Mark 9:33-35 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way? But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

   and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

   and to walk humbly with your God?

Luke 14:11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Eph.4:1-2 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Col. 3:12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

Jam. 4:6 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, God opposes the proud,

 but gives grace to the humble.

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples a second time that Jesus will be betrayed, killed and rise again on the third day. Jesus knows that he is running out of time. Jesus is instructing the disciples because although they know he is the Son of the Living God, they do not know what is ahead. They will soon be headed for Jerusalem and Jesus needs the disciples to understand the truth about what is about to happen. The disciples are so confused about Jesus’ self-sacrificing love that they argue who is greatest among them. It will take the resurrection for the disciples to catch on. Judas will betray Jesus, Peter will deny knowing him, the rest of the disciples will hide in the upper room for their very lives as Jesus is crucified. Today’s lesson is about humility. May the Spirit of Truth guide us down this path gently.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

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“Open my heart, O Lord that I may lay aside the preoccupations of my life and know that you are already here. Teach me your desire for steadfast closeness and swallow me in your love. Open my ears that I may know an intimacy that is already there. You have dwelled in me since my baptism. Let me deepen my desire for intimacy with you (Martin Smith).”

Martin Smith gave me this prayer at a retreat I was leading. I wrote it in my journal and share it with you because I think that the preoccupations of our lives are becoming overwhelming and the peace of Christ that passes all understanding is a treasure that we all need and desire. This pandemic seems to be with us for another fall and winter. Please take a moment away from the media and back to the one that loves you eternally. I pray that you will open your heart and your ears to the love of Christ and that St. John’s will continue to be a place of radical welcoming, hospitality, and God’s grace. May we crave the one whose steadfast love is eternal. May we share that love with our families, our congregation, and our neighbors. May we love one another as Christ loves us.

As you volunteer your time, talent, and treasure at St. John’s, it is my responsibility to keep you centered in Christ. One of my most important roles as pastor of this congregation is to lead each of you to a deeper spirituality. We are all very busy people and most of us can relate to “running” from one place to another in our life. It gets so crazy at times that I think people forget where they are running to.

Please take a few minutes from your busy life and enter into the peace that passes all understanding. God loves you deeply and wants you to live a meaningful life. When we draw close to the love of God, we begin to see the path of self-giving love that Jesus Christ has taught us through his life, death, and resurrection. At St. John’s, you will see many examples of those who give themselves to others.

There are saints among us that have such a deep love for Jesus Christ that the love of God exudes from their ministry. They often care for the sick, visit the lonely, feed the hungry, and provide Living Water to those who thirst. They provide this Living Water by living a Christian life that is rooted in their faith and love of Jesus Christ. They may work at the Thrift Shop, help with our Harvest Fair, visit shut ins, or serve on our St. Hilda’s Guild. You will not often see them taking credit for anything they do and may never even notice the wonderful ministry that they do, until you are in need yourself and they care for you and love you like family.

I ask you to join us on September 19th and 26th to celebrate the saints that serve at St. John’s. We will give thanks for the ministry of Rob Wheeler on September 19th at the 10:00 service. We will give thanks on September 26th at 10:00 for the ministry and service at St. John’s for Rev. John Morrison. At 11:30 on September 26^th, we will have a service of remembrance for Robert Boise. Please join us in the church, on zoom, or on Facebook live.   

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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This Sunday's first reading is from the 35th Chapter of Isaiah. Here we see a reflection of the power of Israel's God to restore creation. Once God's aims are accomplished, and God's vengeance is satisfied, nature is restored to the order God desires. In fact, nature is made better than it was before. The desert not only blooms as it might do in a normal spring season (Vs. 1-2), it also runs over with new sources of water (Vs. 6-7). The desert has been transformed into a marsh. And like the orders of nature, the people themselves are also better than they were before. All their physical infirmities have been healed (Vs. 5-6), and their fears have been allayed by the knowledge that God's vengeance, in this case, is expressed for their benefit and not their harm (Vs. 3-4). Here the prophesied curse of ears that do not hear, eyes that do not see, and minds that do not understand the intentions of God (Isaiah 6:9-10) are replaced with a promise of bodies whole and strong and a God that can be heard clearly calling for the people's restoration. This is a clear and awesome promise of a faithful God, the same God we worship today.

Our second reading from St. James is part of a letter to Jewish Christians who were caught up in the social tensions of the mid-first century.  At this time, there were outbreaks of violence and insurrection taking place in Jerusalem and environs — a conflict that would culminate in the Jewish revolt of A.D. 66-70. In fact, the whole Roman world was dealing with unrest, including food shortages, economic problems and the rapid turnover of Roman emperors that led to an erratic government policy toward Christians, Jews, and others. The problem before the church in this time of upheaval can be summed up: "How do we remain a faithful Christian community in the midst of this time of trial and temptation?" St. James wrote to encourage his brothers and sisters and to give them some instruction on how to navigate in difficult times. In essence, he says faithfulness must be practiced. He gives a series of instructions on how to live a good Christian life. However, he admonishes them not to just listen to the way but practice it. We may be sorely tested in life, but if we see those tests as an opportunity to be faithful, we can come to appreciate it as a gift from God.

Today's Gospel from St. Mark continues from last Sunday. Here we are told of two healing miracles by a rather tired traveling Jesus. Although different, these miracles, clearly reveal the awesome power of Jesus as well as expressing his desire to keep his identity secret. The first miracle reported here involves the daughter of a Gentile woman. It seems like Jesus initially does not want to heal the girl, however, Jesus clearly respects the mother’s persistence. On the basis of her words, he directs her to go with the promise that the demon has left her daughter. The reversal that Jesus demonstrates in his willingness to perform the miracle from verse 27 to verse 29 is unparalleled throughout the gospels. That an unclean, Gentile woman should be the cause of such a reversal is even more astounding. In the second healing miracle, Jesus adopts a rather unusual procedure for healing the deaf man by putting his fingers into his ears, spitting, and touching his tongue. In antiquity, saliva was sometimes imagined as conveying healing or magical properties. We remember that Jesus also uses his saliva later in the gospel to heal the blind man at Bethsaida (8:23). However, for the healing of the deaf man, even more, actions are evidently necessary as Jesus pronounces the word "Ephphatha." In Jesus' speaking of an Aramaic pronouncement at the moment of healing, one might be reminded of the scene of Jairus' daughter's healing where a similar pronouncement affected the healing (5:41). Just as this secrecy does not stop the word about Jesus spreading within the narrative, so, too, does the gospel itself stand as testimony that such witnesses to Jesus will not ultimately be silenced. 

-- Cn. Richard Visconti

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Our first lesson from the Book of Deuteronomy has the prophet entreating Israel to be faithful to the laws given them by God Himself. He tells them never forget and be faithful in teaching their children, what God has done for them. I believe we are all prone to be forgetful in the little things of life. We look for our glasses for 10 minutes, only to realize that they were on our head the whole time. Or look for our keys but eventually realize they were in our pocket. God’s immanence — meaning ‘within’ or ‘nearness’ — says that God is like that. Even as you search for God, God is already near. In reality you already have Him, your search is over. 

Today’s second lesson from St. James’ letter to the 12 tribes of Israel is filled with very practical advice and counsel. He is encouraging them to be intentional about living out their faith. St. James entreats them to practice what they hear and believe. Those who only listen to the Word are like a person who sees the face he inherited from his family in a mirror, and when he turns from that image forgets what sort of person he is. Have you ever thought about what your life would be like without a mirror? Seriously: What would we do without mirrors? Similarly, we can't get along without God's Word. We absolutely need it. And we must heed it. If we only hear the Word and do not practice it, we, too, forget what kind of people we are – namely, people who have been birthed by God and therefore people who have the responsibility to do what the Word of God says. The one who fixes attention on the law will become a doer, and in that doing will be blessed.

Our Gospel from St. Mark, once again relates a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. Some of Jesus' disciples were more orthodox in their Jewish practices while other disciples were less strict in their observance of washing rituals. It seems to be a trivial thing – not eating with clean hands. Although our moms may agree with the Pharisees here. But the real issue is not hygiene but popularity. These religious leaders see Jesus as a rival – surely motivated in part by envy. They want to undermine his authority, scatter his followers, and in due course some even hope to kill him. In other words, the Pharisees and scribes are hungry for what Germans call Schadenfreude, pleasure at the downfall of another, a feeling that is particularly savory when the other is a populist figure or seen as an adversary.

Jesus reinforces his denunciation of the Pharisees and scribes when he addresses the crowd. Simply put, neither unwashed hands nor food bought at the market nor ceremonially unclean pots and dishes contaminate a person. Rather, a person is polluted by his or her own thoughts, which originate inside and then radiate out. However, it should be clear that Jesus is not denying the existence of outside influences that defile us. If anything, interior evil thoughts and outside evil influences form an inseparable nexus that defiles, degrades and ultimately destroys the divine goodness (i.e., imago Dei) God gives to each individual.

-- Cn. Richard

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So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’ (John 6:67-69)

Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.  (Ephesians 6:13-20)

How can we find a way of life that will express an authentic expression of our love and willingness to serve God? Timothy Sedgwick, ethics scholar, says that “Welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, visiting those in prison, forgiving those who have acted against us, and perhaps most prosaically, but fundamentally sharing meals together in table fellowship—in these actions Christians claim they experience the full presence of God in a way that orients, reorients, forms, and transforms the roles and relations of everyday life.” When we do these things we move closer to what God wants us to become. In other words, we move closer to the abundant life, which is what God created us for. In moral terms, vices are those things that corrupt our human powers and capacities and virtues are the perfection of human powers and capacities. The theological virtues are faith, hope and love. Faith is the knowledge of God and the act of knowing God and brings us to a trust in God. Hope is an expectation of new opportunities and joys. Love is the experience of being loved by God. We might think we are headed in the right direction, but our arrogance makes us vulnerable.

How we love our neighbors that are different from us indicates how we love the Lord. Jesus said that what counts is what’s inside. Our actions through the power of the Holy Spirit change people from the inside out. Sedgewick said, “The presence of God given in worship is inseparable from the call into the covenant of hospitality that is our daily life…only in the covenant of hospitality do we acknowledge that we share a common humanity. In this is the ground for justice.”

In Christ's Love,

Fr. Duncan

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Last week, I helped us understand part of the meaning of “the bread of life” through Winnie the Pooh. Communion with Jesus Christ teaches us to love others as we have been loved by God. God loves us unconditionally and sent Jesus Christ that we might know how to be in communion with one another and with Christ. As a boy loves his bear or his pets, God loves us. There is an innocence of a child loving his stuffed animal that parallels Gods love for all of us. Maybe you have this same relationship with your spouse, partner, friends, or pets. At St. John’s we believe that Jesus is the son of the living God. The bread of life brings us in communion with Jesus and through following the Gospel, we learn how to love others and do the will of God. We struggle to understand something that is so basic to our happiness.

Today’s lesson from John’s Gospel has certainly been difficult to understand throughout history. The idea of bread coming down from heaven was probably not hard for Jews in Jesus' time because they had the stories of manna coming from God during the exodus. The idea that second century Christians ate the body and blood of Jesus would have been very difficult to grasp. As you are probably aware, the very idea of drinking blood runs contrary to Jewish law. The derivation of the Eucharist does come in part from the Jewish family meal. Before the meal, a loaf of bread was blessed, prayers were spoken and the bread was shared. After the meal, a cup of wine was blessed, more elaborate prayers were spoken and the cup was passed. The Jewish service at the temple included one reading from Moses and one from the Hebrew Bible. Psalms were read, the shema would be sung, prayers were then given and the teaching of scripture would follow. The shema was prayed numerous times each day:

She-ma yisrael, adonai eloheinu, adonai echad

Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One

This verse is followed by one line of text that is traditionally recited in an undertone:

Baruch shem kavod malchuto l’olam va-ed

Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever

The remainder of the Shema prayer is taken from three biblical sources:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead, inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).

At the Last Supper, Jesus teaches the disciples a new understanding of this ritual. Jesus was Jewish and therefore would have celebrated the Passover. Jesus simplifies the law in two commandments. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. You all know the words of institution from the Eucharist. Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to the disciples, “Take, eat, This is my body which is given for you.” Jesus blood and body are given for our sins. In Jesus suffering, death and resurrection we are offered new life in him. The wine and bread become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The early Christians shared a meal at their first services and eventually shared just bread and wine. Jesus simplified our understanding of complicated Jewish law to just two commandments. Love God and love one another. At times religion can make very simple concepts hard to understand, but communion is simply relationship with God and one other.

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Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).This statement is crucial to our faith because Jesus Christ came down from heaven to show us the will of the father. In Jesus time many complained that they knew Jesus’ mother and father. How could this man say that he is the bread of heaven? After he feeds the five thousand and walks on water, some people just can’t rationalize that something that is greater than us is going on. Jesus replies that “whoever believes has eternal life for I am the bread of life.” We are asked to see Jesus Christ as the top priority in our life.

At the 10:00 service on Sunday and at the 11:30 service, I will ask if you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, if you will continue in the apostles’ teachings and the breaking of bread, if will you repent and turn to the Lord when you sin, if will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, if you will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself and if will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? If you earnestly answer, I will with God’s help, The water that these children will be baptized in is the very same water through which God led the people out of their bondage in Egypt, the very same water Jesus turned into wine, the exact water that John poured over Jesus’ head at his Baptism when he was anointed as the Messiah and the heavens tore open.

We are drawn in by the grace of God, forgiven of our sins by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and have been given the promise of eternal life. In the letter to the church at Ephesus, we are challenged to live our lives in the Kingdom of God. "Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice for God." We are beloved children of God who witness the mystery of God’s love right here at St. John’s. Those of us who have glimpsed of the eternal and live in faith have a responsibility to let our light shine to our own children and to the next generations. I remember one visit home while in college. After church, I went with my father delivering sandwiches to the homeless in Bay Shore. At a time that I was drifting away from the Lord, it absolutely blew me away that my dad knew these people by name. My faith was restored and I began doing service work at school. We must persevere in our faith and witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ by giving of ourselves for the sake of others. There was a day when faith in Jesus Christ and living in the life of the church was the norm. Herbert O’Driscoll remembers it well and maybe you do too, but we can’t just hold on to memories, we must be vigilant about how we live and how we witness to the love of Christ.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).

Do you remember going to church when you were young? What I remember is the mystery and transcendence of God back in the sixties. It was a different age in the life of the church. Churches regularly filled the pews and needed to set up extra chairs in the isles to accommodate the crowd at holiday services. I love to hear the stories of when St. John’s was packed on holidays, stories of youth group trips, Sunday school, Harvest Fairs, St. Hilda’s guild projects, and other fond memories that so many of our parishioners have. If there is one constant that I always hear at St. John’s, it is the family atmosphere, welcome, and friendships that people experience when they come here.

But in 2021, in the madness of this pandemic, we tend to lose focus on why coming to church on Sunday (or watching on zoom) is important. Many people see church as an option when it is convenient. God offers something far more precious than most people can ask or even imagine. Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” This means that everything eternal will be just fine. Although our times may be difficult, Jesus has taken care of our worst fear. This used to be known by a majority of people, but a majority of folks now face uncertainty. Without faith in the resurrection, we are forced to live in anxiety and fear.

When I was young, I remember the words of the Eucharistic prayer and the sound of the clergy’s voice is forever etched in my memory, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you.” I then witnessed the transcendence of the bread at the table turned into the body of Christ. We were offered the real and tangible Body of Christ, who died on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins. At the end of the service, after singing hymns like Onward Christian soldiers; we strode out of the church with Christ like purpose to bring the kingdom of God closer and to make God real to a hurting world. TH Episcopal Church was at the forefront of civil unrest because the life of Jesus Christ stood in opposition to the practice of racial bias and we choose to follow his path and not the path of the “real world.” Martin Luther King Jr. and others preached a Gospel that changed the way we behaved as a country and brought Good News and hope to those who were oppressed. We were a church that heard the Gospel and demanded justice in the world. I remember leaving the church building with the purpose of God, through the self-giving love of Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. I think of my memories of my childhood as the passing of an age. But I believe with all my heart that St. John’s is doing the work of Christ. We preach the saving grace of Jesus Christ through our faith and through our actions. Please join us.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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“I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” 

Ephesians 3:16-21

In today’s reading from Ephesians, Paul prays to the good people of Ephesus that their inner being will be strengthened by the love of God in Jesus Christ. We can all pray for the good folks at St. John’s that we will comprehend this love, that Christ will dwell in our hearts, and that we may reflect that love to all the people we meet in our lives. In today’s reading, Paul speaks of the oneness of God’s love. Although the world tries to divide us, the love of Christ is wider, longer, taller and deeper than anything in the temporal world. Please pray for social justice, “Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

One of the ways we work for oneness of God’s love at St. John’s and in this community is through our racial reconciliation and social justice committee. We meet on every third Thursday at 6:30PM and we are planning a wonderful schedule for the fall. We need to your help! Despite the odds, God can make all things new again. God “is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,” Please join me in the prayer for social justice and if you are so inclined, in the fight for God’s justice and mercy to all who are hungry, thirsty, naked, oppressed or hurting. It begins with prayer. Then we feel the love of God in our heart. After we reach our arms to others, the Holy Spirit will change the world to Christ.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

We profess our loyalty to God. God provides life and security. God is all we need! We shall lack nothing if we follow our shepherd. This is a way of being. Put your trust in God. Seek ye first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). The word shepherd in Hebrew can also mean friend or pal. Christianity is a relationship with our shepherd. The relationship that we have with Jesus Christ is passed on to others by the love that we show to those in need and by our burning desire for justice and righteousness.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Palestine is a desert and the sheep need to be led to green grass to eat and water to drink. This means that we will have sustenance (food and drink) from God. It means to be safe from harm. We wear our masks when necessary, stay a safe distance apart, and get our vaccines because we don’t want to spread this disease any longer. In fact we want to do what is necessary to end this pandemic, get our economy back on track, and care for those who have been affected by this past year financially, physically and mentally. The shepherd needed faith because there was not much sustenance in the desert. They needed to find food for that day. Tomorrow was always in God’s hands.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

God keeps me alive. Food, drink and shelter are provided. We depend solely on God. God draws us to the path of righteousness and justice . While some will be selfish and gather more than they need for themselves at the cost of others, Jesus teaches us to be self-giving. The environment is a great example of this. We need to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and we need to reduce our use of waste products like plastics that are filling our oceans and landfills. We need to stop using poisons and eating carcinogens. We need to eat healthy, exercise, rest, and give to others to maintain our good health. This pandemic has taught us that many folks don’t have enough access to healthy foods and have developed poor habits. As a parish, we need to accept our differences and work together.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

This puts God in charge of protecting us from walking in the shadows. God leads us home from exile. Jesus shows us the way from brokenness into wholeness and from death into life. We walk through the desert to higher ground. Jesus came out the other side of death to lead us to Beloved community. We don’t end up in the desert. Life doesn’t end in death. Death is always right there. But Shadows can’t hurt you. Angels are with you. He will send his angels (Mark 13:27). The shepherd is with us through the challenging times. The host of heaven is with you. 276 years of St. John’s folks are already through the desert and comfort us by their prayers for us.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

God is sovereign. God is in control, not us. In this week’s Gospel of Mark, Jesus asks the disciples to come with him and rest. We can follow a path of a selfish, unhealthy lifestyle of the shepherds in this week’s lesson from Jeremiah or the self-sacrificing path to glory. God’s Kingdom is right here and we need to witness to others the love in our hearts that overflows to others.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The word mercy in Hebrew is hesed (God’s love or mercy) Death has been rendered harmless in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God offers every single one of us abundant life that is characterized by goodness and mercy.

In Christ’s goodness and mercy,

Fr. Duncan

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