Category Archives: Rev. Rebecca’s Reflections

Going Where God Calls (Sermon) January 25, 2015

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Sermon – January 25, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

The Third Sunday After Epiphany, Year B

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Jonah 3:1-3a

Please be seated.

When I was a child, I perfected the art of whining and complaining.  I truly tried the patience of my parents.  So, I know I’m good at it.  So, I apologize for the whining you’ll hear me do in this sermon today.

I find it hard to be Executive Director of St. Agnes’ House.  I really don’t like, almost hate, raising money.  And while we ended in the year in much better shape than I ever imagined, it’s a new year and we have to start all over again raising the $107,000 budget.  Yes, we have a good start with grants of $21,500, but the one grant for $7,500 ends this year, so we’ll have to replace that amount.  The fundraising consultant says we can raise the same amount of money and even more with only two mailings a year, but I’m nervous about that.  We mailed to people four times a year last year, but that angered some of my colleagues.

I also don’t like being responsible for buildings.  There’s always something in need of repair or painting at St. Agnes’ House.  There are a couple of windows that are pulling out of the window frames.  Are the frames rotten or has the caulking just dried out?  Of course these windows are about the hardest to reach.  And it’s a small job, so who can we get to do it?

Seems like it’s just very hard to keep the place open and running well.

In our Old Testament Lesson today we hear a portion of the story of Jonah.  We have a great wall hanging of this story in the Godly Play Room.  The Book of Jonah is not a true story in its facts.  Rather, it is a story designed to communicate to us important understandings about God.

Earlier in the story, God had called Jonah to go to Nineveh and deliver a message to the people there.  Nineveh was the last place Jonah wanted to go.  Nineveh was the capitol of Assyria and the Assyrians did not believe in the God of the Israelites.  The Assyrians were also mean and cruel.  They were a huge empire and known at that time for conquering everyone they could and demanding taxes or tribute from them.  Nineveh was one of the largest cities at that time with possibly 150,000 people.

We certainly understand Jonah, don’t we?  Most of us would not relish the task God has asked Jonah to do.  From Jonah’s self-centered point of view, he did not think he really wanted to do what God asked.  We know Jonah ended up in the belly of a whale for three days, so guess God convinced Jonah that delivering God’s message to the people of Nineveh was a lot better than the belly of the whale.  But I don’t think Jonah was all that thrilled with God’s call to him.

Aren’t we all like Jonah?  We get caught up in our own personal view of things.  What God asks us to do starts to feel burdensome and personally, we don’t want to do it.  Think about those mornings when coming to church on a Sunday just feels so hard to do and we’re not sure we’ll get anything out of it personally.

Now, certainly, there is a balance to all of this.  We do need to take care of ourselves and think about ourselves to a certain extent.  But when God calls, we also need to think about others.  God needed a message to get to the Ninevites, even though the people of Nineveh did not believe in God!  God, like Jonah, didn’t really like the Ninevites all that much.  God wanted to destroy them.  But God chose Jonah to carry that message to the people and to give them a chance to change their ways.

And God chooses us.  God hears our complaints and whining, I dare say.  Luckily, I don’t know anyone who’s ended up in the belly of a whale, but from our story, we also know that God keeps calling us.  God tells us we are of value.  God tells us that our community needs us and needs our presence.  Maybe we don’t feel like going, but the community needs us to go.  In Jonah’s case, the Ninevites paid heed to what Jonah said and changed their ways.

The same is true of St. Agnes’ House.  After all of my self-centered whining, then, I meet the guests.  Recently and older woman who was pretty scared to be in Lexington by herself, but wanted to be by the side of her middle-aged son who needed a heart transplant reserved a room.  She “slept” in the hospital for over two months.  Finally, she was willing to venture out and check out St. Agnes’ House.  She wasn’t sure she was going to sleep there at night, but she needed a place to go each day away from the hospital.  She needed a place that was quiet where she could take a nap, or read a book or knit.  Her room at St. Agnes’ House was perfect, she told me.

As she registered and toured the house, we talked about her situation and she confided that she thought her son was dying.  She was grateful for a lap quilt that had been made and donated to the house.  It was the perfect thing for sitting in a chair in the afternoon.  She thought she might return the quilt when she left, but I told her it was hers to take if she wanted.  She kept thanking me and told me she felt so much better that day.  I didn’t see her much after that, until one day, we passed each other in our vehicles.  We stopped and she told me her son had died and she was coming to check out.  She told me how much she appreciated her room at the House and she said she was going to keep the quilt.

That’s why we go when God calls.  God really doesn’t want to hear our self-centered whining.  God has chosen us and our community needs us or at least needs to hear the message God has asked us to bring to the community.

May we, like Jonah, set out to go where God calls us.  In doing so, we may bring life and salvation.

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Sunday (January 25, 2015) at St. John’s

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For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
truly, my hope is in him. Psalm 62:6

I used to think I was so smart, because when things got tough, I knew exactly what action to take.  When I was going through a divorce, I was so heartbroken and felt so much grief.  I took lots of actions like going to counseling, getting involved with a personal growth community, and getting more involved with church.  I was actually looking for something to take away the pain of the grief, sadness and loss I was feeling.  So I took action.

Everything I did was really very healthy.  It wasn’t that I was doing things that were bad for me, but it was that nothing was going to make the pain go away, except living through it.  I had to walk through that pain, grief and loss.  I needed to sit still…. I needed to sit in silence for awhile and wait upon God.

Now I know when I feel anxious or in deep grief, I need to be silent and wait on God, because therein lies my hope, rather than in any action I might take.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

01-25-2015 Bulletin

POT LUCK THIS SUNDAY

It’s our monthly pot luck!  Come join us and taste great food and enjoy wonderful company!

Rebecca’s Schedule: Rev. Rebecca will at St. John’s Corbin Wednesday, January 28 through Friday, January 30. Her Sabbath day will be Monday, January 26 and Tuesday, January 27. You can get a message to her by calling the church office at 606-528-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org

Adult Forum: In January through mid-February (Christmas and Epiphany), we will discuss the blessing of same gender relationships.  Next week, Rebecca will be reviewing Liturgy and the development of Liturgical Resources.

Godly Play offered for children.  All children are invited to participate in this special program of spiritual development.

Pot Luck Sunday:  Today after the 11:00 service is our monthly pot luck meal.  All are welcome and there is plenty of food to go around!  Plan on a time of fellowship with each other.

Property Committee will meet Tuesday, January 27, 6pm, at the church.  

Morning Eucharist: A Service of Holy Eucharist will be available Wednesday, January 28, at 9am in the Sanctuary.

Game Night:  Everyone is invited to Game night on Friday, January 30, in the Parish Hall from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.  This night of fun is hosted by the Young Adults of the parish.  Pizza will be provided.  Bring snacks and your own drinks.

Worship Committee will meet Friday, January 30, 4:30-6:00pm.  

The annual Acolyte Festival will be held Saturday, January 31, 10am – 3:30pm at Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington

Grow Appalachia Committee will meet Sunday, February 15, after church.  

A Group hoping to send children from Corbin to Reading Camp at Pine Mountain Settlement School will meet on Thursday, February 27, 10:15am at St. John’s.  

Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.

  • Everlasting Arms, Corbin’s shelter for people who are homeless, is in need of men’s and women’s razors, gloves, deodorant and socks.
  • The Food Pantry at Corbin Presbyterian Church is always in need of nonperishable food items. Vegetables are especially appreciated.

 

 

 

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Follow Me (sermon) January 18, 2015

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Sermon – January 18, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

The Second Sunday After Epiphany, Year B

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ John 1:43

Please be seated

Every week, you sit in this space and worship in the midst of this beautiful stained glass window of John, the Gospel writer.  This year we’ll hear quite a bit from John’s Gospel.  On Friday, we had a clergy day in Lexington.  The presenter was Gail O’Day, Dean of Wake Forest Divinity School.  She was in town for the ordination of one of her students, Andrew Hege, the new Associate Rector at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church.

Dr. O’Day is also a New Testament scholar and has written much commentary on the Gospel of John.  Also a Professor of Preaching, she was helping us look at the Gospel in new ways.  She said that the Gospelwriter wanted to emphasize the extravagant love of God for us.  She also said that during Jesus’ time, the religious authorities wanted to silence Jesus, because his teachings and upheaval they were creating amongst the Jewish people, were causing the Roman occupiers to take more notice.  The authorities didn’t want any scrutiny from Rome.  They wanted to be left alone.  John is writing to say that there is a cost to remaining silent…that there is a cost to rejecting the teaching of Jesus, God incarnate.

 

And this weekend we remember The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who certainly embodied the point John was making.  Just like Samuel, God called Dr. King’s name and set a mission for him.  Just like Philip and Nathanael, Jesus called Dr. King to follow him.

In 1956, after the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King left Montgomery.  He said, “History has thrust something on me which I cannot turn away.”  Dr. King was well educated, graduated from high school early.  He was to be a great preacher like his father, most likely at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where his father was pastor.  That was the life laid out for him and the life he expected.

While I’m sure he thought he’d be part of a movement for justice, he never expected to be a major leader in that movement to the point where he was away from his family and congregation for long periods of time and in so many cities in the United States.  A role that meant his home was bombed and death threats surrounded him.  It seems like the prudent thing to do would have been to remain silent, but Dr. King could not turn away from his calling.

That’s not the life he planned, but it was the life God called him to and just like Samuel, Dr. King said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  And just like Philip and Nathanael, he responded to Jesus’ call by following Jesus.

And he knew that following that call could mean he would die relatively young.  He knew that following that call could mean being murdered.

I still remember when Dr. King was assassinated, even though I was only 10 years old, how he had seemingly foretold his death.  Over and over again, the news played excerpts from his speech the night before.  He said,

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has its place.  But I’m not concerned about that now.  I just want to do God’s will.  

I just want to do God’s Will.  I just want to follow Jesus.  I just want to serve God.  That’s what we all need to be saying and figuring out.

Because not doing God’s Will…not following Jesus…not serving God, has consequences.  We heard that in our reading from Samuel.  Eli had not stopped his sons from disrespecting and speaking against God, so God told Samuel, Eli’s family would be destroyed.

So, there are consequences for ignoring God’s Will. We may try to ignore God’s calling to us out of fear of what will be required of us.  It’s probably not in our life plan.  And look what happened to Dr. King and who wants a short life and a death like his?  What could be worse than the consequence of death?

But here’s the paradox:  when you are doing God’s Will and when you are following Jesus and when you are serving God, death doesn’t frighten you anymore.  Death has no power over you.  The night before he died, Dr. King ended his speech by saying,

[God’s] allowed me to go up to the mountain.  And I’ve looked over.  And I’ve seen the promised land.  I may not get there with you.  But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.  And I’m happy, tonight.  I’m not worried about anything.  I’m not fearing any man.  Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.  

I’m happy…I’m not worried…I’m not fearing anyone!

Follow me, Jesus says and St. John writes.  The following may not be easy.  We may even lose our life, but we will know the abundant love of God.  We’ll be happy.  We won’t worry and we won’t be afraid.

Amen

 

This Sunday (January 18, 2015) at St. John’s

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LORD, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139:1

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’m thrilled that God knows all of my thoughts!  And yet, at the same time, it’s a comfort that God knows all about us.  What a loving God who takes such care that even the most common actions of our lives are known to God.  In other words, God is always with us.

And God is with us when we gather together as the community of St. John’s….

Love, Rebecca+

Rebecca’s Schedule: Rev. Rebecca will at St. John’s Corbin Wednesday, January 21 through Friday, January 23. Her Sabbath day will be Monday, January 19 and Tuesday, January 20. You can get a message to her by calling the church office at 606-528-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org

Adult Forum: In January through mid-February (Christmas and Epiphany), we will discuss the blessing of same gender relationships.  Next week, Rebecca will be reviewing Theology and the Bible:  How the Episcopal Church develops its theology.

Godly Play offered for children.  All children are invited to participate in this special program of spiritual development.

Youth Group Bowling.  The youth ages 13-18 will go bowling Sunday afternoon, January 18, 1-3pm at Forest Bowling Lanes, Corbin.  Please see Rev. Rebecca if you’d like to go.

The Diocesan Stewardship Commission is offering an update on their work prior to Diocesan Convention.  Join Rebecca on Tuesday, January 20, at 7pm at St. Mary’s in Middlesboro to hear this update.  We can ride together and leave about 5 so we can eat dinner together.  The Bishop is also offering scholarships for teams from parishes to attend The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (www.tens.org) conference in Texas in May.  Please let Rebecca know if you’re interested in either of these events, as well as assisting with stewardship at St. John’s.

Pot Luck Sunday:  Next Sunday, January 25th, after the 11:00 service is our monthly pot luck meal.  Bring a dish or drink to share.  And all are welcome!  Plan on a time of fellowship with each other.

Weekday Morning Eucharist will be available Wednesday, January 21, 9am, in the Sanctuary.

Daughters of the King meets the third Wednesday of each month at 4:30pm.  The next meeting is January 21st.  If you have special prayer requests or would like to join this prayer ministry, please contact Shelia Phillips.

Ordination: Your prayers and presence are requested at the ordination to the Priesthood of Kate Byrd, Saturday, January 24, 2pm at Christ Church Cathedral.

Reading Camp Meeting, January 21, 10am.  This meeting will be with people in Corbin interested in helping children read.  We will look into recruiting children from Corbin for the Pine Mountain Camp, as well as connecting them to the local programs supporting reading during the school year.  We will also discuss raising money to support the children and the camp.  If you’d like to be part of this, please let Rebecca know.

Grow Appalachia Committee, January 21, 6:30pm.  The Grow Appalachia Committee will meet Wednesday after the evening service to talk about plans for the garden this summer.

Worship Committee will meet Friday, January 23, 4:30pm to plan Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.  All are welcome!

Game Night, Friday, January 30, 6:30-9:00pm.  Everyone is invited to Game night on Friday, January 30, hosted by the Young Adults of the parish.  Pizza will be provided.  Bring snacks and your own drinks.

The annual Acolyte Festival will be held Saturday, January 31, 10am – 3:30pm at Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington

Provide Flowers for the altar in honor or in memory of a loved one: Donations for flowers for the altar are accepted for any Sunday of the year. Please place your donation in the envelope, marking whether they are in honor of or in memory of someone.

Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.

  • Everlasting Arms, Corbin’s shelter for people who are homeless, is in need of men’s and women’s razors, gloves, deodorant and socks.
  • The Food Pantry at Corbin Presbyterian Church is always in need of nonperishable food items. Vegetables are especially appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

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Born Saying God’s Name (Sermon) January 11, 2015

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Sermon – January 11, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

The First Sunday After Epiphany:  The Baptism of the Lord

Year B

And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.11And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ Mark 1:10-11

Please Be Seated

Yesterday, my son, Scot, turned 40!  Where did the time go?  Naturally, at this time, I recall the day he was born and many other memories over the years.  His son, Logan, is so much like him that I often call him Scot instead of Logan!  It’s like I’m seeing my son grow up all over again, sort of.

But even in remembering, there’s so much we forget.  I don’t think too many, if any, of us remember the day we were born.  As adults, we talk about how traumatic it must be for a child to be born after nine months in a comfortable place with all of their needs met.  We make jokes about how a baby cries when it’s born.  Of course it’s important for a baby to cry at birth as a sign their lungs are cleared out and working well, but it seems to resonate with the trauma of being born into the world.  But none of us remembers that trauma, at least not overtly.

Sinead O’Connor in her recording from 1995, had a song that suggested babies are also born in spiritual trauma.  The words are:

 

All babies are born saying God’s name
Over and over,
All born singing God’s name
All babies are flown from the Universe
From there they’re lifted by the hands of angels
God gives them the stars to use as ladders
She hears their calls
She is mother and father
All babies are born out of great pain
Over and over
All born into great pain
All babies are crying
For no-one remembers God’s name

 

All Babies, Sinead O’Connor

 

“All babies are crying for no one remembers God’s name.”  It’s like when we’re born, a process of forgetting God ensues.  We’re born into a world that values what we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands or physical selves over what we can see with our hearts and touch with our spirits.  A world that discounts intuition and a sixth sense.  A world that in many places and in many ways is uncomfortable with, even afraid of, mystery and of unknowing.

 

We are born into this world with strong connections to God and our own spirits.  We don’t have a way to communicate with words for awhile, so we are very connected to our bodies and to what we experience in them.  But, it seems like as we grow older, we’re taught to ignore our bodies and hearts in favor of passing the standardized math and reading tests.  We forget how to read ourselves and each other.

 

Many times, we begin to accept this “vain” world’s assessment of us.  We’re not pretty.  We’re not smart.  We think funny.  We dress funny.  We don’t make enough money.  We aren’t good enough.  We forget that God created our diversity and that the norm is diversity rather than conformity.

 

That’s why renewing our baptismal vows is important.  Those of us baptized as children may only have a photograph of the event, but in a very real sense, that baptism was telling our spirits to remember where we came from…to remember God’s name.  As we got older and once again surrendered to the world’s assessment of us, renewing our baptismal vows reminds us that in the waters of baptism, we died to the world’s view of us and were returned or reborn to God’s view of us.

 

And God’s view of us is that we were perfectly created.  No, we are not God.  We are not perfect in that we know everything or can do everything or see everything.  We are perfect in the part of the body of Christ that we are.  We are perfect in our humanity.  We don’t have every talent, but we have talent…talent necessary for the world.  We don’t possess all knowledge, but we possess knowledge that is necessary for the world.  We don’t have all intelligence, but we have intelligence that is necessary for the world.  We don’t have all understanding of God, but we have understanding of God that is necessary for the world.

 

When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the heavens were torn apart, so the Holy Spirit could break in and the voice of God could confirm that Jesus was a child of God, beloved of God and that God was pleased.

 

And we need those same reminders.  When we renew our baptismal vows…when we feel the water sprinkled on us, God is breaking through to us…recalling to us what we knew when we were born…reminding us of God’s name.  God is reminding us that the Holy Spirit is right with us.  God is reminding us that we are beloved children and that God is well pleased with us.  Then we are prepared to go into the world in peace to love and to serve God.

 

Amen

This Sunday (January 11, 2015) at St. John’s

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God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:5

Most of us have had many “first days.”  There is the first day we remember.  There is the first day we went to school.  There is the first day we met our best friend or our spouse.  There is the first day we lived after someone we loved had died.  So many first days….

This Sunday we’ll here this short passage from Genesis about the first day…truly the first day.  It’s hard to imagine that.  But what we do know about first days is that they represent something new and different…something that dramatically changes our lives and how we live them.  There can be incredibly hard first days, but there can also be incredibly important and hope-filled first days.

If we’re not living the life God has called us to, we can start trying again.  We can have a new day…a first day of living in a new way.  We’re only 11 days into the New Year.  What first days do you think God is calling you to?

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca

01-11-2015 Bulletin Renewal of Baptismal Covenant

Rebecca’s Schedule: Rev. Rebecca will at St. Agnes’ House Monday, January 12, through Thursday, January 15. Her Sabbath day will be Friday, January 16. You can get a message to her by calling the church office at 606-528-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org

Adult Forum: In January through mid-February (Christmas and Epiphany), we will discuss the blessing of same gender relationships.  Next week, Rebecca will be reviewing the History of the Episcopal Church’s Decision.

Godly Play offered for children.  All children are invited to participate in this special program of spiritual development.

Your prayers and presence are requested at the ordination to the Priesthood of Andrew Hege, on Saturday, January 17,10am, at Church of the Good Shepherd in Lexington.

Youth Group Bowling.  The youth ages 13-18 will go bowling Sunday afternoon, January 18, 1-3pm at Forest Bowling Lanes, Corbin.  Please see Rev. Rebecca if you’d like to go.

The Diocesan Stewardship Commission is offering an update on their work prior to Diocesan Convention.  Join Rebecca on Tuesday, January 20, at 7pm at St. Mary’s in Middlesboro to hear this update.  We can ride together and leave about 5 so we can eat dinner together.  The Bishop is also offering scholarships for teams from parishes to attend The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (www.tens.org) conference in Texas in May.  Please let Rebecca know if you’re interested in either of these events, as well as assisting with stewardship at St. John’s.

Weekday Morning Eucharist will be available Wednesday, January 21, 9am, in the Sanctuary.

Reading Camp Meeting, January 21, 10am.  This meeting will be with people in Corbin interested in helping children read.  We will look into recruiting children from Corbin for the Pine Mountain Camp, as well as connecting them to the local programs supporting reading during the school year.  We will also discuss raising money to support the children and the camp.  If you’d like to be part of this, please let Rebecca know.

Grow Appalachia!  We’ve received a grant for $4,530 for our community garden through Grow Appalachia.  The Grow Appalachia website is http://www.berea.edu/grow-appalachia/  The Grow Appalachia Committee will meet Wednesday, January 21, 6:30pm. 

Worship Committee will meet Friday, January 23, 4:30pm to plan Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.  All are welcome!

Game Night, Friday, January 30, 6:30-9:00pm.  Everyone is invited to Game night on Friday, January 30, hosted by the Young Adults of the parish.  Pizza will be provided.  Bring snacks and your own drinks.

The annual Acolyte Festival will be held Saturday, January 31, 10am – 3:30pm at Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington

Provide Flowers for the altar in honor or in memory of a loved one: Donations for flowers for the altar are accepted for any Sunday of the year. Please place your donation in the envelope, marking whether they are in honor of or in memory of someone.

Hymn Selection Group If you’d like to choose hymns for services, join this group.  You will choose hymns for an upcoming service and then meet with the entire group to confirm the final selections.  See Billy Hibbitts if you are interested.

Are you interested in assisting with the Sunday service?  Readers, Eucharistic Ministers, Crucifers, Altar Guild Members and choir members are all important for each Sunday service.  If you’re interested in serving, please let Rebecca know by phone 859-429-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.

  • Everlasting Arms, Corbin’s shelter for people who are homeless, is in need of men’s and women’s razors, gloves, deodorant and socks.
  • The Food Pantry at Corbin Presbyterian Church is always in need of nonperishable food items. Vegetables are especially appreciated.

 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Subscribe to our Website Feed!

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This Sunday (January 4, 2015) at St. John’s

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How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! *
My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. Psalm 84:1

Psalm 84 always reminds me of the piece from the Brahms requiem.  I’ve sung this piece in a number of choirs over the years.  It’s meant to provide a comforting vision of heaven for those mourning a loss.

It’s especially wonderful to sing this piece in a church, because church space is such a sanctuary in our world — just a little bit of heaven here on earth.  And St. John’s certainly is that.  Fairly simple, always peaceful and serene.  And especially at Christmas and Easter, the space is especially beautiful.  Thanks to the Altar Guild and helpers who decorated for the season.

This Sunday is the Last Sunday of Christmas and we then enter the season of Epiphany.  Come sit in this holy and beautiful space this Sunday.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

01-05-2015 Bulletin

News & Notes

Rebecca’s Schedule: Rev. Rebecca will at St. Agnes’ House Monday, January 5, through Thursday, January 8. Her Sabbath day will be Friday, January 9.  You can get a message to her by calling the church office at 606-528-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org

Today we welcome Emily Cardwell to the pulpit.  Emily is in the supervisory part of discerning a call to ministry for the Diaconate. She has been supported in this process by a discernment committee and her Vestry at St. John’s in Versailles, as well as by her husband, Jeff and their three children – Leah, Quinn and Willa. She has been assigned to St. Agnes House for her supervisory reflection, while also being given the opportunity to preach here in Corbin. Emily is on the Pastoral Care team where her focus is prison ministry, and she finishes up her third year as a Vestry member next month.

Adult Forum: In January through mid-February (Christmas and Epiphany), we will discuss the blessing of same gender relationships.  Next week, Bruce Cory will continue a discussion on What Does the Bible Say.

Godly Play offered for children.  All children are invited to participate in this special program of spiritual development.

Youth Group Bowling.  The youth ages 13-18 will go bowling Sunday afternoon, January 18, 1-3pm at Forest Bowling Lanes, Corbin.  Please see Rev. Rebecca if you’d like to go.

Vestry Retreat: Please pray for our Vestry as we are in retreat on Saturday, January 10.  We will be looking more closely at our mission and the future.  To help us with the discussion, please answer these questions and talk to or email Rebecca at priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.  Please provide short one or two sentence, powerful descriptive answers to each question.  Humanize answers whenever possible. i.e. Share a real-life example.

  1. How do we help/serve people?
  2. Who do we help/serve?
  3. What are our vital services/programs?
  4. What is our track record?
  5. Our plans for the future?
  6. How do we use our money?
  7. Why do we deserve your support?

 

Weekday Morning Eucharist will be available Wednesday, January 21, 9am, in the Sanctuary.

Provide Flowers for the altar in honor or in memory of a loved one: Donations for flowers for the altar are accepted for any Sunday of the year. Please place your donation in the envelope, marking whether they are in honor of or in memory of someone.

Hymn Selection Group If you’d like to choose hymns for services, join this group.  You will choose hymns for an upcoming service and then meet with the entire group to confirm the final selections.  See Billy Hibbitts if you are interested.

Would you like to write Prayers of the People?  If you are interested in writing these prayers (there are resources that can help with this task), please let Rebecca know by phone or email priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

United Thank Offering.  Remember to get your box for your thank offerings for this ministry of The Episcopal Church.  The next collection will be in the spring.

Are you interested in assisting with the Sunday service?  Readers, Eucharistic Ministers, Crucifers, Altar Guild Members and choir members are all important for each Sunday service.  If you’re interested in serving, please let Rebecca know by phone 859-429-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.

  • Everlasting Arms, Corbin’s shelter for people who are homeless, is in need of men’s and women’s razors, gloves, deodorant and socks.
  • The Food Pantry at Corbin Presbyterian Church is always in need of nonperishable food items. Vegetables are especially appreciated.

 

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Sing and Rejoice O Daughter Zion (Sermon) Christmas, 2014

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Sermon – December 25, 2014

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

Christmas Day

 

Zech 2:10-13

zech 2:10-13

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

Be silent, all people, before the Lord; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

1 John 4:7-16

God Is Love

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

John 3:31-36

The One Who Comes from Heaven

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.

 

 

Well, it’s that time of year.  TV, newspapers, blogs and all kinds of media have retrospectives of the year…2014 in review.  Even Facebook and Google Plus will take the photos you’ve posted this year and create a year in review.  It’s kind of scary to see what they put together.

Sometimes it’s hard not to despair.  I’ve told you before that everyone alive on earth right now has the same mother from 50,000 years ago….mitochondrial Eve, she’s called.  So, technically we’re all brothers and sisters.  Yet we treat each other so badly, sometimes.  I mean ISIS/ISIL is so horrifying, aren’t they?  They’re such a puzzle.  And we were touched personally whenAbdul-Rahman Kassig, Anne Day and Jeff’s friend of their daughter Sarah, was executed.  Every day, we hear things that break our hearts or make us shake our heads at how cruel we can be.

That’s why this vision from Zechariah is so comforting:

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. Zech 2:10-11 

This is a vision of joy, because God has come to live with us and thus bring all nations together as one people.  A vision of unity.  Now, we know that this does not mean we are all alike or think alike.  We are a typical family and very, very diverse!  Yet, we hold one thing in common and that is our joy in God’s coming.

And then in our reading from 1 John, we get a second dose or guide to hope.  We hear the central truth that God is Love.  And we get this guidance:

Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:11-12

Our love of each other is a response to God’s amazing love to us…a love we celebrate this morning.  And in loving each other, we create a place for God to dwell and not only that, God’s love becomes perfect in us.

The best gift we can give today…the best way we can reflect our joy on this day, is to resolve to better love each other.  It’s not easy, we know, but we can redouble our efforts to try.  Loving each other is the only way to know God.

Amen

The Greatest Gift (Sermon) Christmas Eve December 24, 2014

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Sermon – December 24, 2014

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

The Eve of the Nativity of our Lord

Christmas II

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see– I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  Luke 2:10-11

Please be seated

One of the things I’ve always loved about Christmas is the surprise of the gifts.  When I was a little girl, some of my relatives lived far away, so they’d send us our gifts.  I remember they’d arrive in the mail and my mom would put them under her bed.  Why my brothers and I never tried to open them, I’m not sure.  Maybe it was because their bedroom was mostly off limits to us.

Anyway, on Christmas Eve, we were allowed to get all of the gifts from under my parents’ bed and place them under the tree.  Of course, we tried to guess what they were, shaking them a little and looking at the shape.  But we were never allowed to open them early.

Trying to get to sleep Christmas Eve was nearly impossible.  The excitement of the presents under the tree and then, anticipating what Santa would bring.  So many surprises.  I could barely sleep and was up very early in the morning.  My poor parents….they said we were not allowed to go into our living room until they were awake, but we woke them up SO EARLY!  The waiting was so hard.

When my children were young, for some reason, they’d sleep in on Christmas morning, which drove me crazy!  I was so excited to see their faces when they opened their gifts.  Some years I woke them up!

There’s just something about  finding the perfect gift for someone, isn’t there?  Seeing the look on their face…the surprise and joy.

And then there’s the joy we feel as the giver.  We’ve used our precious resources – our money.  We’ve spent time and thought.  And sometimes we’ve made the gift, using our talent.

I wonder if God was that excited by giving us the gift of Jesus!  We had certainly lost our way.  We had become judgmental.  We had become more attached to rules than to relationships with each other.  We had become dishonest.  We had become unjust and uncaring.

But God didn’t destroy us.  God didn’t just pick out a few good people and destroy the rest.  No, God decided to come down to earth…to be born as we are born…to grow as we grow…to live as one of us.  Jesus came to show us how to love each other.  Jesus came to show us how precious we are to each other…how important we are to each other.

Yes, sometimes the message of Jesus has been distorted and misused over the past two millennia, but somehow the essence continues to come through….  The good news that God is love and that God so loved us that God came to earth to show us and to teach us how to love each other and what justice looks like and how living in peace is the goal.

Yes, we are probably tired from searching for that perfect gift for our loved ones.  Yet, on this night, look around you and know in your heart that God is showing us the most perfect gift – that of the love of each other.  Right here in this place….  The baby Jesus, God incarnate, is laid in the manger bidding you to rest in the love of God and the love of each other.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see– I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 

Amen

 

Blessed Christmas Eve and This Sunday (December 28) at St. John’s

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As Advent approached, I had an idea we could write our own Advent Meditation booklet based on verses of Advent hymns.  But I was late in planning and then Living Compass sent us their meditation booklets.  Jason Beams-Jackson wrote this meditation and I really liked it, so on this last day of Advent, wanted to share it with you.

Comfort, comfort ye my people, speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
comfort those who sit in darkness mourning ‘neath their sorrows’ load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem of the peace that waits for them;
tell her that her sins I cover, and her warfare now is over.  Hymnal 1982, 67

I am touched deeply by this verse; it reminds me to keep a humble heart.  Advent is a great time to reflect on what we have done to comfort one another; and how we have treated one another.  So for me, this has been a great reflection on myself.  I had to allow God to give me comfort and peace at heart.  So with God’s grace and guidance, I hope to be a comfort to those around me; and to help those overcome their darkness.  I am grateful every day for God’s love and the peace of having a helping heart.

Hope to see many of you today at the Christmas Eve services as 7 and 11.  Morning prayer will be said tomorrow at 9am.

Blessings during this special time of celebration!

Love, Rebecca+

Bulletin 12-24-14

News & Notes

Rebecca’s Schedule: Rebecca will be on vacation Friday, December 26, through Friday, January 2. During her vacation,.the Rev. Peter Helman is available for pastoral emergencies. He can be reached by text or phone at 940-735-1235. You may also leave a message for Rebecca by phoning the church office at 606-528-1659 or emailing priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

Christmas Eve Services: 7:00 pm – Evening Candlelight Service. 11:00 pm – Midnight Candlelight Service.
Christmas Day: 9:00 am – Morning Prayer
Sunday, December 28, 11am – Service of Lessons and Carols

Adult Forum: There will be no Adult Forum on December 28. January through mid-February (Christmas and Epiphany), we will discuss the blessing of same gender relationships.  If you’d like to lead a session, please see Rebecca.

Godly Play (Sunday School): The Godly Play program is for children and offered each Sunday morning at 10:00 am. All children are invited to participate in this special form of spiritual development.

Please pray for our Vestry as we are in retreat on Saturday, January 10.  We will be looking more closely at our mission and the future.  To help us with the discussion, please answer these questions and talk to or email Rebecca at priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

 Provide short – one or two sentence, powerful descriptive answers to each question. Humanize answers whenever possible. i.e. Share a real-life example.

 1.How do we help/serve people?
2. Who do we help/serve?
3. What are our vital services/programs?
4. What is our track record?
5. Our plans for the future? 6.How do we use our money? Why do we deserve your support?

 Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.

  • Everlasting Arms, Corbin’s shelter for people who are homeless, is in need of men’s and women’s razors, gloves, deodorant and socks.
  • The Food Pantry at Corbin Presbyterian Church is always in need of nonperishable food items. Vegetables are especially appreciated.