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This week’s Gospel once again finds us on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus addresses it to a group of people who are identified as confident of their own righteousness and who regarded others with contempt. Jesus has a message for them that involves a Pharisee and a tax collector and their relationship with God

The pharisee represents a group of people who believed they were acceptable and good simply because they observed the law. Acceptability was based on their behavior, their good deeds and their willingness to be obedient to the Law. This might be viewed as living from the outside in. God thinks more highly of me than others because of my good behavior. I fast twice a week and tithe – all outward behaviors. This Pharisee is proud of himself, believes he is respected. 

But I ask us to contemplate: where is his heart?

The tax collector, on the other hand is among the most despised during this time of Roman occupation. As a Jew, he worked for the enemy, viewed as a traitor and beyond that, was known for pocketing the surplus. The tax collector in our story is so remorseful that he is unable to raise his head. He is aware of his sin and begs for mercy.

The error of the Pharisee is that he thinks he can be obedient to God while at the same time have disdain for people like the tax collector. He fulfills what the Torah demands but pays no attention to the command to love.

Jesus used this parable to remind us that we cannot be obedient to God’s Law without first loving one’s neighbor as oneself and he often challenged those who believed they were in good standing with God to rethink their position.

So, what indeed counts as righteousness before God?

Acts without compassion and love are not considered righteous by God. This parable actually shows us two images of God: one supposed by the Pharisee, which is false, and one hoped for but not presumed by the tax collector, which was right. God is not impressed with pious acts and feelings of superiority. God is a God of mercy who in fact, responds to honest prayers. More importantly, however, this week’s Gospel is a lesson on our attitudes towards ourselves and our neighbor.

Sunday is the formal kickoff of our 2023 stewardship campaign, entitled: More than Enough! Such an important time for us to prayerfully consider just how much we have been enriched by our relationship with and experiences as members of this vibrant, Christ-Centered community at St. John’s.  “Stewardship involves all of life. It is our approach to living a God-centered life. It is about our commitment to discipleship, to be more like Jesus. Stewardship is more, much more than deciding how much to ‘put in the plate’ on Sunday. It has to do with our values. It is about a mindset. It is about doing all that we can with all that we have.” Ken Weliever.  This is inside out thinking!

Your pledge is between you and God, but we are all enriched and blessed as we share together in the ministry at St. John’s.

Thank you for returning your pledge in the offering plate or mail it to 12 Prospect Street by November 6^th.

In God’s abundant love and great mercy,

Deacon Claire

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A man is walking down the beach and comes across an old bottle. He picks it up, pulls out the cork and out pops a genie! The genie says, "Thank you for freeing me from the bottle. In return I will grant you three wishes." The man says "Great! I always dreamed of this and I know exactly what I want. First, I want one billion dollars in a Swiss bank account." 

Poof! There is a flash of light and a piece of paper with account numbers appears in his hand! He continues, "Next, I want a brand new red Ferrari right here."  

Poof! There is a flash of light and a bright red, brand-new Ferrari appears right next to him!

He continues, "Finally, I want to be irresistible to women."

Poof! There is a flash of light and he turns into a box of chocolates.

Before I talk about our stewardship campaign, I wanted to say that some folks have a misguided idea that money, fast cars, and increased sex appeal are what we should aspire for. As I grow older, I realize more and more that long-term relationships bring the greatest joy. Your children, spouse, family, and friends are important examples. A relationship with God can be at the center of your life and will help you maintain all your other relationships. What you may learn in a long term relationship with Jesus Christ is that you are created perfectly as you are, you are deeply loved, and that you have more than enough already without a billion dollars, a new Ferrari or increased sex appeal. 

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. Luke 9:16-17, NRSV

This year our campaign focuses on the miracle of sharing, the ways in which our means meet the needs of the world, the ways in which we respond to the Gospel, the ways in which we sustain our community. More Than Enough, the theme for our campaign, brings us back to that moment of miracle described in Luke’s Gospel, having just been fed by Jesus from a scant few loaves and fishes. The people in that story heard Jesus’ call to share what they had in order that all might benefit. When we have strategies that need to be developed, or committees that need to be staffed, or problems that need to be solved, you answer the call of your church, and share your wisdom and experience. You are that inspiration and action, without whom our church and our ministry would be diminished. I ask that you pray with us as we launch our annual gathering of gifts and gratitude, and consider how you will contribute your gift of wisdom.

Our pledge campaign kicks off this year on October 23rd and continues on October 30th and November 7th. You will receive a pledge card in the mail this week and I ask you to prayerfully consider the gifts that you receive and ask you to give to St. John's on a proportional basis. I ask you to turn in a pledge so our vestry can set a budget for 2023. Please consider raising your pledge this year so that St. John's may continue to grow and flourish. You may send your pledge card to the office at 12 Prospect St. or place it in the Sunday offering. Each of the next three Sundays you will hear parishioners witness to the love and mercy of God that they have experienced at St. John's.

St. John's Annual Harvest Fair will take place on Saturday, October 22nd from 10AM to 4PM. This is an “all hands on deck” event. Join us by just coming down and lending a hand. New members are especially encouraged to join in. Please invite your friends and neighbors to attend. Our ECW will give a substantial portion of the proceeds to local charities. Help us to help others. 

I am so grateful for you. Your faithful membership at St. John's and your generosity sustains our ministry and is a source of encouragement to me.

In Christ's love, 

Fr. Duncan

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I love collects. Church collects are the prayer that begins every Sunday service after the priest says “the Lord be with you,” and the congregation responds “and also with you.” The priest then says, “let us pray…” and there follows the prayer for that day and the following week: that prayer is called a collect. Us clergy and laity who pray the Daily Office (Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer or Night Prayer, also called Compline) say that collect prayer throughout the week as well, so we get to know the prayer really well, potentially saying it up to fifteen times! Collects usually follow a particular formula: naming God, thanking God for something, and asking God for something else. Then the prayer concludes with a trinintarian tribute to the Almighty God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Collects typically tie in the themes for the Sunday Eucharistic readings or incorporate the time of year. This past Sunday gives a prayer that continues until tomorrow, which to me outranks every other prayer; of all 52 weeks of the year: every holy day, saint day, Christmas and Easter, no… in my opinion, this prayer takes the cake. 

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Oh. My. Goodness. This prayer captures my entire theology in one prayer! For my chalice article this week, I would like to pull apart this collect. It starts off with a simple title for the divine: Almighty and everlasting God. We acknowledge God being all powerful and existing outside of time. The collect names God as always more ready to hear than we to pray. This prayer just named that God will always be with us, always stand by us, always be present - despite whether we're calling out to God or not! God is always ready, on standby if you will. God is STEADFAST.

Give[s] more than we either desire or deserve. God is overflowing with blessings. God’s generosity does not stop with what we need. God continues to give us, even when we stop asking. God does not work on merit. God is ABUNDANT. 

Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy. I love that language. That phrase: pour upon us. It gives me the imagery of God’s gift of water. I think back to a few weeks ago when Fr. Duncan baptized one of God’s littlest creations and he poured from the carafe the warm, living water that would be used to bring a child into God’s family. It’s not enough that God is merciful. God saturates us with forgiveness. God gives us a wide berth. God knows we are trying our best because God is COMPASSIONATE. 

Forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask. God is aware of shame existing in our society. I truly believe God condemns shame. One should not have to be in fear of God not forgiving us, even the most egregious offenses, if we truly lament. God is not a punisher; God will not allow us to feel we are unworthy of asking for something because of our sins and transgressions. God loves you UNCONDITIONALLY. 

One of my Lenten practices that I think is relatable to us through this article is the spiritual practice of writing a collect. Name God, thank God for something God did for you or helped you realize recently, and ask God for that thing that you may be afraid to name. Let your recent unfolded life inform your prayer language and may you be transformed by the beauty of words which God has given you, to share back with God.

The gifts of God for the people of God, given back to God, to the glory of God. As you continue to discern your stewardship areas to God’s church of time, talent, and treasure, may you continue and in a deeper way experience God’s steadfastness, abundance, compassion, and unconditional love each day going forward. 

God loves you, St. John’s loves you, and your clergy love you.

Your sibling in Christ,

Fr. James

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The Saint Who Launched a Thousand Birdbaths

Francis of Assisi, the saint who launched a million birdbaths, hundreds of thousands of statues, and the occasional service of the “Blessing of the Animals” was, for Chesterton, the one Christian who actually lived the Gospel. Francis was the son of a wealthy textile merchant and as such part of the new Italian middle class that was coming into its own. His father’s wealth and Francis’ own natural charisma made the young man a leader of the youth of his town. Francis gained a rock-star like following by the early 1200’s. He remains famous today not because of his own words and actions so much as because his words and actions conformed so closely to those of Jesus. As a boy Francis dreamed of earning glory in battle. He got his chance at an early age when he enlisted, along with the other young men of Assisi, to fight in a feud against a neighboring city-state. Assisi lost the battle and Francis was imprisoned for a time. Defeat in battle and serious illness in prison caused Francis to turn away from his visions of glory on the battlefield. Francis’ path toward God took a series of turns closer and closer to God, rather than an all at once conversion. However, the course of Francis’ life was profoundly changed by at least two formative experiences. On a pilgrimage to Rome, Francis saw a beggar outside of St. Peter’s Church. The Holy Spirit moved him to trade places with the beggar. Francis exchanged clothes with a beggar and then spent the day begging for alms. That experience of being poor shook Francis to the core. Later he confronted his own fears of leprosy by hugging a leper. Like trading places with the beggar in Rome, hugging a leper left a deep mark on Francis. Shaped by his experiences with the beggar and the leper, he had a strong identification with the poor. Francis cut himself off from the opulent lifestyle of his father and sought out a radically simple life. By the time of his death, the love of God had compelled Francis to accomplish much toward rebuilding the church. He could look on thousands of lives transformed by his call for repentance and simplicity of life. Yet, Francis of Assisi was simply a man transformed by the love of God and the joy that flowed from a deep understanding of all that God has done for us (Rev. Canon Frank Logue).

Jesus asks us to have the faith of a mustard seed. He goes on to say that we should simply do what we are supposed to do. There are Christian saints that have done just that. St. Francis led thousands to Christ by his simplicity. Jesus Christ gave himself for the sake of others. St. Francis followed in his footsteps. Our Presiding Bishop calls this the Way of Love. Every Christian is called to follow Jesus with acts of love to one another. St. John’s mission is to “Know Christ and make Him known.” Perhaps our mission could be rephrased, “Know the love of Christ and share it with others.” This begs the question, “How are you (we) sharing the love of Christ.” We know the love of Christ by the joy we feel in practicing self-giving love. Following the love of Christ also adds meaning and purpose to our lives. When we follow the “Way of Love” others will feel that love and pass it on to others. Please be generous in sharing your love with others. Follow the path of the Saints and remember St. Francis this weekend. Please bless your pets this Saturday at 5:00 pm in the Garden of Blessings or at the very least, set up a bird bath.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

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Wild Geese (from Dream Work by Mary Oliver)

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

This past week, we had a beautiful barbeque after the Sunday service. Fran noticed that it was the best attendance that she could remember. Dave and the breakfast group cooked corn, burgers, and hot dogs. Each member brought a salad or a dessert. The tables were filled with a combination of homemade dishes and delights from local stores. Fr. James organized the youth and Deacon Claire organized the prayer ties with Dr. Ric Statler and

Qi Gong with Leslie Martin. Sunday was an amazing example of the deep love that this community has for one another and Jesus Christ.

We are made whole when we realize that everything comes through the mercy and grace of God. Jesus Christ came that you may have life and live it more abundantly. Abundant life is a life lived in thankfulness. But that does not mean that our lives are perfect. At times, we need to share our despair with others and listen to their despair in return. We are created in the image of God to follow God’s path of mercy, forgiveness, and love. Let your love flow in your life in everything you do. Give thanks for everything you have.

Join us this fall in volunteering for the Harvest Fair on Saturday October 22nd from 10:00-4:00. St. John’s has been doing ministry in Huntington for 277 years and we know that what Christ is doing here is vitally important. Our ECW will support Long Island Cares, Helping Hands Mission, the Community Food Council, Family Service League, and many other vital local charities. Please participate in any way you can to this important event. The harvest is great and the laborers are few. Let your light shine even if you are surrounded by darkness.

We need to continue to transform our growing congregation through an experience with the living God to an authentic faith which sends us into the world to be the light of Christ and to be the leaven that transforms the world around us. Our focus this fall is on our children, youth and young adults and on creation care. We will continue our work on racial reconciliation and justice. We need to continually grow our outreach to the poor, the sick, the lonely, the disenfranchised, and the powerless. We are the arms and feet of Jesus Christ to a hurting world.

I believe that finding your place in the family of things is important. If you choose the path of Jesus Christ, then you will be blessed with a thankful heart and abundant life. Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference. “ 

In Christ’s love, Fr. Duncan

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I usually take Mondays to be monastic - or a bit like a monk. I sit, I read, I pray, and be contrary to my self for a day. It centers me and brings me to stillness. I had had a busy Monday morning with our first day at the nursery school and started Morning Prayer a little later than usual when Fr. Duncan knocked on my office door to check in on me. We sat at the conference table in my office catching up for a few minutes and then we transitioned to talking about liturgical theology - meaning our personal beliefs and piety surrounding the liturgy (or public worship). It was a bit of a jump from our conversation but within the topic. We came to talk about the Eucharist, being an act of remembering Jesus: “do this in remembrance of me.” Fr. Duncan emphasized different portions of the word remember back-to-back: remember… re-member. 

I sat for a brief moment in silence; an epiphany. Re-member. It was not something I had contemplated recently. When we take communion, we are literally coming together to become part of the body of Christ as we receive God into our bodies through communion with one another. We are quite actually re-membering ourselves to God. This had bridged a thought pattern I have mused about in the past but I really dwelt there this Monday. 

This coming Sunday is our parish picnic at Centerport Beach. I don’t know if you are new to the parish like me, or have gone to the picnic for years like Fr. Duncan, but this picnic isn’t just a picnic; it’s an act of re-membering. Jesus gathered with friends for a simple meal two thousand years ago when he said, “this is my body; this is my blood… do this in remembrance of me.” We are coming together as a community, bonded through our common trait of believing God wants us to be in community with one another. 

Many of you have asked me, why priesthood? Why become a priest? It was a challenging question to answer throughout seminary, when I knew God had called me but I did not have the appropriate language to answer those who asked. Last Lent, I had some time off and I contemplated this question: Why does Jesus call me to the priesthood? It has to do with this re-membering. I am called to priestly ministry, by way of distributing the sacraments, through being in community with others.

How are you a member in this community? For the next several weeks, we are approaching stewardship season. We will talk about time, talent, and treasure. Do you have a ministry that you give yourself to? Breakfast crew, St. Hilda’s Guild, Youth Group, Sunday School, Altar Guild, Thrift Shop, Nursery School, Choir, Vestry, are some of the important ministries we have here at St. John’s. Do you give your time or talent to any of these ministries? Do you feel called to be a part of them? To be a member? What about treasure; do you give a portion of what God has given you, to this community that you are a member of? 

In order to be a living, thriving community, we all have a job to do. Whether its pouring orange juice and coffee on Sundays, knitting blankets for the Fall Festival, being a part of our youth ministry, or teaching our youngest siblings-in-Christ about Jesus, or preparing the sanctuary for service, or assisting someone buy a gift through our Thrift Shop, or watching little ones from our Nursery School on the playground, or sing your heart out from the choir stalls in the front of the church, or help lead this community, or financially give to sustain these ministries to ensure their survival for the betterment of our community, you are giving. Have you discerned how you can do any of these things better? I ask you to meditate on the various ministries we have here at St. John’s and ask yourself: how can I do this better, in remembrance of Him? How can I be a part of this parish family differently this year?

I ask you to re-member yourself to this community, whatever that means to you. You are called by God to be here. How will you allow that call to change your life? Do this in remembrance of me.

I hope to see you at the picnic.

Your sibling in Christ,

Fr. James

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Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one child like this in my name receives me; and whoever receives me does not receive me, but Him who sent me." (Mark 9:36-37)

At St. John’s, we say that our children are our treasure. Today is Sunday school registration in the Canterbury Corner and next week we will begin our Sunday school program. Christian Education begins every week at 9:40 in the Canterbury Corner with a children’s message from our curate, Fr. James. If anyone is available to assist with Sunday school, we are in need of help. Please let Christine Dore or Fr. James know if you are available. We will also kick off our youth group and young adult ministry this month. Registration for Confirmation and First Communion are also this Sunday. Youth Group is run by Rev. James Reiss and Ford Spilsbury. The first event is the barbeque on September 18th at 12 noon at the Centerport Beach. The first meeting is on September 25th at 6:30 pm in the Guild Room. In January we begin formal Confirmation and First Communion classes. First Communion will be April 16th at the 10:00 service. Confirmation will be held in May at the Cathedral in Garden City. We will also have adult classes for Reception into the Episcopal Church in January. Any children or youth who wish to be Acolytes may sign up with Fr. James. The training will be on October 9th after the 10:00 am service. New acolytes may serve on any Sunday starting on October 16th. Our experienced acolytes are invited to join us and help the new acolytes learn “the ropes.”

I know that parents are extremely busy and I understand that there are constant demands on Sunday morning. In my thirty years’ experience as a Youth Minister and Priest, I have found that Sunday school, acolyte ministry, and youth group are instrumental in developing great young adults. Giving of yourself in ministry, service, and worship has a lifelong effect on young people. I recommend that you invest as much of your precious time as you are able because of the fine women and men that come through the St. John’s youth programs. If you look around the church, you will notice some really fine people that make this parish and our Huntington community as nice as it is.

Today’s Gospel is about the overwhelming abundance of God’s forgiveness and the transforming love of God. Each of us plays the role of the Pharisee when we judge people. The Pharisees were grumbling about the way Jesus welcomes sinners and tax collectors. Like the people of the Old Testament, the people of Israel are portrayed as a complaining, grumbling stiff-necked people. The lawyers grumble about those who do not follow the law. The Pharisees complain that Jesus is healing on the Sabbath, eating with tax collectors and going out to a lower class of people. In today’s story, God’s unmerited love is offered to everyone, including sinners and outcasts. The fact of the matter is that we are forgiven through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is only through grace that we are saved. Perhaps we can learn something from those who are poor and powerless in our society. Perhaps Jesus comes to us when we least expect it in the person of a lost sheep or an immigrant at the border.

Do you remember the thief on the cross who humbly asked for forgiveness? The amazing grace of God is that we are all loved equally. God and heaven rejoice when just one sheep is returned to the flock and when one coin is found. God’s love for us exceeds our ability to understand it. We are called to treat everyone who enters our doors as God’s beloved and we are called to the border to be with those who are lost and hurting.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan 

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Discipleship

Faithful discipleship is definitely not for the faint of heart.

What does it really mean to follow Jesus. So often we say those words, or even sing those words. We have a song in our Praise Book called, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” It is an upbeat song that energizes us. When we sing it, many of us feel a deep joy and true commitment to walk the road as a disciple of Jesus.

This week’s Gospel, however, paints a much clearer picture of what is really at stake when we make that commitment. Jesus uses strong language to spell out the high cost of discipleship. He tells us that it must be a total dedication that moves us from wanting to be a disciple, to considering being a disciple to making the final decision to being a disciple. There is nothing simple and easy about this decision.

It was easy for the multitudes, and in fact for us to follow Christ superficially. Many followed Jesus because he was charismatic. He taught, prayed, healed, and performed many miracles. We, like the multitudes in Jesus’ day are captivated by the excitement of his ministry. We want to know what is next on his plate. 

But in today’s Gospel, Jesus looks to weed out those who followed him for superficial reasons. He was sent by God to not only die for our sins but share God’s truth to humankind. As he continues his journey to Jerusalem, things will begin to heat up and those who were mesmerized by his incredible energy will most likely fall away. This would be damaging for his greater cause.

We are being asked to consider the cost of discipleship, and Jesus’s message is radical and demanding. We all fall short, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of God, we have the capacity to prevail. It is a process that all of us at St. John’s are engaged in, and at its heart is transformation. 

“The call to discipleship is a gift of grace, and that call is inseparable from grace.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

May our hearts be transformed! 

I Surrender All 
Anson R. Dawkins / Derek Clark / Eric D. Dawkins / Judson Wheeler Van Deventer / Winfield Scott Weeden

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live

All to Jesus I surrender
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit
Truly knowing that Thou art mine

All to Jesus I surrender
Now I feel the sacred flame
Oh the joy of full salvation
Glory, glory to his name

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee My blessed Savior
I surrender all

With great perseverance, hope and love,
Deacon Claire

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“What does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Today’s collect asks God to increase in us true religion. To me, true region is accepting Jesus Christ as our savior, who died on a cross for our sins that we might have life everlasting. True religion offers abundant life, a purpose driven life that provides meaning to this temporal existence. The collect continues, “Nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works.” When we believe in Jesus Christ, our lives are forever changed. The whole point of coming to church is to worship God, be drawn closer to Christ, and be sent out into the world to do God’s work with the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is calling for a radical restructuring of society.

Martin Luther King, Jr. noted that, for peace and equity to be realized, individuals and nations would have to look beyond their own interest and work for what is best for all of humankind. He called for a revolution of values, for the formation of “a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class and nation.” In reality, he said, this is a call “for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all people,” in contrast to the self-defeating path of hatred and retaliation.

In his conclusion, King wrote, “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity. The "tide in the affairs of men" does not remain at the flood; it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residue of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: "Too late." There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. We still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. We must move past indecision to action…If we do not act we shall surely be dragged down the long dark and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight. Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter -- but beautiful -- struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another message, of longing, of hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise we must choose in this crucial moment of human history” (Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Riverside Church in New York City, April 1967).

King wrote those words more than fifty five years ago. And while it may be true that nothing resembling expertise exists in the Christian life, if we aren’t yet convinced that tomorrow is today, if we aren’t feeling confronted – every time we read the news – with the fierce urgency of now, then we have more practicing to do We all have a lot more practicing to do. Fortunately, God’s invitation to us is always open. It is always now that we are invited to experience God’s grace and love, to sit at God’s table with all of God’s children. And it is an invitation we are empowered not just to answer but to extend to others, especially to those children of God who desperately need to know – NOW – that they, too, are worthy, they too are loved, they too, just like us, are the recipients of the totally undeserved mercy of God, every day. Remember that we serve humbly because of the commandment of God and not necessarily the goodness of other people. 

I ask for you to join together NOW to be the church that God calls us to be. Please think of ways that you can take better care of God’s creation and all of God’s children.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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“God is transfiguring the world this very moment through us because God believes in us and because God loves us. What can separate us from the love of God? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And as we share God’s love with our brothers and sisters, God’s other children, there is no tyrant who can resist us, no oppression that cannot be ended, no hunger that cannot be fed, no wound that cannot be healed, no hatred that cannot be turned to love, no dream that cannot be fulfilled.” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu)

In the next few weeks, thousands of refugees from Ukraine will receive food and medical supplies. The World Central Kitchen has sent over 11 million pounds of food into Ukraine and is feeding refugees across Poland. Direct Relief has sent 456 million in medical relief to Ukraine. Both charities are top ranked with a 100% rating. At the United for Ukraine event, several people commented to me that St. John’s is doing what the Gospel tells us to do. Presiding Bishop Curry asks us to love one another by our words and actions. There will always be tyrants in the world, but they have no power over us. The only power that cannot be shaken is the love of God through Jesus Christ. In this week’s lesson from Hebrews, we hear the words, “But you have come to Mount Zion and the city of the Living God…Therefore since you are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks.” (Hebrews 12) 

In today’s Gospel Jesus risks criticism and his life when he heals a woman on the Sabbath. The mercy and love that he feels for her is greater than the risks of offending the hypocrites. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle gave a talk at the Lambeth Conference and shared some personal stories. “He spoke with a town governmental official while there and discovered she was not there in any official capacity, but instead donating her time in the refugee camp. She told him: ‘My ancestors were refugees too. I have refugee DNA. These refugees are my brothers and sisters.’ We are called to the border this fall to show the same mercy and love to the refugees in Nogales, Mexico that we just showed to the refugees in Ukraine. Many come to the border to flee from tyrants and to have a better life for their children. I don’t have any opinion on what to do politically, but as Christians, we need to show compassion and mercy. “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (Psalm 103:8)

I hope you have made some adjustments to your carbon footprint and that you are changing the way you think of this fragile earth that we live on. I believe that it is good for your soul to “act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) As God loves us with compassion and mercy, we should love one another with the same love. Loving creation is one way to return our love to God. We become part of the eternal (that which can’t be shaken) when our hearts overflow back to God and one another. 

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan