“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:27-31

Are you as exasperated as I am when you read this passage of Luke?  Do you want to sit down and tell Jesus how wrong he is?  Love your enemies!  Seriously, Jesus, don’t you know what they’ve done and what they could do?  Give to everyone who begs from you!  I know I’ve lived in cities where I get very tired of people who come up asking me for money.

Yes, following Jesus challenges so many ideas about how to live life.  Jesus continually reverses much of what we believe about life.  Riches can be problematic and keep us from our relationship from God.  Jesus is saying when we follow him, we have a relationship and sense of living that provides a power, focus and purpose that no one can take away.  We can be generous and peaceful.  We can do good to those who hate us.  We can bless those who curse us.  We can offer the other cheek when we are struck.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca

Standard Time Begins Sunday.  Remember to turn your clocks back 1 hour before going to bed Saturday night.  

All Saints’ Day – This Sunday, November 3, we celebrate All Saints’ Day.  We remember all of the faithful of the church…those of us living now and all of those who have died.  During the Prayers of the People, we will read the names of those who have died.

Here is a link to the bulletin: Bulletin 11-03-2013

Adult Forum – Radical Welcome:  Embracing God, The Other and the Spirit of Transformation by The Rev. Stephanie Spellers is the focus of our Adult Forum through November 24. John Ira Harris will lead our session this Sunday on “How Radical is Your Welcome?”

Godly Play classes are available for children.  If you can assist, please let Anne Day and Dura Anne know.

Please prayerfully consider how you will financially contribute to the work of St. John’s Church in 2014.  Complete a pledge card today and place it in the offering plate.  Receiving pledges by this Sunday, November 3 will assist with our planning for 2014.  

This Week at St. John’s:

• Wednesday, November 6:  6pm Wednesday worship
• Saturday, November 9:
•             6-10am – Belk Charity Sale
•             9:30am – 3:00pm – Ministry Fair – Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Winchester
• Sunday, November 10:  10am – Adult Forum and Godly Play; 11am – Worship – Guest Preacher and Honoring our Veterans

We will honor our Veterans next Sunday, November 10.  We’d like to list our Veterans in the bulletin and read their names at this service.  Please submit the name, branch of service and the beginning and ending years of service by November 3 to be included.  You can place a note in the offering plate, or call the church or email priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org

Belk Charity Sale – Saturday November 9, 6am – 10am.  Tickets are on sale now for this special event.  All ticket sales benefit the church.  Tickets are $5.00 each, which provides admittance to this special sale as well as $5.00 off your purchase.  Buy more than one ticket!  They may be used at any Belk store.  Also plan to buy an extra clothing item to donate to the residents of the homeless shelter.  Information is at the kitchen window of the church.  Volunteers are also needed to assist at the store on the day of the event. A sign-up sheet is available at the kitchen window.

 A number of us are planning to attend the Diocesan Ministry Fair, Saturday, November 9, 9:30am – 3:00pm at Emmanuel Church, Winchester.  Bruce Cory will be part of the workshop on the Vestry.  If you are interested in attending and would like to carpool from Corbin, contact Rebecca at priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

For more information and to register, go to http://diolex.org/blog/news/ministry-fair-november-9/

The Rev. Brandt Leonard Montgomery, Curate and Assistant Chaplain, University of Alabama to preach and teach on Sunday, November 10

I went to seminary with Father Montgomery.  He is excited to visit Corbin.  He will teach during the Adult Forum regarding the civil rights movement 50 years later.  Below is information about Father Montgomery.

 Brandt currently serves as the Curate at Canterbury Episcopal Chapel & Student Center at the University of Alabama.  After graduating from Talladega High School in Talladega, Alabama in 2003, Brandt enrolled at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama, from which he received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance, specializing in Trumpet Studies, in 2007.  On May 16, 2012, Brandt graduated cum laude from The General Theological Seminary of The Episcopal Church in New York, New York, receiving the Master of Divinity degree and being named his class’s recipient of the George Cabot Ward Prize for Biblical Reading and Service to the Church.  In addition to Canterbury Chapel, his ministry, thus far, has included service to 6 Episcopal parishes in Alabama, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, and New York.  Brandt was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church by the Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, Bishop of Alabama, on Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012 and was ordained by the same as a priest on December 2, 2012 at Canterbury Chapel.

Communitywide Thanksgiving Service, Monday, November 18, 7pm, Corbin Presbyterian Church.  This ecumenical service is sponsored by the Ministerium.  The Rev. Myers will be participating in the service.

Thanksgiving Dinner, November 28, at the Barn, 2-4pm.  A free Thanksgiving dinner will be held at the Barn.  Turkey, Ham, rolls, drinks, pied, mashed potatoes and corn will be provided.  If you’d like to bring a side dish, that would be terrific.  See June Sullivan for additional information.

ECW Chocolate Fest, Saturday, December 7.  Plan now to attend this annual holiday event.  Planning meetings and chocolate making and craft making will begin soon. 

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.

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.

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• Sermon
• Proper 25 Year C, track 1
• October 27, 2013
• The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

“I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:14

Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble

When you’re perfect in every way

I can’t wait to look in the mirror

‘cause I get better lookin’ each day

 To know me is to love me

I must be a heck of a man

Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble

But I’m doing the best that I can

When I read today’s Gospel, I was reminded of this song by Mac Davis.  Seems like Jesus’ world was not all that different from our world.  The self-righteous Pharisee was doing everything right according to the law…praying in the Temple, fasting twice a week, tithing his income.  He was definitely closer to God than all of those other folk in the room, especially that tax collector.

Tax collectors were reviled in Jesus’ time, even moreso than today.  You see, each tax collector had an amount they needed to collect to turn over to the Roman authorities who occupied their country.  They could collect it any way they wanted.  And of course they needed to collect a little extra for themselves.  A tax collector was not someone you wanted to be in relationship with.  And certainly, the tax collector was not following God’s laws.

Yet Jesus tells us the tax collector was more right than the Pharisee.  How can that be? What is Jesus trying to tell us? 

Jesus is teaching us that humility is necessary in our relationship with God.  The good steward is humble.  Notice, this is not humiliation, but humility. 

One of the best discourses I know about obtaining humility is in the writings of Alcoholics Anonymous.  From The 12 Steps & 12 Traditions the definition of humility is “a desire to seek and do God’s will.(pg 72)”  Humility in action is a “clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be. (pg 58)”  The tax collector seems to demonstrate humility.  He knew he had done wrong.  He was confessing his sins.  Now we don’t know what happened next…whether he changed his practices at all.  We only know he made a beginning by asking for God’s mercy.

On the other hand, the Pharisee took all of the right steps…live by the law, and his motivations were clearly wrong.  In essence, he was playing God, wasn’t he?  He was being the judge, saying that his behavior made him not like the others in the room.  How did he know what behaviors God would judge as worthy and righteous?  That is for God to decide.  In essence, the Pharisee was a control freak.  He acted like he was in charge, not God.  In the process, he acted as if he did not need God, because he was already perfect in every way. 

And that is the crux of the matter, you see.  We want to be God, because to trust in God is really hard for us.  Some of us know without a doubt that God is with us.  We feel God’s presence.  Some of us aren’t quite sure.  Some of us have times when we just don’t feel God’s presence.  The one thing we all share, I believe, is how hard we find it to truly trust in and lean on God.  We want to be in control.  We want to rely upon ourselves.  We reduce our relationship with God to rules to abide by and we pronounce judgments on ourselves and others about how well we are adhering to the standards that we’ve created. 

It’s not the behaviors or actions that are problematic – the tithing, or fasting of the Pharisee – it’s the motivation and intentions that are problematic.  The motivation to be better than… to judge others…to be in control… to not need God. 

Over these past few weeks until next Sunday, you are being asked to make a pledge to St. John’s Episcopal Church.  Pledging is an opportunity to let go of control of an important resource in our lives…money.  It is to give to the church, trusting that we together as the community of St. John’s, will be guided by the Holy Spirit about how to use your precious resource of money to further God’s Kingdom.

We’d rather be in control, wouldn’t we?  We’d rather play God.  Keep tight control over where and how our precious resource is spent.  I’ve heard that at St. Johns, if there is a special project, like putting the floor in the rectory, or fixing the roof, the money appears…there is tremendous generosity.  But getting people to pledge or give weekly for general operating expenses is a hard thing.  We, like the Pharisee, think we know better.  We don’t trust that God and the Holy Spirit will guide our parish in the best use of the resource we give.

I know, I know, people can’t always be trusted and people make up the church.  We work to be as transparent as possible and open as possible…to discern the best use of the resources provided, but we are human and we will fall short….  The important thing is to let go…let go of the control…let go of trying to be God…be humble.  Give freely so that we as a community are free to do the work God has for us to do. 

It is in the humble act of pledging… of letting go… that we will be exalted.

Amen

 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  2 Tim. 4:7

Mrs. Hessie at a much younger age…

When I was growing up, there was an older woman in church, named Mrs. Hessenberger.  She was a small, petite woman, who had been a widow for a number of years.  We called her Mrs. Hessie.   She was full of energy, always greeting people with a bouncy smile.

She was a devout Christian and church member.  On one of our youth group visits to her home, Mrs. Hessie showed us her prayer corner and gave us a card with her favorite prayer on it.  It was about caring for others.

While she never had any children of her own, she was enthusiastic about young people.  This was a time in the late 60’s and early 70’s when there was plenty of conflict between young people and older people.  Mrs. Hessie bridged the generational divide.  I loved visiting her and kept in touch with her as I grew into young adulthood.

Eventually, Mrs. Hessie could not care for herself and lived in a nursing home.  When I’d call her, she’d speak matter-of-factly about dying.  I felt uncomfortable about this, even though I knew she would be dying soon.  I knew better than to stop her talking in that way. She was speaking the truth

This prayer guided Mrs. Hessie’s life

about being at the end of her life…a truth I really didn’t want to hear.

The writer of this passage of 2nd Timothy reminds me of Mrs. Hessie, though.  He, too is at the end of his life and is speaking in a matter-of-fact way about his death.  I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith.  Those three statements provide such comfort, I think.  I believe Mrs. Hessie embodied those statements and she, like the writer of 2nd Timothy, could face the end of her life in a straightforward way, filled with serenity and peace.  May we, like them, also be able to sum up our lives with such peace and confidence.

Blessings as you finish your week.

Rebecca

Oct 27 Bulletin: 

Rebecca’s Schedule – Next week, I will be in Corbin on Friday.  Please feel free to contact me any time, however, by calling 859 -429-1659 or rev.myers2013@gmail.com.

Next week’s schedule:

• Wednesday, October30: 
• 4:30pm Daughters of the King
• 6pm Wednesday worship
• Thursday, October 31: Trunk or Treat, Church Parking Lot, 6-8pm
• Friday, November 1:  4pm Worship Committee
• Saturday, November 2:  10:30am ECW Diocesan Meeting – St. Raphael’s Lexington
• Sunday, November 3:  10am – Adult Forum and Godly Play; 11am – Worship – All Saints’ Day

Daylight Saving Time ends next Sunday, November 3.  Be sure to “fall back” and turn your clocks back 1 hour before you go to bed on Saturday night.

Adult Forum – Radical Welcome:  Embracing God, The Other and the Spirit of Transformation by The Rev. Stephanie Spellers is the focus of our Adult Forum through November 24. John Ira Harris will lead our session next Sunday on “How Radical is Your Welcome?”

Godly Play classes are available for children.  If you can assist, please let Anne Day and Dura Anne know.

Please prayerfully consider how you will financially contribute to the work of St. John’s Church in 2014.  Complete a pledge card today and place it in the offering plate.  Receiving pledges by November 3 will assist with our planning for 2014.  

ECW Diocesan-wide meeting, November 2, 10:30am, St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church, 1891 Parker’s Mill Road, Lexington.   Come learn about Women of Vision, a scriptural-based leadership development program of the Episcopal Church Women by Jenny Ladefoged, Diocese of Tennessee. ALL women of the diocese are invited and encouraged to attend this time of worship, fellowship, networking and learning. Opening Eucharist followed by a short business meeting and lunch and concluding with this energizing workshop.  United Thankoffering Sunday is November 3.

All Saints Sunday, November 3.  We will observe All Saints Day and would like to read the names of those saints close to us who have died.  To have the name of your loved one read at the service, please place it in the offering plate, or leave a message on the church phone or email priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org by Sunday, October 27.

We will honor our Veterans on Sunday, November 10.  We’d like to list our Veterans in the bulletin and read their names at this service.  Please submit the name, branch of service and the beginning and ending years of service by November 3 to be included.  You can place a note in the offering plate, or call the church or email priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org

Belk Charity Sale – Saturday November 9, 6am – 10am.  Tickets are on sale now for this special event.  All ticket sales benefit the church.  Tickets are $5.00 each, which provides admittance to this special sale as well as $5.00 off your purchase.  Buy more than one ticket!  They may be used at any Belk store.  Also plan to buy an extra clothing item to donate to the residents of the homeless shelter.  Information is at the kitchen window of the church.  Volunteers are also needed to assist at the store on the day of the event. A sign-up sheet is available at the kitchen window.

 Let’s plan to attend the Diocesan Ministry Fair, Saturday, November 9, 9:30am – 3:00pm at Emmanuel Church, Winchester

Bishop Hahn is inviting all of us to the First Annual Ministry Fair – Toward a More Excellent Way.

A great gathering of music, fellowship and keynote address will be followed by three workshop sessions and a shared lunch. Workshops topics, include Christian Education in Small Parishes, Leadership For Vestries, Lay Ministry Updates, An Overview of the Gospel of Mark (for Our Liturgical Year A), and What’s New at Reading Camp. There will be six workshop choices for each session – something to help every parish and every participant find a more excellent way of ministry.

The Reverend Barbara Blodgett will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Blodgett teaches Pastoral Leadership at Lexington Theological Seminary. Prior to this she was head of Supervised Ministry for Yale Divinity School. Her fields of expertise are leadership, ethics, and excellence. Dr. Blodgett will offer a workshop in addition to her keynote address.

The Rev. Brandt Leonard Montgomery, Curate and Assistant Chaplain, University of Alabama to preach and teach on Sunday, November 10

I went to seminary with Father Montgomery.  He is excited to visit Corbin.  He will teach during the

The Rev. Brandt Montgomery

Adult Forum regarding the civil rights movement 50 years later.  Below is information about Father Montgomery.

 Brandt currently serves as the Curate at Canterbury Episcopal Chapel & Student Center at the University of Alabama.  After graduating from Talladega High School in Talladega, Alabama in 2003, Brandt enrolled at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama, from which he received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance, specializing in Trumpet Studies, in 2007.  On May 16, 2012, Brandt graduated cum laude from The General Theological Seminary of The Episcopal Church in New York, New York, receiving the Master of Divinity degree and being named his class’s recipient of the George Cabot Ward Prize for Biblical Reading and Service to the Church.  In addition to Canterbury Chapel, his ministry, thus far, has included service to 6 Episcopal parishes in Alabama, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, and New York.  Brandt was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church by the Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, Bishop of Alabama, on Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012 and was ordained by the same as a priest on December 2, 2012 at Canterbury Chapel.

Communitywide Thanksgiving Service, Monday, November 18, 7pm, Corbin Presbyterian Church.  This ecumenical service is sponsored by the Ministerium.  The Rev. Myers will be participating in the service.

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Barn, 2-4pm.  A free Thanksgiving dinner will be held at the Barn.  Turkey, Ham, rolls, drinks, pied, mashed potatoes and corn will be provided.  If you’d like to bring a side dish, that would be terrific.  See June Sullivan for additional information.

ECW Chocolate Fest, Saturday, December 7.  Plan now to attend this annual holiday event.  Planning meetings and chocolate making and craft making will begin soon. 

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.

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.

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I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:33

We have inherited this new Covenant about which the prophet Jeremiah prophesied.  The law has been transformed from rules posted externally into the very essence of our being…into our hearts.  Sometimes external rules can be easy.  They are pretty cut and dried.  “Don’t do this; Don’t do that.” And just like the people in Jesus’ time, we get so caught up in the letter of the law, that we totally miss the point.

When the law is in our being… is on our hearts, we are required to be guided in all we do by the essence of this law.  And we know, because Jesus came to teach us, that the essence of the law is love.  God loves us and that love involves forgiving us when we fall short as we always do and staying with us and never leaving us.

 “I will be their God.” A proclamation and and a declaration.  And then the comfort of the promise, “they shall be my people.”  We shall be God’s people.  Not “might” or “maybe,” but “shall.”  God is our God.  We ARE God’s people.  There is nothing we can do to negate that.

Blessings to you as you finish your week.

Rebecca’s Schedule

Next week, I will be in Corbin on Friday.  Please feel free to contact me any time, however, by calling 859 -429-1659 or rev.myers2013@gmail.com.

Visit from Bishop Hahn – This Sunday we welcome Bishop Douglas Hahn, who is making his annual visit to the parish.  Bishop Hahn will meet with us at 10am during the Sunday Adult Forum.  He will preside and preach at the 11am service and join us for our pot luck after the service.  During the service, we will renew our baptismal vows.  Please come and welcome Bishop Hahn to St. John’s and to Corbin.

Adult Forum – This Sunday, we welcome Bishop Hahn to speak to us during the Adult Forum.  We continue with our series on Radical Welcome:  Embracing God, The Other and the Spirit of Transformation by The Rev. Stephanie Spellers next Sunday, October 27, when Mary Swinford leads us in “Moving from Inviting to Inclusion.”

Godly Play classes are available for children.  If you can assist, please let Anne Day and Dura Anne know.

Please prayerfully consider how you will financially contribute to the work of St. John’s Church in 2014.  Complete a pledge card today and place it in the offering plate.  Receiving pledges by November 3 will assist with our planning for 2014. 

This Week at St. John’s

• Wednesday, October 23:  6pm Wednesday worship
• Friday, October 25:  4pm Hymn Selection Group
• Sunday, October 27:  10am – Adult Forum and Godly Play; 11am – Worship

ECW Diocesan-wide meeting, November 2, 10:30am, St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church, 1891 Parker’s Mill Road, Lexington.   Come learn about Women of Vision, a scriptural-based leadership development program of the Episcopal Church Women by Jenny Ladefoged, Diocese of Tennessee. ALL women of the diocese are invited and encouraged to attend this time of worship, fellowship, networking and learning. Opening Eucharist followed by a short business meeting and lunch and concluding with this energizing workshop.  United Thankoffering Sunday is November 3.

All Saints Sunday, November 3.  We will observe All Saints Day and would like to read the names of those saints close to us who have died.  To have the name of your loved one read at the service, please place it in the offering plate, or leave a message on the church phone or email priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org by Sunday, October 27. 

 We will honor our Veterans on Sunday, November 10.  We’d like to list our Veterans in the bulletin and read their names at this service.  Please submit the name, branch of service and the beginning and ending years of service by November 3 to be included.  You can place a note in the offering plate, or call the church or email priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org

Belk Charity Sale – Saturday November 9, 6am – 10am.  Tickets are on sale now for this special event.  All ticket sales benefit the church.  Tickets are $5.00 each, which provides admittance to this special sale as well as $5.00 off your purchase.  Buy more than one ticket!  They may be used at any Belk store.  Also plan to buy an extra clothing item to donate to the residents of the homeless shelter.  Information is at the kitchen window of the church.  Volunteers are also needed to assist at the store on the day of the event. A sign-up sheet is available at the kitchen window. 

 Let’s plan to attend the Diocesan Ministry Fair, Saturday, November 9, 9:30am – 3:00pm at Emmanuel Church, Winchester.  Register at:  http://diolex.org/blog/news/ministry-fair-november-9/

Bishop Hahn is inviting all of us to the First Annual Ministry Fair – Toward a More Excellent Way.

A great gathering of music, fellowship and keynote address will be followed by three workshop sessions and a shared lunch. Workshops topics, include Christian Education in Small Parishes, Leadership For Vestries, Lay Ministry Updates, An Overview of the Gospel of Mark (for Our Liturgical Year A), and What’s New at Reading Camp. There will be six workshop choices for each session – something to help every parish and every participant find a more excellent way of ministry.

The Reverend Barbara Blodgett will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Blodgett teaches Pastoral Leadership at Lexington Theological Seminary. Prior to this she was head of Supervised Ministry for Yale Divinity School. Her fields of expertise are leadership, ethics, and excellence. Dr. Blodgett will offer a workshop in addition to her keynote address.

 ECW Chocolate Fest, Saturday, December 7.  Plan now to attend this annual holiday event.  Planning meetings and chocolate making and craft making will begin soon.

 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.

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.

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Sermon – St. John’s Corbin

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Proper 23, Year C, Track 1

Responding to God with Gratitude

“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.” Luke 17:15-16

In 1918, when my grandmother was 9 years old, her mother died.  I’m not clear if it was the flu epidemic or childbirth or a combination of both.  A large funeral was held for my 39-year old great-grandmother.  A custom of taking photos at the time shows a large funeral procession.  My great-grandfather was left as a single father of six children.  As the story was told to me, it was a short time after that my great-grandfather boarded a train for New York City.  He knew a woman there, who lived in Brooklyn.  They were from the island of Lipari, one of the Italian islands.  This woman had recently been widowed and had no children.

My great-grandfather married her and only on the train ride back to Syracuse, did he tell her she was now the mother of six children!  You can imagine there were some tough times in that household.  All of the girls were required to crochet and tat each afternoon.  Mary said she always kicked her thread under the sofa, she hated it so much.  Frances was married just a few years later at the age of 15.  My grandmother said, “our heads were small and we didn’t understand.”

My grandmother and her brothers and sisters took care of their stepmother.  I knew her as my great-grandmother and in fact have her China and a locket with her first husband’s photo in it.  It was many years before I even knew she was a step-mother.

My grandmother and her siblings are like so many of us.  It is only in looking back that we sometimes can be grateful about a situation or how something occurred.  We’re not always as grateful or thankful in the midst of our lives, are we?  Like my grandmother said, “our heads are small.”  We don’t get it.

Yet, living in gratitude has measureable benefits. In a series of experiments detailed in a 2003 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, daily listing off all the things you are grateful for is linked with a brighter outlook on life and a greater sense of positivity.  The study also showed that people who are thankful are more helpful to others.  People who spend 15 minutes writing down what they are thankful for each evening before going to bed fall asleep faster and sleep longer.  Being grateful changes your heart rate affecting your blood pressure.  Gratitude strengthens your immune system, keeping you healthier.  And regularly attending religious services or engaging in religious activities increases your sense of gratitude in all areas of life.

Gratitude and thankfulness are at the heart of our weekly services here at St. John’s.  Holy Communion is also known as the Eucharist.  Eucharist is a Greek word for gratefulness and thanksgiving.  According to our catechism, page 859 in the Book of Common Prayer, in our Eucharist, we offer praise and thanksgiving to God for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the way Christ is made present to us and unites us to his offering of himself.

Being a good steward means responding to life with gratitude. 

When Jesus healed the lepers, he gave them a tremendous gift.  You see, because of their illness, they were banished from the city.  They were on their own in the wilderness, so to speak.  It was a dangerous existence.  Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priests.  This was standard.  Once your leprosy healed, in order to be allowed back in to the community, the priests had to give their approval – the priests verified the leprosy was gone.  So these men with leprosy, obeyed Jesus and went off to show themselves to the priests, even though at that moment, they were not healed.  On their way, they were cured, yet kept going to the priests.  Only one returned, praising and thanking God for being cured of this disease that ostracized him from the community.

Just like my grandmother and her siblings, our heads are small.  We don’t immediately acknowledge or respond with the depth of gratitude appropriate for the situation.  We take the gifts in our life for granted, in some cases slipping into an attitude of entitlement.  Of course Jesus should heal us and there is no need to acknowledge this freely given gift. 

This week and in the coming weeks, you will be asked to intentionally focus on and pray about your gratitude to God as it manifests itself in St. John’s Church, Corbin; the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington; and the Episcopal Church.  You will be asked to express your gratitude not only for the community right here where you live, but also for its larger ministry and mission in this region of Kentucky, the United States, Central America, Jerusalem, and Europe.  You will be asked to transform your gratitude into a financial commitment – to put it in writing – a minimum commitment to God and to the church so we can be responsible, thoughtful and intentional as we work to be God’s hands, hearts, feet, and minds right here and right now.

What will be your response?  Will you be the one running back to Jesus, falling flat on the ground, praising him and thanking him or will you be one of those Jesus wonders about?

Amen

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”  Jeremiah 29:4-7

The people were exiled.  The tendency would be to rebel… to not participate in the society… to drop out.  But the prophet Jeremiah delivers the message from God:  the people need to live the best lives they can.  Even though they are heartbroken and grieving.  They are to accept the reality of their lives.  They are to be concerned with the city where they are.  They are even to seek the welfare of that foreign, oppressive place.  In doing so, they will find their own happiness.

What a stunning statement.  Seek the welfare of your enemies!  Help your enemy to prosper!  Don’t fight against your enemy!  Don’t seek the destruction of your enemy!  Echoes of Jesus’ exhortation to turn the other cheek.

But how can we find contentment and happiness in the midst of our enemies? Because we find happiness and contentment when we continue to live the lives Christ asks us to live.  When we follow Jesus, we understand the world in an entirely different way.  Even our oppressors cannot defeat us.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca

My Schedule: Next week,I will be in Corbin on Thursday. Please feel free to contact me any time, however, by calling 859 -429-1659 or rev.myers2013@gmail.com.

Serving This Sunday:  Readers:  Mary Swinford and Ken Phillips; Eucharistic Minister:  Bruce Cory

Sunday bulletin: Bulletin 10-13-2013

This Sunday we start our annual pledge campaign. You should receive a letter in the mail this week asking for your pledge. Please prayerfully consider how you will financially contribute to the work of St. John’s Church in 2014. Receiving pledges by November 3 will assist with our planning for 2014.

Bishop’s Visit next Sunday, October 20 – Bishop Hahn will be making his annual visit to St. John’s on Sunday, October 20. Bp. Hahn will be speaking with those gathered for the Adult Forum at
10:00 am. There will be a potluck after the 11:00 am service to welcome Bp.
Hahn to St. John’s.

Formation Classes are available for children. If you can assist, please let Anne Day and Dura
Anne know. Godly Play will begin October 20 and be held every Sunday.

Fellowship cookout and games for the kids this Sunday October 13, 6pm at Corbin
Presbyterian Church. First Baptist Church will also be there. Bring a side dish if
you’d like.

Daughters of the King meets Wednesday, October 16, 4-5pm at the church.

ECW Diocesan-wide meeting, November 2, 10:30am, St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church, 1891 Parker’s Mill Road, Lexington. Come learn about Women of Vision, a scriptural-based leadership development program of the Episcopal Church Women by Jenny Ladefoged, Diocese of Tennessee. ALL women of the diocese are invited and encouraged to attend this time of worship, fellowship,
networking and learning. Opening Eucharist followed by a short business meeting and lunch and concluding with this energizing workshop.

United Thankoffering Sunday is November 3.

All Saints Sunday, November 3. We will observe All Saints Day and would like to read the names of those saints close to us who have died. To have the name of your loved one read at the service, please place it in the offering plate, or leave a message on the church phone or email webmaster@stjohnscorbin.org by October 27.

Belk Charity Sale – Saturday November 9, 6am – 10am. Tickets are on sale now for this special event. All ticket sales benefit the church. Tickets are $5.00 each, which provides admittance to this special sale as well as $5.00 off your purchase. Buy more than one ticket! They may be used at any Belk store. Also plan to buy an extra clothing item to donate to the residents of the homeless shelter. Information is at the kitchen window of the church. Volunteers are also needed to assist at the store on the day of the event. A sign-up sheet is available at the kitchen window.

Diocesan Ministry Fair: Saturday, November 9, 9:30am – 3:00pm at Emmanuel Church, Winchester. Register Now at:  http://diolex.org/blog/news/ministry-fair-november-9/

Bishop Hahn is inviting all of us to the First Annual Ministry Fair – Toward a More Excellent Way. A great gathering of music, fellowship and keynote address will be followed by three workshop sessions and a shared lunch. Workshops topics, include Christian Education in Small Parishes, Leadership For Vestries, Lay Ministry Updates, An Overview of the Gospel of Mark (for Our Liturgical Year A), and What’s New at Reading Camp. There will be six workshop choices for each session – something to help every parish and every participant find a more excellent way of ministry.

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Sermon – Sunday, October 6, 2013

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

Year C, Proper 22, Track 1

http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Pentecost/CProp22_RCL.html

“If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

Please Be Seated.

Today in our lesson and Psalm, we hear of tremendous grief.  Lament – wailing and mourning.  The focus of Lamentations and Psalm 137 is the destruction of the City of Jerusalem and of the Temple in Jerusalem by the invader Babylonians.  Many died.  Many were exiled to Babylon, the focus of the Psalm.

The homeland… their place of comfort… the place dedicated to God… the place of worship and praise and sacrifice… the holy and sacred place… was destroyed.  In addition, the people were forced to try to live and to worship God in a foreign place.  They were no longer free.  They were oppressed.  Yet, their oppressors demanded they continue to live their lives as if nothing had happened.

Lament….  Why is this book placed in the Bible?  Why something so mournful and woeful and then adding Psalm 137 to the readings for today….  As someone said, the readings are so morose.

Yet, I think the book of Lamentations and the readings for today underscore the importance of grieving.  The importance of acknowledging our losses.  Acknowledging the depth of what we’ve lost and ultimately will never have again.  All shifts and changes.  We must live in a new and different way. 

It seems like much of life is truly about living through loss.  In some cases, we might choose to lose something…. When we marry, we choose to lose our singlehood, for instance.  Yes, it’s something we choose, but there is still a loss.  When we choose to move to a different place, there is loss, even as we are excited about the newness that awaits us. 

A Christian community like St. John’s experiences loss as members come and as members go, shifting and changing the community.   I know many of you were very happy for Margaret in her decision to move to something different from being the Priest here at St. John’s.  Yet, you also are going through the loss of her spirit and her life among you.

And there is the hardest loss to many of us.  The death of a loved one.  Even if the loved one has suffered and we know death has brought comfort and release to God, we mourn…we feel the absence of their presence and life among us. 

Our culture is not quite sure what to do with loss and grief.  Even though our grief process is well documented and results in shock and disbelief, sadness, guilt, anger, fear and manifests itself in physical symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, lowered immunity, weight loss or weight gain, aches and pains, and insomnia, often we are given at most five days off work and that’s only if a close relative dies.  For many of our losses, there is no time off… no acknowledgement.  We are supposed to go on as if nothing has happened.

And most of us who have lived through grief know that while people seem to be around the first month or so… after awhile people don’t call as much or ask how we are.  Some have suggested that we have a kind of phobia or fear of grief, so we remove ourselves from those who are grieving, lest we have to face our own losses and griefs. 

But the book of Lamentations and Psalm 137 encourage us to feel our grief… to name it… to own it… to weep bitterly in the night, with tears on our cheeks. 

Lamentations and Psalm 137 also support us when we become angry at God during these times of grief.  God, why did you allow this to happen is the ageless cry.  Now the Israelites believed it was their bad behavior that brought such destruction upon them and sometimes our own bad decisions do bring on our grief.  However, sometimes we just don’t know and I believe we must be careful about blaming God – the cause and effect thinking about God.  Maybe we just don’t know and as hard as that is to live with… we may need to do so. 

Recently a parishioner told me of a time of tremendous grief and lamentation for him.  The woman he loved was killed in an automobile crash.  He told me he was so angry at God…almost characterized this as having lost faith in God.  But then he said one day he realized, you couldn’t be angry with something you did not believe in… 

Lamentation and Psalm 137 as morose and mournful as they are… are signs that in our deep grief and in our anger… the important thing is that we keep in touch with God.  Even our anger is a way of staying in relationship with God.  Even our questioning expresses faith that God is there.  Even our crying out, how could you let this happen, is a way to be in relationship with God. 

Being a steward of the faith means that through our grief and anger, we stay in relationship with God. 

And there is hope…  There is the other side of grieving.  It never happens fast enough for me.  I get so tired of the deep cries and all of the tears.  I just want to get through it quickly.  But grief just takes the time it takes.  While the hurt or the place of empty may never fully go away, it does get better. 

And in our Gospel, we are reminded… that even faith the size of a tiny mustard seed is enough…  Our cries of anguish and our lamentations of loss are still small seeds of faith that can move a tree from one place to another. 

The Iroquois Nation in upstate New York and Canada, understands this paradox of grieving and hope.  They have a condolence ceremony.  After a period of mourning the death of a loved one – 1 ½ – 2 months… the community visits the grieving family.  They acknowledge the depth of grief and loss AND the hope – the continuance of life:   – 

Your grief has caused so many tears, you have not been able to see clearly.  Now we wipe away those tears with a soft cloth of the deer, so you may see clearly again.  Your grief has stopped up your ears so that you have not been able to hear and now we take the feather of the Eagle to clear your ears so you may hear again.  Your grief has caused your throat to close up.  You have not been able to speak.  So we take clear water and open up your throat so you may speak once again to your family and friends. 

Life goes on.  The birds still fly. The rivers still run.  Yes, our grief has immobilized us and that is as it should be and we still have hope…..  In our grief, there is the mustard seed of faith… the mustard seed keeping us connected to God…the tiny seed of faith holding us in God’s loving arms.

Amen

 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 2 Tim. 1:5

When I read this verse, originally written to Timothy, I remember all of the women who taught me the faith.  I remember all of the women in my family life, mother, aunts, and grandmothers.  I remember Mrs. Hessenberger, who never had any children, but who was always enthusiastic about the youth in the church.  When she died, she left money to support church youth activities so her love of young people lived on for many years.

I remember Elaine from Kansas, who greeted every newcomer in the church and invited them out for lunch.  When I was in a difficult spot and needed a place to live, Elaine opened her home without hesitation.  Even after I moved away from Kansas, Elaine always kept in touch with me and welcomed me joyfully whenever I visited and re-occupied my room in her home.

Tell me the stories about the women who have been living Gospels in your life….

Blessings and peace as you finish you work week.  I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Love, Rebecca

Rebecca’s Schedule

Next week, I will be in Corbin on Thursday.  Please feel free to contact me any time, however, by calling 859 -429-1659 or rev.myers2013@gmail.com.

This Week’s Bulletin: Bulletin 10-06-2013

Adult Forum – Radical Welcome:  Embracing God, The Other and the Spirit of Transformation by The Rev. Stephanie Spellers is the focus of our Adult Forum October 6 through November 17. Steve Gilbert will lead the next session on the Biblical roots of radical welcome.

Classes are available for children.  If you can assist, please let Anne Day and Dura Anne know.  Anne Day cannot be here October 6 and 13, but Dura Anne will have something for the children.  Godly Play will begin October 20 and be held every Sunday. 

 Blessing of the Animals, this afternoon, 3:00-5:00pm, St. John’s Park

Bring your furry and feathered friends to the St. John’s Park, College Street on Sunday, October 6, 3-5pm for a special blessing.  Cats, dogs, birds, other domestic pets or farm animals, and all God’s creatures are welcome. Animals must be leashed or caged and under control of a caretaker at all times. Co-sponsored by: St. John’s Episcopal Church, and The Presbyterian Church of Corbin.

Fellowship cookout and games for the kids, Sunday October 13, 6pm at Corbin Presbyterian Church.  First Baptist Church will also be there.  Bring a side dish if you’d like.

Daughters of the King meeting, Wednesday, October 16, 4-5pm at the church. 

Would you like to be baptized, confirmed or received into the Episcopal church?

Bishop Hahn will make his annual visit to St. John’s on Sunday, October 20. If you would like to be baptized, confirmed or received into the Episcopal church, please let me know so we can schedule the appropriate classes.

ECW Diocesan-wide meeting, November 2, 10:30am, St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church, 1891 Parker’s Mill Road, Lexington.   Come learn about Women of Vision, a scriptural-based leadership development program of the Episcopal Church Women by Jenny Ladefoged, Diocese of Tennessee. ALL women of the diocese are invited and encouraged to attend this time of worship, fellowship, networking and learning. Opening Eucharist followed by a short business meeting and lunch and concluding with this energizing workshop.  United Thankoffering Sunday is November 3.   

 Belk Charity Sale – Saturday November 9, 6am – 10am.  Tickets are on sale now for this special event.  All ticket sales benefit the church.  Tickets are $5.00 each, which provides admittance to this special sale as well as $5.00 off your purchase.  Buy more than one ticket!  They may be used at any Belk store.  Also plan to buy an extra clothing item to donate to the residents of the homeless shelter.  Information is at the kitchen window of the church.  Volunteers are also needed to assist at the store on the day of the event. A sign-up sheet is available at the kitchen window.

Let’s plan to attend the Diocesan Ministry Fair, Saturday, November 9, 9:30am – 3:00pm at Emmanuel Church, Winchester – Registration and workshop information available:  http://diolex.org/blog/news/ministry-fair-november-9/

Bishop Hahn is inviting all of us to the First Annual Ministry Fair – Toward a More Excellent Way.

A great gathering of music, fellowship and keynote address will be followed by three workshop sessions and a shared lunch. Workshops topics, include Christian Education in Small Parishes, Leadership For Vestries, Lay Ministry Updates, An Overview of the Gospel of Mark (for Our Liturgical Year A), and What’s New at Reading Camp. There will be six workshop choices for each session – something to help every parish and every participant find a more excellent way of ministry.

The Reverend Barbara Blodgett will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Blodgett teaches Pastoral Leadership at Lexington Theological Seminary. Prior to this she was head of Supervised Ministry for Yale Divinity School. Her fields of expertise are leadership, ethics, and excellence. Dr. Blodgett will offer a workshop in addition to her keynote address.

ECW Chocolate Fest, Saturday, December 7.  Plan now to attend this annual holiday event.  Planning meetings and chocolate making and craft making will begin soon. 

 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.

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Sunday, September 29

Proper 21, Year C Track 1

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

Some of you may remember hearing this comedy routine: “…that’s all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody’s got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that’s your stuff, that’ll be his stuff over there. That’s all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That’s all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn’t have so much stuff, you wouldn’t need a house. You could just walk around all the time. A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you’re taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody’s got a little pile of stuff.”

George Carlin did this routine over 25 years ago. Today in our readings and the Gospel, we hear about what happens when our love of “stuff” or our love of money goes awry.

Jesus tells a story about a rich man who feasted sumptuously every day on earth, dies and is tormented in Hades, while the man at his gates who he shunned every day is in heaven. The tables are turned after death.  The rich man begs Abraham to send a messenger to family members to warn them what is coming if they continue to live the same way he did, but Jesus talks about how hard it is for the rich to hear the message, even if a dead man were to be resurrected!

And in 1 Timothy, we hear what happens when our desires for stuff and for money take control. “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.”

Notice here, it’s not money that is the root of all evil, it is the LOVE of money…the lusting after riches.

Somehow we get attached to riches and to stuff, don’t we?

The danger of becoming overattached to things runs in my family, I fear.  My paternal grandmother definitely hung on to stuff, even Land-o-Lakes butter boxes, because they had recipes in them. But then she grew up during the depression so she may have had an excuse.  

When my parents were moving out of their home into a nursing home six years ago, my mother insisted that I pack so many things away. As she saw each item, they reminded her of the giver or of an event. She could not part with these things, so I dutifully wrapped each memory, placing it in a box, which still sits in my son’s basement today. That was so hard to do. I knew she’d never see these things again. I knew I would need to figure out what to do with them eventually AND I knew that in 20 years, I’d be the same way. I wanted to go home and sell all of my stuff at that point, just so my children and I would not repeat the scene.

My daughter and I sometimes watch hoarding shows together just to remind us what can happen if we become too attached to stuff.   

It is hard to let go of our stuff, even when we don’t use it anymore.  Even when it clutters our homes, takes up space in our lives. There is the worry about someone possibly stealing our stuff, so we do all kinds of things to protect it. I’ve paid so much money in storage and moving costs to hold on to stuff like every Christmas card ever sent to me.  When I finally decided to go through and get rid of this stuff, I couldn’t even remember who the people were who’d sent me some of the cards!

Being attached to our stuff and to getting more stuff has a cost, taking up space physically, emotionally and spiritually in our lives. 

Instead of our love of our stuff and our love for riches, we are offered a better way. In Jeremiah, we hear of God’s promise, that even midst the exile of the people to Babylon, they will return at some point to the land they used to live in. : “Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land,” Jeremiah prophesies. There is hope and we will have what we need. And the Psalmist exhorts us to trust in God. That God will be our shelter and our protection.

1 Timothy provides more details, encouraging us to value most our relationship with God and with each other and on our behavior towards each other. “There is great gain in godliness combined with

contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.”

Godliness and contentment are the key. We can be content with food and clothing. It is a minimalist way of living that exposes the essence of life through eliminating all that is not essential.   Good stewards of the faith know that godliness and contentment are the essence of life. That we need to eliminate all that is not essential to our lives.

When we crave riches…crave more stuff… crave more than we truly need… we are plunged into destruction…utter destruction.

Rather, we are to focus on our relationship with God and with each other, which is evident by our pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. We are commanded not to be haughty, or to set our hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. We are to do good,to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.

This is a tall order, isn’t it? Living in ways that are righteous, godly, faithful, loving, patient or enduring, and gentle can be challenging for us. Think about that for a minute.

Yet, this is the good fight we are asked to wage. The way of life that is godly and provides contentment. We can’t take it with us. When we pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness… when we are not haughty, don’t set our hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God… when we do good, are rich in good works, generous and ready to share, we store up for ourselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that we may take hold of the life that really is life.

Amen