Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!
whose hope is in the Lord their God;
Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them;
who keeps his promise for ever;
Who gives justice to those who are oppressed,
and food to those who hunger.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous;
the Lord cares for the stranger;
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked (Psalm 146:4-8).

On this third Sunday in Advent let us rejoice that we have been part of God's inbreaking Kingdom. Let us rejoice that the Holy Spirit is with us right here and now and that Jesus Christ is coming again in great majesty. Let us not think of the coming of Jesus Christ as some kind of a birthday or celebrating of a onetime event. Let us see, hear, and feel that Jesus Christ is coming into our hearts that we might follow the will and purpose of God. 

There is a wonderful energy at St. John's right now. So far in Advent, we provided resources and companionship at Laundry Love, gave out food cards to the needy, sent over 100 shoe boxes all over the world with Samaritan’s Purse,  fed and sheltered the homeless at HiHi, brought gifts for the ECW Adopt-a-Family program, made hundreds of Christmas wreaths, and received large donations from the ECW, Breakfast Group, and the Thrift Shop. Fr. Anthony Jones and our Spirituality Group led a Quiet Day, Fr. John and Claire helped me with the Advent program on Tuesday nights, we completed our Bible Study with The Path, we prayed Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, we had Children's Chapel for our Nursery School, we visited shut-ins, and today we will decorate the church after the 10:00 service and complete another successful stewardship campaign. Tonight we will enjoy our Sing Noël! concert at 7:30 pm.

We prepare our hearts to receive the incarnate love of Jesus Christ so that we may be the hands and feet of God's love in the world. This week's collect reminds us that we are sorely hindered by our sins. We have the potential to bump into each other in our busyness. We have the potential to be on our plan instead of God's plan. We forget that this season can be very painful for many. I ask you all to be extra generous and kind to one another in the coming week and a half before Christmas. We have suffered the loss of several family members and we need the love and mercy of God. Please take a few days to rest and gather the ones you love together. God's wonderful Kingdom will be ushered in a poor manger on a quiet evening. All the preparations that we do are important, but we cannot miss the whole point of the season in our busyness. God loves us unconditionally and so deeply that despite our sins, God can bring this world to peace, hope, love, and joy through the incarnation of a little baby on Christmas again and again.

In Christ's love,

Fr. Duncan

Isaiah 35:1-10

James 5:7-10

Matthew 11:2-11

Psalm 146:4-9

The wolf shall live with the lamb, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox...
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the
nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious (Isaiah 11:6-10).

In the Advent season, we wait in joyous expectation for the birth of Christ. Isaiah the prophet gave us these words from God that we might have hope in uncertain time. The price of peace is coming to each of us that prepare our hearts. We are asked in this season to realign ourselves to the path of Jesus Christ. Each of us will have a living experience with our incarnate savior, if we believe in him. I ask each member of St. John's to draw closer to our Lord in the coming year. Please consider deepening your faith in Christ by loving God and one another. The best way to get started is to pray to God that your heart may be kindled again. Please look for the living presence of Christ at St. John’s and witness to others your experience. Please contact me if you would like to witness to the congregation what St. John’s has meant to you and when you have felt the hope and power of the divine love. Invite your friends and family to our Christmas Pageant on December 22nd at 10:00 am and Christmas Eve services at 4:00 pm, 8:00 pm, and 11:00 pm.

The peaceable kingdom described by Isaiah is coming through God, not us. We are asked to repent or turn away from selfish desires and return to loving God and our neighbor. We accomplish this through prayer, study and worship. On Tuesday December 10th, I will present a program on the Gospel of Matthew. Evening Prayer begins at 6:00 pm with dinner at 6:30 pm, and a presentation at 7:00 pm. Please bring your bible.

The St. John's Youth Group will be selling wreaths between 8:30 am and noon today. The money will go towards feeding and housing the homeless right here at St. John's by our Youth Group. The Youth will provide three meals and a warm roof on Friday, December 13th. Today is also the day to turn in your Adopt-a-Family gifts to the ECW. We will deliver them on Saturday. There is a very important meeting at 11:15 today in the Guild Room for the ECW.

Our Sing Noël! Concert will be on Sunday, December 15th at 7:30 pm. Take a joyous break from the holiday rush and join us for our annual concert of Christmas songs, carols and stories. Join us in the Great Hall afterward to meet the artists and enjoy some Christmas cheer. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Leslie Valentine.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

In Christ's love,

Fr. Duncan

Isaiah 11:1-10

Romans 15:4-13

Matthew 3:1-12

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:5)

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

Please join us on Saturday December 7th at 9:00 am beginning with breakfast. Rev. Lawrence Womack from St. Augustine’s, Brooklyn will lead us in a SJSG Advent retreat. Fr. Anthony Jones will join us for the program, “Preparation: Matthew’s Journey through Advent.”

Advent is a time when we love each other as Christ loves us. It is a time when we remember those who we love by sending cards, baking cookies, and giving presents. We take the time to visit with our family, co-workers and friends. Advent is a time when we give of ourselves to others as Christ gave of himself to us. We bring about the coming of the kingdom of God by looking beyond ourselves. We pray for one another and help the poor and needy where we can.

The St. John’s Youth Group will be selling wreaths ($25), Christmas cactus ($10), and poinsettias ($15) this Sunday and delivering them on Saturday December 7th from 10:30-1:00 and Sunday December 8th from 8:30-12:00. This fund raiser supports our youth on mission trips and youth events.

Please join us this Sunday for Advent Wreath Making after the 10 am service in the Great Hall. This is an intergenerational event for everyone in the parish. St. John’s has a wonderful family atmosphere, where everyone feels welcome. If you are new to St. John’s or coming back to us again, we ask you to stay after the service today and enjoy the wonderful hospitality that we offer. We serve a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, French toast, muffins, or bagels every Sunday and we would really love to have you join us.

I ask each member of St. John’s to draw closer to our Lord in the coming year. Join us for Holy Eucharist on all four Sundays in Advent. The best way to get started is to pray to God that your heart may be kindled again. Our bishop has asked us to focus on our study, worship, and prayer. Please consider deepening your faith in Christ by loving God and one another. Join us on Tuesday mornings for Bible Study at 11:00 am in the Guild Room or join me for Morning Prayer in the church at 9:00 am on Monday or Tuesday. Enjoy the Christmas Pageant on December 22nd at 10:00 am and Christmas Eve services at 4:00 pm, 8:00 pm, and 11:00 pm.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

Isaiah 2:1-5

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:36-44

Psalm 122

Our gospel call to “social action” as understood 151 years ago, as is today, comes from the center of our worship life, prayer, and study.  Our liturgical life cannot be free of the concerns of God’s people. The very liturgy, a work of the people, must be a weekly (if not daily) celebration in which each person is further equipped to live in the world as a member of the Body of Christ. Our liturgical experiences (that is what happens in the church service) must encapsulate a legitimate, sacramental encounter with God, a binding together of God’s people and the offering of prayers representing the genuine needs of the world…A crisis in the ministry of the church today is our inability to clearly and faithfully articulate the impact of Jesus’ message—his life and teaching, his death and resurrection in the midst of a complex and fractured world…The Church must return to being the Church. There is no substitute for real community, actual—not virtual—prayer, conversation and study, liturgical action and sacramental encounter. Sisters and brothers, I am calling upon each of you once again, to return to the basics of our common life and common prayer, our formation and education and our sharing with everyone around us. Literally return to church. Be together more. Teach our children how to be together, work together, pray together. (Bishop Provenzano)

As we transition from Christ the King Sunday to Advent, I ask you to spend time in prayer, study, and worship. Please make an effort to attend church every Sunday in Advent and draw closer to the One that loves us all unconditionally. During our Advent suppers on Tuesday evenings (beginning 12/03), we will study the Gospel of Matthew as we prepare for the coming of Christ.  Join us on December 7th from 9-1 for an Advent Quiet Day. Our topic is “Preparation: Matthew’s Journey through Advent” with Rev. Lawrence Womack of St. Augustine’s Brooklyn. Fr. Anthony Jones will also be joining us for breakfast and the program. I ask you to sign up today, so that we can prepare enough food for the event.

At St. John’s our mission is to know Christ and make Him known. Most of us need to build a deeper relationship with Jesus. In both the Sunday Gospel and in our daily prayer, we are studying Matthew. Please read and meditate through Matthew in the coming month. Forward Day by Day daily meditations are also available for those of us on the go. Just take one line of scripture and meditate on it each morning. Please pray each and every day that the Holy Spirit will draw you closer to Jesus Christ through your prayer, study, and worship. Our bible study meets on Tuesdays at 11:00 am and will be finishing the “Path” in the next four weeks. We will study the Acts of the Apostles in January.

Our Youth Group will host HiHi at St. John’s for the homeless on December 13th. Our youth will be selling Christmas wreaths on December 7th and 8th. Please fill out your order form after service today. This is the last Sunday to bring Operation Christmas shoe boxes. Please pick up a tag, wrap a gift, and bring it back to St. John’s by December 8th for the ECW Adopt-A-Family program.

Please mark your calendars for the last Taizé service of the year on Sunday December 1st at 5:30 pm. This is a contemplative prayer service with beautiful music from Alex and friends.  Join us tonight at 4:00 pm for “Year’s End” with the Rambling Readers. Last, but not least is our biggest concert of the year. If you are new to St. John’s, please join us for songs, carols, and stories that are sure to put you in the Christmas spirit! Sing Noël! will be held on December 15th at 7:30 pm.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan   

Jeremiah 23:1-6
Canticle 16
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43

“When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down’” (Luke 21:5-6).

The temple at the time of Jesus was beautifully adorned. Josephus describes the temple as such, “whatever was not overlaid with gold was purest white” (Josephus, Jewish War 5.5.6). King Herod had lavishly adorned the temple with gold. No one could imagine that this beautiful temple could be destroyed. In the year 70 C.E. the Romans, under Titus, burned and destroyed the temple to the ground. Not a stone in the temple was left unturned. Gold was removed from each stone before setting the temple on fire. When Jesus spoke in the temple, it was beyond the imagination of the Jews that something so beautiful would be destroyed in their lifetime. When Luke wrote the Gospel, the prophecy that Jesus spoke had already come true. The magnificent temple in Jerusalem had already been utterly destroyed. The stuff that we see as magnificent pales in comparison to the love of God found in the Good News of Luke’s Gospel. As we finish our wrap up of the Gospel of Luke for this lectionary cycle, let us remember the question that we have been dealing with all year. “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:19). Jesus was called the Son of God, Prophet, Lord, Messiah or Christ, Son of Man, and Savior. Jesus preached God’s redemptive plan for the salvation of all humanity. Even death no longer had a sting.

This week we look towards our mission trip next summer to Puerto Rico. Hurricane Dorian leveled parts of the Bahamas recently with winds in excess of 180 MPH. Our parish sent funds to help the Bahamas recover. Puerto Rico was utterly turned upside down by Hurricane Maria a few years ago and we are working on a long-term relationship to help them recover. Last year we heard stories of terrified individuals that had no place to go and weathered the storm. One 80-year-old woman survived by holding a sheet of plywood against the windows to prevent water from rushing in her house. Another family put all their pigs, chickens and dogs into their living room to save them from the wind and water. Several years later, roofs are still leaking and there are not enough adequate shelters ready for the next hurricane. On July 5-10th, St John’s will send a mission team to continue our relief effort. Most of all, we make good friends and bring the love of God into their lives. If you are interested, please attend the meeting after the 10:00 service in the guild room.

Jesus asks us to see the temporal world for what it is and to look beyond to the eternal world. Last week I said that the resurrection proves that love is stronger than death. In fact, God’s love is stronger than anything. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God… 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 8:18-19, 38-39).

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

Isaiah 65:17-25
Canticle 9
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19

Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things.
With his right hand and his holy arm has he won for himself the victory.
The LORD has made known his victory; his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
Shout with joy to the LORD, all you lands; lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.
Sing to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the voice of song.Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, the lands and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands, and let the hills ring out with joy before the LORD, when he comes to judge the earth.
In righteousness shall he judge the world and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98)

The book of psalms articulates God’s coming reign and calls us to pray and sing praise as we await God’s peace, justice and righteousness. I am an associate of Holy Cross Monastery and for ten years, I spent every Friday praying the psalms with the brothers. For me, the singing of the psalms articulates my lament to the evil and pain in the world and praise for the love, mercy, joy, and hope in the person of Jesus Christ. It is no wonder that Psalm 98 is often sung on Christmas because we recognize in the birth of Jesus Christ that God’s Eternal Kingdom is ushered into our mortal existence. From the day you recognize that Jesus Christ is the Messianic King, you are called to love God and love your neighbor. At St. John’s and in many areas of this country, we give a tenth of what we have to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Today we will donate a few dollars to provide baskets for the women through the Long Island Against Domestic Violence organization. We will provide 12 Christmas baskets to families of four through our Youth Group, the ECW, and your generosity. This week we will also collect 100 Operation Christmas shoe boxes that will be sent all over the world to children that will only receive a present through your generosity. 

God’s Reign comes to humanity through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In today’s psalm we react to the love, mercy, and justice of God in praise and prayer. We come to St. John’s to praise the name of Jesus Christ as we await his coming again. In today’s psalm, we are reminded what God has done for us, what God is doing, and that God’s righteousness and justice will reign forever.  God is steadfast and faithful to each of us. God will judge us in righteousness with justice and equity.

We are called to celebrate what God has done and to praise and worship God. Sing to the Lord and shout with joy. Pray with your whole heart. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

People have sung the psalms for thousands of years. They represent our tears of sadness and joy. The psalms express every emotion that we feel back to God. Psalm 98 is a psalm of praise and worship. It asks us to join in with the sea as it makes its noise, the rivers as they clap their hands and the hills that ring out with joy. I have expressed many times how I enjoy listening to the ocean, hiking in the hills, and wading in the river. Praising and worshiping God connects us to the eternal truth that God created everything and everybody and loves us unconditionally. While our culture draws us into focusing on our little iPhone box, God draws us into relationship with all of God’s creation. While our culture draws us to be independent and self-absorbed, God draws us to be united with Jesus Christ and our neighbor. This Sunday give praise and worship to God and connect to the love, joy, hope, and mercy that surrounds us as we await the coming of God’s Kingdom.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

Haggai 1:15b-2:9
Psalm 98
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Luke 20:27-38

Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:20-21, 31)

In last week’s sermon, I spoke about the self-giving love of Jesus Christ. We are the light of Christ when we give of ourselves for the sake of others. I can’t think of a better example of this than our Harvest Fair. The atmosphere at the fair was amazing and the comradery among our parishioners was palpable. Many of our parishioners gave an incredible amount of time, talent, and treasure to make the weekend such a huge success. We had lots of newcomers working on the Harvest Fair, and we invite you to continue in the ministry of St. Johns. We will break another record in total sales. The ECW will use the proceeds to help our community through ECW donations to charitable organizations, our Thrift Shop, Laundry Love, our HIHI Homeless Ministry, Operation Christmas Child, Adopt-a-Family, Thanksgiving Baskets for the domestic abuse shelter, our Prayer Shawl ministry, St. John’s Hospital Toy Drive, our Book Ministry, our mission trips to Puerto Rico, and a sizable donation to support all the other ministries at St. Johns.

I would like to thank our entire ECW team that worked so hard to make the event such a huge success. There are posters in the Great Hall with the names of charities that the ECW gave to last year, the vendors that contributed to our baskets, and the names of all the sponsors that made this year such a success. Please support our local businesses that support our Harvest Fair. There will be an ECW meeting on November 3rd at 11:20 in the Guild Room to recap the Harvest Fair. A special thanks to Chris Boccia and Fran Gorman for their leadership in the ECW and at the Harvest Fair. There are too many people to thank individually, but please know that I appreciate the work and ministry of everyone that helped out this year.

During our stewardship campaign, people will witness to what makes St. John's so special to them. Dave Lasek spoke about how the parishioners at St. John’s are like family to him. He pointed out people like Mary Simon who quietly visits and calls people who are sick or in the hospital. Dave and Nelly work on the breakfast team on Sunday mornings, they volunteer in the Thrift Shop, help with HIHI, and are part of the Spirituality Group (to name of few of the ministries that Dave and Nelly support). Last week, Michael Ade talked about coming to St. John’s as an Ex-Pat. He found the congregation incredibly friendly and is heading the 275th Anniversary Committee, working on the vestry, and leading our grounds committee in 2020. Michael’s partner, Sean has also been active at St. John’s and volunteers as an usher. Through parishioners like Dave, Nelly, Sean, and Michael, we make St. John’s an extraordinary parish. Please listen to Susan Cronje and Scott Cooley on our Loyalty Sunday as they witness to their experience at St. John’s.

Our parish is dedicated, "to know Christ and to make Him known." We are trying to live in the present reality as we move towards the kingdom of heaven. Please love God and one another as Jesus Christ loves us. We have something very special here at St. John's. Giving your time, talent, and treasure brings both you and this community to a place where we can minister to our children, the poor, the sick, and the thirsty. This year’s stewardship campaign is “Shining our Light.” Please place your pledge card in the offering plate today. There are extra pledge cards in all the pews. The cards will then be blessed at the altar.  Giving of ourselves for the sake of others literally ushers in the coming kingdom.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

Light shines in the darkness for the upright; *
the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
It is good for them to be generous in lending *
and to manage their affairs with justice.
For they will never be shaken; *
the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance (Psalm 112:4-6).

Our stewardship campaign for this year is Shining our Light. “At its heart, stewardship is an invitation to journey into God’s abundance. And for most of us, the journey to generosity is just that — a journey. It is human nature to fear not having enough. Yet God’s story and our story collide and we experience something different. God invites us to taste and see what God is doing in our lives and to consider what God is entrusting to our care. In journeying to generosity, we are invited to become co-creators with God. When we move away from scarcity and self, we can begin to focus on what God has entrusted to us; we can see more fully how God is acting in our lives and in our world. In a culture that values our own enlightened self-interest over the needs of others, it is not always an easy journey, yet the gifts that await us when we truly step into community and into deep relationship with God are abundant.

“All of us are called to be stewards. We are stewards of God’s creation, stewards of our families, stewards of money, stewards of time, stewards of our churches, and stewards of the faith that has been handed down to us, the faith that so many generations before us have stewarded. As we travel with God, we begin to recognize those places in our lives where God is calling us, as God called the Israelites, to step forth in faith into new and unknown places. It can feel risky to let go of the familiar, the safe, the known. And yet, when we let go, when we invite God more fully into our lives, the journey cannot help but be one that transforms us, taking us out of our places of bondage, into new, generous and abundant life” (TENS). Psalm 112 speaks eloquently about our call to be merciful, compassionate, and to seek justice. This year our Stewardship Campaign will begin with several parishioners witnessing about what God is doing with their lives at St. John’s. Last week Dave Lasek talked about the wonderful community of St. John’s.

You will receive a pledge card in the mail this week and I ask you to prayerfully consider the gifts that you receive and ask you to give to St. John's on a proportional basis. If you have not received a pledge card yet, they are available on the table in the back of the church. We will collect pledge cards for the next two Sundays and bless them at the altar. Each week you will hear parishioners witness about what they love about St. John's. Please consider raising your pledge this year so that St. John's may continue to grow and flourish.

I am so grateful for you. Your faithful membership at St. John's and your generosity sustains our ministry and is a source of encouragement to me.

In Christ's love,
Fr. Duncan

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Psalm 119:137-144
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Luke 19:1-10

“Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill” (Matthew 5:13-14).

Loyalty Sunday is November 3rd this year. I invite you to give prayerful consideration to increasing your Stewardship pledge for the coming year. Our theme is: Shining our Light. When we give generously of ourselves we begin to change into the image of God. The transformation that occurs when we realize that we are unconditionally loved by God overflows to others without regret. First give of yourself and then shine your light to others that they may know the risen Christ through your love.

Next week I ask you to volunteer at St. John’s and to invite friends and family to the Harvest Fair on Saturday October 26th from 10:00-4:00. St. John’s has been doing ministry in Huntington for 274 years and we know that what Christ is doing here is vitally important. Our ECW will support Long Island Cares, Helping Hands Mission, Community Food Council, Family Service League, and many other vital local charities. Please participate in any way you can to this important event.

Listen to those who witness about their journeys at St. John’s. The hospitality and love that people feel when they make St. John’s their spiritual home is remarkable. My wife and I give generously because we believe in the ministry of St. John’s and we believe that we can make this community a better place through the love of Jesus Christ.

We need to continue to transform our growing congregation through an experience with the living God to an authentic faith which sends us into the world to be the light of Christ and to be the leaven that transforms the world around us. We will continue our work on racial reconciliation and justice. We need to continually grow our outreach to the poor, the sick, the lonely, the disenfranchised, and the powerless. We are the arms and feet of Jesus Christ to a hurting world.

I give my sincere thanks to everyone that gives of their time, treasure and talent to St. John’s. Your gift allows us to continue 274 years of service to this community and the world. Please drop your pledge card in the plate by November 3rd.

In a time of despair and worry, God offers hope and contentment. In a time of enmity and separation, God offers love and unification. In a time of uncertainty, God offers us eternal life. By the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we know that God’s unending love for us is real and that God’s promises are true. I urge you to see your life as a precious gift from God and to give of your time, talent and treasure accordingly. Let us Shine our Light so that everyone will know the love of God in Jesus Christ.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

Wild Geese (from Dream Work by Mary Oliver)

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers. 
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, 
are heading home again.  
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Jesus Christ is on his way to Jerusalem and a group of lepers called out, “Jesus, have mercy on us.” Jesus heals them and one returned to Jesus and thanked him. I believe that God calls us to give thanks for everything we have. With a thankful heart, we are able to be healed of more than our physical ailments. We are made whole when we realize that everything comes through the mercy and grace of God. Jesus Christ came that you may have life and live it more abundantly. Abundant life is a life lived in thankfulness. But that does not mean that our lives are perfect. At times, we need to share our despair with others and listen to their despair in return. We are created in the image of God to follow God’s path of mercy, forgiveness, and love. Let your love flow in your life in everything you do. Give thanks for everything you have and don’t worry about the nine lepers that did not return. The harvest is great and the laborers are few. Let your light shine even if you are surrounded by darkness.

The older I get the more interested and fascinated I am by nature. Last week, Barb and I restored our souls through a quiet week at Saltaire on Fire Island. I love to watch the birds feeding as the waves roll across the shore and the seagulls standing on one foot staring at the beautiful view right next to me. It puts everything in perspective for me. I had a wonderful week with God in creation and my family.  We enjoyed long walks on the beach, visiting the lighthouse, healthy eating, puzzles, reading, and meeting old friends.

I often see twenty percent of the people giving eighty percent of their time and donations, but I don’t mind. I think that being the leper that returns is all that matters. I doubt you’ll win the lottery because you are a good person and I’m sure you are just as susceptible to disease as anyone else. But I believe that finding your place in the family of things is important. If you choose the path of Jesus Christ then you will be blessed with a thankful heart and abundant life. Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference.”

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan