Page not found – Saint John's Episcopal Church https://stjohnohio.org Love God, love your neighbor, change the world. Tue, 26 Mar 2024 20:06:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.4 https://stjohnohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/St.-John-logo-150x150.png Page not found – Saint John's Episcopal Church https://stjohnohio.org 32 32 Lenten Reflection from the Archives by Rev. Allende https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-from-the-archives-by-rev-allende-3/ Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:00:41 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7681

 

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
[Jeremiah 17:7-8]

Reading the two verses cited above from the book of the prophet Jeremiah immediately brings to mind the hymn, “I Shall Not Be Moved.”

Refrain:
I shall not be, I shall not be moved.
I shall not be, I shall not be moved;
like a tree planted by the water,
I shall not be moved.

Verse 1:
When my cross is heavy, I shall not be moved,
when my cross is heavy, I shall not be moved;
like a tree planted by the water, I shall not be moved. [Refrain]

This Far by Faith: an African American Resource for Worship, (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1999) #147

The source of inspiration most often cited for this hymn is Psalm 1:3:

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.

Regardless of its source, the image of the tree planted by the water quickly took this hymn out of the church and into the streets. It became the theme song for many protest movements  and labor unions. It has been translated into several languages. Joan Baez popularized a version in Spanish.

In his book, The Spirituals and the Blues, theologian James Cone defines spirituals as, “The power of song in the struggle for black survival.” [p. 1]

Similarly, Sidney Hillman, President of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, said in 1939, “It is no great exaggeration to say that songs have played a vital part in the upward climb of humanity.”[i]

With members of the Tennessee National Guard standing ready, thousands of people march in honor of the slain Dr. Martin Luther King, in Memphis, Tennessee on April 9, 1968.
(AP Photo/Gene Herrick)

What immediately comes to my mind are the scenes of the Civil Rights Movement from the fifties to the seventies. Despite the cruelty of those in power, the marchers continued, absorbing beatings and much worse, in their quest for justice and equality.

The protesters courageously continue to march and to commit acts of civil disobedience in the face of intransigence, even to this day. They will not be disheartened by the current toxicity of partisan politics that persist in perpetuating prejudice and creating a climate of distrust.

Jeremiah urges the exiles of Israel to trust in the Lord, not in humans. It is no wonder, then, that his words still resonate in song today.

Most, if not all of us, often look to elected officials to save us from our distress. But Jeremiah warns that that trust can take us only so far. While humans (e.g. politicians) can perhaps supply the necessary material resources, only God can fulfill our deepest yearning – to live in a world where justice reigns over fear and anxiety.

This Holy Week, the tree planted by the water reminds us that only God’s abiding presence can sustain us in these difficult days.

The roots of our faith can only be fed by the waters of God’s love.

And it is only the living water of God’s love that can refresh us, renew us, and inspire us with a spirit of hope that flies in the face of adversity, injustice and despair.

†     †     †

[i] Spener, David, We Shall Not Be Moved/No nos moverán: Biography of a Song of Struggle, (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2016), p. 40

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Lenten Reflection from the Archives by Rev. Allende https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-from-the-archives-by-rev-allende/ Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:00:55 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7675

 

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 
[John 12:20-21]


Full disclosure: I am writing this reflection on Monday evening because on Tuesday, I will be driving to Columbus early in the morning to preach at Trinity Lutheran Seminary for their Tuesday Holy Week Worship. In the interest of time, I am also reworking an old sermon I preached several years ago on the Gospel reading from John, which is also the assigned Revised Common Lectionary reading for this day.


It was Passover in Jerusalem. The atmosphere of the Holy City was transformed during this most special season. The entire Jewish nation converged on Jerusalem from all corners of the ancient world to celebrate Passover.

Those who lived nearby had a comparatively easy journey.  But many came from neighboring lands and traveled great distances, even from as far away as Rome. As the time of the festival drew closer, the great processions of pilgrims swelled in numbers. They came in caravans numbering hundreds and sometimes even thousands of participants.

If you’ve even been a part of a crowd at any special sporting event like the Final Four, or the Super Bowl – Pre-COVID, of course – then you might have an idea what Jerusalem was like at this time.

Jesus Entry Into Jerusalem
By Andrew Mulenga

It was into this environment that Jesus, just two days earlier, had made his triumphal entry, riding on a donkey’s colt, with the people waving palm branches.  This was the third Passover that Jesus would celebrate during the time of his public ministry; his third, and last.

And again, our Gospel readings states that:  “…among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”  [John 12:20-21]

This passage has always raised several questions for me.  What were these Greeks doing in Jerusalem? What were they doing worshipping at Passover?  In what language did they speak to Philip? Why did the Gospel writer, John, choose to single these Greeks out of a mass of humanity that traditionally numbered in the hundreds of thousands?  Did they simply stick out like sore thumbs, or is this a first century version of ethnic profiling?

But these “Greeks” wish to SEE Jesus.  Nothing indicates that they had any other need.  They merely wanted to SEE him, to be in his presence, to hear his words.  But there was a problem.  They were not Jews.  They were outsiders, so they were restricted.  Historical descriptions of Passover celebrations in first century Israel indicate that in the Jerusalem Temple, there was a wall separating Gentile worshipers from the rest of the temple area and they could not go past it, which is probably why Philip had to check with Andrew.

I can’t help but wonder how those Greeks must have felt in the midst of that massive crowd.  They certainly had to be in the minority.  They certainly couldn’t have felt at ease among people who were not like them.  In Philip they saw someone who at least may have spoken their language.  Yet in spite of the discomfort, in spite of the anxiety, in spite of being strangers; they took the risk of going to Jerusalem to SEE Jesus.

Notice they didn’t say, “We came to see this beautiful Temple.”  No, they came to see JESUS!

When I was a parish pastor, whenever visitors walked into our worship services, I would always wonder what brought them. I would make a beeline for them after the service and ask. In my follow-up communication I also would ask how welcome they felt in our worship setting.

I ask because as a church, any church, we need to work on hospitality. We must constantly ask ourselves how clearly do we explain our practices?  We sometimes assume that because we’re familiar with the liturgy, the stranger among us also knows what we’re doing.  We feel that just because there’s a bulletin in his or her hand that they can follow along.

Far too often congregations are only concerned about themselves and their own members.  That statement comes from a study done by The Alban Institute entitled, Why Some Churches Don’t Grow.

Yet this pandemic, tragic as it has been, has also offered us hope.

It has given us is a greater opportunity to reach more people thanks to the wonders of technology. With fewer and fewer people coming through our doors in this day and age, more people are watching worship online than ever before.

When they tune in, how clearly do we make it known that we worship a God of grace?  How clearly do we communicate that message?

It has also offered us the opportunity to be Jesus for others.

The church has plenty to do:

  • to announce the gospel, the good news,
  • to work for justice,
  • to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
  • We are called to look for and act on opportunities to do God’s work in the world and lead by our own example of faithful service.

In these troubled times, we as a church, have the potential to offer a voice of hope in the midst of despair to those who ask, “We want to see Jesus.”

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Lenten Reflection from the Archives by Rev. Allende https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-from-the-archives-by-rev-allende-2/ Mon, 25 Mar 2024 18:22:05 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7678  

 

Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
[Philippians 3:13b-14]

Price Park, North Canton, OH

I have a friend, a retired pastor, with whom I walk a couple times a week. My running days long behind me, I find walking boring, which is why I need a companion to ease the burden. We are both sports fans, so our conversations are not limited to church matters. We also both recently acquired new pets; he, a dog, and I, a cat. So the joys of sharing how our pets are adjusting to us have made our exercise less of a chore.

In my running days, I had a wristwatch that timed my mile splits. I always made every effort to better my total time each outing. Nowadays, my friend and I both have an app on our phones that counts our steps and times our walks. We’re not out to set any personal records, but it’s fun to know how we compare to our previous outing. And although our walks are not longer than two miles, that meager distance is somewhat of a challenge to us at our age. So the phone app is equipped with another helpful tool, a voice that offers us words of encouragement as we near our goal. “Almost there! You can do it,” it exclaims!

While the Apostle Paul gives no indication that he was an athlete, he uses sports images quite often in his letters. This may have been how he felt he could connect with his mainly Greek audience. He’s made references to boxers in other letters, and though here he doesn’t clearly make mention of runners, he implies competition in the “pressing toward the goal for the prize.”

This is the beginning of Holy Week, marking the final days of Jesus’ earthly life, before he was arrested, tried, tortured, and crucified. It is somewhat fitting that we read the letter from Paul to the Philippians this week because Paul himself was in jail as he wrote these words. Yet he is able to lay aside his personal concerns and focus on what really matters – a life in Christ.

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” [Philippians 3:10]

We began this six-week Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday when we received the ashes on our forehead, and were grimly reminded that we are dust, and we shall return to dust. As we know all too well, the past year has been a trying one for all of us, as we have been forced to make adjustments to situations that we haven’t faced in our lifetime. The reality of death lurks around every corner. And now the cross is within our sight.

Paul saw God take shape in the world and in his own life most concretely in the cross of Christ. In the cross, God dignifies and sanctifies all human suffering by promising to be there with us and for us. We, ourselves, bear that cross, as we struggle to be faithful in this world.

Paul invites us to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus,” by tying our suffering to Jesus’ own, and inviting us thereby to recognize God’s presence not only in the distant heavens but also, and even more, in the daily struggles of our lives.

Gervasi Vineyards Trail

This Lenten journey, difficult as it may have seemed for some, is a metaphor for life. We struggle, we endure, but we do not lose faith.  We do not lose faith because we know that God walks along with us to the cross, and on the other side of that cross, on the other side of Easter, on the other side of Christ’s resurrection, there is promise of a new life.

And just as I have a partner to make my walk less burdensome, we walk along our journey in community. Together, we can do far more than we can accomplish individually. Together, we can face the struggles of our lives, rejoice in the triumphs, nurture our relationships, and encourage each other to care for those around us and receive their care in turn, using us and even our daily routines to love and care for the world and people God loves so much.

Like the app that pushes me with the words, “Almost there! You can do it,” Paul spurs us on by urging us to, “press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus!”

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Lenten Reflection by David Hill https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-by-david-hill-4/ Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:33:38 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7658

 

We are so familiar with The Lord’s Prayer, that we can say it by rote, without thinking about the words we are praying.  A poem from “Thoughts of God” by the Connecticut Council of Churches can help us find greater meaning in Jesus’ prayer.

 

OUR DAILY BREAD

 

 “Give us this day our daily bread.”

I thought of the words as the prayer was said.

 Who are “we” who ask for bread?

‘Tis all the world that must be fed.

Not just today but through the year

There are hungry folks both far and near.

Whence comes to us our daily bread?

Is it placed in our hands as we bow our head?

We are given the earth and seeds of grain,

The sun gives heat, the clouds drop rain,

The seeds we have, sun, rain and soil,

And hands we have for heavy toil.

Minds we have to make new plans

For producing more food on our fertile lands.

Are starving people part of God’s plan?

No – God depends on our help

To feed those people who bow and pray

“Our daily bread, give us this day.”

How, indeed, shall the world be fed

‘Till we learn how to share our bread?

I thought of the words as the prayer was said,

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

 

Our ministries with the Red Door Café lunches offered every Sunday at St. John’s and the monthly Red Door Food Pantry distribution provide much needed food to our neighbors. The Women’s Coffee that precedes the distribution offers   the opportunity for breakfast, conversation, and prayer, while building relationships with women living in the city, many in low-income housing.  Surely, God is showing us the way to “feed those people who bow and pray ‘our daily bread give us this day.’”

Submitted by David Hill

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Lenten Reflection by David Simonelli https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-by-david-simonelli-2/ Tue, 19 Mar 2024 10:00:41 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7655

 

God spoke three words in answer to my question: What had He ever done?
I sent you.
The words came with His understanding, and I suppose that is what all words are in some sense: pieces of His understanding. What He had done for the disorder of the world was to create us. He had done this for everyone, not only me. He caused us to be. He upheld existence. He had made us as we are so that we could find within ourselves the capacity to face challenges, to overcome hardships, to be brave. His greatest gift to us was the one thing he lacked: our limitation, the greatest of all gifts, so that we could win through risk and fear to find love, truth, and beauty and own the things we won. So that we might, in our inherently uncertain world, figure out who we really are. For in that way, by overcoming without knowledge of the outcome, by risking without certainty of reward, we could become most like Him.
Excerpt from: Some Guy, “Anti-Majestic Cosmic Bullsh*t”, Extelligence
Submitted by: David Simonelli
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Lenten Reflection by Eva Sullivan https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-by-eva-sullivan-3/ Mon, 18 Mar 2024 10:00:50 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7652

About 10 years ago Meghan Foster Froehlich was our rector during a transition period. I remember Meghan carrying a baby around the nave after she baptized the child and singing “Jesus Loves Me” as she showed the baby off to the congregation. It touched my heart.

That was also my first year of participation in the stripping of the altar on Maundy Thursday. What a powerful experience, silently and solemnly working along side all the women of our guild while Meghan washed the altar! As we removed the kneelers, removed the banners, emptied the aumbry, and put black shrouds over the crosses, I felt a deep connection to the women who tended the tomb of Jesus.

Meghan always included a prayer that I try to keep in my heart: “Life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us so be swift to love, make haste to be kind, and go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”

Submitted by Eva Sullivan

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Lenten Reflection by David Hill https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-by-david-hill-3/ Sat, 16 Mar 2024 10:00:28 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7640
Lenten Reflection
 
A Prayer of Saint Patrick
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me.
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts, of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
 
One way to find common ground with another person is to examine their prayers, and this is true of St. Patrick. Although Patrick lived long ago, in the fifth century, his prayer can help us to understand and appreciate him.
 
For a person captured at age 16 from his home in Wales after rejecting Christ as a youth, how helpful it would it be to pray:
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me.
For a person forced to work as a slave in Ireland, how helpful it would be to pray:
Christ to comfort and restore me.
For a person committed to return to the mission field in Ireland after escaping and being reunited with his family, how helpful it would be to pray: Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts, of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
 
As we gain appreciation for St. Patrick’s prayer in helping him to overcome the challenges he faced, we can discover its’ relevance and value in helping us to lift up our needs and challenges to God. May the Prayer of St. Patrick be a blessing to each of us on this holy day.
 
Submitted by David Hill
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Lenten Reflection by Christa Buckler https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-by-christa-buckler/ Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:00:21 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7634

 

Dear Lord,

During this season of Lent, please bring me closer to you. Prepare a place in my heart and home for silence and solitude, to reflect on your everlasting love and light, as I find ways to apply it to every aspect of life. I know You receive what is in my heart. Let me be inspired by Your words and by the actions of Your son, Jesus. Guide me to make sacrifices this Lent in the spirit of self-denial and with greater attention to You and those around me. Help me to fast from those things that threaten the well-being of body and soul and remind me of the grace of simplicity. Let my love for you and your heavenly kingdom grow among the flowers. All for you, sweet Jesus, all for you.  Amen.

Submitted by Christa Buckler

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Lenten Reflection by Sarah Quaranta https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-by-sarah-quaranta/ Thu, 14 Mar 2024 10:00:22 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7637

We need to remember,

that resurrection is not just a mysterious event

that once happened long ago.

We need to know – to live –

the truth of resurrection for ourselves,

and for our world,

daily.

 

And so we pray that we and our world

may recognise and embrace the little resurrections

that are always all around us,

and may we give ourselves to be

life-carriers wherever we are able.

 

Where lives are lost because human greed and power-mongering

drive people into poverty and war

may resurrection be found

in simplicity, generosity and peace-making.

 

Where people are imprisoned by the sickness in their bodies

or in the hearts of those who enslave them,

may resurrection be found

in community, in compassion,

and in our constant striving for freedom for all.

 

Where women and men are kept from abundant life

through unjust policies and unequal opportunities,

may resurrection be found

in gracious laws and open doors.

 

Where the earth and its creatures are destroyed

through expediency and carelessness,

may resurrection be found

in honouring all life and in mindful living.

 

And so, wherever life may seem to be lost,

may we remain people of hope,

of justice and of grace

and may we become skilled at seeing and unleashing

your little resurrections.

 

Amen.

Submitted by Sarah Quaranta

Resource: Sacredise.com

 

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Lenten Reflection by Sam Dickey https://stjohnohio.org/lenten-reflection-by-sam-dickey/ Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:00:51 +0000 https://stjohnohio.org/?p=7631

While surfing the Internet, I discovered a number of Youtube videos devoted to liminal spaces, a term I still struggle to define.  They are bland and innocuous, but somehow vaguely creepy and foreboding.  They seem to be in-between spaces, places along a journey that are not designed for lingering.  They are often painted in either muted, unsaturated colors or colors that are so garish that you could be forgiven for thinking you were having a dream that was the result of poor digestion.

But what does this all have to do with us at St. John’s and what does it have to do with Lent?

Actually, everything.

If nothing else, Lent is a liminal space on the calendar.  Perhaps very few of us–if any–really look forward to Lent in the same way that we look forward to Easter.  To top it off, we find ourselves in an interim period, something that rolls around at irregular intervals.  We may enjoy interim rectors, but we also long for the coming of a long-term rector.

Maybe liminal spaces and liminal times lead us to an uncertain nostalgia for a past that seems more glorious in retrospect.  Memory Lane can be a beautiful place, but God always has good things in store for us if we’re willing to go through the liminal space with holy boldness and confidence.

Submitted by Sam Dickey

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