>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

This Sunday, we welcome the Rev. Anthony Jones as guest preacher.

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.’”

Advent is the tension-struck time of preparation. In Bible Study on Monday nights and Tuesday mornings, we’re discussing The Rev. Fleming Rutledge’s book Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ. It’s easy to think about the “once” part of this - Jesus’ life, death and resurrection two thousand years ago. In Bible Study, however, we are talking about the “future” part of this equation - the uncomfortable yet necessary discussion of the second coming of Christ. We are preparing for the coming of Christ - which we understand both spiritually and literally. These days, people are afraid of talking about the end of times. Hearing “the end is near!” is not inspiring words for most, but historically the church has understood that Jesus promises that something better is on the horizon. I believe Rutledge is helping point our gaze to this and inviting us to intentionally prepare. 

Advent, for the past several decades, has been viewed as a penitential season as Fr. Duncan spoke about last week in his sermon last week. This is because many people treat this season like another Lent. When Fr. Duncan approved Blue Vestments for St. John’s Church to be bought, I was overjoyed! Not only because I look good in blue, which I do, but because blue is the color that represents hope! Blue, for me, separates and differentiates the liturgical seasons of Lent and Advent. 

The time of preparation that we know of: with the Advent calendars and ABC’s Christmas Movie Countdown, is what society tells us to focus on: the preparation for Christmas. The church has been trying to refocus us; as Rutledge puts it, “Advent observance is called as a countermeasure” against a world and society that tells us we are just in a time of Christmas-lite. My friends: We. Are. Not. 

Advent is about the preparation of the second coming. It is a challenging place for us to dwell in, think about, and wrap our heads around. Let us start with something simple: a promise. Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead and His Kingdom will have no end. Familiar words from our creed. We know that Jesus has a kingdom that is not of this world, where He reigns supreme, and death has no power. This is what we believe. We wait in hope for the second coming of our Savior. While we wait, “disappointment, brokenness, suffering, and pain that characterize[s] life in this present world is held in dynamic tension with the promise of future glory that is yet to come.” Life still happens. Just because we believe in the second coming, doesn’t mean that life is hunky dory in the meantime. It will be hard and staying the course of believing is challenging in itself. It is in the “Advent tension” where “the church lives its life.” 

Last week, we lit our first candle of Advent which focused on hope which will remain with us the entire Advent season. This week, we focus on the gift of peace. It is hard to find peace during this time of the year as there are so many distractions from peace, like with sales at Target or on Amazon. It’s hard to settle ourselves and just be with Jesus. Jesus has many titles: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, but my favorite is the Prince of Peace. May the Prince of Peace guide you into the way of peace - bringing you into a state of contemplation, wondering the following questions:

• What do I believe about the second coming of Christ?

• Am I prepared to encounter Jesus, face to face?

• Do you remember God’s promise of grace? That grace is given, not earned, and that you are highly favored by God?

We do not have to have all the answers right now. We do however need to place ourselves in a place of trust and direct ourselves to face the apocalyptic unveiling God is revealing to us. I will see you Sunday as we gather and light another candle in our Advent wreath. We stand together in tension, yet in unity, by preparing a way for the Lord. May we make straight His paths. 

Your partner in hope and in peace,

Fr. James 

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

“In Search of our Kneeling Places.” by Ann Weems

In each heart lies a Bethlehem,

an inn where we must ultimately answer

Whether there is room or not.

When we are Bethlehem-bound

We experience our own advent in his.

When we are Bethlehem-bound

We can no longer look the other way

Conveniently not seeing the stars

Not hearing angel voices.

We can no longer excuse ourselves by busily

Tending our sheep or our kingdoms.

This advent let’s go to Bethlehem

And see this thing that the Lord has made known to us.

In the midst of shopping sprees

Let’s ponder in our hearts the Gift of Gifts.

Through the tinsel

Let’s look for the gold of the Christmas star.

In the excitement and confusion, in the merry chaos,

This Advent, let’s go to Bethlehem

And find our kneeling places.

In the Advent season, we wait in joyous expectation for the birth of Christ. We shift our attention from worrying about the problems that face us to a crude manger in Bethlehem, where all of God’s promises are fulfilled. We shift from thinking about scarcity to the abundance that we have from God. Please take time to relax in this busy season and journey with all of us at St. John’s to Bethlehem.

Some see the Coming of God as a time of trial when folks were swept away by the waters of the flood or when they will be left behind on the field. I see the coming of Jesus as an achievement of perfect love. My expectation for all of you is that you will feel a love so deep you could scarcely even imagine it. Perhaps until then, you will turn from the notion of penalty and punishment to the hope of everlasting love with our Lord. “How very little can be done under the spirit of fear” Florence Nightingale once said. It is for this reason that we have changed our color from purple to blue. Purple is the color of a penitential season when we try to stop sinning. It is a very masculine perspective that the threat of punishment will get us to behave. Blue is the color of hope. We turn (despite the darkness) to the eternal love of God. In this season of hope we will look to feminine perspectives of motivation through and towards love. Advent is a time when we love each other as Christ loves us. It is a time when we remember those who we love by giving them our kindness and attention. Please take the time to visit with your family, co-workers, and friends. Advent is a time when we give of ourselves to others as Christ gave of himself to us. We bring about the coming of the kingdom of God by looking beyond ourselves. We pray for one another and help the poor and needy where we can. I ask each member of St. John’s to draw closer to the love of God in the coming year.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

• Nothing can separate you from God’s love, absolutely nothing! God is enough for time, God is enough for eternity. God is enough! - Hannah Whitall Smith
• The greatest honor we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love. - Julian of Norwich
• “Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable…and receives the impossible.” – Corrie Ten Boom
• "The key is for you to discover what you love to do, what you were created to do, and then do it for the people around you with love. That is the abundant life, dear girl, no matter where in the world you live." — Robin Jones Gunn
• “It is well.” - The Shunammite Woman (2 Kings 4:26)

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

Feast of Christ the King

Sunday, November 20, 2022

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King.

The history of this special feast is relatively young – going back to 1925, shortly after the end of World War I. Pope Pius noted that even as the world was no longer at war, there was no true peace. He abhorred the rise of class divisions and nationalism and contended that true peace could only be found under the Kingship of Christ as our ”Prince of Peace.” His hope was that nations would begin to see that the Church has the right to freedom and immunity from the state, that leaders of those nations would begin to show respect to Christ, and that the faithful communities would be strengthened and encouraged from celebrations of this feast. Pius wanted this feast to inspire the laity when he said, “The faithful, … by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal… He must reign in our minds…in our wills…in our hearts… in our bodies and in our members which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God.”

Given the state of the world today, it still seems like a sound feast to observe and to ponder. 

What is the nature of true Kingship?

The celebration of the Feast of Christ the King became a part of the Episcopal liturgy in the 1990’s as we adopted the use of the Revised Common Lectionary. It is the culmination of our Church’s liturgical year, the end of ordinary time, during which we journeyed with Christ through the gospel of Luke and have now arrived at the crucifixion. In one short week, we begin Advent climaxing in the birth of Christ. But this Sunday, we have liturgically arrived with Luke, to Good Friday. We worship a crucified king – a gentle but focused man whose life was lived in nonviolence – a man who dedicated himself to healing and feeding the poor, lost and disenfranchised. What does it mean to worship the One who died nonviolently on the cross and offers forgiveness, not vengeance?  

What kind of King is Jesus?

Jesus taught us to trust in a loving and merciful Father and to pray to Him for all our needs. We are precious children of one heavenly Father so we have been called to treat one another with love, respect, and forgiveness. Jesus lived what he taught by caring for all those he met by healing the sick – a sign of God’s love at work; and by forgiving those who put him to death. 

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus gathers us in – leaving none behind. He is willing to speak truth to power and his shepherding encourages us to lay our burdens down and come to him for rest. 

 As we proclaim Jesus as our King, we at St. John’s have been called to follow him, to identify with him, to make him the center of our lives, extending our loving ‘Jesus’ arms to all we encounter – whether in our sanctuary, on our city streets or in the margins of our world.

In Christ’s love,
Deacon Claire

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This is the collect for our coming week, Proper 28, starting this Sunday. I mentioned a few weeks back that my favorite collect is from Proper 22 (early October). I can believe this is one of Bishop Provenzano’s favorite collects, as I’ve heard our bishop quote this collect time and time again – and it’s a good line: to “hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” scripture. As we are preparing for the season of Advent, we have a couple of themed weekends before we start preparing for the birth of Jesus. As Fr. Duncan mentioned in this past weekend’s services, last week was Loyalty Sunday. Loyalty Sunday is where our parish family is invited to pledge a financial gift to the parish, so our vestry (governing body) is able to create a budget for this next year. FYI - there is still time to get in your pledge cards!

One article I read regarding this Sunday’s lectionary readings called this Sunday Bible Sunday. As a prayer book people, I think we Episcopalians sometimes shy away from the good book. This Sunday’s collect ties us to scripture, but we don’t know or truly recognize how much scripture affects our liturgy. Our Confession, Prayers of the People, and Eucharistic Prayers, all reference portions of scripture that tie us to the Bible.

This week’s collect drives home the importance of scriptural repetition. We hear scripture every Sunday. We have four readings from scripture proclaimed: two Old Testament readings and two New Testament readings. We hear from the time of the prophets before Christ and we hear a psalm from King David, singing of God’s glory or lamenting life on this fragile earth, our island home. We also hear from the epistles – one of Paul’s letters or the Acts of the Apostles, and a Gospel reading which focuses on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. A majority of the Bible is read in a three-year cycle we call the lectionary, that we share with our sister churches. All Episcopal Churches, in addition to other mainline denominations like the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Roman Catholics, the Presbyterians follow this common lectionary for the most part as well.

As a prayer book people, meaning that we use the Book of Common Prayer, we have access to the Daily Office. The Daily Office is an opportunity for all of us to read the prayers of the church and pray for others in our community daily – like the monks and nuns of old. Clergy promise to read the holy scriptures and pray for those who have asked for prayer, especially within our church family. A group of us gather to pray together every weekday at 9:00am (lay people from our parish community and our clergy). It is not a commitment that one needs to promise to – we have people who join for a period and then leave. We offer the opportunity to those who would like to learn how to pray the Daily Office and join us in reading scripture because we know it is important for us to know about our spiritual roots.

Mark – not the evangelist St. Mark, but mark as in taking notes – mark up your Bible! Marking your Bible is something us seminarians did to understand scripture and remember what our professors taught us. It is a task for all who study the Bible – either with our parish community or on your own. Bible Study is an opportunity for those who want to dig deeper into knowing our spiritual roots. Mark goes hand-in-hand with learn which is the follow-up of marking. Learning more about the Bible can be done in community like at our Bible studies on Monday nights and Tuesday mornings, but also on one’s own. Lectio Devina is a spiritual practice of reading the Bible by marking and learning the parts that God calls you to focus on whether in community or on your own.

The last term that draws my attention is the inwardly digest. It is a slightly graphic image to think of an illustration of one digesting anything, but the analogy remains: the breaking down of scripture and taking in the spiritual nutrients that God needs us to take in.

This is all a process. We start with easy steps of hearing and reading, which we do regularly on Sundays. I invite us all to go deeper into our faith – marking, learning, and inwardly digesting the word of God – the good news of Jesus Christ. Let us meditate on our commitment to scripture and pray on how we can go one step deeper this upcoming Advent season of hope – which our collect points us to. God wants to know us. We need to know God as well.

Your sibling in Christ,

Fr. James

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL, EMAIL VERSION

Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

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

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh” (Luke 6:20-21).

“Jesus had a soft spot for the poor. It might be fair to say, he preferred the poor. Poverty exists everywhere, you needn’t go to a “developing nation” to find it. It’s down your block. Don’t think so? You’re likely not looking hard enough. Here, Jesus challenges us to look. Because he tells the poor, the hungry, I see you, and yours is coming. Our calling as Christians is to live life generously. And not for our own desires, or those of our immediate circle, but for those on the fringes. Think of the good that could grow if we died to self a little more, and wholeheartedly embraced the work that Jesus has given us to do. Do you see the Holy Spirit in the faces of the poor?” (Sam Messer, More Than Enough)

Today is All Saints Sunday when we join with saints and all the company of heaven. The Celts would call this Sunday a thin place when the temporal and eternal are very close. The faithful gather together to remember those whom we love, but see no longer. We especially remember those who touched our hearts and touched the hearts of others with the love of God. When we play “For all the Saints” I always get very sentimental for Janet, Joyce, Wally, Ruth, Ginny, Ida, Bob, Frank, Clara, Don, Bev, Bruce, Mildred, and a whole host of others. Some of you go back to the generation before that in this church. We have this beautiful church and all our ministries and traditions because they gave themselves to Christ when they were here. I invite you to light a candle in their honor after you have communion today. There is no doubt that many saints have walked through the doors at St. John’s. We remember them in our prayers and through the life and ministry that we live. Many of the programs that we support have been going on for decades. I believe that our loved ones look down at us with a smile when we are a blessing to others. We also thank the saints of the Christian Church – women and men whose witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ has been a blessing in every generation. We celebrate all who have been baptized in this church with the mark of the promised Holy Spirit and all those who have served here. We celebrate all their lives and their generosity that allows our generation to praise and worship our Lord in this beautiful church. Mother Teresa said that we all can’t do great things, but we can do small things with great love. Our ordinary acts of love bring the Kingdom of Heaven closer to Earth. St Paul tells us in Hebrews 12:1 that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. Saints are faithful men and women who have lived their lives for the sake of others. Paul asks us to persevere, so that after we have done God's will, we will receive what God has promised. 

Today is Loyalty Sunday. Our vestry asks you to do your part by filling out a pledge card and sending it to the office or place it in the plate on Sunday. Give of your time, talent and treasure to God because you truly believe that Christ died that you might have abundant life. When a heart is filled with the love of God, the desire to give a portion back comes from deep within, not from a rational sense of obligation. We use the gifts that God has given us to do the work God is calling us to do. God will never ask you to do anything unless God provides the means for you to do it. Give from your heart and St. John’s will serve this community with generosity as we have for the past 277 years. Please give joyfully and graciously from your heart. God is well pleased when we give in this manner and will provide everything we need to do the work that God calls us to do.

In Christ’s love,

Rev. Duncan Burns

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

“To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

(2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Last weekend was an incredible weekend at St. John's. On Saturday, our Harvest Fair went extremely well. The church was busy and the comradery among our parishioners was palpable. The weather was wonderful and the food was terrific. I would like to thank our entire ECW team that worked so hard to make the event such a huge success. Today’s lesson tells us that the ministry of the church is to work in community to teach what loving God and loving our neighbor is all about. If churches are dying, it is because they are not glorifying God. Isaiah tells us to “Learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:16-17). We glorify God when we work together to restore each other to God and community. We do this by going to Nogalas, Arizona and listening, learning and loving. We do this when we volunteer at our Harvest Fair to help those most in need in our community. We will give over 30,000 to local charities and another 20,000 to support the mission trips and ministry of St. John’s.

A special thanks to Chris Boccia, Fran Gorman, and Carol Goldbaum for their leadership in the ECW and at the Harvest Fair. Thanks to Mary Beth and our thrift shop team. Thanks to Kamaria, Mike, Sean, John, the vestry and those who worked in the kitchen. Thanks to Mary, Sue, Patti, Janice, Martha and the St. Hilda’s Guild. Thanks to Alex and the choir. Thank you to Deacon Claire and Gary. Thanks to Fr. James and Jenni. Thank you to Fr. Anthony and the St. Augustine’s Choir. Thanks to the St. Augustine Steel Drum band and the Christian band. Thanks to Patti and all those who gave to the silent auction and those who made baskets. Thanks to Daria and Liz and all those that got gift certificates, Last but not least thank you to Coral and everyone that helped out with the Harvest Fair.

At St. John's, we want to bring people to newness of life through the teachings of Jesus Christ and in the Sacraments. We are a Christ centered church that values tradition, yet moves forward in the Holy Spirit. During our stewardship campaign, people will witness what makes St. John's so special to them. Last week John talked about giving proportionately and Sean talked about being welcomed at St. John’s.  St. John’s is a friendly congregation because we follow the two simple commandments that Jesus gave us. We are also one of the most diverse churches in Suffolk County. 

Our parish is dedicated, "to know Christ and to make Him known." We are trying to live in the present reality as we move towards the kingdom of heaven. The political environment may make us a little anxious, but our faith is the rock that never moves. Please love God and one another as Jesus Christ loves us. We have something very special here at St. John's. Giving your time, talent, and treasure brings both you and this community to a place where we can minister to our children, the poor, the sick, and the thirsty. This year’s stewardship campaign is “More than enough.” Please place your pledge card in the offering plate today or just sign up for online giving. There are pledge cards in all the pews. The cards will then be blessed at the altar. Giving of ourselves for the sake of others literally ushers in the coming kingdom.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

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

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

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

>>>CLICK HERE FOR FULL EMAIL VERSION

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