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Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?

Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?

Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,

will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.

Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.

In Your company I’ll go where Your love and footsteps show.

Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me (The Summons).

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Lent is a time of preparation, when we teach our children and youth to draw closer to the one we love. At St. John’s we offer Confirmation, First Communion and Adult Education for children, youth, and adults to be followers of Jesus Christ. It is by our example of worship, study, prayer, and outreach that they will see that Jesus Christ came that we might have life and live it abundantly. We also offer prayer, worship, and a Lenten program of healthy lifestyles. Jesus Christ came that we might be transformed into the beautiful children of God that we were created to be. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Eternal life begins today and never ends. Please use these next few weeks of Lent to draw closer to the one who loves you deeply. In the back of the church, there are new Lenten Meditations from Bishop Shin. Please take one or take a Day by Day daily meditation booklet. Jesus could only meet a finite number of people in his life. The Good News is now spread by his followers. The most significant preacher in a congregation is not the person in the fancy vestments in the pulpit, but the people in the congregation going out into the world. Apostles have been transformed by the self-giving love of Christ, to do the will of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. The fact of the matter is that priests come and go, but the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the lives at St. John’s goes on from generation to generation for the last 278 years. This is your generation and now is your time. Our clergy provide resources, but you must individually decide to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Our vestry understands that the Diocese of Long Island has been losing members for many decades and that the Episcopal Church (like all mainline denominations) has lost some folks since Covid. Many folks are not physically coming to church, but worship online. We are putting together a strategic plan to encourage young families to baptize their children, confirm their teenagers, and expose everyone to the Good News and the love of Christ. If our mission is to know Christ and make him known, then we all need to shine the self-giving love of Christ to the world. Jesus says that we must take up our cross and follow him. I encourage you to attend our Lenten programs and faithfully worship God at St. John’s. We have the power to transform the nightmare that the world can be into the blessing of the Kingdom of God. We are transformed through a relationship with Christ, and we become the transforming power in the world.

In Christ’s love,
Rev. Duncan Burns 

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Lenten Journey

This week’s Gospel from Mark is true to form – hastily moving through some significant events and offering few details. Jesus is baptized by John and as he comes up out of the water, the Spirit descends like a dove. Jesus alone hears a voice from heaven, which undoubtedly serves to solidify his identity and purpose. Immediately the Spirit drives him into the desert for 40 days and the only information we have about his experience there is that he is tempted by Satan and surrounded by wild beasts and angels, who waited on him. What happened then?

Lent is a journey that calls us to repent – to turn from familiar ways, even if we fear getting lost. We dread being surrounded by beasts – beasts that can overpower us. “Where am I, Lord? The wilderness journey I am on this year is new, and I am scared.”

What and who are your beasts? Be assured that 40 days well spent will end in unbounded joy!

For most of us at St. John’s, this is not our first Lent. We have ventured with Jesus into wildernesses of our own each year. This year, it is our hope that we can use this time to slow down from Mark’s rapid pace. To breathe. Breathing in God who yearns to deeply touch and heal us. We are being encouraged to open our minds and hearts to new ways of praying – new ways for some of us to be with God. Perhaps becoming more contemplative. According to Richard Rohr, “Contemplation is the practice of being fully present—in heart, mind, and body—to what is - in a way that allows you to creatively respond and work toward what could be. Contemplative prayer is a practice for a lifetime, never perfected yet always enough.”

Our individual journeys will take us each into our own matchless wilderness. As we allow God to grow our faith, we are gently urged to stretch a little more, to venture a little further – to take the risk of facing the temptations that distance us from God and to seek repentance. This can be scary and lonely, even when we do it as a church family through retreats and Lenten programs. But our readiness to be with Jesus in our wildernesses will deepen our relationship with God. Can you even imagine? Psalm 25 invites us to be led into God’s truth – to allow ourselves to be taught - inviting us into a deeper trust.

And 1st Peter reminds us that Christ suffered for all of our sins – once for all – in order to bring us to God. That is a love so great that it cannot be lost – we cannot lose it, so we might as well live into it as revealed to us each moment of Lent! Remember.... we are headed for Joy!

Journeying with you,
Deacon Claire

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Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them (Mark 9:2-3).

This week’s Gospel is the other bookend to the resurrection on Easter morning. Jesus is letting Peter, James and John know what is about to occur. He will soon tell them that he must suffer and die and after three days rise again. They will not understand the path that Jesus must follow. There was a common understanding amongst the Jewish folks that the messiah would raise a great army, conquer the Romans, and free their people. Jesus walks the path of self-giving love, not the path of power and dominance. On this last Sunday after Epiphany, we prepare ourselves for the upcoming Lenten season. Ralph Waldo Emerson once explained, “That which dominates our imaginations, and our thoughts will determine our life and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.” Lent begins on Ash Wednesday next week with a 12 noon and a 7:00 PM service. Our plan for Lent at St. John’s is to offer ways to pray and information on health and wellness.

In today’s Gospel Jesus was transfigured to a dazzling white. He has a conversation with Moses and Elijah in a Kingdom of God moment that can only be described as supernatural. Peter says, “Rabbi, it is good to be here.” Peter is very confused, a cloud comes over, and a voice comes from heaven, “This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!” When God’s glory is revealed to us, it seems out of the realm of the ordinary and we often do not know what to make of it.

In Sunday’s collect we will pray, “O God who before the passion of your Son revealed his glory on the Holy Mount, that we may we be strengthened to bear his cross.” God sustains us with an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus wants us to walk none other than the way of the cross. The way of the cross often begins in Lent. Lent is the time when we ponder the work that God has called us to do. We realize that the distractions of the world have kept us from God’s purpose in our lives. If we want to be an authentic expression of Christ’s light, we need to pray, study, listen, and make God the center of our world again.

For this season of Lent, please consider listening to God. We come together to give thanks and pray that we might recognize God in our midst and follow this path of healing and wholeness. In my experience, God is working in the life of our congregation in ways that we cannot ask for or imagine. Some of you have experienced prophetic voices, incarnational events, and brushes with angels. Please share them with each other. They lead to the Kingdom of God. The point of this passage to me is that although we cannot see God, God is always nearby. When we love God with all our heart, mind and soul, we begin to see the edge of God’s robe. When we truly listen to the Word of God, we are slowly transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. 

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted

place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him.

When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He

answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the

message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” (Mark 1:35-38)

Jesus heals the man with an unclean spirit and then goes out and heals many people. God’s sovereign power is bringing the world to wholeness and the renewal of all creation. Jesus is given the power of God to do the purpose of God so that you and I will believe in God, believe in the gifts given to us by God, and that God might be manifest in the way we live our lives. Jesus went out to the margins of society, respected the dignity of everyone, healed the sick, forgave the penitent, and ate with sinners and outcasts. His words were so revolutionary that they transformed the community. His action of giving up his life on a cross that they might have life was also transformative because it means that we are forgiven and loved by God, even when we mess up. Please come to church, listen to the Gospel, be transformed by the revolutionary words of Jesus Christ, and shine the light of Christ so brightly that it will transform others to the love of God. If we are all made in the image of God and beloved by God, there is no reason to judge others. We are called to become a Beloved Community of God.

Prayer was the foundation of everything Jesus did and prayer is the foundation of everything we do at St. John’s. Our Morning Prayer group meets every weekday at 9:00 am and prays for our friends, neighbors, and for all in need. 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 in person only! We will elect one warden and three vestry members. 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, Thrift Shop, EFM, Racial Reconciliation and Social Justice Ministry, HIHI, 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, or one of our other committees. 

This lent we will focus on health, wellbeing, and prayer. There will be Ash Wednesday services at 12 noon and 7:00 pm on February 14th. On February 18th and March 5th, we will have Stations of the Cross in person at 6 pm, Dinner at 6:30 pm and a program on health, wellness, and prayer at 7:00 pm. On Tuesdays from 5:30 pm to 6:00 pm we will join the Spiritual Imagination Center for Meditation and Contemplative Prayer Online. Our time together will include a guided meditation based on an ancient monastic prayer practice, time for intercession, silence, and beautiful ancient chants.

Our Sunday school starts at 9:45 am and we would love to get a few more new families to attend regularly. 1st Communion classes are Wednesdays at 5:00 pm. 1st Communion will be April 7th at the 10:00 am service. Next Week, February 11th is the Super Bowl and our Youth Group is collecting donations to feed the homeless in the Huntington Community. We will cook for the homeless in Huntington on February 13th and 15th. Please join us in the kitchen at 3:00 pm. If you are interested in volunteering for the Thrift shop on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays, please drop by on one of those days from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus immediately begins teaching in the synagogue and the people are amazed at the authority by which he teaches. By authority I mean that by the actions of Jesus Christ, justice and righteousness are served. It was the Sabbath and most Jewish folks went to the synagogue. In Jesus day, they had the same problem that we have in our day. Folks follow the law or rules of the church because they believe that they will be made holy. They believe that they can become spiritual by following a set of rules. Suddenly they are faced with a new interpretation of scripture that makes sense to them. Not only does Jesus preach on the Hebrew scripture, but Jesus follows the teaching with a healing. 

Richard Rohr said, “Jesus enters the synagogue and of course he recognizes the evil ones, and they recognize him (Mark 1:24). They’re exposed. This is the first exorcism, or casting out of a demon, and it’s in a most amazing place. It’s not in the marketplace, it’s not in the prostitutes, it’s not in the tax collectors. The devil is in the synagogue itself! This is no small symbol. The only way evil can succeed is to disguise itself as good. And one of the best disguises for evil is religion. Just pretend to love God, go to church every Sunday, recite the creed, and say all the right things. Someone can be racist, be against the poor, hate immigrants, and be totally concerned about making money and being a materialist, but still go to church each Sunday and be “justified” in the eyes of religion.”

We pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus proclaims, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of heaven has come near; repent and believe in the Good News” God is active at St. John’s and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to witness to the love of God and to be the light of Christ in a land of darkness.

The Good News is that Jesus came to show us that God loves us, equips us with the gifts we need to respect and love one another, and gives us what we need to live an abundant life. We are a healthy and active church in the Diocese of Long Island. If we are healthy, it is because of our relationship with Jesus Christ and our willingness to witness to that love. If we are active, it is through the grace of God, in the love of Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We can shine a great beacon of light because everything we do comes through the peace, love, and grace of God. Ask yourself this, "If St. John's were not here, would it make a difference to this community?" Let’s be the beloved community that God calls us to be in 2024.

At St. John’s, we can witness to our faith by coming to church, worshiping and praising God, and being sent out to the community to love and serve Christ. We are a parish in an ever secular, fast moving, polarized, and violent world. Paul asks us to, “be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” In other words, we are all one in Christ. Please be confident that God has the strength to bring us to the Kingdom, that place where heaven and earth intersect, if we will only allow ourselves to be transformed.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

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The Call to Follow Jesus

We are in the season of Epiphany – a season that continues well beyond the Feast Day itself, when we experienced the joy and wonder of the magi who travelled so far from the east. Following a light – a star that aroused their curiosity, that aroused them out of complacency. But God was clearly calling them to move! 

If you could see the journey whole you might never undertake it; might never dare the first step that propels you from the place you have known toward the place you know not. Jan Richardson

Have you ever experienced an epiphany – a moment of recognition – a moment of light and awareness?

Perhaps your epiphany occurred when you recognized a call and you deeply believed and discerned that it was from God. Some may wonder, is that you, God? Nevertheless calls from God can be life changing, like seeking ordained ministry, changing your career, realizing that you need to use your gifts on the Vestry. Calls can lead us into new directions and enable us to meet new people and use new skills, – like volunteering for Hospice, for a local hospital, or for our Thrift shop. You never know who you will meet and how that will change your life. No call from God is too small. A whisper in your ear (that still small voice) tells you that you need to make a meal for your sick neighbor, or to stop to help someone who fell on the sidewalk. But you heard a call and you discerned it to be from God.

Our lectionary this week focuses on “the call.”  “Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ…” We know that Mark is a Gospel of action and urgency. Jesus approaches Peter, Andrew, James and John and simply says “follow me.” And, “immediately” they drop what they were doing to follow. Their willingness to respond to the call changed our world.

God, can I hear the Call Do I listen? Raise my head from consuming tasks To listen for another voice? Do I recognize your voice when I hear it? Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Recognizing God’s call is not always easy or obvious. That is why we spend time reading the scriptures in Bible Study, or come together for Morning prayer – which exposes us to the daily lectionary. In both instances we are in community, learning to hear God’s call. The interesting thing about God’s call is that God is persistent, as we will see in Jonah this week. He returns to Jonah again and again until Jonah responds. The beauty of responding to God’s call is that God is always there to guide and support you in every step of the journey.

Where is God calling you?

See you in church!
Deacon Claire

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For you yourself created my inmost parts;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Doctors often give us the advice that we need to listen to our bodies in terms of our physical (including mental!) health. But this weekend in the readings, I sense that God is asking us to listen to our bodies in terms of our spiritual health. Our spiritual life and our physical life are always connected, each part is what makes us human beings. Perhaps we think more often of how our physical life impacts our spiritual life and rarely about how our spiritual life impacts our physical health. This is, of course, a two way street that should be heavy with traffic because they are so well connected.

So how does our spiritual life impact our physical life? Our lives are influenced daily by the world around us. I think we understand how and when this occurs, and certainly I’ve preached here already on this topic. When we sin, Paul teaches, our bodies are affected. And as the Psalmist declares, our God knows everything about us. Like the members of our prayer shawl ministry pray over their shawls, God knitted us together in our mother’s womb and prayed over us, declaring who we are. “Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book.” (Ps. 139:15a) Yet the world is alright with using you and me and discarding the rest. Our careers, our schedule, the media, heck even church if not properly prioritized (i.e., know when to say yes and when to say no), can all have negative effects on our physical health.

To remember we are God’s can be a daunting task because we may feel like we do not need him. But we are not ours only, we are not only our parent’s child, we are children of God. We are God’s own; our bodies are meant to be loved and cared for by Him. They are temples to be used for God’s glory who gives us the strength to endure. No spiritual life is perfect, but when regular rhythms of prayer and reflection are introduced, they absolutely play a part in one’s physical and mental restoration.

You want to know your body and soul better? Seek God and all these things will be added unto you.

In Christ, 
Fr. Zach

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“How do we as a community encounter the living presence of our risen Lord? How do we celebrate that presence in the midst of our heterogeneity—together as one people of different ages, genders, political parties, races, sexual orientations, ethnic and cultural backgrounds? How do we incorporate that presence into our daily routines? How do we act on that presence through our baptism? How do we live out our relationship with Jesus joyously and take its baptismal responsibilities seriously? In other words—How do we live mission?” (Rock Schuler)

John the Baptist is proclaiming that the Messiah is coming to liberate the people from sin and death and to baptize them with the Holy Spirit. John baptizes Jesus in the river Jordan. God acts through the water. As Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens are torn apart, the spirit descends on him like a dove and a voice from heaven says to Jesus, “You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.” At that moment of Mark’s Gospel, at the age of thirty, Jesus’ ministry begins. Jesus is anointed by the Holy Spirit as Messiah to lead us out of death and into everlasting life. As Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens tear open.

Mission is the inertia behind healthy, dynamic congregations. When we are empowered to live this vision—life-changing ministry happens. Jesus’ baptism is a moment of literal divine intervention into the realm of this world. Jesus will come to challenge the status quo and centers of political and economic power. Isaiah and other prophets promised justice for the poor and disenfranchised, and Jesus came from heaven to proclaim God’s justice and to show us what the peace of God feels like. Jesus comes out of the river, still wet from the waters of baptism and goes to the margins of society. He heals the sick, gives hope to the poor and in other words—Jesus teaches us how to do mission. Jesus then teaches how to give your life for the sake of others. Jesus doesn’t worry about what the rich and powerful are going to do to him, he prays and heals everyone he meets with a broken heart, every person that is lonely, sick, hungry, alienated and suffering. Jesus gets into the muddy waters of our messy lives and shows us the way to new life. God up in heaven loves us so much, that God shows us this path of emerging from this water into new life.

Our mission at St. John’s is to know Christ and make him known. We do this through our mission in the community. Please join us making meals for the homeless through HIHI on January 5^th and 26^th, February 13^th and 16^th and March 1^st and 9^th. We also bring gift cards from Dunkin, McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell. Join us in the Thrift on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 12-3 pm. We also need lightly worn winter clothes, boots, gloves and hats. Our ECW meets again on January 28^th at 11:15 am in the Guild Room where they will plan a whole year of outreach and ministry.

This year we will be traveling to Sedona, Arizona and Bluff, Utah to do mission work with the Navajo. Please let me know what dates work for you, if you are interested. St. John’s is also providing opportunities to deepen your spirituality with the Lord this year. We will travel to Holy Cross Monastery for a retreat from March 19-21. The cost is $220 for lodging and meals. On May 6-8, we plan to travel to the retreat center of Trinity Wall Street in Connecticut. Please consider joining us this year by contacting Coral or by reaching out to one of our clergy. Space is limited on all trips.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

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“What’s in a word?”

This Sunday, which is firstly the Fourth Sunday of Advent, there is great emphasis in the lectionary readings about the “word” or speech in general. A word from the Lord comes to Nathan who instructs him to tell David to build a permanent tabernacle. Psalm 89 is sprinkled with references on words or speech. “My mouth will proclaim…” “Oath” “Spoke in a vision…” We should be well to remember that the Lord spoke all of creation into existence. “The Lord said, let there be light…” And then Mary proclaims one of the hardest and most humbling words we as Christians, and anyone to anyone else for that matter, can say. “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Difficult if only because our human nature wants to follow our will, my will, what I want to do.

If you were at Spirituality Group last week, you heard me talk on hope using my favorite theologian and thinker, Jacques Ellul. In another book of his, titled Humiliation of the Word, Ellul makes the distinction between reality, which is seen and has to do with sight, and the truth, which is spoken and heard through word. God reveals himself as Truth to all of reality (the reality he created by his Word) through the Word made Flesh. In today’s world, we seem to be more interested in what is seen. We demand proof and evidence (like St. Thomas!). Television, social media, advertisements have created what seems like a vortex of our attention. We spiral into binge watching our favorite TV shows or stay up late watching TikTok reels. We know that attention spans are decreasing. While many of grew up with television, we didn’t grow up with so many choices of screen time. Phones, tablets, televisions, video games, etc. I don’t wish to critique any parenting styles and know how convicted I am in my participation of screen time.

All of these images, however, can have the power to disconnect us from the source of all goodness and truth, God, who in his mighty power, came down to us, as a baby. (I’ve always wondered about those initial sounds baby Jesus made, those sweet coos, the yawn, the little grunts babies make when they stretch, just like the rest of us). Ellul does not argue that word and truth are superior to image and reality. Both are needed for the fullness of understanding who we are. So, what’s in a word? Everything else needed to make sense of what is in front of us. Jesus Christ will soon be here, the truth of God in the fullness of our reality. We are more than consumers of media or images.

Do you listen for a word from God? Sometimes this Word isn’t what we want to hear. Sometimes it’s exactly the answer to a prayer. It’s amazing who we can be and what we can do when we stop and listen and wait for the Word that creates us anew and allows us to say, “You called me, God, let it be done according to you.”

I hope you had a blessed Advent and have a Merry Christmas!

Fr. Zach

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Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us. Let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us, through Jesus Christ our Lord… (Collect 3 Advent)

When I was studying for my M-Div. degree my professor recommended that when we open a book for his class, we should first read the last chapter and then begin the book. In the case of the Gospel, we start every year knowing how the book ends. Our church year begins in Advent with lessons from the last chapter of Mark. In the second week, we start at the beginning of Mark with the prophet John the Baptist. This week we go to the first chapter of John. In verse five, John says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” We will now get to see the serum light enter into humanity.

The Gospel goes on with the story of John the Baptist on the river Jordon near Bethany. The first century historian Josephus wrote: "John, that was called the Baptist… who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness.” We begin Advent in the darkness of the world with the second coming of our Lord and then go back to the time and place in history when the prophet, John the Baptist pointed to the light. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8). Jesus enters our story in Mark as he begins his ministry. Our lectionary experts have given us a head start on the disciples. We will watch them struggle to understand who Jesus is. Mark points us backwards to what God has promised to us through the prophets. The prophet Isaiah says, ”The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified (Isaiah 61:1-2).

It is time to prepare some space in our heart for Jesus Christ. Last week, Deacon Claire promised that God is searching for us and we merely need to turn towards God to accept him in our life. This week we are asked to look for the light coming out of the darkness. Jesus came to bring the good news of the love of God. We have this hope in Jesus Christ that carries us through difficult times. God’s grace and mercy will surely come to those who wait.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan