‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height. (Browning)

So fair art thou, my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear, Till a’ the seas gang dry. (Burns)

But we loved with a love that was more than love—I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven, Laughed loud at her and me. (Poe)

And the sunlight clasps the earth And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this sweet work worth If thou kiss not me? (Shelly)

Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; (Shakespeare)

The great poets describe love in ways that bend our minds into a deeper understanding of this human emotion that we experience in different ways. Jesus tries to explain to the crowd the steadfast love of God. He begins by turning the Pharisees world upside down. He eats with and preaches to tax collectors and sinners  The Pharisees see themselves as better than the common person and look down on anyone who does not live up to their lofty religious standards. But Jesus teaches the crowd that they may be despised by the religious leaders, but they are loved so deeply by God that there is no sin that they can’t be forgiven for. Jesus teaches that life is about relationship with God and our neighbor and not about the cultural standards of our time. So many people are told that they are not pretty enough, smart enough, or rich enough. We are told again and again that we do not live up to the unrealistic expectations of others. Jesus came to tell us that God’s mercy, love, and hope for each and every one of us is unbounded. “I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19).

Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. In both metaphors, God is searching for you and me when we drift off the path. God is always reaching out to those who feel they are not perfect. Jesus comes to us with a message that God created us just as we are and we are loved by God so deeply that not even the greatest bards can describe the breadth and length and height and depth of that love.

I give thanks each and every day because God created this beautiful world and teaches us how to love one another. Last Sunday at St. John’s it was so nice to see people back from their summer vacations and worshiping together. I feel so blessed to serve the Lord with such a fine group of people. In both parables, when people return to the Lord, the natural reaction is to rejoice! We rejoice in the ordination of our Deacon, Anthony Jones to the priesthood. We rejoice in our prayers and in singing praise to God on Sundays. We rejoice in coming to the altar to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We rejoice by sharing a meal during the coffee hour and again at our parish picnic this Sunday at noon at the Centerport Senior Center.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:4-9).

In exceeding thankfulness,

Fr. Duncan

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper (Psalm 1).

If we are followers of Jesus Christ we have a decision to make. The Gospel tells us that if we are to be disciples of Christ, we must carry our cross. Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God. By this I mean that Jesus in the flesh, lives out the Word of God. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves. Last week I mentioned that there is plenty of food, water, and shelter in the world, but we are not very good at sharing it with others. God asks us to welcome everyone to our table. This week Jesus asks us to give up ourselves and our possessions for the sake of others. Carrying our cross means that we need to live a life of self-giving instead of being selfish. Paul asks the church to do what God commands out of love. When we become followers we need to make a decision to follow the commandments of our Lord. Our lesson from Deuteronomy tells us that if we do this we shall live. Jesus tells us that if we believe in him, we will have abundant and eternal life. Both of these come with a cost. God’s grace is costly because it cost Jesus his life (Bonhoeffer). Jesus gave his life for us on a cross that we might be forgiven of our sins and have the only true life.

The beauty of loving God and our neighbor is that we feel the peace that passes all understanding, we receive the blessing of God, and we live a life that has meaning and purpose. As we begin another church school year at St. John’s, I ask you to give of yourself for the good of others. This can begin with prayer this Sunday for our loved ones, those on our prayer list, and those in need in the world. The Bahamas were devastated by the hurricane and they need our prayers and support. Families in Texas were devastated by two shootings and need our prayers and support. There is unrest and violence all over the world with refugees flooding our borders and countries all over the world. They need our prayers and support.

This week’s collect asks us to put our trust in God with all our heart.  Jesus tells his disciples that they must love God above all other things. God asks for us to passionately follow the Gospel. I ask each of you to become passionate followers of Christ. Give of yourself for the purpose of helping others at St. John’s and you will live in the grace, love, and mercy of God. Stay for coffee and introduce yourself to newcomers. Invite family, friends, and neighbors to our concerts, Harvest Fair, and our church. Invite newcomers to share the hospitality that St. John’s is famous for at the coffee hour after church. We have an amazing group of parishioners and it is time to refocus our lives on being disciples of Jesus Christ.

Next weekend, Deacon Anthony will be ordained to the priesthood. He served the parish of St. John’s as a Deacon and will continue to serve as intern at St. Augustine’s in Brooklyn. He has carried his cross to several churches and to graduate school. We pray that God may fill him with the Holy Spirit and that his life will touch others. Please join us in Garden City for his ordination on September 14th at 11:00 AM. On Sunday September 15th he will celebrate the Eucharist at 9:30AM at St. Augustine’s in Brooklyn. Rev. Anthony Jones will also celebrate and preach at St. John’s on September 29th at 8:00 and 10.00.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

Our Church has agreed to the five marks of Anglican Mission:

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

2. To teach, baptize and nurture new believers

3. To respond to human need by loving service

4. To seek to transform unjust structures of society

5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

I want to thank Coral, Fr. John Morrison and everyone that filled in for me at church these past couple of weeks for my vacation. I am deeply thankful for the dedication and service of all our parishioners that take the mission of the church seriously and passionately follow Jesus Christ. The mission of the church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other. At St. John’s our mission is to know Christ and make him known.

After two weeks of sailing, golfing, and relaxing on Long Island and celebrating at the wedding of my son Andrew and his wife Pauline, I am excited to continue the mission of the church with focus and passion. I think it is good to reflect on our purpose before starting another church season at St. John’s. I hope each of you have relaxed and enjoyed this beautiful island that we live on this summer! My goal in the next few weeks is to get you focused back on being followers of Jesus Christ and carrying out the mission of the church.

Our first priority is to love God. That requires us to get our families back into the practice of worshiping on Sundays and praying to God on a daily basis. In today’s collect we pray, “Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.” God reaches out to us at all times that we may love God with our whole heart, soul and mind. When we turn back to God our next priority is to love our neighbor. I noticed during my vacation that there is a lot of anger in the world today. People shooting each other and blowing each other up is just the tip of the iceberg. Many people in the world are just not nice to their neighbor. In this week’s Gospel from Luke Jesus says, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” I think we should all consider a ministry at St. John’s that provides loving service to our neighbor. Our biggest event of the year for this is our Harvest Fair and I would like 100% participation this year. Join our ECW in making this year’s event on October 26th another fabulous success. The money we raise will help our neighbors, but more than that will bind us together in our mission to make our community a better place.

Sunday school starts again on September 8th and we could use at least one new teacher. Please contact me if you are interested in assisting Barb Burns in the pre-K class. Please bring your families to the Canterbury Corner at 9:40am on September 8th for registration and a fun family project.

Deacon Anthony will be ordained to the priesthood on Sunday September 14th at 11:00 am at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City. Please keep Deacon Anthony in your prayers as he continues to prepare for the priesthood.

In Christ's Love,

Fr. Duncan

In the very early morning, I wake up at times with an idea for a sermon or a piece for The Chalice and I think about it; I toss and turn as I think about it; I can't get back to sleep as I think about it. And then I remember my little note pad that Sue placed on my night table next to the bed more than 20 years ago—and I still just lie in bed and think about it as the minutes fly by, sometimes until the alarm goes off. But, at last, not this past Monday, and so, as I am prone to do at this stage of my life, I hoisted myself out of bed, walked down the hall into my office, and began to write this rambling little piece, interrupted just once by Susan who asked, “What are you doing?” I thought it best not to reply; that could wait. So let us back up to a day earlier.

Last Sunday, after the baptism was over and the table had been set, I stood at the altar, drenched in perspiration in spite of the A/C, Gatorade near, and listened to the choir sing “Journey to Freedom.” I could not help but join in, though not obtrusively, so thoroughly immersed was I in this song about the call of God, this extended invitation by Jesus to “Come with [him] on a journey” into light, into loving light. And then I made the leap to this morning's Old Testament lesson and Jeremiah being known in the womb before he was born, and the gospel and a woman in pain then a multitude of songs erupting at once, all between 1:15 and 1:30, all insistent, and for once I wrote. Little more than a decade ago, Lucy Beckett, a wonderful British writer, wrote In the Light of Christ that literature and art and music have a way of inspiring for the Christian a meaning that is richer and deeper than the meaning found in them by those “for whom God is an empty word.” Just one quick illustration. The rest will be in the sermon.

Andrew Lloyd Webber burst on the scene of my sleepy and incurably romantic imagination with a piece from Aspects of Love: “Love, Love Changes Everything.” Romantic love, a love caught up in the raptures of whatever it was when Webber first heard the music inside him. But what if, what if just one word was changed in the song, what if love was changed to God? I came to the line in the first stanza, “Love, love changes everything, how you live and how you die.” I believe that's true, but I believe that it is also more deeply true that “God, God changes everything,” that God redefines life and death as we come to know him in Jesus Christ. Answer the call of Jesus and he will “turn your world around and that world will last forever.” Indeed, the risen God we know in Jesus Christ will “never ever let us be the same.” Just a snippet; try it sometime—just not at 1:15 am.

With all blessings for the journey into the joy of the risen Lord,

Fr. John+

This morning's Gospel is the sort that might make easily one of David Letterman “Ten Best” pieces that appeared on his show now and then, this time in the category of “The Ten Things You Wish Jesus Had Never Said.” Jesus wonders out loud whether people thought he came to bring a fabricated peace, the peace that would free the Jews from the hated Romans, the peace that seems to end every war, until the next one breaks out. Instead, he tells us that he brings division and it arises when we answer his call, and such an answer is very unnerving as we, who used to sleep in on Sundays or head off to the golf club, all the while telling the local pastor “I can be as close to God on the course as you can in church.” For sure, as you hand over another $20 to your opponent on the second hole and are heard to mutter, “O God”; as we, with, with smiles on our faces and a song in our hearts, leave to attend church.

At ten o'clock we will sing Linda Snow's wonderful hymn “Journey Into Freedom,” a hymn which is a call, a hymn which is sure to bring division if we take it seriously and not merely as a way through the service, but a hymn in which the refrain offers an astonishing truth.

Come with me, journey into freedom,

I am always with you follow me.

Come and drink my living water,

I will set your spirit free.

If you take the time when the service is over to ponder this song and not just dispose of it, you will discover some awesome insights.

Have you ever considered the possibility that the divine author who wrote you into the drama of salvation has created a role for you and “calls you to be who he alone knows you can be”? If you have, then you most likely know that often tacit response to your decision to follow Jesus is a something like “that's nice dear” followed by an inaudible mutter, “not to worry, he [or she] will grow out of it.” But perhaps not you or me. We have heard and responded to two words that changed the world—“Follow me.” And what follows? Ridicule? Division? Loss of respect? Mere lip service? Contempt? But even in this world of ever so many truths, hold fast to the truth of Jesus because he will “give you everything you need.” He is the only one who will never let you down, who, if you fail him will forgive you, who has paid the price for all your sins, who has breathed his last breath for you.

At the end of his wonderful book The Call, my friend Os Guiness makes the following observation at the end of the Introduction: “Answer the call of [God] and see all life as an enterprise transformed by his call. Count the cost, consider the risks, (remember the divisions that will come), but set out each day on an adventure that will multiply your gifts and opportunities and bring glory to God and add value to our world.” My dear, dear friends, come join with me and “journey into [the] freedom” of the risen Christ.

All blessings,

Fr. John+

I am reading for the third time since mid-July a book by Alister McGrath, the Christian theologian and apologist who holds two doctorates from Oxford University and occupies the Chair of Professor of Science and Religion and directs the Ian Ramsey Centre (sic) for Science and Religion at Oxford. The book, one of many by Dr. McGrath, is titled Mere Discipleship: Growing in Wisdom and Hope and many of his observations dovetail nicely with the two cartoons in The Chalice. Professor McGrath also relies heavily on the wisdom of the ages past and following are several citations for you and me to ponder this week and beyond, to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.” I offer them for you to consider far beyond the limits of this morning's sermon; I have already placed them with my prayer list so that I will hold them before me each day.

1.  “The mind needs to be enlightened by light from outside itself, so that it can participate in truth, as it is not itself the nature of truth. You will light my lamp, Lord.”--Saint Augustine, Confessions

2.  “It is only with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”--Antoine Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

3.  “We see through the Church of Christ as a man sees through the telescope to the stars.”--Austin Farrer, The End of Man

4.  “Alonso of Arragon was wont to say in commendation of age, that age appears best in four things: the old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.”--Francis Bacon, Aphorisms and Apothegems

5.  “The only true voyage of discovery is not to travel to new landscapes, but to possess other ages, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others.”--Marcel Proust, The Prisoner

The summer begins to draw to a close so I invite you to make or to continue with me on a :journey into freedom,” into the freedom of looking through a different lens, the lens of Christianity, and see the world in sharper focus and increased depth. Try on the spectacles of C. S. Lewis and enter into that realm that Father Duncan has cited so often: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not because I see it but because by it I see everything else.” It's good to be home.

All blessings,

Fr. John+

While Jesus is teaching his disciples, someone in the crowd brings a request before Jesus. What he wants is a simple settlement of an inheritance dispute with his brother. “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me,” he says to Jesus. He wants more than he is legally allowed and wants Jesus to get him more than he deserves. Jesus rebukes the man, saying, “Who appointed me to be a judge over you?” Then, he brings up the topic of spiritual integrity. He tries to give the crowd a new understanding of possessions and their relationship with God. The rich fool built larger barns and filled them with his crops, he is finally satisfied and tells his soul to relax, eat, drink and be merry. It makes good business sense, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying what he has–good wine, good food and all. The trouble with the rich fool in the parable is not his possessions and his enjoyment of them. But, in storing up his possessions for himself, he has forgotten God. What we have here is a portrayal of a man who is so self-absorbed, self-centered, and self-sufficient that he believes he has complete control over his possessions and his life including his soul. He has deceived himself to think that the abundance of his possessions can satisfy the hunger and thirst of his soul. At this moment the rich fool dies and his possessions become a moot point. Quality of life isn’t found in the things we amass, but in our connection with God, our families, and our neighbors. John Wesley once said, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Matthew said, “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” Our legacy is not what we leave in our barns, but what we do with the resources we have while we are still here.

St. John’s is embarking on our 275th anniversary year celebration with many initiatives. One major focus is to build and increase our two endowments to provide for the future of our church: The Capital Building Fund and the 1745 Endowment Fund. Our parish is asking you to make a pledge. The suggested giving levels are Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze, $27,500, $11,000, $5,500, $2,750, respectively. Any amount will be accepted and greatly appreciated. You will also be recognized in the program for the St John’s Gala Event which will be on Saturday, June 6, 2020 at the Huntington Country Club. Pledge sheets are available in the back of the church or in the Parish Office.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

"The irony of the recent national debate over who should stay in this country as a real American is not lost on those of us who were always here. It would be easy to make the joke that we Native Americans gather secretly at an undisclosed location on the reservation, bring out the drum, and begin chanting: send them home. That's funny because it illustrates the historical fact that no person of European ancestry can claim to be an owner of this land except by right of conquest (which is what this recent spectacle is really all about). It is not about who is a real American, since only a handful of us can make that claim legitimately, but about who dominates, who has the power. It is about control as much as it is about color. The same tragic need to exercise power over others through racism that fueled white colonialism is still alive and well and seeking to control everything around it. That is what we, as indigenous people, would like to see go away: that sad need to control rather than to share. So if you want a Native American view on the recent situation, here it is: you all can stay, but let racism and injustice be banished from our midst once and for all. That is what is un-American."
—The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston

I was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a Native American Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston. I enjoy reading Bishop Charleston’s weekly meditations because he speaks the truth in an easy to understand way. This week, his lesson speaks to racism and injustice in America. It might be a little off putting at first, but before you shift to your political pole, I ask you to not only listen to what he said, but allow the truth of what he said to change your heart. This is the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray that we might hear the truth and change our hearts to align with God’s plan for humanity. Jesus teaches us that through self-sacrifice we can bring the world to the Kingdom of God. Jesus gave his life for our sins that we might be forgiven of our sins (and the sins of our ancestors).

In today’s meditation, Bishop Charleston forgives the trespasses of the white European colonists, but does not forgive the controlling, self-indulgent behavior that is fueled by racism and is still causing injustice in our nation. We are called in the Gospel of Luke to question cultural norms, to break boundaries, and to change our heart to the love of God. The past few weeks Jesus has taught us to love our neighbor, taught us who our neighbor is, and asks us to pray and listen to the Word of God. In this week’s lesson, Jesus is teaching us to pray to God for what we need. I believe that if racism and injustice are ever to be banished in this nation, we need to pray that we might have the love, mercy, and compassion of God. My prayer is that the Gospel will move our hearts to the truth and that each of us is willing to change.

Last week I read the book, White Fragility and I was shocked that the author blamed white progressives for the racism that exists in our nation. I thought progressives were the ones wanting to make change, but the author said that without structural change, racism will continue. Words alone are simply not enough. Structural change will only come when we understand the deep injustice that exists in our world and when we are willing to change it.   

I sometimes get the feeling that nothing can change the political divide, the racism, and the injustice that exists in our nation. But today’s Gospel tells us that we must pray to God with all our hearts, with determination, and with persistence. God answers our prayers, beginning with our own hearts if we are willing to change. Will you pray with me, listen to the Gospel, and be open to change?

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

“Mostly evangelism is not what we tell people, unless what we tell is totally consistent with who we are. It is who we are that is going to make the difference. It is who we are that is going to show the love that brought us all into being, that cares for us all, now, and forever. If we do not have love in our hearts, our words of love will have little meaning. If we do not truly enjoy our faith, nobody is going to catch the fire of enjoyment from us. If our lives are not totally centered on Christ, we will not be Christ-bearers for others, no matter how pious our words” (Madeleine L'Engle).

Last Sunday in my sermon, I talked about warming hearts in our worship and hospitality to our guests as the two key ingredients to our evangelism at St. John’s. When our worship warms our hearts we are filled with joy and peace. When we welcome a guest or stranger in our midst and treat them with kindness, we bring the Kingdom of God near.

This Sunday Jesus teaches us another lesson on how to treat our neighbor. We all know the story of the Good Samaritan. A lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, so Jesus tells him a parable. A man is robbed and beaten on the road to Jericho and neither the Priest nor the Levite stops to help him. A Samaritan went to him, bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn and took care of him. Jesus tells us that this is what it means to love our neighbor and that we should do likewise.

In today’s Gospel you are asked to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. The question that Jesus asks us is, “Who is your neighbor?” The point of the passage is that Christ calls us to deepen our relationship with God so that we might understand what it means to love our neighbor. This story is not just about helping others, but about mercy and compassion that can only come from God above. Our hearts are warmed when we help others, but we create barriers like racism, sexism, and homophobia to retain the privilege that we enjoy. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the lawyer that he must break down the prejudices that we all have in order to love our neighbor as God intends.

Jesus Christ died on a cross for our sins that we might understand the love, mercy, and compassion of God. When we follow the way of the cross through self-giving love we feel the peace that passes all understanding. The lesson from Deuteronomy tells us that when we love God and our neighbor we receive the “abundant prosperity” of God. While some would say this means fame, money, and power, I believe that God's abundance is the warming of the heart. It is the joy of following God’s will that brings the Kingdom of God near to us. Maybe the most important person that you can evangelize is yourself. Deepen your relationship with God and love your neighbor and you will receive riches that cannot be measured in dollars. You will be blessed with strength from on high that will get you through all of the valleys that are sure to come in this temporal life and you will surely inherit eternal life.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

This Sunday we will not print the Sunday chalice and insert it in the bulletin. Our warden, Rob Wheeler asked for a Sunday to reflect on God’s creation and our responsibly to sustain it. My hope is that we could be more conscious of the need to protect our environment. I realize that saving 150 sheets of paper will not make a huge impact on the environment, but I want to make the point that we should all be moving in that direction. We could make an impact if we all strive to reduce energy consumption, waste generation, our dependence on fossil fuels and production of greenhouse gases. At St. John’s, this means recycling more, using less paper, using less electricity, caring for our lawn and gardens, and eliminating single use plastic such as water bottles, coffee stirrers, and straws. This is clearly not a political issue, but a God issue. God created the world and gave us the responsibility to take care of all creation:

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it”
(Genesis 2:15).

“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. 4:15).

 “The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands molded the dry land.” (Psalm 95:5).

The Breakfast Group will meet this summer to find ways to be more environmentally responsible.

The Garden Committee will meet each month to care for our gardens and property.

The Thrift Shop is a wonderful way to participate in this effort. Please consider volunteering, shopping, and donating cloths.

The Building and Grounds Committee is insuring that our solar panels are functioning and that we are reducing our energy consumption. You can help by turning off lights and AC when you leave the building.

The Vestry will make environmental stewardship a part of every vestry meeting.

Please share your own ideas with Rob, Coral or myself, or join one of our committees and help them to put a focus on environmental sustainability.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan