headquarters, and drew thousands despite moving from place to place and teaching, healing, and feeding outdoors. The scattered communities of Christians of the early church, constantly under threat of persecution, produced a robust witness that still inspires the faithful today. Paul’s most fruitful ministry came in the form of letter-writing to small gatherings in cities across the Roman empire, a ministry that continues to enrich our faith almost 2,000 years later. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All of this is to say that while gathering for worship is a great joy, it is not the only thing that marks us as Christian. In this moment, when opening our doors for worship could pose a life-and-death risk to the most vulnerable among us, the decision of what we should do is clear: we should continue to worship God and follow Jesus by gathering online to sing our praises and offer our prayers. We should concentrate our efforts on finding new ways to safely continue the ministry of teaching, feeding and healing that Jesus passed on to us. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wish I could share the president’s confidence that the worst is over and nothing bad would come of throwing open our doors and inviting everyone back in. But the news is full of stories of churches that have tried this and have quickly had to shut down again as many in the congregation and among the clergy have tested positive for Covid-19. Sunday worship is an almost perfect environment for spreading the virus, and even with careful social distancing, masks, and a ban on congregational singing, a single infected person could cause widespread sickness and death without even knowing they were infected. As our bishops have said, clearly and forcefully, loving our neighbors as Christ first loved us precludes taking such a risk. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But the most essential thing about being Christian has never been the way we come together, but the way we are sent out. In the Gospel of Matthew, the last words Jesus speaks to the disciples after his resurrection, on a mountaintop in Galilee, are: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are not being locked out of our churches; we are being invited to go forth from our sanctuaries bearing witness to the power of Resurrection and carrying good news to those who would never have come to us. And Christ is going with us, even to the end of the age.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Your sister in Christ,</span></span></div>
<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Suzanne</span></span></div>
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">If you would like to read the Bishop's announcement and guidelines for re-opening, you can find them here: </span></span><a href="https://www.diomass.org/news/diocesan-news/bishops-extend-virtual-worship-timeframe-until-july-1" target="_blank">https://www.diomass.org/news/diocesan-news/bishops-extend-virtual-worship-timeframe-until-july-1 </a><br />
<br />
and here: <a href="https://www.diomass.org/sites/diomass/files/documents/A%20JOURNEY%20BY%20STAGES%202020_05_18.pdf">https://www.diomass.org/sites/diomass/files/documents/A%20JOURNEY%20BY%20STAGES%202020_05_18.pdf</a><br />
<div>
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-15949554178247700342020-03-13T11:40:00.002-07:002020-03-13T11:40:09.992-07:00<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Brothers and sisters in Christ,</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">I am writing to inform you that beginning this Sunday, March 15, St. Mark’s is cancelling all in-person worship services and other activities. We will offer online worship via Facebook Live, and a variety of other virtual ways to connect and pray with one another in this difficult time. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We will follow local, state and federal guidelines and diocese recommendations regarding resuming normal activities.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">An exception is the blood drive scheduled for March 18: due to the increasingly urgent need for blood donors, we still plan to host the American Red Cross from 2-7 p.m. in Williams Hall, with all due care and attention to minimizing the risk of infection. More information is available at <a href="http://redcrossblood.org/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">redcrossblood.org</span></a>.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We do not make this decision lightly, but it has become clear to us that following Jesus and loving our neighbor as ourselves requires us to do everything in our power to inhibit the spread of Covid-19. The most important way we can contribute to local public health efforts is to eliminate our in-person gatherings and offer people ways to stay connected to one another from a distance. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">To that end, we are planning a robust schedule of opportunities to pray together, converse together, worship together, and study together using Facebook, Zoom online meetings and phone conferences, email, phone calls, and good old envelopes and stamps! </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Among the opportunities we expect to make available in the next few days: </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Sunday Morning Prayer live from the sanctuary, with music, beginning Sunday, March 15, at 10 a.m. via Facebook Live. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch the livestream video! Just go to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/stmarkwestford"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">www.facebook.com/stmarkwestford</span></a>. Ignore any prompts to log in: the video is offered to the public and can be viewed by anyone! There will also be links on our website and all email announcements.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Beginning Monday, March 16, we will also offer a daily Compline service at 9 p.m. via Facebook Live. This brief home-based prayer service will give us an opportunity to come together at the end of the day to pray for ourselves, for the sick and suffering, and for the world, as we entrust one another to God’s care for another day. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We will continue our discussions about The Way of Love via Zoom Meeting on Sundays, at a time to be announced. You can participate in a Zoom meeting on your computer via video link, or by phoning a dedicated phone number and participating by voice only. We will add a regular “Theology at the (Virtual) Tavern” as a virtual gathering space for discussion and fellowship, and a book to read for future discussion. We are also discussing opportunities for children and families. These online opportunities will require registration in order to receive instructions for joining, but are open to all, including those not affiliated with St. Mark’s. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We will also be putting together a phone tree and asking every parishioner to call someone else each week, to offer encouragement, connection, and awareness of what is going on with each of our members. And we anticipate setting up a “pen pal” program for children and elders to increase intergenerational connections. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We invite and encourage you to share these opportunities widely, with anyone you think might welcome a chance to connect with others right now. That might include friends and neighbors here in Westford, friends and family members living elsewhere, your social media friends, and the general public. As Presiding Bishop Michael Curry reminded the Church in his online address this week, we are all in this together.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">While it is easy to be overwhelmed by anxiety in these difficult times, we are also being given an opportunity to let God’s light shine through us and to bear witness to the strength our faith grants us. We are reminded to place our trust in God and act out of compassion and love, not fear. As St. Paul wrote to the Philippians: </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">“Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Even when our lives are disrupted, when our sense of safety is destroyed, when there is ample cause to fear, the Bible tells us that God’s love for us never fails, that the darkness cannot overcome the Light, and that even death yields before the power of God. As a community of faith, let us live as a people whose hope never fails, because our hope is in the Lord.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Your sister in Christ,</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Suzanne</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>The Rev. Suzanne Wade, rector at St. Mark’s, can be contacted by phone call or text at 508-472-9656 or via email at </i><a href="mailto:revsuzannewade@gmail.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>revsuzannewade@gmail.com</i></span></a><i>. </i></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-9688705901188108722019-11-15T06:39:00.000-08:002019-11-15T06:45:03.646-08:00Give to God the Things that are God's<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;"><i>Some Pharisees … came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? … [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Jesus said to them, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him</i>. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Mark 12: 13-17.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">It’s one of Jesus’s great take-down lines: “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">The Pharisees were trying to trap him, you see. They had set up a no-win scenario: If Jesus said to pay taxes, he’d be siding with the hated Romans, which was sure to cause his followers to abandon him. Tell them not to pay the tax, on the other hand, and he was guilty of sedition and rebellion, which was the fast track to crucifixion. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">But Jesus knew what they were trying to do, and he had an answer ready. “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” The Romans nearby were satisfied: they presumed Jesus meant material wealth belonged to the emperor, while more “spiritual” things were God’s realm. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">The Pharisees and the rest of Jesus’s good Jewish followers would certainly have known that “the things that are God’s” is not limited to the spiritual: it means <i>everything</i>. God created the entire world, and everything in it. The gathered crowd would have known the words of Psalm 145:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord,</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and you give them their food in due season.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">You open wide your hand, </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>and satisfy the needs of every living creature.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">They would also have remembered the words of Leviticus: “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants. “ And Genesis: “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” And many more verses like them.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">The crowds listening that day knew all of creation belongs to God, including human beings, made in God’s very image. So when Jesus told the crowds to give to God the things that were God’s, they would have understood that meant all they had and all they were. Their first duty was to God, always.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">When we talk about stewardship, it’s easy to find ourselves thinking about how much to give as the Romans might have: What do we owe God? Do we owe two percent of our income? Five percent? Ten percent? Before or after taxes? How much do we <i>have</i> to donate to be right with God?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">But stewardship is not about paying a tax or even our “fair share.” It is about acknowledging that all we have and all we are belongs to God — our material wealth, our time, our talents and our very selves. We are not owners but stewards of these gifts, and our calling is not to give back a certain percent, but to reflect prayerfully and thoughtfully on how we use all that we have in partnership with God, to accomplish God’s will for the whole world. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div style="font-size: 11px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">It is surely God’s will that we should have enough to eat, and a safe place to live, that our children should prosper and we should enjoy the fruits of our labor and the good things of this life. The Bible is clear that prosperity is what God desires for God’s people.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 11px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Praise the Lord!</span></div>
Happy are those who fear the Lord,<br />
who greatly delight in his commandments.<br />
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;<br />
the generation of the upright will be blessed.<br />
Wealth and riches are in their houses,<br />
and their righteousness endures forever.<br />
Psalm 112:1-3<br />
<div style="font-size: 11px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">But the Bible is also clear that prosperity is not intended for us alone. The blessings God gives are intended to be shared, so that everyone can rejoice in them. God wants <i>everyone</i> to have enough to eat and a safe place to live and for everyone’s children to prosper. And for that to happen, we need to give some of what God has entrusted to our care to others, so that all may share in the blessings of our good and gracious God.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Stewardship, then, requires us to begin by counting our blessings, and offering thanks to God for all that we have. It then requires us to ask, “What of this can be shared with others, that they may know the goodness of God?” This means our material wealth, of course, but also our time and our talent. It means giving our whole selves to that partnership with God that is re-making the world.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Some of the things we do will be to care for ourselves, so that we can bring a whole and healthy self before God. We will pray, and eat healthy meals, and exercise. We will keep the sabbath, so that we are renewed and rested. We will devote ourselves to our work, so we can be proud of our labor and have fruitful relationships with co-workers. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Some of the things we do will be to care for our families: spending time together, nurturing and caring for children, grandchildren and aging parents, making sure their emotional and physical needs are met. We will save for our future and theirs and seek out wise advice so we can support ourselves in old age and provide for future generations. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Some of the things we will do will be to care for our communities and the wider world. We will give to charity and organizations that support those in need; we will volunteer our time for worthy organizations that are working to make a difference in the world; we will visit lonely neighbors, care for the sick, and help those in need; and we will participate in the political process, reminding our elected officials to act out of concern for the poor and vulnerable and in the interest of justice and peace.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">And some of the things we will do will be to care for our church, because the church reminds us that all we are and all we have are God’s, and helps us find opportunities to serve, refreshment in worship and prayer, encouragement in study of the Scriptures, and a community of people who love and care for one another. I hope you will give generously, so that we can continue to offer the hospitality of our building, the beauty of our worship, and our service to the community. Our budget depends on the generous giving of our members: without it, we simply will not have the resources to continue doing the work God has given us, as a community of faith, to do. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">But most of all, I hope you will find joy and delight in giving to God the things that are God’s — because in doing so we recognize that all of creation is enfolded in his love and care, and we know ourselves to be wholly God’s, beloved and chosen. We give generously not out of fear but out of gladness and thanksgiving, because we know the One in whom we live and move and have our being. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">May you be blessed abundantly in this season of Thanksgiving.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Suzanne</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Rev. Suzanne Wade</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Rector, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church</span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none; font-size: small;">Westford, MA</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-47737390449610856572018-04-29T11:31:00.004-07:002018-04-29T11:31:59.835-07:00The Great Commission -- April 29<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><i> Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in t he name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ </i></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Matthew 28:16-20</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Matthew’s gospel includes only a few brief moments with the resurrected Jesus. In Matthew 28, the women go to the tomb, which is guarded by Roman soldiers, and suddenly an angel of the Lord descends from heaven and rolls back the stone. The soldiers pass out in terror. As in Mark’s gospel, the angel tells them “He is not here; he has been raised, as he said,” and instructs them to go tell the other disciples and to go to Galilee. In Matthew’s gospel, as the women run from the tomb, Jesus suddenly appears before them and says, “Greetings!” After they fall at his feet and worship him, he says, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">And that’s it, until we get to today’s passage. The disciples apparently decamped from Jerusalem and hurried back to Galilee, where Jesus was waiting for them just as promised. If it all feels hurried and confusing, I think that was probably the disciples’ experience as well. After all, even as they worship him, we are told, “some doubted.” Even the evidence of their own eyes was not enough to expel the bewilderment they felt. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">But Jesus doesn’t chastise them, or wait for everyone to get with the program. Instead, he tells them to go and make disciples of all nations, to baptize and teach. Perfect understanding, utter certainty, and a well-developed theology of salvation do not seem to have been pre-requisites for this new commission. <br />
</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Instead, what they receive is a promise: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Resurrection means the work continues, but we do not have to undertake it alone. We may struggle. We may doubt. But there is no longer reason for despair. No matter what roads we find ourselves on, the Risen Christ has gone before us. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">As we move through Eastertide into Ordinary Time, we may find the experience of the Eleven on a mountain in Galilee to be the one that best approximates our own experience. It may not aways be clear to us what we are doing, or what we should expect. We may be there because someone else has told us that Jesus will show; we may find, even in the midst of the experience, that we have doubts. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">But perfect clarity and a fully articulated theology are not the essential ingredients for going out to share the Good News. What is needed is an openness to meeting Jesus in unexpected places, in the midst of the work that has been given to us to do. <br />
<br />
The first disciples took their first steps away from the mountaintop feeling the same mix of confusion and hope we so often feel today. They did not wait for everything to fall into place, instead trusting in Jesus who promised to be with them. If we follow their lead, we may well find that it is in the telling of tale that we begin to see where we were going all along. And we will certainly discover that he is with us in the midst of it, to the very end. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-31359396616483911112018-04-20T15:46:00.000-07:002018-04-20T15:46:13.611-07:00Feed my Sheep -- Sunday, April 22<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.</i><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.</i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.</i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Jesus and Peter</i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ </i>John 20:1-19</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">This week’s post-Resurrection appearance follows Jesus’ two appearances to the disciples in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. Up until now, we’ve had no report of words between Peter and Jesus. We know Peter was one of the two disciples who, upon receiving the remarkable news of the empty tomb, ran to the tomb to see for himself. But Jesus was not there, and in the prior two appearances, there is no report of any kind of personal exchange between Peter and Jesus. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">The silence invites curiosity. We all remember reading on Good Friday Peter’s dramatic denial of Jesus — three times before the cock crowed, just as Jesus predicted. In John’s Gospel, it is told simply, a bare recitation of fact: three questions, three denials, and then finally the bald statement, “and at that moment the cock crowed.” We are left to imagine how Peter felt or what he did next: he does not appear in the narrative again until Mary Magdalene runs to tell him the stone has been rolled away. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">But it is not hard to imagine Peter agonizes over his failure. His absence from the scene of the cross is notable; in John’s version the Beloved Disciple is there to hear Jesus’ last words and take Mary into his care, as are several women, but not Peter. Presumably he is present in the upper room with the other disciples, but he doesn’t utter a word — is he struck dumb with fear that Jesus will not forgive him? Is he waiting for Jesus to speak, to condemn him for his faithlessness? </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">By the time we get to this story, he is willing to wait no longer. When he realizes the miraculous catch is a gift from the Lord, he leaps into the sea to reach Jesus faster. And finally, we hear Jesus speak to Peter: “Peter, do you love me?” </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">At first, it seems like a fair question, given Peter’s earlier denial. But then it’s repeated. And then again, a third time! Peter feels hurt, the Gospel writer tells us: hasn’t he already given the answer?</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<br /><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">But Jesus is not asking because he needs to know: he’s asking because Peter needs to know. Peter is given the opportunity to turn his denials into affirmations. Instead of denying Jesus, he is invited to serve him. Just as he denied Jesus three times, now he is asked, three times, do you love me enough to take up the work I am leaving undone? To care for my flock, as I would? Even if it means going where you do not want to go? Even if it means dying as I did?</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">And this time, Peter says yes. This time, he takes up the staff and follows. This time, Jesus does not contradict him when he says, “You know that I do.” </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">it is often said that God is a God of second chances. But with Peter, we see that God is not just God of second chances, but of third chances, and fourth chances, and fifth chances. Indeed, God never seems to give up on us, even when we have failed about as abysmally as it is possible to fail. Instead, God invites us to stand up, dust ourselves off, and try again. He invites us back into right relationship, invites us to take up the work that anyone else might have deemed us unworthy for. We need not hide at the back of the room, stay away from the table, or avoid making eye contact. The love shown to us in Jesus is not limited by our failure to live fully into that love. Instead, that love is offered again and again — as many times as we need, until we are finally ready to follow. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">“Do you love me?” Lord, you know that we do. “Then feed my sheep.” What are we waiting for? What is holding us back? Because we are already forgiven, already welcomed, and Jesus awaits our response.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-44237085476115494572018-04-13T14:27:00.000-07:002018-04-13T14:27:23.264-07:00The Road to Emmaus -- Sunday, April 15<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
Luke 24:13-35 </div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.</i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. </i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">What is most striking to me in this story is the way Cleopas and his companion don’t recognize Jesus when they encounter him. They spend all afternoon with him, walking and talking, and yet somehow overlooking the identify of a man they presumably knew well. Admittedly, they weren’t expecting to run into Jesus on the road to Emmaus: Rumors to the contrary notwithstanding, the last person you would expect to meet while traveling is the friend you had buried just three days earlier. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">It is fair, I think, to wonder why these disciples left Jerusalem before the question of Jesus death had been settled. Had the stress of not knowing what was going on just gotten to be too much for them? Did they have someone in Emmaus waiting for them, and they felt they just couldn’t delay any longer? Were they afraid that rumors of a risen Jesus would bring a crackdown from the authorities? The story doesn’t say. Whatever the reason, the encounter with the Risen Christ would change the calculus, and the pair hurried back to Jerusalem. <br />
<br />
Most of Luke’s audience had never met the living Jesus, and wouldn’t have recognized him if they bumped into him walking along the road, either. I think this story is likely offered for their sake, the ones whose experience of the Risen Christ began with the breaking of the bread. This story validates that experience, assuring them that even if they never knew Jesus in life, their recognition of Christ in the Communion table is a true and valid way of knowing him. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">None of us has ever seen Jesus of Nazareth, either, despite all those lovely Renaissance paintings. No one knows what the living Jesus looked like, which has sometimes led us to re-make him in our own image and made it harder to recognize the Risen Christ. I suspect most of us would not immediately know Jesus if he were seated next to us on an airplane. But this story suggests that doesn’t mean we cannot come to know Jesus. Indeed, it assures us we can. Even though the Risen Christ comes to us in places we don’t expect and in guises that are not readily recognizable to us, we can come to see him clearly by the ways he is revealed to us—in Scripture, through acts of hospitality, and of course, in the breaking of the bread.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-19960851880736712412018-04-06T14:28:00.000-07:002018-04-06T14:28:45.728-07:00Doubting Thomas -- Sunday, April 8<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">John 20:19-31 </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."</span></i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."</span></i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."</span></i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.</span></i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">The reading for the Sunday after Easter is always this passage from John, an account of two post-Resurrection appearances to the disciples, and especially the appearance to Thomas, who earns the name ”Doubting” with his response to his friends’ account of Jesus’s first appearance. I have had many people tell me this is one of their favorite stories in the Gospels: the skeptical Thomas resonates with anyone who has struggled with their faith. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Doubt in the face of such an incredible story is not new: Thomas has been something of a patron saint for those who have throughout Christian history wrestled to understand how God could possibly have become human, die on a cross, and rise from the dead. But there is also no denying that Thomas’s demand for empirical evidence before he buys the story the disciples tell fits nicely into our modern era, with its emphasis on the scientific method as a source of knowledge. <br />
<br />
In the past few months, as I work on my book about the Biblical narrative in modern American culture, I’ve read a bunch of books and watched more than a few movies featuring Biblical characters. In doing so, I have noticed that in many of the most recent re-tellings of Biblical stories, God is no longer an active character. For example, in the Genesis account of Noah and the Ark, God is the main character, talking openly about his frustration with how human beings have turned out, offering clear and detailed instructions to Noah about what he wants done, and then actively participating in the rescue of Noah’s family by personally closing the door of the ark. Noah, by contrast, barely speaks in the Genesis story; we get little sense of his personality beyond the assurance that God finds him righteous. In the 2014 movie <i>Noah</i>, by contrast, God is distant at best and totally absent at worst. He is vaguely referred to as “The Creator” and his only communications with Noah come in the form of cryptic visions and the appearance of a magical forest that grows up overnight after Noah plants a seed from Eden given to him by his grandfather. It is Noah’s struggle to understand what he must do that drives the movie, and it is Noah’s lack of understanding of God’s will for him the provides the dramatic tension of the second half.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">The frequent appearance of this “God-shaped hole,” as Prof. Thomas Shippey of St. Louis University calls the absence of a divine presence in the Harry Potter novels, is perhaps unsurprising in a culture that no longer views the world as a magical place. In a world where many mysteries of the past have been solved by scientific investigation — where we can see the microscopic organisms that cause sickness, storms can be predicted before they even form, and everything from the flight of wild geese to the path of comets can be mathematically described — it is harder to believe in a human-like God who walks with, talks with, and personally encourages a guy like Noah, or Abraham, or Moses. Our own experiences of the divine are generally less direct and more open to interpretation. <br />
<br />
Into this God-shaped hole steps Jesus. But with 2,000 years between us and the events of the Gospels, and a lack of outside witness or archeological evidence for the events described, we find ourselves in much the same position as Thomas. We are being told a far-fetched story that cannot possibly be true — and we are being assured that it is, in fact, true. <br />
<br />
The story of Thomas may not entirely assuage our own doubts. But it does suggest that our skepticism is not a stumbling block for the Risen Christ. Jesus comes to Thomas despite a locked door and a crowd of people, not to chastise him for lack of faith but to offer what he needs to believe. Thomas’s response — “My Lord and My God!” — is one of the most direct and positive affirmations of who Jesus is anywhere in scripture. <br />
<br />
Where have your doubts been met with an experience that allowed you to find faith? What do you still struggle with? What signs have helped you come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God? What do you still need so that through believing you may have life in his name? </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-34298505581284915312018-04-06T13:04:00.000-07:002018-04-06T13:04:08.894-07:00Now What?<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Last Sunday, we celebrated the great festival of Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar. On Easter, we remember Christ’s rising from the dead and the surprise of the women who came to the tomb and found it empty.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">But as I talked about in my Easter Day sermon, this celebration is not the climactic end of the church year. In fact, it comes shy of midway through the year that began with our preparations for Christmas, and will not end until just after Thanksgiving. It turns out that this great celebration is just the beginning. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Gospel according to Mark, which we read on Easter Sunday, ends right there, with the women fleeing from the empty tomb and, amazed and terrified by the startling news the Jesus had been raised from the dead. According to the last words of the Gospel, they fled and told no one. <br />
<br />
Well, clearly they told someone, eventually, or we wouldn’t have this account to read on Easter morning. But the original ending of Mark’s gospel just stops there, unresolved, like a piece of music where the musicians put down their instruments before the final measure. We lean forward, knowing there MUST be more to come, there must be more to the story than this. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">And there is. The other three gospels — Matthew, Luke, and John — all relate encounters with Jesus after the Resurrection. We get a glimpse of the disciples’ confusion and fear, their uncertainty about what to do next. We discover a Jesus who is both undeniably the man who died on the cross, and also unrecognizable to his closest friends. If we listen carefully, we will hear ourselves invited to become part of the story of salvation, a story that finds a new and improbable beginning with the empty tomb. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">You are invited to join us for the next four weeks in reflecting on these stories of the post-Resurrection Jesus. Each Friday, I will post the week’s reading and a brief reflection on how we might approach this story. On Sundays, there will be a table at coffee hour after worship for those who would like to talk about the story and share their own thoughts about what it has to say to us here and now. <br />
<br />
I look forward to walking with you on this Easter journey. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 12px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Rev. Suzanne</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-4981578977878205302018-01-26T08:15:00.000-08:002018-01-26T08:30:13.597-08:00Two Are Better Than One: A Pastoral Letter to the People of St. Mark's <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<b><i><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Two are better than one, because they have a
good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But
woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?
And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand
him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ecclesiastes
4:9-12<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My daughter is a big fan of <i>Grey’s Anatomy,</i>
so we’ve been working our way through the series on Netflix. Recently, we
watched an episode which follows the dramatic ups and downs of a couple who had
been married for 60 years. As is typical in medical dramas, the story begins in
the emergency room with the wife being diagnosed after a fall. A diagnosis of a
dangerous medical problem leads to a risky surgery, and then a moment of
triumph when the woman awakes and makes a funny comment to her anxious husband.
Along the way, the husband shares with the medical staff his deep and abiding
love for his wife and the secrets of the success of their 60-year marriage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And then the story takes a sad turn: the wife
dies suddenly in her sleep. The husband reports the outcome with sorrow and
resignation. Paperwork is done. Sympathy is offered. And then he leaves. Alone.
The last shot is of the elderly man walking slowly out the hospital doors
utterly and completely alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I immediately turned to my daughter and said,
“He wouldn’t be alone if he were a member of my church.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remarkably, she didn’t even roll her eyes at
me. She just agreed: She knew that if a member of St. Mark’s called to say his
wife of 60 years had just died unexpectedly, I’d already be on the road to meet
him at the hospital and give him a ride home — if someone else from the church
didn’t get there ahead of me. People from St. Mark’s would have made sure that
everything was organized for the funeral, dropped off casseroles so he had
something to eat, checked in with him in the weeks afterwards, and sat shoulder
to shoulder with him in the pew as he wept out his grief on Sunday mornings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But the <i>Grey’s Anatomy</i> episode depicts
a reality for more and more people. Sociologists have been charting a steady
reduction in social participation and a growing sense of loneliness since
Robert Putnam first identified the trend in his 2001 bestseller, <i>Bowling
Alone</i>. As recently as September, former surgeon general Vivek Murthy wrote
in a cover story in the <i>Harvard Business Review,</i> “There is good reason
to be concerned about social connection in our current world. Loneliness is a
growing health epidemic. We live in the most technologically connected age in
the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the
1980s. Today, over </span><a href="https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/loneliness_2010.pdf"><span style="color: #16191f; text-decoration: none;">40% of adults in America</span></a><span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> report feeling
lonely, and research suggests that the real number may well be higher.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And that loneliness is taking a toll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Studies have shown that lonely people are
more likely to have a variety of health problems, and are more likely to die
earlier. Loneliness is a significant contributor to addiction, and a lack of
social connection plays a key role in the opioid epidemic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gun violence, especially mass shootings, has
been linked to social isolation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For those reasons alone, we in the church
might choose to address the growing sense of social isolation that is taking a
toll on many in our communities, and sociologists say we are well equipped to
address it. A 2010 AARP survey found that people who considered themselves
spiritual and regularly attended worship services were less likely to report
being lonely than those who did not. In <i>Bowling Alone,</i> Robert Putnam
wrote, “Faith communities in which people worship together are arguably the
most important repository of social capital in America.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But building communities full of people with
strong relationships with one another is more than just another service
project: it is the heart of what it means to live as Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“For just as the body is one and has many
members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is
with Christ,” St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12. “Indeed, the body does not
consist of one member but of many.</span><b><span style="color: #16191f; font-family: "arial";"> </span></b><span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong
to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Advice on how to care for one another in
Christian community is found in virtually every letter Paul wrote to the early
church. “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, fulfill the law of
Christ,” St. Paul writes to the Galatians. “Let each of you look not to your
own interests, but to the interests of others,” he advises the Philippians. “Be
at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved,</span><span style="color: #16191f; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to admonish the
idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of
them,” he instructs the Thessalonians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our calling as church is to stand opposed to
the cultural forces that are pulling Americans apart and increasing our
loneliness, and to build the kinds of deep, loving relationships that allow us
to support one another through the trials of life and to celebrate with one
another in moments of triumph. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And we often do so well. During our Mutual
Ministry Review this spring, several people highlighted the connections they
had made while serving on ministry teams, such as the Altar Guild, Bible Study,
Outreach, and Choir. They commented on how the relationships formed in those
groups meant they were surrounded by friends praying for them when something
went wrong in their lives. They remembered fondly fellowship gatherings over
the years that gave them a chance to get to know other people from St. Mark’s,
and the lifelong friendships born over a Hawaiian Feast. Many spoke of the
friendships they have made here as some of the most important in their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But we are not immune to the cultural forces
working against those connections, either. We often feel pulled in multiple
directions, trying to meet conflicting expectations and needs. We devote
ourselves to our work, we commit ourselves to our children’s education and
interests, we care for aging parents. All of which are very important, but the
result is that we are here less often for each other. As worship attendance
becomes less frequent, we may go weeks or months without seeing old friends on
Sunday morning. Families feel discouraged because their children are the only
ones there, and they have a hard time getting their teenagers to come because
they do not see peers at church. Newcomers find it harder to make connections,
since they don’t see the same faces week to week. We gradually stop doing the
things as a church that used to give us a chance to be together and serve
others, because there are too few participants to sustain them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Poet Wendell Berry wrote: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.1pt; margin-right: .8in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Community, I am beginning to understand, is
made through a skill I have never learned or valued: the ability to pass time
with people you do not and will not know well, talking about nothing in
particular, with no end in mind, just to build trust, just to be sure of each
other, just to be neighborly. A community is not something that you have, like
a camcorder or a breakfast nook. No, it is something you do. And you have to do
it all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.1pt; margin-right: .8in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have arrived at a point where we must
choose: will we succumb to the cultural forces pulling us apart, or will we
decide to do community? And are we willing to do it all the time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is no doubt that what we are struggling
with is not unique to St. Mark’s, or even the Episcopal Church. It is not
unique to religious organizations. Across the board, Americans participate in
civic activities less than ever before. It is almost laughable to think that
the handful of us here can reverse that trend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But I believe, with God’s help, we can choose
to be the kind of community that is an answer to loneliness.<b><i> </i></b>The
kind of community where we pass time with people just to build trust, and be
neighborly. The kind of of community where deep, faithful friendships develop
over time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All we have to do is show up. Even when we are
tired. Even when we don’t really feel like it. We have to show up not just for
our own sakes, but for the sake of the people around us. For the sake of the
person feeling lonely and afraid, who needs someone to pray with today. For the
sake of the frazzled parent, who is at their wits’ end managing a rambunctious
toddler today. For the sake of the new widow or the adult child mourning a
recently deceased parent, who needs someone to hold their hand while they cry
today. For the sake of the new visitor, who needs someone to turn in the pew
with a big smile to greet them today. For the sake of the person returning for
the third time, who desperately needs to see a familiar face today. For the
friend who has been traveling for weeks and who longs to be reminded they are
home today. For the sake of sharing life’s joys with one another – the good
news of engagements and grandchildren, new jobs and planned retirements, of
healing and hope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All we have to do is show up for one another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #343434; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the coming year there will be many
opportunities to show up. We will gather for worship every Sunday morning at 10
a.m., and at 5 p.m. for Compline. You can meet up with friends and make new
ones at the fun fellowship activities the vestry is sponsoring every other
month. You can show up to serve others at St. Paul’s Soup Kitchen on the first
Wednesday of the month, or by worshipping with the residents of Bridges by
Epoch on the third Wednesday of the month. You can join the pastoral care team
in showing up for the aged, the sick, and lonely, bringing them communion or
just going by to visit. You can show up for Bible study on Wednesday or Friday
mornings or for our Lenten soup supper series in February and March. You can
show up for our Pentecost Party when I set off on sabbatical on May 20, and for
our Welcome Sunday party on the Sunday after Labor Day. You can show up for one
another while I am gone on sabbatical, so that no one’s needs go unmet. You can
even come to worship in the summer (yes, we actually do have worship all summer
long!) for the sake of one another and the priest taking my place at the altar.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And yes, I know what I am asking is hard. I
know you are very busy with important things. I know you struggle to find time
for everything you need to do. I know that you cannot do everything. I know
that even if you do your very best, you will not be able to be here every
Sunday, for every service project, for every meeting, for every social event,
or maybe even for most of them. I know there will be times when you need to be
somewhere else, when other responsibilities and relationships must take
precedence. I know that sometimes doing even one more thing feels impossible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But St. Paul wrote, “I can do all things
through him who strengthens me.” So I am asking anyway: Will you renew your
commitment to show up for one another? Show up for one another for the sake of
the One who showed up for us. Show up for one another because in the long run,
the friendships that result will be what bring you the most joy, and will be
what sustains you in difficult times. Show up for one another because when you
bear one another’s burdens, you fulfill the law of Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And as Paul says, “Keep on doing the things
that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of
peace will be with you.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Come, taste and see that God is good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your sister in Christ, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Suzanne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PS. In 2019, I hope to offer two travel
opportunities that will give us opportunities to deepen our relationships with
one another and with the wider community: a second mission trip to visit our
mission partners in Haiti, and a pilgrimage to the Cathedrals of England. For
more information, indicate your interest on the sign up sheet today or let me
know directly that you're interested in one of the trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="380">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-43255027200070597072017-03-28T13:53:00.002-07:002017-03-28T13:53:57.315-07:00<h2 style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; position: relative;">
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ears to Hear: Learning to Listen in a Divided World</span></b></h2>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<b style="font-size: 13.52400016784668px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Week 5 -- What have we heard?</span></b></h3>
<div>
<b style="font-size: 13.52400016784668px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sunday, April 2, 5 p.m. Compline, 5:30 p.m. Soup Supper & Discussion</span></b></div>
<div>
<b style="font-size: 13.52400016784668px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we gather on this fifth and final Sunday, we will take time to reflect together our Lenten experiences of listening. What did we learn? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a final listening "practicum" participants are encouraged to attend one of several opportunities in the Westford area to meet and listen to our Muslim neighbors. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Meet Your Muslim Neighbors Program- Movie Screening of "Prince Among Slaves": Tuesday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. </b>at the JV Fletcher Library in Westford. Please join us for a viewing of the film "Prince Among Slaves' and a post film discussion with your Muslim neighbors. We will learn about early American Muslims, challenge stereotypes, and examine different facets of Muslim identity. "Prince Among Slaves" recounts the true story of an African Muslim prince who was captured and sold into slavery in the American South. After 40 years of enslavement, he finally regained his freedom, became a national celebrity, and dined in the White House. This is an incredible story about an incredible man who endured the humiliation of slavery without ever losing his dignity or his hope for freedom." Free. Drop in.<br /><br /><b>Open Mosque Day, Islamic Society of Greater Lowell, Sunday April 2, 3- 6 p.m. </b>at 131 Stedman St., Unit 9 & 10, Chelmsford, MA 01824, www.lsgl.org, 978-978-5552, walk-ins welcome. The afternoon includes presentations on "Islam 101" on 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., an introduction to prayer at 5:15 p.m., and an invitation to observe prayer at 5:30 p.m. There will also be mosque tours, an educational exhibit, "Try a Hijab," henna, face painting, and refreshments. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">St. Mark's has also received an invitation for members of our congregation to attend a program on <b>Transforming Angst to Action: Working for Sustainable Change, on Saturday April 1, 2017 , </b>10am at the Pike School 34 Sunset Rock Rd, Andover, MA 01810 from our Muslim neighbors to join them for a discussion regarding the current state of affairs and how us, Americans, can help to ameliorate the status quo. Furthermore, learn about an impressive, passionate, women-led organization, Muslim Advocates <a href="https://www.muslimadvocates.org/">https://www.muslimadvocates.org/</a>. Muslim Advocates are a National legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the front lines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths. RSVP at <a href="http://evite.me/5kPSnh2qrt">http://evite.me/5kPSnh2qrt</a>.<br /> </span><br />
<h3>
<br /></h3>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-72697436222038588522017-03-25T11:41:00.001-07:002017-03-25T11:41:13.813-07:00<h2 style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; position: relative;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ears to Hear: Learning to Listen in a Divided World</span></b></h2>
<h3>
<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.52400016784668px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Week 4 - Stopped Ears and Hardened Hearts: Stumbling Blocks to </span></span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Listening</b></span></h3>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What keeps us from listening? Being too rushed. Entering a conversation already sure we know the answer. Focusing on our response instead of what the other person is saying. Judging another's choices. </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This blog also suggests another: our own need to be right. L<a href="http://www.leadlikejesus.com/blog/when-being-right-wrong" target="_blank">ead Like Jesus: When Being Right is Wrong</a>. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And th</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is Sunday's Gospel reading offers us a story of a group of religious authorities who did not hear -- or see -- because they were so busy trying to fit a miraculous healing into their pre-conceived ideas. </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week's Lenten discussion group will be a pizza and movie night -- we'll order pizza and watch the Netflix original "13th" in St. Mark's library. "13th" is an Academy Award nominated documentary from African American filmmaker Ava DuVernay that traces the roots of racial inequality in America's prison system to slavery. In a country where African-Americans make up 13 percent of the population but 40 percent of those imprisoned, the movie tells a story that provokes strong reactions. We will watch together and discuss what we are hearing, and what makes it hard for us to hear the viewpoint being offered. </span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.4px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John 9:1-41</span></b></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">A</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">s Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Questions for reflection: </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do you think the Pharisees keep asking the blind man to repeat his story?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do they have a hard time believing what he tells them?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do his parents do? Why do they answer the way they do?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happens when his story does not fit with what they decide about it?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-56235112014342101322017-03-17T17:26:00.001-07:002017-03-17T17:26:46.670-07:00<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ears to Hear: Learning to Listen in a Divided World</span></b></h2>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Week 3 - </span>Listening<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> to Other Voices</span></span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week, we began identifying conversational norms that make good listening possible. These include:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Don't Start with a Solution. </b>True listening can only take place when we come with a mind open enough to genuinely hear. When we come into a situation with the answers already in our minds, we seek to fit everything said into our pre-existing solution. True listening requires us to be open to new responses and new possibilities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Share the Stage.</b> If we are talking, we are not listening. A willingness to listen requires us to let others stand at center stage, and to let go of any need to draw the spotlight back to ourselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ask questions, don't just make statements. </b>Asking questions puts us in a posture of seeking to learn more. Statements suggest we are just waiting for our turn to speak! Seek to ask clarifying questions, which ask the speaker to offer more information, rather than defining questions, which seek to narrow the conversation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Appreciate the people who are listening. </b>When it's our turn to speak, cultivate an attitude of gratitude for those who are listening carefully. Reinforcing good listening skills helps everyone in a group listen more intently! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Practice Empathy</b>. How is this person feeling? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Don't Judge Other People's Choices.</b> Not easy, but essential if we are to truly hear!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Reflect Back</b>. Reflect back what you think you have heard, and wait for clarification or correction. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Slow down. </b>Don't interrupt, and don't rush to answer. If this is an emotional conversation, make space for everyone to process the emotion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week we begin putting our listening skills into practice, welcoming a friend of Rev. Suzanne's, who will share her story as a transgender woman, and her spouse. Our focus is on listening and learning from someone whose experience is different from our own, and practicing asking respectful questions that deepen our understanding. We will use these conversational norms as a means of practicing listening to learn. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In preparation, please read and reflect on the story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:24-30</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Mark-7-24" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">24 </span>From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre.</span><span class="text Mark-7-24" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span>He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><span class="text Mark-7-25" id="en-NRSV-24485" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">25 </span>but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><span class="text Mark-7-26" id="en-NRSV-24486" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">26 </span>Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><span class="text Mark-7-27" id="en-NRSV-24487" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">27 </span>He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><span class="text Mark-7-28" id="en-NRSV-24488" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">28 </span>But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><span class="text Mark-7-29" id="en-NRSV-24489" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">29 </span>Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><span class="text Mark-7-30" id="en-NRSV-24490" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">30 </span>So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Questions for Reflection:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What initially prevents Jesus from listening to the Syrophoenician woman?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do you think Jesus stops to listen?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What changes because Jesus listens?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you had an experience like this, as either hearer or heard? What did you learn from it? </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-8151869799795542702017-03-11T09:14:00.000-08:002017-03-11T09:14:20.863-08:00<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lenten Series </span></b></h2>
<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ears to Hear: Learning to Listen in a Divided World</span></b></h3>
<h4>
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Week 2 - </span>Listening<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> Like Jesus</span></span></b></span></h4>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.4px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">This week, we will reflect on how Jesus modeled listening, and develop some conversational </span>norms<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> that will help us practice our listening skills. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.4px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This article offers some reflections on the topic: </span><a href="http://www.protectmychurch.org/img/~www.protectmychurch.org/article-grasping%20the%20depth%20and%20strength%20to%20listen%20like%20jesus%202.pdf">http://www.protectmychurch.org/img/~www.protectmychurch.org/article-grasping%20the%20depth%20and%20strength%20to%20listen%20like%20jesus%202.pdf</a></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.4px;">
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: 13.5px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.4px;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our Bible reading for the week is </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John 4:5-42</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">J</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">esus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him.</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-65959300586572977582017-03-02T19:37:00.003-08:002017-03-02T19:37:32.433-08:00<h2>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;">Reading and Questions for Reflection </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Lenten Series </span>Week<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> 1</span></span></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">March 5: </span>Called<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> to Hear</span></span></span></span></h2>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Excerpt from </span></span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction,</i><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> by Adam S. McHugh. InterVarsity Press, 2015. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Listening is often presented as a balm for making our relationships go more smoothly and peacefully, for making us more aware of the needs of people around us. The interpersonal reasons are valuable and essential, but I think there are also deep intrapersonal reasons for learning how to listen. When listening has been hard, these personal motivations are what have kept me going. I have devoted and redevoted myself to listening because it is making me into the kind of person I wish to be. The beginning of discipleship is listening. At the sound of Jesus’ voice, his first followers dropped their nets and followed him.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Of course, discipleship must involve more than one episode of listening; it is an ongoing journey of listening. Disciples are walking listeners. If we think that discipleship is lacking in today’s church, then perhaps we should place an emphasis on people learning how to listen. Listening is important enough to Jesus that he devotes his first parable to it (Mark 4: 1-20). In Mark’s Gospel Jesus frames the parable of the sower with the opening word “Listen!” and the closing exclamation “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” Overtly about a farmer indiscriminately scattering seed on different types of soil, the story is actually about different types of hearers. There are the path hearers—those who don’t really hear at all, deflecting and dismissing Jesus’ words. There are the rocky listeners, who let the word penetrate a little but then reject it because of adverse voices of struggle and persecution. Third are the thorny listeners, who listen a while longer but slowly allow the subtle power of seductive voices—the accumulation of wealth and the sparkle of material things—to suffocate the word. Finally are the true and fruitful listeners, those who receive the word deep into themselves, where it does its proper work of flowering and bearing fruit. This last group would seem to be the ones who, in Jesus’ words, have “ears to hear,” by which he seems to link listening and comprehension, treating ears as organs of understanding. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Those with hearing ears have a level of attunement to the deeper meanings embedded in Jesus’ teaching. Later in Mark’s Gospel Jesus cautions his followers to be careful about how they listen, because how they listen will determine how much they understand. What seems to separate the different types of listeners is the amount of effort that they put into listening. What we lack in understanding we can make up for in asking questions. The true listeners are those who stay, who crowd around Jesus and ask him the interpretation of the parable. This is the kind of listener God desires: those who pursue and seek and relentlessly question. They sit with Jesus’ words like an old friend that you know yet really don’t know, chewing and digesting, continuing to seek greater clarity and depth of understanding. They don’t just ask the first question; they also ask the second and third questions. They exhaust others with their questions. As has been noted by many biblical scholars, the parable of the sower not only describes different types of hearers, but it leads to the very divisions it describes. Jesus’ parables sift out those who are hard of hearing, who merely want to be entertained and see the new rabbinic celebrity. Those hearers scatter after Jesus finishes teaching while the true listeners stay.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">I taught this parable to college students for years, and I marveled at how our classroom setting would inevitably mirror the original setting of the parable. After the class was over, most students would head back to the dorms, but there would be one or two students who stayed and asked question after question or wrote on their manuscripts, laboring to understand what Jesus was saying and the implications it had for their lives. I always wondered whether these were the students with ears to hear. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Listening makes us into disciples—those who learn, who follow and who submit to the Lord. And listening also makes us into servants. What is a servant if not an obedient listener? We could rephrase Jesus’ famous words about servanthood like this and keep his same meaning: “You know that the Gentile rulers tell people what to do, and their great ones expect to be heard. It is not so among you; whoever wishes to be great must listen, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be listener to all” (see Mark 10: 42-43). In Jesus’ upside-down kingdom, the tables are turned. Those in the position to tell people what to do must become listeners. In the Gentile world, listening flows from the bottom up, but in Jesus’ kingdom, listening is top-down. Too often we try to gain control with our words. Listening, done well, gives power away. A commitment to listening is one of the best antidotes for power and privilege. A servant listener does not dominate the conversation. Servants take the attention off themselves and focus their attention on the needs and interests of others. The call to servanthood is at the heart of the gospel; it is the call to humble ourselves, to empty ourselves of our own agendas and egos and submit ourselves to the Lord and to others. Servant listening is a practice of presence, in which we set aside what might distract us and what we think should happen in a moment or conversation. It is an act of humility, in which we acknowledge that no matter who we are listening to, we come to learn. Servant listening is an act of surrender, in which we lay down our verbal weapons, our preconceived notions, our quick advice and our desire to steer the conversation toward ourselves. We release our grasp on the terms and direction of the conversation. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">We love to talk about listening. It’s easier than actually listening. There is much lip service paid to listening, but listening is a service of the ear, the mind and the heart. Listening is an act of servanthood, and serving is hard. There are no accolades in serving. When a servant is doing his job, no one notices. If we wish to imitate Jesus and become servants, we must learn how to listen.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Questions for Reflection</b></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<ol>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Read Mark 1:16-20. What do you think the disciples heard in Jesus’s call that made them leave their nets and follow? </span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Read Mark 4:1-20. What kind of hearing do you think you usually fit into?</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Can you remember a time when someone ministered to you by listening?</span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The author says, “Listening, done well, gives power away.” Do you agree? Why or why not? </span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Where do you think you are being called to listen? </span></li>
</ol>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-12945639500822797562017-03-02T19:33:00.001-08:002017-03-02T19:44:43.287-08:00<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ears to Hear: Learning to Listen in a Divided World</span></b></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>St. Mark’s Lenten Discussions</b></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span>75 Cold Spring Road, Westford, MA</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Compline, 5 p.m. </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Soup & Bread Supper and Discussion, 5:30 p.m. </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>March 5:</b> Called to Listen</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>March 12: </b>Listening Like Jesus: Developing our Listening Skills</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>March 19: </b>Listening to “Other” Voices</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>March 25: </b>Stopped Ears and Hardened Hearts: Stumbling Blocks to Listening</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>April 2:</b> Listening in Love: What Have we Heard? </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Each week will include reflection on a Bible passage and a reading, video, or other resource. These resources will be posted each week on St. Mark’s blog at <a href="http://stmarkwestford.blogspot.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">stmarkwestford.blogspot.com</span></a> for reflection before each week’s discussion. </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Optional Reading Resources: </span></b></span></div>
<ul>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Fear of the Other: No Fear in Love” by William H. Williamon</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction”by Adam S. McHugh</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“Living Nonviolent Communications: Practical Tools to Connect and Communicate Skillfully in Every Situation” by Marshall Rosenberg</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Opportunities to Open our Ears this Lent:</span></b></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>“Meet Your Muslim Neighbor” </b>presentation at the <b>JV Fletcher Library on March 28, 7-9 p.m.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The evening will include screening of the film “Prince of Slaves,” followed by a discussion afterwards with local Muslims. Sponsored by the Islamic Center of Boston- Wayland, the local organizer writes, “Our hope is to help build a better understanding of our faith and alleviate fears which we find are usually founded in misinformation.” </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The mosque also welcomes congregations to visit and observe congregational prayers on Sundays 12:30- 1:30 p.m. If you would be interested in organizing a St. Mark’s visit, please see Rev. Suzanne for more information. </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Matters of Race in the United States,</b> at Reuben Hoar Library, Littleton, MA, Wednesdays 3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, register by March 1, <a href="mailto:ezsalzman@gmail.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">ezsalzman@gmail.com</span></a>, 978-952-0131. This five-week conversation will explore questions of race in the United States, including “Why are we still talking about race in 2017?”, “Is there a relationship between 1776 and 2017?” “Will we still be talking about race in 2025?” and “What questions do you have about this complex topic?” Discussion facilitators are Edythe Saltzman of Groton and Roland Gibson of Littleton. </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Merrimack Valley Project:</b> Know Your Rights Workshop for Immigrants - <b>Tuesday, March 28</b>,<b> 8 p.m. </b>at Ebenezer Christian Church, 319 Haverhill St., Lawrence. An opportunity to reflect on public policy on immigration from the perspective of the immigrant community in the Merrimack Valley. </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Diocesan Anti-Racism Training</b> led by the diocesan Anti-racism Ministry Team, offering participants opportunities to share experiences, reflect on current issues and develop tools for change, will next be offered at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston on:<b> Friday, March 10, 5-8:45 p.m., and Saturday, March 11, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. </b>Register online at <a href="http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07edqy976oe5b48a9e&llr=s4blzzbab"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07edqy976oe5b48a9e&llr=s4blzzbab</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>"Fear and Resiliance: Five Lenten Stories": </b>At a time when fears threaten to isolate and divide, come together at the<b> Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on Thursdays during Lent </b>for its annual lunchtime preaching series. Guest preachers will offer their perspectives during a simple noon worship service, followed by a brown-bag lunch and conversation from 12:30-1:30 p.m. All are welcome. </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Weekly preachers and their topics will be:</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* March 9: Sharley Paul and The Rev. Gay Cox, Deacon--Vulnerable Women</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* March 16: The Rev. Paul Minor and The Rev. James Hairston--The Military</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* March 23: The Rev. Dr. Lisa Fortuna--Children of Immigrants</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* March 30: Sheila Dillon--Housing in Boston</span></span></div>
<ul>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">April 6: The Rev. Dr. Karen Coleman and The Rev. Judith Stuart--Students on Campus</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">“Our Stories Speak of God” Diocese of Massachusetts Spring Learning Event, Saturday, March 4, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston. Keynote speaker the Rev. Hershey Mallette Stephens will lead an interactive workshop in two parts: The first will help those gathered to learn about story, narrative and myth and how they function in faith and to consider what our stories say about who we are and how we understand God and the church. During part two, participants will engage their spiritual imaginations and learn how storytelling can redefine evangelism.</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Find more information and register online by <b>March 2 </b>here. FOR INFORMATION: Amy Cook, Congregational Resources and Training (617-482-4826, ext. 645 or <a href="mailto:acook@diomass.org"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;">acook@diomass.org</span></a>).</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Engaging Our Global Church: Palestinian Christians in Today’s World. </b>Join Bishop Gayle E. Harris and a network of others in the diocese engaged with ministry in Jerusalem and the Middle East for a special event, “Engaging Our Global Church: Palestinian Christians in Today’s World," to be held on Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Church of Our Saviour (25 Monmouth Street) in Brookline. Special guests will be Wadie Far and Halim Shukair, both seminarians at Virginia Theological Seminary, who will share their experiences and perspectives. It will also be an occasion to learn more about the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and ministries underway in the diocese. Questions may be directed to Marsha Searle at <a href="mailto:msearle%40diomass.org"><span style="color: #295f96; line-height: normal;">msearle@diomass.org</span></a> or 617-482-4826, ext. 445.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-22661080589284681452015-12-07T06:00:00.001-08:002015-12-07T06:00:18.035-08:00Seeking Safety<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
Where do we look for safety? </div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
Everywhere we look we find reasons to be afraid. Terrorist attacks in Paris and in California. Mass shootings in Colorado and Georgia. In fact, there have been more than 350 shootings this year where four or more people were killed or injured. And that doesn’t even touch the more run-of-the-mill violence that fills the nightly news. </div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
It is perfectly understandable that we would seek safety in a frightening world. It is perfectly understandable that we are afraid of those we perceive as being dangerous. It is very human that those dangerous others are always the people we do not understand, the people not like us — refugees, Muslims, immigrants, people of color, the mentally ill, people on the fringes of society, people whose actions and reactions we cannot predict.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
But when we give in to this very human reaction, we seek safety in the wrong places. We seek safety in rejection and hatred. We seek safety by turning our backs on the suffering of the world, by demanding that those others be kept at arms length. But it is never enough, because safety cannot be found in fear and rejection. We build ever higher walls, but we soon discover that we have walled our fear in with us.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it,” Jesus tells the disciples. It’s a strange thing, but safety cannot be found by seeking safety. Indeed, we fail again and again because we are seeking an assurance of security that this world can never give. In our broken world, there is no where we can go where sin and death cannot touch us.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
So what are we to do? There is only one place we can turn: to the One who has overcome sin and death. In dying and rising again to new life, our Savior demonstrated once and for all that God’s power is greater even than death. “In this we are conquerers and more than conquerers through him who loved us,” St. Paul writes. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, <span style="font-family: "arial"; line-height: normal;"><b> </b></span>nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
It’s not that followers of Jesus do not have to face death. It’s that we do not have to be afraid of it. </div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
And that’s where we find our safety. Not in systems or plans or walls intended to keep death at bay, but by our willingness to walk through death, if necessary, trusting in the love of God to save us.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
And it’s a strange thing, but when we seek safety not in the promise that death cannot touch us, but in the Gospel’s assurance that death cannot overcome us, we are filled with life and love. We discover we now possess abundant life, eternal life. We discover that even though we die, we live in Christ; that even though we lose our life, we have found it. </div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(119, 119, 119); color: #777777; line-height: normal;"><sup>“</sup></span>People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken,” Jesus warned the disciples in our lectionary reading on the first Sunday of Advent. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
So walk in love and courage. Welcome the stranger, heal the broken, and set the prisoner free. Do not be afraid. For we have been given tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people. Our safety is to be found in our Lord Jesus Christ, a safety that can never be taken away. “My peace I give to you,” Jesus tells the disciples on the night before he is crucified. “My peace I leave with you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
Our safety is found in the Lord. </div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
Amen<br />
<br />
Rev. Suzanne Wade</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-64637777761710214662015-07-14T07:45:00.000-07:002015-07-14T07:45:23.907-07:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="td1" valign="top">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB1o27sAtDikwuepnsOlGODR8T1JMMrDGztdLEAgPQl_N__r-lYdc7DmKD5UoSWAQi27jmS047nH_I-katn1WVFxpx5YeQJJtmUAe81XbNgeZ277vpXxYHOGMAVPvp2TZ0Hashn33Crty/s1600/mustard+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipB1o27sAtDikwuepnsOlGODR8T1JMMrDGztdLEAgPQl_N__r-lYdc7DmKD5UoSWAQi27jmS047nH_I-katn1WVFxpx5YeQJJtmUAe81XbNgeZ277vpXxYHOGMAVPvp2TZ0Hashn33Crty/s1600/mustard+2.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
Dear Friends in Christ,</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I have taken up the practice of starting each day with the daily devotional from The Upper Room. Here is this morning's post that graced my email inbox along with many messages about our participation in the wonderful Westford Community Garden. We are sowing and reaping a lot more than vegetables! We are building community, developing relationships with our neighbors, and fulfilling God's call to invest in those relationships as we put our faith in action and share the Good News. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Happy gardening everyone!</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Jody Clark</div>
<div class="p1">
Senior Warden</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://devotional.upperroom.org/">The Upper Room daily devotional: Sowing and Reaping</a></span></div>
</td>
<td class="td2" valign="middle">
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td class="td3" valign="middle"><div class="p3">
</div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<b><a href="http://devotional.upperroom.org/devotionals/2015-07-14/passage">Read John 13:34-35</a></b></div>
<div class="p7">
<br /></div>
<div class="p7">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
You reap whatever you sow.</div>
<div class="p6">
- Galatians 6:7 (NRSV)</div>
<div class="p8">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="p8">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="p8">
<b>Today's Devotional</b></div>
<div class="p6">
Getting acquainted with neighbors can be an adventure. Across the street lives a lovely 91-year-old woman, a widow, who is almost totally blind. The first time we talked, she ended our visit saying, “God bless you.” My ears perked up. Later, she told me she was a Christian but she didn’t go to church because of her vision impairment. She is also unsteady on her feet from sciatica and another problem with walking, so being in crowds is dangerous for her. I offered to visit her once a week and read to her from the Bible. I wanted to help fill the void left by her inability to attend church.</div>
<div class="p6">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
I’m not sure now whether God opened the door so that I could minister to her or so that she could minister to me. As I read scripture to her, her positive attitude and love of the Lord become an inspiration to me. When she found out that I write Christian literature, she asked me to read some to her. She always responds with encouragement or a challenge.</div>
<div class="p6">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
God took a situation I thought was for my neighbor’s good and brought joy to both her and me. How blessed we are that God makes all things work together for good for those who love the Lord! (See Rom. 8:28.)</div>
<div class="p6">
Shirley McCoy (Florida, USA)</div>
<div class="p6">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="p6">
<b>Thought for the Day:</b></div>
<div class="p6">
God calls us to invest in relationships with our neighbors.</div>
<div class="p5">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
<b>Prayer:</b> Thank you, dear God, for the many ways you bring peace, joy, and a sense of purpose to our lives. Amen.</div>
<div class="p6">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="p6">
<b>Prayer Focus:</b> MY NEIGHBORS</div>
<div class="p6">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
The scripture quotation, unless otherwise indicated, is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06315866220415457915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-48608770233903831062015-04-26T14:17:00.000-07:002015-04-26T14:17:00.667-07:00"I want to be a sheep."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_MynnukpbyTVkebeSYUAjba8Hfqpgu3OWOy5ZnWBkvUA3LW4eHymKRM5QPeWmb1H7hhvwB6BwsUDF3_4n3Iw8p56_PozvI_cxuzNUPXwK8oBjSVidS9eeqw1W1NMUhEttDKZDcuDRaCy/s1600/good+shepherd.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_MynnukpbyTVkebeSYUAjba8Hfqpgu3OWOy5ZnWBkvUA3LW4eHymKRM5QPeWmb1H7hhvwB6BwsUDF3_4n3Iw8p56_PozvI_cxuzNUPXwK8oBjSVidS9eeqw1W1NMUhEttDKZDcuDRaCy/s1600/good+shepherd.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today was a festive day at St. Mark's. We celebrated the Feast of St. Mark with a wonderful Italian-themed potluck lunch. We blessed the new doors to our sanctuary. We welcomed a larger than usual congregation of friends, neighbors and extended family. We welcomed our rector, Suzanne, back from her week away on vacation. All in all, it was a wonderful way to mark 50 years of St. Mark's ministry in Westford. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today is also the Fourth Sunday of Easter, traditionally recognized as Good Shepherd Sunday. The readings for today spoke about Jesus as our Good Shepherd. We read the 23rd psalm, sang a hymn based on that psalm, and our Gospel reading from John 10:11-18 was as follows:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10&version=NRSV#fen-NRSV-26489a">a</a>] it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”<div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">We were treated to the guest preaching of one of our parishioners, Nancy MacDonald, who spoke about the role of the Good Shepherd in her life. She described the reasons she follows Jesus, our Shepherd. I, too, want to be a sheep in God's marvelous flock. With Nancy's permission, her sermon is printed here. </span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Thank you, Nancy, for your inspiring testimony.</span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">~ Humbly and faithfully yours, Jody Clark, Senior Warden</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Nancy's Good Shepherd Sermon:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jesus proclaimed, “I am the Good Shepherd." </span><b style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Good, meaning pure, of good character,
blameless</b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Why did Jesus use a shepherd to illustrate who he was?</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In Psalm 80: God was called the
shepherd of Israel. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In the 23</span><sup style="line-height: 115%;">rd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
Psalm King David said the Lord is my shepherd. The Prophet Ezekiel, in
predicting the coming of the Messiah, called him a shepherd. (Ezekiel
34:23)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So, Jesus stood before the
religious leaders of Israel proclaiming very clearly “I am the Good Shepherd”. He
used a term or profession that was readily understood by the people at that
time.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In Bible times, at the end
of the day the sheep were gathered from the fields and put into pens or folds
made of stone or rocks. The walls could be quite tall (up to 10 ft) to deter predators
such as wild animals or men (robbers and thieves) from climbing over the walls
to kill or steal the sheep.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The only
correct way to get into the fold was to go through a very narrow gate. The shepherd
would sleep across this gate at night. He was willing to die for his flock, but
the hired hands who aided in the herding of the sheep they were not willing to
die. They worked for money to live on that’s all. So, in the morning, the
shepherds would go to the gate one by one calling their sheep. They had a certain
call or whistle that only their sheep knew.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is still true in modern sheep farming. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">There was a
story about a man who lived in Australia who was accused of stealing a sheep
from another farmer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, the case
was taken to court. It was presented in front of the judge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He heard both sides and then; he decided
to settle the case in a very non-traditional way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had the plaintiff go out of the courtroom, re-enter and
call the sheep. He called to the sheep but sheep did not come. He acted afraid
and nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second man
entered (the defendant) and he called to the sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sheep ran to him gleefully. Case dismissed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">The shepherd was to guide his flock through many obstacles.
When crossing a body of water, the shepherd would have his obedient well
seasoned sheep cross first. He would just have to raise his crook and across
they would go leading the others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The challenging sheep who really didn’t want to cross he would gently
nudge along with his crook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
last group was the young lambs who got separated from their mothers. He would
have to go looking for them for hours. He would carry them back to the flock.
Something interesting would happen. The sheep would circle around the shepherd
holding the lost sheep and they would bleat loudly as if to say “thank you”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">I have heard many sermons on “The Good Shepherd”. Many of the
sermons illustrated how dumb sheep are. It irritated me because I knew I was
one of those sheep. But as I researched what a shepherd actually does. Here are
more examples: He protects the sheep vigilantly, heals their wounds by rubbing
olive oil on them and my friend Dorothy told me in Bible Study last Friday
night that the shepherds would put the olive oil on the sheep because they would
have these flies or gnats that would get into their eyes and mouth, so the
shepherd would put the oil around their nostrils and head to protect them from
getting to them (King David may have alluded to this in the 23<sup>rd</sup>
Psalm: He anointed my head with oil), a shepherd will never give up looking for
his sheep, he shears, feeds and waters the sheep, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he keeps watch over them day and night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I imagine living in that herd, you
didn’t have to worry about being fed, protected, healed and that shepherd loved
you so much he was willing to die for you. I don’t know about you but I want to
be a sheep. I want to follow the Good Shepherd and I have been following the
Good S<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>hepherd for a long time…sometimes I’m that little
lost sheep He had to carry back, I’ve been the challenging sheep that needed
poking and prodding, I hope I’m moving into that seasoned sheep where the Good
Shepherd has just raise His crook and I’ll go…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">I know my Shepherd’s call. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, it’s a reoccurring, persistent thought that just
won’t leave me. The thought or action usually has something to do with serving
or helping others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember one
call while I was living in Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was a preschool teacher at our church Living Word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They started a preschool and they
couldn’t find a teacher for the 2 year-old class. Guess who volunteered. It was
fun. I had a great teaching partner her name was Nancy, too. But at that same
time, I got another call for a really great volunteer job. I heard about the
Therapeutic Riding Ranch in Justin. They work with children with special needs.
I was so excited. I got to work with children and horses! My two favorite
things to do!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I set-up my
orientation visit and because of my experience with horses I could start that
day after orientation. I had a map quest print out (text only) but as soon as I
turned off the major highway on to the secondary roads I became very lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost turned around but something
rose up inside of me and I pulled into a gas station. No, I didn’t ask
directions. I prayed to The Good Shepherd for help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord, I am so lost. I really want to go to this ranch but
the evil one is trying to discourage me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Please guide me to the ranch, I’m listening. I’m sure I said a quick
amen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had lost it a little, so I
wiped the tears from my eyes pulled myself together. I had a strong urge to go
right, out of the driveway I went and turned right. Keep driving (I heard
another thought). I drove for another half hour until I saw a sign for Justin.
I road three more miles until I saw the Therapeutic Riding Ranch sign on the
right, I turned right and then another right into the ranch. Thank you, Lord
for guiding me safely to the ranch. I had the best day ever. I missed a little
of the orientation but that’s okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I knew what I was doing. I groomed, saddled, and bridled the horse for
my student. I learned about the mounting block and how the student was to mount
the horse. I loved my little 3 year old student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lead her around the ring about 3 times when she started to
get a little bored so I started singing to her some of our preschool songs.
This little light of mine, Barney songs; we were having a great time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end, I helped my student
dismount back at the block and hugged her good-bye. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">After I finished grooming
my horse, I went to the main barn to sign-out. I saw a man sitting in a
wheelchair. He had Cerebral Palsy. He was a mess. His seat belt wasn’t holding
him in his chair well. He was having trouble controlling his movements but he
waved me over to him. There were some women standing around him. They
introduced me to Jim. He was the founding Director of the Therapeutic Riding
Ranch and he competed in Horse Shows. They told me you cannot tell Jim has
special needs when he rides a horse because something happens when he mounts the
horse. The horse senses his special needs and accommodates for him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim started to speak to me. I had to
listen very carefully but I understood what he said. “I like that you sing to
your student, please come back.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Oh yes, I will. I enjoyed working with my student.” I don’t know what
possessed me to ask but I wanted to know how Jim got to work every day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ladies laughed and pointed to a car
that was parked very crookedly outside the barn. That’s Jim’s car. He has hand
controls and drives in every day. I was amazed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided right then and there that day, that I would never
say I couldn’t do something or it’s too hard. I can do all things through Jesus
Christ who strengthens me. I will live this Bible verse. If Jim can overcome
all of his difficulties and challenges to start a riding ranch that will help
hundreds of children then what’s my excuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was completely humbled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Good Shepherd had led me to a very special place where I
learn a very valuable lesson. My faith was growing in leaps and bounds (no pun
intended). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">I want to be a sheep. I feel great comfort in knowing my Shepherd
is watching over me day and night. He is providing me with everything I need to
live a purposeful and abundant life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes I feel His love so immensely it overwhelms me. My prayer for
you is this that you will hear the Good Shepherd’s call. When the call comes
you will go and have a great experience. Your faith will grow! I pray you’ll
feel the Good Shepherd’s abiding and abundant love now and forever.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Amen.</span></div>
</div>
Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06315866220415457915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-64073211498099034542015-04-02T05:03:00.000-07:002015-04-02T05:18:30.623-07:00Maundy Thursday Devotional : "Take up a Towel"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-Bz6oncQh0FITndGaoVfCMpxeU1XtRCtk1oFqRUl_j7adIqriy60cRg8_k4NfzFpu_c3pAryxGGpQDx0eZqm7gWQJ0s6YR3XWBMowdHwYxubq7IcgA5ECrJeS6g_E2KUJaHW3jzhy2lw/s1600/Jesus+washing+feet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-Bz6oncQh0FITndGaoVfCMpxeU1XtRCtk1oFqRUl_j7adIqriy60cRg8_k4NfzFpu_c3pAryxGGpQDx0eZqm7gWQJ0s6YR3XWBMowdHwYxubq7IcgA5ECrJeS6g_E2KUJaHW3jzhy2lw/s1600/Jesus+washing+feet.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="td1" valign="middle"><div class="p1">
This morning, I am sharing the Devotional posted by The Upper Room. As we make our way through the events of Jesus' final days on earth, toward the cross, and then to his glorious resurrection, let us become the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Let us develop a servant's heart. Let us "take up a towel," and get to work. <br />
How will you serve others?</div>
<div class="p1">
~ Jody</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<a href="http://devotional.upperroom.org/devotionals/2015-04-02/passage"><b>Read John 13:1-17</b></a></div>
<div class="p4">
Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”</div>
<div class="p4">
- John 13:14 (NIV)</div>
<div class="p6">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="p6">
<b>Today's Devotional</b></div>
<div class="p4">
Recently, I realized that what keeps me spiritually grounded is serving other people. When I face tough times in my own life or when I have more questions than answers, I want to “take up a towel” as Jesus demonstrated in John 13. Jesus was facing crucifixion. But instead of taking up arms or calling 12 legions of angels (see Matt. 26:53), Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist and started washing his disciples’ feet.</div>
<div class="p4">
When we face trials, it’s easy to focus on only our own problems. While we wait on the Lord to answer our prayers or while we search for answers, we often become impatient and ask God when, why, or how? Instead, we could simply search for opportunities to serve and bless others. When we take on a “towel mentality” and humble ourselves, we become the hands and feet of Christ.</div>
<div class="p4">
Brad Richardson (Georgia, USA)</div>
<div class="p4">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="p4">
<b>Thought for the Day:</b></div>
<div class="p4">
Thought for the Day: Whom can I serve as Christ’s hands and feet today?</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<b>Prayer:</b> Dear God, develop in us a servant’s heart. Help us to be sensitive to the many ways we can serve others at home, work, school, and church. Amen.</div>
<div class="p4">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<b>Prayer Focus:</b> For A Humble Attitude</div>
<div class="p4">
The scripture quotation, unless otherwise indicated, is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.</div>
<div class="p4">
Copyright ©2015 by The Upper Room, a ministry of GBOD. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce or redistribute without written permission from the publisher.</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06315866220415457915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-27826386024889533212015-03-25T04:47:00.000-07:002015-03-25T05:22:32.943-07:00Being PresentOnce a month, St. Mark’s holds a worship service at a local memory-care assisted living center. We bring communion and sing hymns, say the Lord’s Prayer and the Collect for Purity. Each month, I invite people from St. Mark’s to join us: usually there are four or five people from St. Mark’s there. When people consider coming for the first time, the question they ask me is usually, “Do you need me, or do you have enough people?” My answer is, “We have enough people, and we need you.” <br />
<br />
Running the worship doesn’t really take that many people. I do a nursing home worship by myself every month near my home in Mansfield, so I know it’s certainly possible to do a worship service with just one or two people. But our worship service at Bridges isn’t simply about saying a few prayers and handing out the Bread and Wine. It’s a ministry of presence. It’s a ministry of being the Body of Christ, of all parts needing one another. <br />
<br />
Our presence sitting among the residents for weekday worship reminds us that the people that gather at St. Mark’s on Sunday morning aren’t the entire Church: our prayers and our worship connect us to those who cannot be with us as well, whether they are prevented from attending by illness or work or even a soccer game. Our prayers are lifted up for the whole world, those who are able to join us on Sunday morning, and those who can’t. In prayer, we are joined together despite time and distance; we are even joined to those who will never worship with us on Sunday, but who are in desperate need of God’s love. <br />
<br />
Our presence sitting alongside the residents reminds them that they are not alone. They are still members of the Body of Christ, not merely people for whom things are done, but people who do things -- people who pray, who worship, who lift up those in need and share God’s love. Even now that they are no longer able to volunteer to run the Easter potluck or the stewardship campaign, they remain equal members of the Church, because no member of the Body can say to another, “I don’t need you.” We sit alongside one another, because before God all are equally welcome and loved. We receive communion together, because we are all equally in need of God’s grace and salvation. <br />
<br />
In this busy and hectic world, where we all have to-do lists that stretch to the horizon, efficiency points us toward sending only as many people as might be required to lead the worship -- a priest or a lay eucharistic minister, perhaps. But while worship would be accomplished efficiently, our ministry would be diminished. Being present just for the sake of being present makes a difference -- for both us and our brothers and sisters in the assisted living center. Praying alongside one another reminds us all that we are One Body because we share the One Bread. <br />
<br />
What do we accomplish? I don’t know that we accomplish a thing: indeed, some of the residents will probably not remember our visit past the evening meal. But we are present to one another, and we remember that Christ is present to us. <br />
<br />
“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This Cup is the new covenant is my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)<br />
<br />
Thanks be to God. <br />
<br />
~ SuzanneUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-66060910230666008902015-03-12T06:37:00.000-07:002015-03-12T06:43:04.492-07:00The Power of Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzjI_BMRtNPeh2iHqWvdZcRFbHLd6tsyIZrNuixfE1movWnNgwQmD0ubmXQiJHrz6uEliHLIKbws8X6GCHyCv-cxzf_AVCRdbJgkdJ7lbW1teg42Tv8Y32AquEGB1kONleqi9LGjnpwxl/s1600/praying-hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzjI_BMRtNPeh2iHqWvdZcRFbHLd6tsyIZrNuixfE1movWnNgwQmD0ubmXQiJHrz6uEliHLIKbws8X6GCHyCv-cxzf_AVCRdbJgkdJ7lbW1teg42Tv8Y32AquEGB1kONleqi9LGjnpwxl/s1600/praying-hands.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;">I am sharing today's Devotional from <b><i>The Upper Room</i></b>. The author, Monica Andermann, provides thoughts on prayer that reflect some of my own as I have been striving to be more intentional about praying daily during this Lent. The form of the prayer is not what matters. God knows our hopes, fears, and desires. All we need to do is take a few minutes of each day to open our ears, our minds, and our hearts to God, and He will provide answers to our prayers. </span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></em>
<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. " </em><em style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 18.5714302062988px;">Jeremiah 29: 12 (RSV)</em></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 18.5714302062988px;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"> As a person who leans on the Lord daily, it has been my personal experience that no one particular style of prayer is superior or inferior to another. In the past, I have prayed the rosary and offered Novenas at the urging of Catholic friends and family with good result. People of many faiths sometimes utilize prayer beads. The important part of such a practice is that it promotes concentration, commitment, and focus to one’s time in prayer. Certainly, one would expect the more time spent in prayer, the better the result. It’s my opinion, though, that’s not necessarily true.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"> In today’s devotion, I assert that even a sincere cry of “Lord, help me” is as effective as prayer on one’s knees in church. For me, this has and still continues to be true.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"> Right now I have moved into my father’s home so I can act as his primary caregiver whiles he recovers from a lengthy illness. What was initially expected to be a temporary situation of a few weeks duration is now going into its ninth month. I am required to tackle the responsibilities of work, caring for my Dad and his home, and caring for my own home and family. Daily, I must make several decisions on how to prioritize and best handle my many tasks. Those are not always easy decisions and though I might like to, I can’t always sit down with my Bible or rosary beads and go into an in-depth meditation to find my answer. Sometimes a cry of, “God help me,” or “Lord, lead me” is all that time allows. Does God answer those prayers? Of course.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"> While more time in communion with God does allow us to get closer to our Lord, God is not counting the hours and minutes we spend in prayer. We are not required to punch some type of cosmic time-clock until we accumulate enough prayer time to earn God’s response. God knows our heart and God knows our need. Our Lord desires only that we turn sincerely toward him and ask with an earnest spirit open to receive his answer.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"> <span style="line-height: 18.5714302062988px;">Gracious, Loving Lord, Thank you for hearing my prayers. Amen.</span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 18.5714302062988px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;">- Monica Andermann</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;">Thought for the Day:</span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;">Thought for the Day: God hears — and answers — our prayers.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><b>Prayer:</b> Dear Lord, how comforting it is to know that prayer, in any form, is powerful. Thank you for hearing the needs of our hearts. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><b>Prayer Focus:</b> Those Who Have Given Up On Prayer</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;">The scripture quotation, unless otherwise indicated, is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;">Copyright ©2015 by <i><b>The Upper Room</b></i>, a ministry of GBOD. All rights reserved. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06315866220415457915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1313663841660546837.post-20802649232022479392015-03-02T18:35:00.001-08:002015-03-02T18:40:13.581-08:00The Blessing of Unanswered Prayers<div class="body-text" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fp694AMh7TzCjSyLbi_NvVKTXbkYCQbXOozvef5bBqvhEXbTycAho6gpMEq-AWbFe-ET5htTc0kaSY8fVaJLPPl9OkwA3CHjraJ-fTfEGrnwteUj_X-4s47FvWagi0R3XuYfqXxO2ckH/s1600/blessings.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fp694AMh7TzCjSyLbi_NvVKTXbkYCQbXOozvef5bBqvhEXbTycAho6gpMEq-AWbFe-ET5htTc0kaSY8fVaJLPPl9OkwA3CHjraJ-fTfEGrnwteUj_X-4s47FvWagi0R3XuYfqXxO2ckH/s1600/blessings.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I asked for strength that I might achieve;<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I asked for health that I might do greater things;<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I was given infirmity that I might do better things.<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I asked for riches that I might be happy;<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I was given poverty that I might be wise.<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I was given life that I might enjoy all things.<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I got nothing that I had asked for,<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />but everything that I had hoped for.<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;<br style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I am, among all people, most richly blessed."</span></div>
<div class="body-text" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="body-text" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">~Attributed to an unknown Confederate soldier</span></div>
<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This was the benediction last night to conclude our weekly Lenten study of "Understanding Poverty." The lesson centered around Jesus' statement that "The poor will always be with you." In the Gospels, Jesus tells this to His disciples after He has been annointed with expensive oil by an unnamed woman. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The disciples scold the woman, telling her that the oil could have been sold to provide money for the poor. Jesus tells the disciples to leave the woman alone for she is paying Him homage just days before He will die on the Cross. (Mark 14:3-9; Matthew 26:1-13; John 12:1-8)</span><br />
<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus, in fact, is referring to an Old Testament law stated in Deuteronomy that commands the remission of debts every seven years.(Deuteronomy 15:1-11) This law of remission commands that you release your debts, giving generously and whole-heartedly. "Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, 'Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.' " (Deuteronomy 15:11) This is not an excuse to ignore the poor, but to open our hearts and help as we are able.</span></span><br />
<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes, as individuals, we feel powerless to combat the poverty around us in our community, in our country, and in the world. At times, we feel so needy ourselves that it is impossible to feel that we have anything left to give. We struggle to earn a living, make mortgage and tuition payments, pay our loans, and still give charitably to the church, the food pantry, and at least a few of the many other organizations that ask for donations.</span></span><br />
<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The truth is that there are always others less fortunate than we are. That is why I feel hopeful when I read the anonymous Blessing of Unanswered Prayers. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was given life that I might enjoy all things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I got nothing that I had asked for,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">but everything that I had hoped for."</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These lines, in particular, are powerful reminders that what is truly important is not the accumulation of possessions or material things, but the enjoyment of all that we have in our lives: love, people, talents, grace. God blesses us each with so much. From our blessings, we always have something we can share with others. Sometimes we are able to give money or food or clothing or shelter. But at the very least we are able to give a smile, a kind word, or a prayer.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dear God,</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you for the many blessings you have given me.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you for reminding me that I have everything I have hoped for.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you loving me completely.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you for providing me with opportunities </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to share my abundance</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">with others who are less fortunate.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you for your Son, Jesus, who is always worthy of my love and devotion.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Help me to live my life according to His word.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Help me to live into my Baptismal promises:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being;</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself;</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I ask this in Jesus' name.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Amen</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Goudy Old Style';"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06315866220415457915noreply@blogger.com0