“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you,

revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven;

for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. (Luke 6:20-24)

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus gives a passionate teaching to all who will listen. Most of us know this as the Sermon on the Mount, but today, Jesus is sitting on level ground teaching his disciples, all who have gathered to hear him speak, and those who are trying to touch him in order to get healed. In fact, Jesus is speaking to all people in all times. We all hear these words again and again. Some of this teaching is very difficult to understand, but one verse stands out to me as a summary of all the rest. Even my nursery school children know this verse from scripture. They know it as the “golden rule.” We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. While this is a simple rule to understand, Jesus turns the perspectives of world upside down in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus will cross boundaries, break religious rules, and cause people to be so uncomfortable that they will nail him to a cross to suffer and die. We must also push the boundaries of our own understanding, if we are ever to truly understand these radical teachings from Jesus.

The truth that God loves each and every one of us and that through the transforming grace of God in heaven, through the incarnation of God coming down to us and being both fully divine and fully human, we too can go into the deep water and meet the Risen Lord. Jesus is able to kindle a fire of love in our hearts that we may shine that light to all people. Please take some time to listen carefully to the Gospel of Luke over these next six months. I truly believe that this Gospel has something to say to you that can change your life and make you a beacon of hope. We will see God’s redemptive purposes, hear about God’s saving grace offered to all, learn about the dangers of loving money and material things, feel the blessings of poverty, and learn how to be a disciple, sent out into the world to be an authentic witness of God’s truth.

I spent the week at Holy Cross Monastery to deepen my relationship with Jesus Christ. Each day we spent the majority of the day giving praise to God and praying for the world. I give thanks for Coral and Deacon Claire for covering for me at St. John’s. I give thanks to my wife for letting me have a week of obedience, humility, and silence with the Benedictine Monks.

Please take a look at all the offerings that we have at St. John’s during Lent:

Ash Wednesday - Imposition of Ashes

March 2, 2022 at 7:00 pm in church and via zoom

Morning Prayer

Monday - Friday at 9 am via Zoom

Bible Study

Mondays at 6:30 pm via Zoom

Tuesdays at 11 am via Zoom

Lenten Series- "Living Beyond the Borders"

Tuesdays in Lent via Zoom

March 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, April 5th - 1:00 pm & 7:00 pm

The Rev. Canon David Ulloa Chavez, Canon for Border Ministries for the Diocese of Arizona, will lead a five-part series referencing the book The US Immigration Crisis by Miquel de la Torre. For our 2022 Lenten Series we will partner with St. Francis of the Valley. The program will be offered at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm to accommodate our different time zones. You are welcome to join at either time. At St. John's, we will begin with Stations of the Cross at 6:00 pm, Evening Prayer at 6:30 pm. The program will be from 7:00-8:30 pm.

In person Lenten Retreat - Quiet Day with Bishop Wolf

Saturday, March 12, 2022, 9:30 am - 12:00 pm

The Rt. Rev. Geralyn Wolf, Assistant Bishop of Long Island, will lead a Lenten quiet day of reflection and prayer at St. John's. We will meet in the Great Hall, there will also be an option to Zoom in. Suggested donation $15.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)

I would like to thank all our parishioners who made this year deeply spiritual for one another. The Rev. Claire Mis, Deacon has certainly been an inspiration to all of us. Thank you to everyone who attended her ordination at the cathedral or on Zoom. Our Morning Prayer group mets every weekday at 9 AM and prayed for our friends, neighbors, and for all in need. Prayer is the foundation of everything we do at St. John’s. Thank you for your leadership, your generosity, your ministry, and your continued faith in Jesus Christ. We are very blessed by your presence. I would also like to thank Coral, who has done an outstanding job as our administrator, Alex our talented musician and choir director, Jen, our St. John’s Nursery School superintendent, and our warden, Scott, who has led this parish with our vestry and committee chairs. May God continue to bless your ministries!

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” (Philippians 2:1-2)

This week our service times on Sunday are 8:00 am and 10:00 am and we will have our annual meeting after the late service. Please join us for our annual meeting on Zoom. We will elect two wardens and three vestry members. Please let me know if you would like to be a delegate to Diocesan Convention. Our theme for this year’s Annual Meeting is from Philippians 2:1-11. I ask you to read this passage before our service and Annual Meeting on Sunday and think about the question: “What does it mean to be of one mind in Jesus Christ?” My hope for the coming year is that you will deepen your faith and love in Jesus Christ and deepen your fellowship at St. John’s. Please live out your Baptismal Covenant by coming to church, worshiping with us on Zoom, helping those in need in our community, donating to our Thrift Shop, volunteering in our Thrift Shop, striving for justice by supporting our racial reconciliation and social justice committee, and getting involved in a ministry of St. John’s such as our Altar Guild.

I ask each committee to personally invite new members to join their group. If you are a new member or would like to help out please consider joining our Altar Guild, EFM, Racial Reconciliation and Justice Committee, HiHi, Thrift Shop, ECW, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Youth Group, Christian Education, Readers, Spirituality Group, Nursery School Steering Committee, Ushers, Lay Eucharistic Visitors, Prayer Shawl Ministry, St. Hilda’s Guild, Laundry Love, or one of our other committees. Please talk to Deacon Claire about joining our mission team as we prepare for our trip to the Arizona border on October 24-31. In 2023 we will travel to Puerto Rico in early July and to Iona Scotland in the fall for a wonderful pilgrimage with Leslie Valentine.

Our Sunday school starts again next week at 9:45am in the St. Hilda’s Guild Room. 1^st Communion classes are beginning soon with Sue McGinnis on Wednesdays at 5:00 and 1^st Communion will be May 1st at the 10:00 service. Confirmation classes start on Sunday February 27th at 5:30pm. Confirmation is April 30^th at 10:00am at our Cathedral in Garden City.

Next Week, February 13th is the Souper Bowl of Caring and our Youth Group is collecting donations to fight hunger in the Huntington Community. Please donate for our local food pantries, bring in food for the Food Pantry, or drop off Feminine Products. If you are interested in volunteering for the Thrift shop on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays, please drop by from 12-3.

In Christ’s love,

Rev. Duncan Burns

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Jeremiah 1:4-5, 7-8

The word of the Lord came to me saying,

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

Jeremiah’s call to preach was a job he neither asked for or desired. There he was, a young boy, from a family of priests living in a little town called Anathoth, located just three miles north of Jerusalem, where his family had been displaced years earlier by Solomon.

Simply minding his own business, God unexpectedly barged into his life calling him to be a prophet for God’s people. Has that ever happened to you? Snuggled up with a good book and all of a sudden you receive a prompting from God? Is it really you, God? You want me to do what?

That is exactly what happened to Jeremiah. Reluctant to obey, he made all kinds of excuses – too young, not experienced, not even able to speak before a crowd. “No God, I don’t think I can do that.” But God wouldn’t take any of it. No was simply not an option.

But the Lord said to me,

"Do not say, 'I am only a boy';

for you shall go to all to whom I send you,

and you shall speak whatever I command you,

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord."

This rendered Jeremiah speechless until Jeremiah remembered that the Lord had indeed provided all that he needed to go forth and do the work God called him to do.

I am always amazed at how God approaches and indeed chooses the most unwilling people to do God’s will. Why Jeremiah, so young and inexperienced?  Perhaps it is because God saw other qualities in Jeremiah that could be used effectively to bring God’s message to the people of Jerusalem, which was on the brink of collapse. He provided the words and the message, and learned to trust God’s promises to be with him.

When God calls us, it can sometimes be a frightening moment. We are not able to see the big picture, but rather only see our small selves not being worthy or capable of moving in God’s direction. While we too may banter a bit with God, telling him that we are too old, or too busy, or thinking, hey, maybe it isn’t even God that’s talking to me, or well, I might be able to serve on the Altar Guild but not now, maybe next year.

If we hang in there and continue to dialogue with God, we might begin to see things from a different perspective. We too might begin to enter into a deeper trust relationship with the One who loves and treasures us so. Moving beyond our fear requires being in relationship with God who holds you in the palm of his hand. That is not to say that the task God gives you will be easy, but you will know that God has your back. How could you go wrong? And, maybe, through God’s little nudge, or push, you will discover the amazing person God created you to become! 

In Christ's Love and Service,

Claire Mis, Seminarian

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“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Isaiah proclaimed to an oppressed people that soon they would be freed. “Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to zealously preach, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing"(Luke 4:20-21).

Jesus is going out into the world to demonstrate God’s love and mercy through his ministry. Deacons are a prime example as to how this ministry should be carried out. I am so thankful that we have the example of Jesus Christ us to show us the path of truth in this misguided pandemic-ridden world. God calls us to see those who are hurting and oppressed in the world, to roll open the scroll, and to fulfill the message of loving your neighbor through your actions in the world. When we throw a pebble into a still pond, the impact creates a ripple effect. That is what evangelism is all about, sharing the love of Christ in a self-indulgent, greedy, violent, and sinful world. Evangelism is not about getting people back to church. It is developing a relationship with the living presence of the Lord and bringing love and help where and how it is needed in the world. It is about listening to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in community and aligning our lives to the will of God. It is about understanding that we all have our own set of cultural beliefs, yet being able to love and serve those who may not completely agree with you. It is about the invitation, hospitality, and incorporation of others into the faith and love of Christ and the ministry of St. John’s. My hope is that you will have a belly burning thirst for helping others and that others will wonder, what inspires you to do good? When they do, I hope you will invite them to come and see the love and mercy that God offers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When they come back, I hope you will invite them to work in the Thrift Shop, to bring in a coat for the homeless, to help the St. Hilda’s Guild on Tuesdays on zoom, help out with ECW fair, sing in the choir, help read the lessons on Sunday, serve at the altar, or if you like, just join us each week at worship on Sunday.

Next Saturday, Clair Mis will be ordained to the deaconate. Claire has been such a blessing to St. John’s! “Deacons are members of one of three distinct orders of ordained ministry (with bishops and priests). In the Episcopal Church a deacon exercises 'a special ministry of servanthood' directly under the deacon's bishop, serving all people and especially those in need (BCP, p. 543). This definition reflects the practice of the early church, in which deacons were ordained 'not to the priesthood but to the servanthood [ministry] of the bishop'... Since ancient times the liturgical functions of deacons have suggested the activity of angels. As they proclaim the gospel, lead intercessions, wait at the Eucharistic table, and direct the order of the assembly, deacons act as sacred messengers, agents, and attendants. The revival of the order of deacons in the twentieth century has emphasized social care and service. Many bishops in the Episcopal Church expect their deacons to promote care of the needy outside the church” (Episcopal Dictionary).

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

 (I Cor. 12:4-11)

Epiphany is a season that manifests the divinity of Jesus. It starts with the recent birth of Christ in the coming of the Magi on the day of the Epiphany. Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus as a young boy in the temple. The Baptism of our Lord was observed on the Sunday after Epiphany. The gospels for the other Sundays of the Epiphany season describe the wedding at Cana, the reading of Isaiah in the temple by Jesus, and the opposition to Jesus in Nazareth. On February 2nd, we celebrate the Presentation of our Lord in the temple. The Last Sunday after the Epiphany is always devoted to the Transfiguration. Jesus' identity as the Son of God is dramatically revealed in the Transfiguration gospel, as well as the gospel of the Baptism of Christ. We are called to respond to Christ in faith through the showings of his divinity recorded in the gospels of the Epiphany season. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the coming of the Kingdom of God in today’s lesson. He says that you will no longer be forsaken and you will no longer be desolate. This helps bring us from despair to hope in troubled times. You will be blessed and loved by God. So God sent his only Son so that everyone would know that God rejoices over them and brings about righteousness and justice so that we all will know that we are loved and blessed by God.

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).

I ask each member of our congregation to consider your own gifts and to share them with those in need in our community and at St. John’s. Please consider joining our Altar Guild or serving as a reader at St. John’s. You might also consider serving in the Thrift Shop. There are many opportunities such as a Lay Eucharistic Minister or helping out on Buildings and Grounds.

Most of all, we need you to be connected to one another. Joining a small group at St. John’s is healthy for your spiritual life. Praying with a group of folks and walking together in good times and bad is one of the greatest benefits of joining a church community. Morning prayer is at 9am every weekday. Sunday zoom is at 8am and 10am and each service has a coffee hour after the service. Spirituality Group meets every 2^nd Thursday. Thrift shop meets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 12-3. Racial Reconciliation and Social Justice meets on the last Thursday of this month. Bible Study meets Monday night at 6:30pm and Tuesday at 11:00am. St. Hilda’s Guild meets on Tuesdays at 12pm. EfM meets on Monday nights. We have mission teams to Navajoland in Utah, Puerto Rico, and Border Ministries in Arizona. We are traveling for a spiritual pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland next year. Please use your gifts through a small group, serve on a committee, or pray with us.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:3-11).

I am asking our entire parish to read, study, and inwardly digest, Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Our bible study is on Monday nights at 6:30 pm and Tuesday mornings at 11 am. We are using video from N. T. Wright and the book, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters. One of the themes of this letter is to live as a single community. Although many of us are facing immense struggles, Paul says that we can give thanksgiving and celebrate with joy. This week, we will all be reading Phil. 1:1-11. The passage speaks of “koinonia” or partnership. Living in Christ means following a path that brings together all sorts of folks. Paul had this deep love for the people of Philippi, who had become partners in God’s mission with him. They prayed for one another constantly and with one another when they could. At St. John’s we show a radical hospitality to all those who walk through our door or view our services online. Paul tells us that the one who put a good work in us will complete it on the “Day of the Lord.” We are asked to work together and pray together until Jesus returns. We are transformed by the grace of God into an image of Jesus Christ. This passage is a particular challenge because these followers were of different races, worldviews, economic means, and backgrounds. Yet they all agree to follow Christ, who fulfills the promises of the prophets by making the world right one person at a time. The followers are overflowing with the light (love) of Christ that they can now share in a dark world.

But now thus says the Lord,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God (Isaiah 43:1-3).

“The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace” (Psalm 29:11).

God is with us during all our struggles during this seemingly never-ending pandemic. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul tells his followers that despite their suffering they can receive thanksgivings and joy through the love that they share with one another. 

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a)

It is my prayer that you will have the “eyes of your heart enlightened.” Paul begins with a compliment to the Ephesians because he has heard of their faith. He assures them that God is working through them and has immeasurable greatness of his power. In the third chapter of Ephesians Paul said, “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.” This spirit of revelation and wisdom is the knowledge that God loves us and gave us God’s only Son that we might have abundant life in this world and eternal life in the next.

Love is a key factor in the world. Even though we all know the importance of love in the world, we often get distracted by all that is going on in our lives. At Christmas, we experience the eternal love of God in a crude manger in Bethlehem. Kings travel from the East to pay homage to Jesus Christ. God calls us to fill our hearts with this love and share it with others.

Our first act of love should be thanksgiving to God in heaven for the birth of Jesus Christ, who came to enlighten the eyes of our hearts. Our next act of love should be to those around us. When loving God and loving our neighbor are combined, our brain stops playing the fear and anxiety video that leads our reptilian brain to increased heart rate and stress. We play the hope video that leads our brain to a healthier pattern of rational, moral behavior. This in turn sends the signal to our reptilian brain to produce endorphins, lower our heart rate, and reduce our stress. Most of us are aware of that when we listen to music that triggers happy memories. When we laugh, exercise, have sex, or eat certain foods, our brain triggers the release of endorphins and other chemicals which gives us that sense of being in a euphoric state. Likewise bad experiences and traumas trigger feelings of pain, fear, and anxiety. Since we all experience these triggers to different degrees, we need to love one another in the knowledge that we have all been damaged by the actions of others and are all in need of love and comfort. We especially need to care for those who are most vulnerable and least likely to be loved and comforted.

Christianity leads us down a rational, moral path that helps us to feel good about ourselves and triggers that feeling of contentment and satisfaction in our lives. Instead of selfish, egotistical, controlling and sometimes hurtful behavior, we follow Jesus Christ in self-giving, humble, loving behavior. This leads our brain to a healthy pattern of releasing chemicals that give us a sense of wellbeing. A healthy diet, lots of clean drinking water, loving relationships, exercise, and good sleep contribute to a happy and heathy life.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love incarnate, love divine;

Worship we our Jesus:

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,

Love shall be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and to all people,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

Christina Rossetti.

Nativity Prayer of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Let Your goodness Lord appear to us, that we

made in your image, conform ourselves to it.

In our own strength

we cannot imitate Your majesty, power, and wonder

nor is it fitting for us to try.

But Your mercy reaches from the heavens

through the clouds to the earth below.

You have come to us as a small child,

but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts,

the gift of eternal love

Caress us with Your tiny hands,

embrace us with Your tiny arms

and pierce our hearts with Your soft, sweet cries.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

In the bleak midwinter

Frosty wind made moan

Earth stood hard as iron

Water like a stone

Snow had fallen

Snow on snow on snow

In the bleak midwinter

Long, long ago

Angels and Arc Angels

May have traveled there

Cherubim and Seraphim

Thronged the air

But only his Mother

In her maiden bliss

Worshiped the beloved

With a kiss

What can I give him?

Poor as I am

If I were a shepherd

I would give a lamb

If I were a wise man

I would do my part

But what I can I give him

Give him my heart

Give him my heart

Candle liturgy

Hope, peace, joy, and love. Four candles, four promises continually offered to us by God, and all of them manifest in this one we light tonight: the Christ candle. In Christ we find the hope of transformation, the peace that follows justice, the joy of self-fulfillment in community, and the love that encompasses us in all our diversity, empowering us to make our own unique contribution to this world. In Christ we find light and life, and the courage to be like him, answering his call and following in his footsteps.

We rejoice in God’s steadfast presence in our lives,

and in God’s unique presence in the life of Jesus of Nazareth—

born of Mary, growing through childhood into an adult ministry,

in all his life manifesting the peace, love, and justice of God;

his voice undimmed by the centuries

his call and his promise as clear to us as it was to his disciples so long ago.

Come to us, Lord Jesus,

Be born in us this night, in our hearts, our minds, our lives.

May the light of your life be kindled in us,

And lead us to the shining truth,

of God with us, God for us, God in us. Amen.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

Last week we looked at the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and informing her that the Spirit will come upon her and that she will bear God’s son. Mary does not fully understand God’s plan, but is open to be a part of it. Her reply is “Here I am a servant of the Lord; let it be according to your will.” Mary has a sense that she is a part of something really important and agrees to follow God’s plan. God enters the world as fully human and fully divine in the person of Jesus Christ. That is one of the foundations of understanding Christianity and it isn’t easy for any of us. But as good as all this sounds, the reality is that things were tough for Mary. She would have to deal with those who would judge her in her community. Having a baby out of wedlock could get you stoned to death. Mary was in a tough spot.

In a world besieged by fear and hate, God comes from heaven to earth through Mary to bring light into the darkness of the world. Jesus Christ comes again and again and offers wholeness instead of brokenness, hope instead of fear, love instead of hate, and life instead of death. In a time when some of us remember the loss of someone we love, when some of us are recovering from an illness, when most of us are tired of wearing masks, and when many of us do not feel as joyful as we should, Jesus Christ comes to offer us comfort. We are all offered the incarnational presence and love of our Lord. Last week I spoke of being open to God’s plan. This week, I am asking you to say yes to it. We can say, “Here I am Lord, May it be according to your will or no thanks, maybe next time.”

In today’s Gospel, Mary sets out for the hill country to Zachariah and Elizabeth’s house. Mary needs support from the rumors and judgmental pressures of her community. Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth is joyful about the news that Mary is pregnant. The baby in her womb, who will later be named John, jumps for joy in her womb. This prayer has been called the Magnificat or Song of Mary. Mary echoes the promises that were given by the prophets in the Old Testament and declares that God’s promises are about to be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. I can’t even imagine the sheer joy and wonder of being given such an honor as to be the theotokos or bearer of God’s son. Elizabeth will bear a son in three months, fulfilling a promise made to Zachariah in last week’s Gospel.

Mary will soon bear a son that will be the fulfillment of ancient prophecy. This is Good News in difficult times. God comes to ordinary people and does extraordinary things. This time, God comes to a woman to bring hope to the world. Mary and Elizabeth are filled with joy because they believe in a dream in the scriptures that one day, things would be different. Maybe one day, those who are hurting will be comforted. God is about to send his Son to rescue the poor, the hurting, and the oppressed. For God so loved the world that God gave God’s only son that all who believe in him might not perish, but have everlasting life. God is coming soon to fulfill the promises that God has made. For the women, waiting for the birth of their childen is filled with joy, wonder and thankfulness. Mary shouts,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.

  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

  and holy is his name. 

His mercy is for those who fear him

  from generation to generation… 

He has helped his servant Israel,

  in remembrance of his mercy, 

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

  to Abraham and to his descendants forever”(Luke1:46-55).

May it be according to your Word,

Fr. Duncan

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Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your Word” (Luke 1:35-38).

Our collect for the third Sunday in Advent begins, “Stir up thy power, and with great might come among us.” In this week’s Old Testament reading from Zephaniah, we hear the words, “The Lord is in your midst.” In the letter to the Philippians Paul tells us, “The Lord is near.” John the Baptist says in Luke, “One who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

All our readings point to the one who is coming from the realm of the eternal to the realm of the temporal. We are asked to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus. Last week we set the story in its historical setting that you might believe.

This week, the crowds in Luke’s Gospel ask, “What then should we do?”

I want to jump ahead a bit in the Gospel readings to use Mary as an example of the answer to this question. Mary was told that nothing is impossible with God. Although she cannot wrap her mind around the incarnation, she is willing to be a part of God’s plan. This is the key to spiritual development. It is natural to question what we cannot understand intellectually. Mary asks, “How can this be?” More and more folks today are spiritual and not religious. They do not understand the incarnation and close their mind to the possibility that Jesus came from the realm of the eternal to be near to us. We are asked to be part of God's “plan” (or Word). We need to be at least open to the possibility that Jesus is God incarnate. God asks us to be part of his “plan” (or Word). We only need to be open to the possibility that Jesus is God incarnate.

Today’s readings not only point to the existence of God, they point to God coming near to us. Jesus comes again and again that we might be in personal relationship with him. Timothy Keller helps us understand this in our December bible study book, Hidden Christmas. “What are the elements of a genuine, personal relationship with Jesus? It requires, as does any close relationship, that you communicate with him regularly, candidly, lovingly. That means not simply saying your prayers, but having a prayer life that leads to real communion with God, a sense of his presence in your heart and life. On the other hand, being in close relationship means he communicates with you. That comes from a deep acquaintance with the bible.” (Hidden Christmas p. 55)

John the Baptist helps us with the next step, “In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise’” (Luke 3:7). On Sunday, December 12th, we will share with the Huntington community, the fruits of the Harvest Fair. Fran and Chris will meet after the 10:00 service in the St. Hilda’s Guild Room and decide how we will support nonprofit organizations in our community. Please join us.

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.

 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 

And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, 

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 12:2-6).

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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