Monthly Archives: April 2015

This Sunday (May 3, 2015) at St. John’s

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Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Collect for Fifth Sunday in Easter, Pg. 225, Book of Common Prayer

Our Collects each week certainly ask God for a lot, don’t they?  I mean, we’re asking God to have us “perfectly to know” Jesus Christ.  Wow, what does that perfection in knowing Jesus Christ, especially the perfection of knowing Jesus Christ to be “the way, the truth, and the life….?”

We ask for something nearly impossible (perfect faith), I believe, because we need that perfect faith in Jesus Christ before we’ll follow in Christ’s steps.  We question.  We doubt.  We aren’t sure.  We’re afraid. As a result, we don’t follow “steadfastly” in Jesus’ steps.  Following Jesus is the way to life…abundant life…eternal life.

So we ask God for more faith, more understanding.  We ask God for the faith that will support us in following Jesus Christ, no matter what.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

Rebecca’s Schedule

Rebecca will be on vacation this week, returning May 9. For pastoral emergencies, please contact The Rev. John Burkhart, 606-521-0345. You can get a message to Rebecca by calling the church office at 606-528-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

This Sunday we observe Asian/Pacific Islander Sunday.  We especially remember the Diocese of Taiwan, a Diocese of The Episcopal Church.  There are 15 Episcopal churches on the island.  We also pray for the Deanery of Nepal, part of the Diocese of Singapore.

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

Adult Forum Our current series is on Ten Ways to Pray. This week Rebecca will lead us in The Daily Office and Scripture.

Work Day at the Church, Saturday, May 30, 10am.  All are invited to help with outside and inside projects, such as mulching, lattice-work around the amphitheater, and caulking the windows.  If you have a key to the church, you can also come by and take your Prevention Of Sexual Misconduct (POSM) training.

Fun, fun, fun.  The next Family Game Night is Friday, May 22, 6:30 – 8:30pm.  Bring your favorite games, snacks, and drinks.  Pizza will be provided.

2015 Goals:  The Vestry has adopted the following goals for 2015, in line with our recently-adopted Mission Statement, Proclaiming the Gospel, promoting justice, and preparing a diverse community of seekers to reflect the welcoming love of Christ:

  • Support Al-Anon group meeting at the Church.
  • List St. John’s Church on theIntegrity and Believe Out Loud websites as an open and welcoming church, especially for people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning.
  • Remodel space for use as a sacristy.
  • Repurpose the parlor.
  • Serve as a site for the KCEOC Summer Lunch program for youth ages 18 and under.

The Grow Appalachia Committee meets Thursday, at 6pm through May. 

Rogation Service, Wednesday, May 13, 6pm.  We will say prayers around our property and end in the church for Eucharist.  Rogation comes from the Latin, “to ask.”  The days are observed the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday prior to Ascension Day.  They have typically had a focus on agriculture and prayers for the growing season.

Make Pentecost Peace Cranes, Sunday, May 17, after church.  Stay after church to make these origami peace cranes to decorate the sanctuary for Pentecost on Sunday, May 24.

 

 

 

Walk the talk (Sermon) April 26, 2015

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Sermon – April 26, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

Easter IV

Bulletin 4-26-2105 Easter 4

How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 1 John 3:17

Please be seated.

You’ve heard me talk before about my work on undoing racism that started in the 1990s.  A group of us met nearly weekly for many years and then at least monthly until about 2006.  We called ourselves People Against Racism or PAR.

Ralph was African-American and an active member of PAR.  He was a quiet man…the kind that doesn’t talk a lot, but when he did speak, it was something profound and illuminating.  One time PAR was meeting with people interested in representing our region in the state legislature.  Ralph said something to the candidate I’ve never forgotten.

The candidate was a man who was white.  He had done many good things in our city. Yet, Ralph explained that he knew without a doubt that at some point working against racism and serving people who were not white would become very difficult for this candidate.  Ralph said he knew this to be true…that every person who was white had a point at which working against racism became too hard …a point when they would stop working in an anti-racist way and return to their way of living in White Privilege…a point where they would no longer work for the benefit of all people.

Ralph wasn’t angry as he said this.  He was very matter-of-fact and actually very kind and loving as he said it.  It was just reality. What he wanted from the candidate, and in turn from each of us there who was White, was to know when we had reached that point and could no longer work to undo racism.  He just wanted us to promise to let him know when we could no longer work alongside of him to tear down the oppression inherent in our community.

And today, the writer of the Letter of 1 John poses a similar question.  The entire letter is about the absolute necessity of loving each other if we are truly followers of Jesus Christ.  We cannot be followers of Christ without love.  Our new Mission Statement says we will “proclaim the Gospel” and loving each other is proclaiming the Gospel.

In today’s reading, the writer emphasizes how meaningless our words can be…how meaningless our talk can be.  We can talk the talk, but do we walk the talk?  It is our actions that demonstrate our love.  It is our actions that proclaim the Gospel.  The writer asks the question:

How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

We are challenged today to proclaim the Gospel by demonstrating that we are followers of Christ…that God’s love abides in us through our actions.  We’re being asked the question that Ralph asked our group – is there a point at which you will stop demonstrating love for your brother or sister?  Is there a point where you will say, “enough is enough” and refuse to help a brother or sister in need?

I don’t know about you, but I get tired of being asked for help.  Sometimes people have asked for help, coming to the church, and later I find out they’ve totally lied to me.  In New York City and Washington, DC, there are many people along the streets or by the transportation centers asking for money.  It happens here in Corbin, too.  I’m so conflicted when it happens.  I read the verse like the one today and know I live extremely well by the standards of the rest of the world.  I know the blessings I get when I am generous, even if the other person is manipulative.  But sometimes I just don’t want to give.  I console myself by giving to the church or the food pantry instead of to individuals.

And today’s Epistle asks us to grapple with…to wrestle with how we demonstrate love, how our entire lives proclaim the Gospel.  To grapple with and wrestle with how much of the world’s goods we truly need, especially if those goods prevent us from assisting a brother or sister in need.  Could we live in a smaller house and use the savings to give more generously to our brothers and sisters in need, for instance?

And today is a good day to look at us as a community…St. John’s Episcopal Church.  How are we doing in demonstrating our love for our brothers and sisters in need?  How are we doing in proclaiming the Gospel? When we’re all working together love blooms and multiplies, doesn’t it?  We can do so much more together than we can do alone.

I’m so excited about the great idea that emerged from our April Vestry meeting.  Remember that the 2 ½ day Diocesan Convention was cancelled due to weather and replaced by a 1-day event in late March.  We had paid $700 in registration fees for the Convention and in early April were told we could receive a full refund of those fees OR we could let the Diocese keep the fees and use them for the Diocesan ministries.

You know it was hard to pass up a refund of $700, putting that back into our bank account.  But at the same time, if the convention had been held, we wouldn’t have that money back.  And we wanted to support the Diocesan ministries and had already agreed we’d raise $400 for Reading Camp.

And then it happened…  I’m not sure who said it first…It was one of those things that happen when you’re in a room with a group of people and you’re working together.  We’d say, the Holy Spirit moved in that room.  It opened us up.  Instead of hitting that place Ralph talked about..that turning back place where we’d deny the love of God by refusing to help our brother or sister in need…instead of being fearful about meeting our budget for the year, we became generous!

Instead of getting a refund back into our “savings account,” instead of easily giving the $700 to Diocesan ministries, we, in true Episcopal, middle way fashion, decided to use the $700 as matching funds to raise even more money for the Diocesan ministries!  We decided to be generous, extravagant even.

With the help of Katie and Daniel, our first project is raising at least $400 for Reading Camp.  St. John’s will match the first $200 raised, dollar for dollar.  We’ll do the same for Cathedral Domain and for St. Agnes’ House.  We’ll also match the first $100 raised for St. Augustine’s campus ministry.  We decided to demonstrate our love by taking $700 and turning it into at least $1,400!

That’s what love in action looks like. Last week with 25 people present, we raised over $100 for Reading Camp!  When we help our brothers and sisters in need, our hearts grow, because God’s love lives in us and we live in the heart of God.  It’s a great, exciting and beautiful place to be.

And that’s just one example of how we as a community walk the talk about love.  That’s just one way we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.  It’s not easy…it’s a challenging way to live in this world…it’s counter to much of our thinking about the world… Yet, if we are to call ourselves Christians…if we are to be followers of Jesus Christ, who freely and humbly gave his life on the cross because God loved us so deeply, if we are to proclaim the Gospel, it’s what we MUST do.

Amen

PS.  Aren’t these the best donation boxes you’ve seen??

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This Sunday (April 26, 2015) at St. John’s

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O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  Collect for Fourth Sunday of Easter, pg 225, Book of Common Prayer

Each of the seven Sundays we celebrate Easter (50 days) has a similar theme, no matter what year our lectionary.  Last Sunday – Easter III – was Jesus eating with disciples after his resurrection, usually a theme of Eucharist.  This Sunday – Easter IV – is often called, Shepherd Sunday.  We hear about Jesus as the “good” shepherd.

Throughout our lives, this image and the attributes of Jesus, the good Shepherd, comfort us.  While I haven’t seen any research, I’d bet the 23rd Psalm is the most known and most recited Psalm… “The Lord is my shepherd….”  It’s a familiar Psalm at funerals or the time of death.

In the Collect for this Sunday, we acknowledge that Jesus, our good shepherd, calls each of us by name!  Every one of us is known to Jesus by our names.  To know someone’s name is an important part of being in relationship with them.  And while I used to be terrific at remembering names, I have more trouble doing so and feel frustrated when I cannot remember someone’s name.  So, knowing Jesus never forgets a name….never forgets one of us…knows each of us… is extremely comforting to me.

Blessings at the end of the week and may you find great blessing in remembering that Jesus calls you by your name.

Love, Rebecca+

I will be at St. John’s Corbin Tuesday and Wednesday and in Lexington on Thursday.  Her Sabbath Days will be Monday and Friday.  You can get a message to her by calling the church office at 606-528-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

Appreciation Sunday.  Each of us is important to the community of St. John’s, especially when we are with each other each Sunday.  Today we honor those among us who volunteer additional time to our life together.  A big thanks for your time and talent!

Godly Play: All children are invited to participate in Godly Play, a special program of Spiritual development each Sunday morning at 10:00am.

Adult Forum: Our current series is on Ten Ways to Pray. This week Rebecca will lead a session on singing and journaling.

Pot Luck Sunday: This Sunday is our monthly pot luck. Bring a dish or drink to share. All are welcome! Plan to fellowship with each other. Our pot luck schedule shifts in October and November, depending upon the Bishop’s visit and our Annual Meeting.

Daughters of the King: The Regional Luncheon Meeting for Daughters of the King will be held tomorrow, Saturday, April 25, 11:30am – 1:30pm.  All women members and those interested in becoming members are invited! Please let Shelia Phillips know if you would like to attend.

Belk Charity Sales Day:  Belk department store will host a Charity Sales Day on Saturday, May 2, 6am – 10am.  Buy tickets for $5.00 to get into this special sale.   The church keeps the money and you get $5.00 off an item for each ticket you have.  Members of the ECW will be selling tickets prior to the event

Diocesan Leadership Training: Diocesan leadership training sessions will be offered at St. Patrick’s Church, Somerset on Friday May 8, 5:45pm-9:00pm and Saturday, May 9, 9am – 4pm.  Let Rev. Rebecca know if you’d like to attend this important and informative training.  The focus is on effective communication and effective community behaviors. The format is a mix of lecture and small group discussion.

Grow Appalachia: The Grow Appalachia committee meets Thursday evenings at 6pm through May.

2015 Goals:  The Vestry has adopted the following goals for 2015, in line with our recently-adopted Mission Statement, Proclaiming the Gospel, promoting justice, and preparing a diverse community of seekers to reflect the welcoming love of Christ:

  • Support Al-Anon group meeting at the Church.
  • List St. John’s Church on the Integrity and Believe Out Loud websites as an open and welcoming church, especially for people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning.
  • Remodel space for use as a sacristy.
  • Repurpose the parlor.
  • Serve as a site for the KCEOC Summer Lunch program for youth ages 18 and under.

United Thank Offering Ingathering, May 17.  Remember to bring your thank offering boxes AND pick up another one for the fall ingathering.  A thank offering box is a great way to give thanks and gratitude each day.  When combined with thousands of others, it supports wonderful projects in The Episcopal Church.

This Sunday (April 19, 2015) at St. John’s

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O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Collect for Third Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, Pgs 224-225

I am in Pennsylvania this week, because my granddaughter makes her First Communion, a rite in the Roman Catholic Church.  They usually pick this Saturday after Easter, because the Gospel is always about Jesus appearing after his resurrection and eating with his disciples.  The Gospel confirms that Jesus is ALWAYS present with us during communion.  Jesus ALWAYS shares this meal with us.

The sharing of our communion meal institute by Jesus on Maundy Thursday and reinforced in his resurrection appearances, has been continued ever since.  It reminds us that death did not win.  It reminds us that the most powerful government of the time could not silence the Son of God.  It reminds us of what is everlasting and what is important about life and living life.  It’s not what the world says, it’s what Jesus Christ taught us… love one another…love is the key….

Open our eyes, Lord…

Love, Rebecca+

Rebecca will be on vacation next week, through April 22.   For pastoral care emergencies, call the Rev. John Bukhart, 606-521-0345.

Godly Play: All children are invited to participate in Godly Play, a special program of Spiritual development each Sunday morning at 10:00am.

Adult Forum: This week we begin a 5-week series on Ten Ways to Pray. Jeff Davis will lead us in centering prayer and body prayer.

Daughters of the King: The Regional Luncheon Meeting for Daughters of the King will be held Saturday, April 25, 11:30am – 1:30pm.  All women members and those interested in becoming members are invited! Please let Shelia Phillips know if you would like to attend.

Diocesan Leadership Training: Diocesan leadership training sessions will be offered at St. Patrick’s Church, Somerset on Friday May 8, 5:45pm-9:00pm and Saturday, May 9, 9am – 4pm.  Let Rev. Rebecca know if you’d like to attend this important and informative training.  The focus is on effective communication and effective community behaviors. The format is a mix of lecture and small group discussion.

Belk Charity Sales Day:  Belk department store will host a Charity Sales Day on Saturday, May 2, 6am – 10am.  Buy tickets for $5.00 to get into this special sale.   The church keeps the money and you get $5.00 off an item for each ticket you have.  Members of the ECW will be selling tickets prior to the event.

Grow Appalachia: The Grow Appalachia committee will meet Thursdays evenings at 6pm through April and May. 

Rotary Scholarship Scramble: Participate in or help sponsor the Dave Hudson Memorial Rotary Scholarship Scramble, Friday, April 24, London Country Club.  All proceeds benefit college scholarships for local high school students.  See Rev. Rebecca for more information.

Fun, fun, fun: The next Family Game Night is April 24th from 6:30 – 8:30pm.  Bring your favorite games, snacks, and drinks.  Those who wish to, may gather at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church for their fish fry at 5:45.  The cost is $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children for a full meal.

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We are Seekers (Sermon) April 12, 2015

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Sermon – April 12, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

Easter II

4-12-2015 Bulletin Easter 2

But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25

Please be seated.

A few months after I turned 3, my parents bought their first house.  It was in a new suburban development being built upon what was farmland.  When we first moved in, the streets were not even paved!  It was pretty muddy.

 

This was near the end of the baby boom, so the neighborhood was filled with young couples in their mid 20s and early 30s, having kids.  There were lots of kids.  And one of our favorite games was “hide and seek,” especially on warm summer nights when we played it with flashlights and called it flashlight tag.

 

Do you remember the game? In the version we played (which Wikipedia says comes from Russia and Brazil, not Central PA) one person is the seeker and everyone else are the hiders.  If you are the seeker, you cover your eyes, usually leaning on a tree or against a wall, which serves as the home base.  You count, sometimes only to 10, but more often to a higher number.  You count loudly, so the hiders can hear you.  When you think everyone has had enough time to hide, you yell, “Fee, Fi, Fo Fum, Whoever’s not ready, here I come.”  The hiders are supposed to try to get back to home base and touch it before you can get there and call out their name.

 

There are various kinds of seekers and sometimes you have to make up additional rules.  Some seekers just stand by the base and call out peoples’ names.  Others leave the base and think of all of the good places to hide and try to really search and find the hiders.

 

Sometimes if you’ve sought for awhile and most of the hiders are at home base, you’ll yell, “Olly, Olly, Oxen Free,” calling all of the remaining hiders back to home base.  The first person you caught then becomes the seeker.

 

In our new mission statement, we, in essence, define ourselves as a “diverse community of seekers.”  It’s an interesting word choice, don’t you think?  We don’t say we are a community of “knowers.”  We don’t say we are a community of “we’ve got all of the answers.”  We don’t say we are a community of “we’ve got it all figured out.”

 

When I looked up “seek” in the dictionary, I found this definition, “to try to find or discover by searching or questioning.”  (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/seek?s=t) In other words, our community of St. John’s continues to find and to discover God by searching and questioning.  We believe it is through our searching and questioning that we grow in our faith…that we develop a deeper faith.  We understand this seeking is a lifelong journey.  Just like the seeker in “hide and seek,” we keep looking for God.

 

In being seekers, we are like Thomas in today’s gospel.  Thomas did not have the experience in seeing Jesus that the other disciples had.  We really don’t know why Thomas was away from the community.  We don’t know what Thomas was doing.  We do know that Thomas did not believe what his friends told him. Thomas wanted and needed to see for himself in a particular way.  So, he questioned what his friends told him.

 

And Jesus returned to Thomas.  Jesus heard Thomas and heard Thomas’ request, to see the mark of the nails in his hands and to put his finger where those nails were and to put his hand where Jesus had been pierced in his side.  Yes, we hear Jesus chide Thomas some, but still, Jesus returned.

 

Jesus provided Thomas with the proof he needed, while at the same time, encouraging Thomas to set a different “bar” for proof…to maybe trust his friends a little more the next time…to prepare Thomas to go out to meet all of those who would never have walked with Jesus on earth.

 

As a result, we hear Thomas proclaim, “My Lord and my God.”  And tradition has it that Thomas traveled the whole way to the town of Muziris in the southwest tip of India to spread the Gospel.  Thomas questioned and searched.  Thomas sought God…Thomas sought Jesus and as a result of his searching, his faith was stronger and his desire to spread the Gospel and to do God’s work was strengthened.

 

So we seek.  Like Thomas, we question.  In Adult Forum and Godly Play, we search. We search to find the risen Jesus.  We search and we question, because out of that comes action.  Thomas went to India spreading the Gospel.  Our searching and questioning leads us to action in how to be Christ right here in our region.

 

Today the Vestry will meet and continue the discussion on what three things we’d like to do the rest of the year to fulfill this mission statement.  Your bulletin lists the many things we discussed both at the Vestry retreat in 2014 and at the last meeting.  Our searching and our questioning eventually leads to concrete action.

 

Recently, while driving in my car, I heard this song by Dolly Parton, first recorded back in 1975.  She says she wrote it while going through a tough time in her life…a time when she was doing some things she knew were wrong.  I think these words from the song are an excellent prayer for all of us as we seek…as we search…as we question…as we deepen our faith and as we go out into the world to do God’s work.

 

Won’t you reach out and lead me
Guide me and keep me
In the shelter of your care each day
‘Cause I am a seeker, you are a keeper
You are the leader, won’t you show me the way?

(http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-seeker-lyrics-dolly-parton.html)

 

Amen

A Grow Appalachia Garden Takes Shape thanks to Americorps NCCC

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Saturday, April 11, a group of volunteers from Americorps NCCC gave a huge boost to St. John’s Grow Appalachia Community Garden.  The group has been working at Cumberland Falls State Park on a variety of projects, including pulling invasive species like burning bush.

Today, they came to set up cedar poles for two grape arbors as part of our garden.  In addition, they started to cut the sod from the garden plots, so we can till the soil and begin planting.  While all of this has been mapped out on paper, now you can see how it’s all going to look.  And it was a great day to be working outdoors.

Thanks to June Sullivan, who provided pizza for lunch. Thanks to Steve Gilbert and Ward Brown for organizing the project!

Enjoy the photos of the day.

Getting started...

Getting started…

Digging, digging and more digging...

Digging, digging and more digging…

Getting the cedar posts firmly in the ground AND digging the next hole...

Getting the cedar posts firmly in the ground AND digging the next hole…

This friendly neighborhood dog enjoyed watching the activity and playing with the volunteers.

This friendly neighborhood dog enjoyed watching the activity and playing with the volunteers.

 

The garden beds are beginning to emerge

The garden beds are beginning to emerge

cutting sod and digging more holes...

cutting sod and digging more holes…

Cutting the sod is hard work, but there is terrific soil underneath!

Cutting the sod is hard work, but there is terrific soil underneath!

 

We piled the sod in the center where we're planning a circular herb bed. The string shows the outline of a garden bed

We piled the sod in the center where we’re planning a circular herb bed. The string shows the outline of a garden bed

The wonderful crew. They'll spend 10 months traveling around the country helping out in a variety of ways. THANKS for your service!

The wonderful crew. They’ll spend 10 months traveling around the country helping out in a variety of ways. THANKS for your service!

 

Poles for 2 grape arbors, garden beds laid out and some ready for planting!

Poles for 2 grape arbors, garden beds laid out and some ready for planting!

The cedar poles are firmly in the ground and ready for the top frame to hold the grapes

The cedar poles are firmly in the ground and ready for the top frame to hold the grapes

This is the pile of sod from 4 of the 10 beds.

This is the pile of sod from 4 of the 10 beds.

This Sunday (April 12, 2015) at St. John’s

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Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.  Acts 4:32

Many years ago, I stumbled upon The Bruderhof Community.  They had a community in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, a popular vacation spot in western Pennsylvania.  They ran a coffee shop and bookstore.  The community published many of the books.

Begun in 1920 in Germany, the group had to flee during the times of the Nazis.  They went to Paraguay and finally came to the United States.  They number 2,600 on four continents.  What was amazing to me was that the foundation of the community was from early Christianity as described in Acts 2 and 4, but especially this verse we hear this Sunday.  They strive to be of one heart and soul.  They do not have any private property, but hold everything in common.

I’m not sure I could do this. I do think we could share resources a little more — does everyone really need a lawn mower or could we work out a way to share one between a number of families, for instance?  Yet, I get connected to my “stuff” and don’t want to part with it.  I also like a good deal of private space.

Reading this passage reminds me to look at how I live my life and encourages me to strive to live in ways that support the common good.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

Rebecca will be on vacation next week, through April 22.   For pastoral care emergencies, call The Rev. John Bukhart, 606-521-0345.

Godly Play: All children are invited to participate in Godly Play, a special program of Spiritual development each Sunday morning at 10:00am.

Adult Forum: This week Rebecca will lead the Adult Forum on Celebrating the 50 Days of Easter. Next week we begin a 5-week series on Ten Ways to Pray. Jeff Davis will lead us in centering prayer and body prayer.

Daughters of the King: The Regional Luncheon Meeting for Daughters of the King will be held Saturday, April 25, 11:30am – 1:30pm.  All women members and those interested in becoming members are invited! Please let Shelia Phillips know if you would like to attend.

Diocesan Leadership Training: Diocesan leadership training sessions will be offered at St. Patrick’s Church, Somerset on Friday May 8, 5:45pm-9:00pm and Saturday, May 9, 9am – 4pm.  Let Rev. Rebecca know if you’d like to attend this important and informative training.  The focus is on effective communication and effective community behaviors. The format is a mix of lecture and small group discussion.

Belk Charity Sales Day:  Belk department store will host a Charity Sales Day on Saturday, May 2, 6am – 10am.  Buy tickets for $5.00 to get into this special sale.   The church keeps the money and you get $5.00 off an item for each ticket you have.  Members of the ECW will be selling tickets prior to the event.

Grow Appalachia: The Grow Appalachia committee will meet Thursdays evenings at 6pm through April and May. 

2015 Goals:  The Vestry is considering adopting 3-5 goals for 2015 to reflect our mission statement.  Ideas include sacristy renovation; support of LGBT people, possibly through a chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) or ongoing support of Union College’s Gay/Straight Alliance; Support for people dealing with addictions and their families; opening up the amphitheater and park to church bands; providing our parish hall to other religious groups; more ecumenical church services.  What do you think we should be doing to put our mission statement into action?

St. George’s Day: Join other members of the diocese for Fun and Worship at the Cathedral Domain on April 18.  Hiking, cooking contest, fellowship, and special worship are part of this enjoyable day.  Register at www.diolex.org or see Rev. Rebecca.

Rotary Scholarship Scramble: Participate in or help sponsor the Dave Hudson Memorial Rotary Scholarship Scramble, Friday, April 24, London Country Club.  All proceeds benefit college scholarships for local high school students.  See Rev. Rebecca for more information.

Fun, fun, fun: The next Family Game Night is April 24th from 6:30 – 8:30pm.  Bring your favorite games, snacks, and drinks.  Those who wish to, may gather at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church for their fish fry at 5:45.  The cost is $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children for a full meal.

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God shows no partiality (Sermon) Easter-April 5, 2015

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Sermon – April 5, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

Easter Day

Bulletin 4-5-2015 (Easter Day)

Preached in memory of Steward R. Weaver, November 21, 1964 – April 7, 1995

I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35

Please be seated

During our services, I’ve been using the hymn from Voices Found, “At the Foot of the Cross.”  Today, let’s sing verse 5.

At the foot of the cross, we sit with Mary and worship with love in our hearts.

For he has risen and lives with his Father.

We only love him.  He lives to carry us home.

Home….

1996 was a really hard year for me.  I was living in Kansas, 1100 miles away from my family.  My mother started the year in a coma after many medical complications from a fall out of bed.  She came out of the coma in March and started a long journey of physical and occupational therapy.  My children were navigating post-high school to adult independence, which wasn’t always an easy road.  And my husband and I separated just before Valentine’s Day, with me moving in with a friend.  He soon filed for divorce.  Midst all of this, I was finishing up my Master’s of Social Work degree.

My daughter’s college had a program where you traveled to a foreign country for three weeks.  She took a 1-credit course during her spring semester and at the end of the course, she traveled to the country.  Of course she chose Italy, since we are part Italian.

I don’t know how I did it and I’m probably still paying for it, but somehow I managed to find the money to meet her in Italy at the end of her three weeks and plan a trip with her for two additional weeks, mostly to visit places she had not visited on her trip…especially to take her to Sicily and Riposto, the town where my grandfather was born and the island of Lipari where my grandmother’s family was from.

You see, midst all of the upheaval in my life…midst all of the emotional turmoil, by “hook or by crook” I was going to Italy…I was going to Sicily…I was going to Lipari…I was going to Riposto.  I had to get there.  We arrived in Sicily and found a little hotel by the Ionian Sea just North of Riposto.  The Sicilians considered it too cold to go swimming in June, but not the many Germans visiting the area and not me.  I was drawn to the sea and soon had my bathing suit on and climbed into the water.  The water surrounded me and I felt like I had come home.  I cried and cried as I allowed the waters of my ancestors to hold me afloat.  I had come home.

Now, I cannot even speak Italian!  It was only my second trip to Sicily.  I’d been there only once before, nearly 20 years earlier.  Yet, I felt at home.

What is this place we call home and to which Jesus carries us?

We use “home” a lot to speak about our home with God after our death – our home in heaven.  But I also think we get glimpses of and are called to make “home” here on earth.  Yes I know that sometimes our human homes are not necessarily the most wonderful places.  God calls us to the best home possible.  What does that look like?

Today I think of Carl and Audrey, who celebrate 62 years of marriage!  I know it probably hasn’t always been easy, but when you talk to them, you know they understand the meaning of “home.”

In our reading today from Acts, we hear about Peter’s post-resurrection work.  Peter has been summoned by a Roman Centurion, Cornelius, to come to his home in Caesarea.  Cornelius, although a Roman Centurion, is a God-fearer, a Gentile who sympathized with the Jews.  An angel tells Cornelius to invite Peter, who is 30 miles away in Joppa, to visit him.

Peter has been working only among those who are Jewish, believing that the message and work of Jesus was only for people who were Jewish and followed Judaism.  To visit a Gentile would have been taboo and considered a defilement.

However, as the messengers sent by Cornelius are arriving, Peter has a vision from God.  He doesn’t understand it at first.  It seems to be about food and it seems to change the rules for eating that Peter had followed all of his life.  Peter hears God say, repeatedly, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” (Acts 10:15)

When Peter greets the messengers from Cornelius, it all becomes clear.  The message wasn’t about food, but was about people.  The Good News of following Jesus Christ is for all people.  When Peter arrives at the home of Cornelius, a great crowd has gathered.  During his address to them, we hear these words from today’s reading, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35

Home…  Every one of us is welcomed.  God shows no partiality…none.  God is not partial to the wealthy, middle class or poor.  God is not partial to men or women or those who identify as gender queer.  God is not partial to whether you live your life as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or transgender.  God is not partial to any of the labels we humans have created for each other, building hierarchies.  God accepts all those who are in awe of God, who fear God and who do what is right and acceptable to God.  PERIOD!

We love Jesus and when we follow Jesus, we are carried home to a place where we are loved and accepted…to a place where we are encouraged to live as Jesus did…to follow God’s commands…to do those things that are right and acceptable.

I hope the places you go every day are homes of love, acceptance, and growth for you.  And I hope that this place – this St. John’s Episcopal Church – is a place of love, acceptance and growth for you.

At the foot of the cross, we sit with Mary and worship with love in our hearts.

For he has risen and lives with his Father.

We only love him.  He lives to carry us home.

Amen.

The Baton Passes (Sermon) April 4, 2015 (The Great Vigil of Easter)

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Sermon – April 4, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

The Great Vigil of Easter   Bulletin 4-4-2015 (Easter Vigil)

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!  Zeph. 3:14

 Forty-Seven years ago at 7:05 our time, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, TN.  I always remember this date and if it weren’t for Easter Week, the Episcopal Church would remember Dr. King as a saint on this day…the day of his death.

For some reason I really can’t explain, I have always remembered this date.  I was too young to have remembered many of Dr. King’s speeches and I was only 7 when the March on Washington occurred, but much of my adult life, I have been on a kind of pilgrimage to the places important in Dr. King’s life and work – his birthplace and grave in Atlanta; the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis; his church in Montgomery; the Birmingham jail.

So when I lived in New York City and heard about a play by Katori Hall, who grew up in Memphis, about the last night of Dr. King’s life, I had to go.  Especially since Samuel Jackson and Angela Bassett were the performers in this 2-person play.  The play is called The Mountaintop and takes place in Dr. King’s room at the Lorraine Hotel after Dr. King had given his last speech at a church in Memphis.

A woman, who he thinks is the hotel maid, comes to his room that night.  Much of the play is the back and forth of their conversation.  We learn much about the facts of Dr. King’s life, but also get some idea of the interior of this life.  But there is a surprise and I’m spoiling the play for you now.  The maid is really an angel sent from God to take Dr. King home to heaven!

Eventually the maid, Camae, discloses who she is and that Dr. King will die the next evening.  Like most of us, the playwright has Dr. King begging to live just a little longer… to see his children again…to hold his wife again…to finish his work.  Dr. King gets Camae to call God, who is a woman, so he can plead for more time.  God hangs up on Dr. King.

Watching this part of the play, I nearly started to sob, because I realized what the character of Dr. King was saying, were my words and pleas to God too.  Why didn’t you let Dr. King live longer, God?  Why didn’t you protect him?  I felt that as a young child of 11 ½ on the night he died and I had carried that sadness and upset with me all of my life….

Well, tonight we begin our service in darkness.  You see, we left the church last night with Jesus securely in the tomb…horribly tortured and dead.  Buried in a tomb, hurriedly before the Sabbath.  Most of us know that silence of death, don’t we?  The person we love, our companion, our dearest friend no longer speaks to us…is no longer there to touch us or laugh with us or chide us.  That awful silence of the absence.  That’s where we are.  That’s where I was on that April 4, 1968, and for so many years after.

Yet, our lessons tonight are all about God’s saving grace.  Even when Jesus is silent…even when Jesus is in the tomb…even when there is so little light…even when there is so much grief…we are told to hope!  We are told that what is happening right now in this moment is not the last word!

Last night we sang some verses of a hymn, At the foot of the cross.  The verse for tonight is:

When it was finished, Jesus was laid in a tomb wrapped in grave clothes of death.
Three long night after, he left the grave clothes.
She did not help him.  She did not carry him home.

Our grief…our clinging to life can blind us to the fact that God is God and is still working.  That we don’t know what the end will be.  Jesus rises from the tomb regardless of what his beloved mother could or could not do about his death.

In The Mountaintop, Dr. King finally says he can face his death, if he is allowed to see the future.  Scenes begin flashing rapidly on the stage.  All of the years since 1968… event after event after event, good and bad.  Faster and faster they come.  Each event is named and throughout there is a mantra “the baton passes.”  Watching all of those events, I was finally at peace with Dr. King’s death.

The baton passes…God is still at work…God continues to save us…And Jesus Christ left his grave clothes.

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living with Helplessness (Sermon) April 3, 2015 (Good Friday)

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Sermon – April 3, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

Good Friday   Bulletin 4-3-2015 (Good Friday)

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. John 19:25

Please be seated.

In the 2008 Presidential campaign, Sarah Palin said the hardest thing about the campaign was when the media said things about her children.  In an interview with a New York City TV station, she said, “They’re my kids. The mama grizzly bear in me comes out, makes me want to rear up on my hind legs and say, ‘Wait a minute.’”

And there have been times, especially when my children were little that I was the mama grizzly bear.  One incident I think I’ve talked about before, is one I’d forgotten, but my son has always remembered.

We were trick-or-treating.  We lived in the city, so there were lots of houses and lots of kids and people out having a good time.  All of a sudden, a kid ran up from behind and snatched my son’s bag of candy right out of his hands and kept running.  Well, just that fast, mama grizzly came upon me and I ran as fast as I could, yelling at the kid who stole my son’s candy.  I was incensed at the injustice of it all.  It was easy for any kid to get candy that night.  This was an act of meanness.  I was incensed at the cruelty and hurt the act caused my son.

But I acted.  I could do something.  And after a block or so, the kid dropped my son’s bag and we retrieved it and went on their way.  My son has never forgotten how I sprang into action and took care of him.

So, I honestly do not know how Mary stood at the foot of that cross, helpless to help her son…helpless to stop the inevitable…helpless to stop the terrible torture and death.  Recently I found this hymn, which I think says it all, At the Foot of the Cross by Carol Petersen, Hymn 43 in our Voices Found hymnal.  We’ll sing verses of it during our services the next couple of days.  Tonight, let’s sing verses 1-3.

(sing)

At the foot of the cross Mary sat weeping and gazing with love at her Lord.

He hung there bleeding and suffering and dying.

She could not help him.  She could not carry him home.

 

Blessed Mary, his mother bore him and rocked him and bathed him with love for her son.

Saw him in childhood and growing to manhood.

She could not help him. She could not carry him home.

 

Now with love in their hearts Mary and John sat together and poured out their grief.

“Look, John, you mother” and “Mary, your son, John.”

She could not help him. She could not carry him home.

“She could not help him.  She could not carry him home.”  Yes, tonight is a night of helplessness.  Tonight we need to remember all people everywhere who have a loved one they cannot rescue.  There are family and friends loving someone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol or sex and they cannot help their loved one.  They cannot carry their loved one home.

There are family and friends loving someone and warning someone about the path they were on and watching as that person was arrested and sent to jail for many years.  They could not help their loved one.  They cannot carry their loved one home.

There are family and friends loving someone who is being treated unjustly, but can’t seem to get the help they need to get justice.  They cannot help their loved one.  They cannot carry their loved one home.

There are family and friends grieving tonight because they watched their loved one die from a dreaded disease.  They could not cure the disease nor stop its progression.  They could not carry their loved one home.

What can we do when faced with this helplessness…this inability to make things right and just and okay?

What strikes me in our Gospel tonight is that Mary was physically present, even as hard and awful as that must have been.  Even as she must have wanted to hold him and touch him, she couldn’t do so, but she was there.

And we can be there.  We can offer our presence.  Just like Mary, we can stand there with our loved one.  We can be witnesses to their pain and suffering, as hard as that is.  While Mary couldn’t hold Jesus, we may be able to hold our friend.  I worked in hospice and we always told people that the last thing to go was hearing.  We’d encourage people to hold the hands of their loved one and to talk to them.

We can create and reach out to a supportive community.  In our Gospel, Jesus tells Mary she has a new son, the disciple John.  He tells John that he has a mother, Mary.  Even in his dying, Jesus encourages us to find supportive and loving communities to be family and friends.  Mary and John shared many experiences of Jesus.  They would be able to comfort each other in their grief.  They’d be able to tell stories and share memories about Jesus.  Isn’t that one of the hardest things when someone dies…to find others who love to hear your best memories of that person when you so desperately need to remember?

I don’t know about you, but I hate feeling helpless.  Yet, there are times when we just are and we must accept that.  We can be witnesses and be present during those times and most of all, we can help each other and find those friends and loved ones who will walk with us.

Amen