“As the baptized, as the beloved of God, the challenge in my life is to learn to have deeper trust and confidence in the love of God. Lent is the wilderness space in time, set apart to teach me to trust God’s love once again and to hand myself over to be assumed and consumed by his love, for that is my only hope of redemption. Temper me, O God, with your love that I may learn to trust your love once again. Help my unbelief that I may believe and be healed by your love” (Bishop Allen Shin).

Lent is the time when we realize that the distractions of the world have kept us from God’s purpose in our lives. We need to put our full trust in God. 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 the first week of Lent please consider putting your full trust in God’s love. Please observe a Holy Lent and take a few quiet moments to re-examine your commitment to God’s purpose. God is very near to us and loves us dearly.

Each week we share the body and blood of our Lord on Sunday morning. These sacraments are an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. 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. 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 bread of our Lord, 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. God loves us so deeply that Christ, God’s Son, suffered on a cross that we might be forgiven of our sins. We are asked to lead a new life, following the commandments, and walking in Holy ways. The Holy Eucharist is essential during Lent to bring us back to the place where God can do the most good with us. During the recessional hymn at the 10 am service there is an energy and spirit in the congregation that leads us to hospitality to our guests and sends us into the world with a mission to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. Today we will sing, “How great thou art.” Please join your voice with the choir and sing praise to God.               

St. John’s is always about community. Please join us on Sunday mornings for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat after the service in the Great Hall. Hospitality is second nature to us at St. John’s and I ask all our parishioners to invite one of our newcomers to join you this Sunday after service. If you are looking for a great way to deepen your relationship with Christ, then please join Leslie Valentine for a Lenten Spirituality Group Retreat on Saturday March 23rd. Our Bible Study Group meets at 11:00am on Tuesdays. This week we begin, “The Path, A Journey Through the Bible.” This year’s Lenten program on Tuesday evenings will feature Dr. Nina Grief, Fr. Duncan, Rev. Eddie Alleyne, Deacon Jennifer Webster and Fr. John.  Join us for Stations of the Cross, Evening Prayer, a simple meal, and our program, “SIN: Glittering Vices & the Dark Side of the Soul.”

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

“O God who before the passion of your Son reveled his glory on the Holy Mount, that we may we be strengthened to bear his cross” (Last Sunday after the Epiphany Collect). “Christian discipleship consists of the discipline of self-denial and taking up the cross daily. It is refraining from the narcissistic self-indulgence and from feeding the superficial false ego to self-destruction. It is rather embracing my true self, the true image of God reflected in the depth of my soul. It’s a daily journey of self-discovery as a child of God and a daily walk toward a spiritual union with God” (Bishop Shin).

A bartender notices that every evening, without fail, one of his patrons orders three beers. After several weeks of noticing this pattern, the bartender asks the man why he always orders three beers. The man says, “I have two brothers who have moved away to different countries. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond.” Several weeks later, noticing that the man only ordered two beers, the bartender said, “Please accept my condolences on the death of one of your brothers. You know, the two beers and all…” The man replied, “You’ll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well… It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up my beer for Lent.”

All Christians are invited "to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word" (BCP, p. 265). Somehow Lent has gone out of favor. Many Christians just don’t seem to understand why we do what we do in Lent. Do we need to go to service on Ash Wednesday? Will giving up chocolate or alcohol for a few weeks bring you closer to God? Will eating fish on Fridays help to draw you closer to Jesus Christ? Will getting off Twitter and Facebook bring on the Holy Spirit? I don’t have the answer for you, but I do know that many of us misunderstand the whole point of Lent. Lent is a time to strengthen your spiritual union with God. Through fasting, prayer, worship, scripture study, and acts of mercy, you make a conscious effort to draw closer to God. Jesus went into the desert for forty days to pray before beginning his ministry. The point is to refocus your attention on God so that the fire of God’s love in your heart may be strengthened for the ministry ahead. Please don’t cut back from three beers to two just because it’s Lent. Just find a way to do more of the things that bring you closer to God. Sometimes just going for a walk can be a time for union with God.

We offer many opportunities at St. John’s to rekindle that fire of God’s love at St. John’s. We offer Morning Prayer at 9:00 am M-F, bible study on Tuesdays at 11:00 am. On Tuesday nights we offer Stations of the Cross, Evening Prayer, Lenten Supper and a guest speaker. You may choose a Lenten Retreat with Leslie Valentine on Saturday March 23rd, serving in our Thrift Shop, serving meals to the homeless at HIHI, joining our choir to sing at Easter, and/or Holy Eucharist at 8:00 am and 10:00 am on Sundays. I invite you to the observance of a Holy Lent. Please take time from your busy schedule to draw nearer to the one that loves you so deeply.  He sent his only Son to reveal his glory on the Holy Mount and to die on a cross for our sins.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus gives a passionate teaching to all who will listen. Most of us know this as the Sermon on the Mount, but today, Jesus is sitting on level ground teaching his disciples, all who have gathered to hear him speak, and those who are trying to touch him in order to get healed. In fact, Jesus is speaking to all people in all times. We all hear these words again and again. Some of us know them by heart. “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. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.” (Luke 6:20-24)

Some of this teaching is very difficult to understand, but one verse stands out to me as a summary of all the rest. Even my nursery school children know this verse from scripture. They know it as the “golden rule.” We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. While this is a simple rule to understand, Jesus turns the perspectives of world upside down in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus will cross boundaries, break religious rules, and cause people to be so uncomfortable that they will nail him to a cross to suffer and die. We must also push the boundaries of our own understanding, if we are ever to truly understand these radical teachings from Jesus.

Deacon Anthony has created a wonderful relationship with our sister parish, St Augustine’s so that we might see the world from a slightly different perspective and that we might enrich the lives of some good folks in Brooklyn. We have witnessed the lively, spiritual worship of St. Augustine and today we share our more traditional approach. Today, I am preaching at St. Augustine’s and Fr. Lawrence is preaching at St. John’s. It is an honor to have such an esteemed preacher in our midst this Sunday, and I ask and pray that his Word will fill your heart and bring you closer to the love of Jesus Christ.

Please give Deacon Anthony a warm welcome home at St. John’s. As you know, he has just finished the General Ordination Exam and is working on a Master of Divinity degree while working full-time as a VA lawyer and doing his internship at St. Augustine’s. Please pray for him as he prepares for ordination to the priesthood. We have been so blessed by the ministry of “Saint Anthony” these past few years and although we miss him greatly, we know that God is preparing him for a wonderful ministry as a priest.

Born in Indianapolis, IN, Father Lawrence received a B.A. from Wabash College in Biology and an M.A. in Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. While working on his doctoral studies at Johns Hopkins, he answered the call to ministry. He received his M.Div. in 2003 from Bexley Hall Seminary of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York, and was ordained to the priesthood in January 2004. He is the former Rector of St. Anne's Episcopal Church in North Carolina and is currently the Rector at St. Augustine’s in Brooklyn.  Father Lawrence and his wife, Sharita, are the proud parents of three children Caleb, Isaac and Miriam. Let us welcome him as we were welcomed at St. Augustine’s.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

As I was collating the collection of poems I am going to use with the Saint John's Spirituality Group on February 23, I had an “Aha” moment. Immediately to the computer to download John Updike's Seven Stanzas at Easter. Below are the first and last stanzas of the poem.

Make no mistake if he rose at all

it was as his body;

if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit,

the amino acids rekindle,

the church will fall.

····················

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,

for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,

lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are embarrassed

by the miracle,

and crushed by remonstrance.

Okay, Fr. John, you had a sudden epiphany. So what? Why is this so important?

1 Corinthians 15 is one of the crucial chapters in all of Saint Paul's corpus. In this chapter, he sets out the gospel as it was preached in the early church from the beginning. Evidently, the Corinth of the first century was very much like the culture today in the West. Indeed, in the Revised Common Lectionary (from which we take the readings for each Sunday), the Church has seen fit to omit some verses from this crucial chapter, even when the Season of Epiphany is not shortened because of an early date for Easter.

But Paul will have none of such editorial license; nor will John Updike; nor Fr. John: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” and Paul's full explication of this central moment in Christian belief must not be truncated. Now John Updike's poem is not the gospel; he carries no such authority. And Fr. John certainly is not. Yet the great poets and writers, composers and lyricists, artists and architects often serve the gospel through what they create, even if unknowingly, even if sometimes unwittingly. Updike commences his piece with a contingency: “Make no mistake if....” However, the contingent opening is clarified immediately. The church hasn't fallen; it still stands; the event of the bodily resurrection, rooted in history, is anchored in fact: “it was as his body.” A new day has dawned in human history: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.”

My friends, gathered together on a Sunday morning, you and I are neither individuals nor a conglomerate to be pitied, but Christians in the midst of a dark world who have had a new light shine in our hearts because, “in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.” The bodily resurrection of Jesus is not some sort of New Age spirituality that one can discover in the appropriate section of Barnes and Noble where you and I can aspire to ever higher realms of consciousness and spiritual development. If there is no future hope other than ever new proposals promised by the spirit of each successive age, then indeed we are to be pitied. That is why we need always to remind ourselves that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is not just one more variation on oft repeated themes, but the rock solid anchor on which Christianity is founded. A new day has dawned; “[B]ut in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.”

With all blessings, Fr. John+

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

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.” (Psalm 138)

“so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.” (1 Cor. 15:11)

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:10)

This week’s lessons really fall into line with the message from our Annual Meeting on February 3rd. We will worship God this Sunday at the 8:00 Rite I Holy Eucharist, the 10:00 Rite II Holy Eucharist, and the 5:30 Taizé service. We offer a variety of ways to give praise to God at St. John’s. We also offer many ways to sing praise to God. Alex and our choir have prepared beautiful music from the hymnal, LEVAS, our praise book, and Taizé chants.

In our bible study class we are studying Revelation. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Rev. 4:11) Perhaps this is one of the most important things that we must do in our lives. Please pray deeply on these words of scripture and worship our God in the beauty of holiness.

Each of us is gifted by the Holy Spirit at our Baptism. We have a purpose in life, and we are given the gifts to accomplish that purpose. God’s steadfast love is always flowing in our direction and we are asked to follow scripture to stay on this path. “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) “For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well. (Psalm 139:12-13)

When we love God with all our heart, soul and mind everything starts to fall in line in our lives. Life is not made easy, but there is a peace that instills a deep sense of gratitude in our hearts. When we express that love back to our neighbors, people are drawn into the love of God. Let me give a few examples. You come into the St. John’s kitchen before the service and prepare breakfast for everyone that comes to the parish hall after service. A parishioner remembers the name of a newcomer and greets them by name. Someone else invites this newcomer to come to breakfast and sits with them. These simple acts can change a person’s life. As members of the Jesus Movement, we show our love of God and neighbor by our actions. We believe that, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” (1Cor. 15:3-4) We do not have to stand at the mall and hand out the theology of the Episcopal Church in a pamphlet as we yell, “Jesus died for your sins” in their ear. We just need to love as we are loved.

If we are to be “fishers of people” we must begin by deepening our own faith. Only by an authentic faith in God will we ever convince anyone to come to the Lord in this crazy post truth culture that we live in. We do not use scripture to explain the way we are and exclude others. We should find that when we have a deep faith, scripture rings true in our heart. Please keep a few of these scriptures highlighted in your bible, written in your journal, or just commit them to memory. The bible keeps us focused on some basic truths such as: God created us, God loves us, we should give glory to God, and when we share God’s steadfast love, others will follow.

In Christ’s love,

Rev. Duncan Burns 

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;
and the greatest of these is love (I Cor. 13:13).

I would like to thank all our parishioners on a beautiful year in 2018 and encourage you to make 2019 even better at St. John’s. Thank you for your leadership, your generosity, your ministry, and your continued faith in Jesus Christ. We are very blessed by your presence. I would also like to thank Coral, who has done an outstanding job as our administrator, Alex our talented musician and choir director, Jen, our St. John’s Nursery School superintendent, and our wardens, Scott and Rob, who have led this parish with our vestry and committee chairs.

This week our service times on Sunday are 8:00 am and 9:30 am because we will have our annual meeting after the late service. Please join us for food, fellowship, and a brief annual meeting as we elect a warden and three vestry members. In 2019, our priorities are Growth, Children and Youth, Outreach and Mission, and Hospitality. We are especially focusing on living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Jesus Movement.

My hope for the coming year is that you will deepen your faith and love in Jesus Christ. Please live out your Baptismal Covenant by coming to church, helping those in need in our community through our ECW, striving for justice by supporting our racial reconciliation committee, and getting involved in the ministry of St. John’s.

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 Racial Reconciliation Committee, HIHI, Thrift Shop, ECW, Altar Guild, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Youth Group, Christian Education, Readers, Breakfast Group, Spirituality Group, Nursery School, Ushers, Lay Eucharistic Visitors, Prayer Shawl Ministry, St. Hilda’s Guild, or one of our other committees. If you are new, think about our new members class that starts next Sunday.

Our Sunday school starts again next week at 9:40am in the Canterbury Corner. 1st Communion classes are beginning with Sue McGinnis on Wednesday March 6th at 5:30 pm and 1st Communion will be April 28th at the 10:00 am service. Confirmation classes start on Sunday February 10th at 5:30 pm. Confirmation is May 4th at 10:00 am at the Cathedral in Garden City. Our Youth Group meets at 6:30 pm on most Sunday nights with Ford Spilsbury and the rector.

Outreach is a focus again this year. Today is the Souper Bowl of Caring and our Youth Group is collecting donations to fight hunger in the Huntington Community. The Youth Group will be hosting people who are homeless on March 8th through our HIHI program right here at St. John’s. Please bring in food for the Food Pantry and donations for our Thrift Shop. If you are interested in volunteering for the Thrift shop on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays, please see Nancy.

In Christ’s love,

Rev. Duncan Burns 

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)

Last week, I asked our congregation to remember the time when they believed, truly believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Son of the living God. I mentioned that we all come to Christ in different ways and we sometimes wander off the path. God invites us into relationship through the person of Jesus Christ. In today’s Gospel, Jesus has begun his public ministry. He goes to the synagogue in his home town. He pulls out the lesson from the scroll and reads to them.  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18-21)

Each of us is invited to be the light of Christ in a darkened world. This week in bible study someone mentioned that we might not be enough to overcome all the darkness in the world, but we can shine our light to those around us and that might just be able to start a ripple effect. Since the day that Jesus unrolled the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, followers have been commissioned to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. I ask you to find a bible passage that helps you to stay focused on our mission at St. John’s of knowing Christ and making Him known. We are called to love others as Christ loves us.

I have chosen Romans 8:38-39 because I realize that forces of darkness are always out there, but nothing can come between me and my relationship with Jesus Christ. I ask you to focus on a piece of scripture that helps you to stay focused on being the light (love) of Christ to those around you. Our parish is poised to fulfill the scripture right here and now. Please pray that wherever you might be, Christ will deepen his relationship with you. Please invite your friends, family, and neighbors to join us at St. John’s as we grow our presence and ministry of hospitality in Huntington.

Our warden, Scott Cooley mentioned that this is the time of year when new members join one of the many ministries that we do at St. John’s. If you are new to St. John’s, please join us next week on February 3rd at a special time of 9:30am for service and for the annual meeting from 11:00-12:00. Our Breakfast Group, Thrift Shop, Spirituality Group, Racial Reconciliation Committee, Hilda’s Guild, Bible Study, Prayer Shawl Ministry, HIHI, Confirmation, New Members Classes, Altar Guild, Vestry, Choir, ECW, and Youth Group would love to have you join them in their ministry. You too will unroll that scroll from Isaiah and exclaim, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Amen. Amen.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

On this weekend we remember the work and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, the issue of the day was forced segregation on city buses. Pastors gathered at a local Baptist Church to come up with a strategy to deal with the injustice. Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white person and moving to the back of the bus. They tossed a few ideas around, but couldn’t settle on a single strategy until a young pastor volunteered to lead a boycott and civil disobedience. We segregated everything from schools to drinking fountains on the basis of ethnicity at that time in our history. Martin Luther King Jr. was not a perfect person, but when he had the courage to take action, he radically changed this country. He was called by God to lead the people of this nation to be transformed to a new place and it wouldn’t come without a cost.

I believe that people are called constantly by God, but we are too afraid of the consequences or too distracted to hear the voice of God. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. later wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which we studied in Advent. This letter was his response to the "A Call for Unity" where clergymen had criticized him and argued that social injustices existed, but needed to be resolved solely in the courts and not in the churches or the streets. His letter explained clearly that justice is a matter that we need to bring into the streets and into our churches. Dr. King argued that civil disobedience was justified in the face of unjust laws and was necessary if change was to occur.

I believe that it takes courage to transform ourselves into what God calls us to be. I agree with Dr. King that we should live in this new place where justice and equality prevail. We start by treating everyone with dignity and respect. We offer hospitality to all, food to the hungry, cloths to the naked, living water to the thirsty, and freedom to the oppressed. Let’s keep politics out of our conversation, but not be restrained from doing what is right. How do oppressed people get the respect and dignity that they deserve? Their hope lies in the abundance of God’s love. Jesus came that we might have the abundant life that turns water into wine and helps the poor, the orphaned and the hungry. Jesus teaches not only what this new place looks like, but shows us the path that we must take.

We have all the tools and resources that we need to make this an incredible year at St. John’s. Jesus, who can turn water into wine, can transform us into this new place, if we have the courage to take action. But it does not come without a cost. I would like every member of our parish to think about how they can bring the love of God to the community of Huntington. We promise in our Baptismal Covenant to continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to persevere in resisting evil, to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. Perhaps you could help with the Thrift Shop, join our Racial Reconciliation Ministry, invite a friend to a service or one of our events, or just make a commitment to attend services regularly. God can do amazing things if we will only have the faith and courage to be a part of the transformation.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

Almost 40 years ago, Nancy Fees wrote a song titled I Have Called You by Name, a song that focuses, in part, on baptism and its attendant responsibilities. Below are the refrain and the third verse:

Refrain: I have called you by name and you are mine.
I will keep you as the apple of my eye.
I will hide you in the shadow of my wings.
I have called you by name and you are mine.

Verse 3: I have washed you in refreshing cleansing waters;
you are chosen as a child of God.
Go into the world as my disciples.
Share the light of Christ with all mankind. (To Refrain)

I have included only this verse because it is the one linked most closely to baptism and this morning's gospel.

At baptism, even at the baptism of Jesus, is the call of Jesus Christ that summons each of us from whatever we are doing as it echoes through the pews of our churches, the corridors of our work places, the streets of our towns, and calls each of us by name as it proclaims, “Take up your cross and follow me.” One of the first things one notices about Nancy's song is that it is an attempt to articulate a simple truth about God's desire to maintain a special relationship with his people, a special relationship initiated in baptism as the child is named. Though the child does not yet know it, though the parents perhaps haven't thought much about it, this is the moment that one can begin to discover just who he is. In the process of that discovery, one's entire existence begins to be re-shaped and takes on new substance. This simple act of naming and calling declares ultimately that who one is gives way to who one is in Jesus Christ.

Nancy's song commences with the refrain and we are plunged immediately into an affirmation of the integral nature of God's relationship with us. That relationship is announced in all tenses—past, present, and future—and is repeated at the end of each verse: God has called us; we are his; he will keep us. Cemented in the fact that each of us bears the divine imprint and is meant to reflect the Lord as he lives in us, we discover an intimacy that is deeper than any human relationship. To live this out is to enter into the process of who we really are.

The final verse (printed above) recalls for us our baptisms, that ancient rite that incorporated each of us into Christ's body, the Church. To be “washed in refreshing, cleansing waters” is not some empty ritual, but an act that refreshes, that renews, that erases the stain of sin. Fully initiated into Christ's body, we are now prepared for what Alan Jones defines as the “journey into Christ.” When we “go into the world as [his] disciples” to “share [his] light,” we confess that he is the blueprint for what it means to be fully and gloriously human. As we continue our journeys into the risen Christ that were begun at baptism, let us remember the call of our names imagined by Fr. John Stott, Anglican priest, biblical scholar, and evangelist: “Yes, I do know who I am, a new person in Christ, and by the grace of God I shall live accordingly.”

With all blessings,

Fr. John+

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.

Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen. (Psalm 72:18-19).

In my Christmas sermon this year, I preached about how God comes into this messy world in a position of vulnerability and powerlessness. God loves us so much that he came down to live with us, that we might know him and he might know us. God came down into this dark, messy world because he loves us. The God who takes on our flesh does not ignore the darkness but shines in the very midst of it. God transforms vulnerability into power when we are willing and open to God. This can come to us as an Epiphany when we see everything in the light of Christ instead of looking out from the darkness of humanity in its present condition. While one force makes us angry, selfish, envious, prideful, lustful, and greedy, God shines a new light that allows us to be humble, patient, self-giving, generous, and kind. Through the person of Jesus Christ, everything in the world looks different. Epiphany is when we reorient ourselves to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Our future looks very bright at St. John’s because we are willing to reorient our lives to the way God intended. The light of Christ is the hospitality we show to newcomers and strangers. From our ushers to our congregation, to our breakfast team, we offer everyone a friendly, hot meal after service. The light of Christ is the outreach that the ECW does in our community. Please support our ECW in every way you can in the coming year. The light of Christ is the passing of our faith to the next generation. Through our Sunday school, first communion classes, confirmation, and youth group, we share the light of Christ to our children and youth. The last way we shine the light of Christ is by bringing others to faith. Please invite your friends and neighbors to join us at St. John’s. We are growing because people come into our church and want to be a part of the Jesus Movement with us. Our priorities remain hospitality, outreach, children and youth ministry, and growth. I ask every member to think about how you might help us in these four areas of ministry in 2019.

  As we approach our 275th anniversary at St. John’s in 2020, I would encourage every member to open your hearts to the love of God. Jesus will teach us through the Gospel of Luke this year to transform ourselves, our families, and our community to this love of God.  The power of the Holy Spirit shines brightly in the darkness when we are open to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Luke tells us that the harvest is great, but the laborers are few.  I ask you in this New Year to commit yourself to the Jesus Movement in our church. God is doing wondrous things at St. John’s and I believe that this can be another amazing year. May we worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and praise God’s name forever.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan