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This Sunday, joining the community at the 8 am service or with the youth at the 10 am service, we will enter into the Passion narrative as it is told in the Gospel of Mark. It is easy to see Palm Sunday as a semi-joyous day because of our palm swaying and Hosanna-crying. And yet, we often wish to quickly pass by the fact we, as the Crowd, exclaims, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Thus, it is Episcopal theologian William Stringfellow, in the chapter headed “The Scandal of Palm Sunday” in his first major work, Free in Obedience: The Radical Christian Life, who reminds that, “Palm Sunday is a day of dramatic temptation for Christ. It is a day of profound frustration for the disciples and one on which the apprehensions about Christ on the part of the ruling authorities of Israel and Rome are exposed.”

This chapter on Palm Sunday informed me better as to what Palm Sunday means and why this meaning is so important for us today. With all the palm-waving and Hosanna-crying, and even with the Passion narrative being said, we might lose focus of the fact that Palm Sunday is a somber day. Stringfellow calls it a scandal because in the meaning of Palm Sunday is the richness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which for many is hard to bear. We are, “shown that Christ is…the One he is declared to be in the Word of God and which he confessed himself to be. The substance of the consternation is the desire for the gospel to end in the political triumph of Palm Sunday. If the work of Christ would only end in that way, Christians would be spared the betrayal of Judas, the apathy and cowardice of the other disciples, the mystery of the Last Supper, and Gethsemane’s sweat and agony.” Jesus Christ is tempted on Palm Sunday just like he was tempted for 40 days in the wilderness. The crowd is anticipating a political, zealous revolt against the Roman and local authorities and they are looking to Jesus to lead it. Indeed, all the authorities are also thinking that’s what’s happening. And yet, for many of us today we are looking for Jesus Christ to do the same thing, to lead us to achieve worldly power and build an earthly kingdom. But that is not the way of Jesus Christ. We are tempted in our milieu today to believe that our faith and our political stances will have victory, when the only true victory is the one that Jesus completed upon the Cross.

Knowing this we are actually then invited to live our lives in complete freedom and that what we offer the world is our own lives and that we are “secure from any threats which death may make.” This is Christian life a radical life (radical in the traditional sense of “at the very root”); we come to live a life that is “both repentant and penitential”. Knowing Christ came to conquer sin and death, and did, we can start to acknowledge our fallenness as well as the world’s fallenness. Through intercession, we confess our sins and the sin of the world. In being penitential, which Stringfellow describes as “the authentication of true repentance”, we move forward sacramentally in hopes of discerning God’s loving and eternal forgiveness for His people.

The beauty of Palm Sunday is found within its glaring paradox. While many joyous words seem to be said, its somber reality is what we should be focusing our attention on. Are we looking for a king to smash our enemies and score our culture war points, or are we resting in the faith of our Lord, who takes away the burdens, heals and gives meaning to our wounds, and in whom we can know true peace?

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Zach

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Into the Darkness

Only the seed that has died and is buried
lives to bear fruit, Jesus said.
Lead me then into the darkness and dying,
so you can raise me up from the dead
Jesus, help me die and rise.

All of my living, my loves and desires,
all of the things that I cling to,
now I surrender to die and be buried.
Raise me in following, serving you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.
Portions of a song by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Lent this year, for many of us has been a time of slowing down – a time to be still and to be present to the God who loves us more deeply than we can imagine. It is a time of letting go – to relinquish the things that hold us hostage – and to be free to live fully into the person God has created us to be. It is hard to be silent – because if we truly look deep into our hearts, silence can remind us of our own death – the quiet darkness that can be so overwhelming. So we cling to life – fists tight – hold on. And we miss some of the most profound joys that Jesus has for us as we continue to follow him to Calvary.

We have become so busy – hustling and bustling everywhere - clutching things that are just not that important that we lose sight of the central message from our Gospel this week. Jesus reveals in the moment the Greeks came to see him just how far and wide his ministry would extend. His time has come. And he tells us what this looks like by foreshadowing his own death. “Very truly, I tell you , unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies it bears much fruit.”

So let us slow down. The time has come for us to walk with Jesus – with open hands, allowing all the seeds of love that we have been given to fall into the soil – to die. Like the tiny grains of wheat – which, when sown in good soil multiply beyond our imagination. Letting go – Let go of our own need to be in control and allow God’s love to grow more deeply. Death into life by slowing down – dying to ourselves – getting out of the way – opening our fists in surrender and trust. Together, let’s follow Jesus  - to the cross. And “they will know we are Christians” by our open hands and abundant love.

On the journey with you,
Deacon Claire

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Almighty God, whose Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, was moved with compassion for all who have gone astray and with indignation for all who have suffered wrong; enflame our hearts with the burning fire of your love, that we may seek out the lost, have mercy on the fallen and stand fast for truth and righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Prayer of Divine Compassion).

What a weekend at St. John’s! Our nursery school delivered a truckload of baby items to Helping Hands along with all the baby items that our church collected. The HIHI chefs were in full force with Nelly and Dave Lasek leading the way with an incredible feast of Puerto Rican culinary delights. The ECW ran a successful and fun evening of Zingo that will send 7 children to summer camp at Family Service League that would not have been able to go. Our breakfast team led by Dave Lasek and Heather Kress is serving full tables once again after the 8:00 and 10:00 services. The thrift shop has a fine selection of cloths at inexpensive prices and just gave several bags of cloths to the homeless and Fr. Juan. Our Racial Reconciliation Committee just released their report of Slavery in Huntington and with St. John’s members. The Spirituality Ministry has been doing wonderful things. The Wardens are leading the vestry and our parish and will soon meet to look at the future of St. John’s in a changing church culture. The concert committee of Alex, Deacon Claire, Christine, Bill, Sue, Leslie and Liz worked tirelessly to market and prepare for our inaugural Jazz Concert Series. The results were a standing room only crowd and a fabulous concert. We are preparing for our Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter services. First Communion and Youth Confirmation classes are also going well. St. Hilda’s Guild, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, Education for Ministry, Bible Study, and our Christian Education ministries are also returning to pre-Covid form and beyond.

Lent is a time of preparation, when we teach the faithful to draw closer to the one we love. It is by our example of our music, worship, study, prayer, ministries, and outreach that others will see that Jesus Christ came that we might have life and live it abundantly. Jesus Christ came that we might be transformed from our present state to 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. Apostles have been transformed by the cross of our Lord, to do the will of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have the power to transform the nightmare that the world can be into the blessing of the Kingdom of God. So if you have been hurting, frustrated, sick, or a little down, have faith that God will make all things new again. We will emerge from this state of the world as we emerged from our baptism, wet in the waters of the Holy Spirit and anointed to become the beloved community that God calls us to be.

In Christ’s love,
Rev. Duncan Burns 

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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