Pastoral Needs: If a pastoral need arises, please call the church office at 606-528-1659 and leave a message. Voicemail messages will automatically be forwarded to a member of the vestry who can arrange pastoral care.
This Sunday will be a service of Morning Prayer.
Adult Forum: We continue our study of the Gospel of Mark each Sunday morning at 10:15 am.
Godly Play is available at 10am each Sunday to support the spiritual guidance for all children.
Al-Anon Family Group: An Al-Anon Family Group will meet in St. John’s Parish Hall on Tuesdays from 7-8pm.
Wednesday Fellowship: Gather at 6pm on Wednesday evenings for a service and fellowship.
The Holy Season of Lent begins Wednesday, February 10, with the service of Ash Wednesday. We will have a service at 6:00 pm with the distribution of the ashes.
Lenten Meditation: Booklets from the Episcopal Relief and Development organization outlining a series of Lenten meditations are available in the Parish Hall.
Provide Flowers for the altar in honor or in memory of a loved one: Donations for flowers for the altar are accepted for any Sunday of the year. Please sign up on the Flower Donation Chart and let us know if you’d like the flowers to be “in memory of/in honor of” a loved one or special occasion. We suggest a donation of $20. Please place your donation in the envelopes provided.
St. John’s donates $25 each month to Everlasting Arm Homeless Shelter. If you would like to contribute, place your donations in the collection box by the guest register or mark your donation and place it in the collection plate.
Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.
Everlasting Arm, Corbin’s shelter for people who are homeless, is in need of men’s and women’s razors, gloves, deodorant and socks.
The Food Pantry at Corbin Presbyterian Church is always in need of nonperishable food items. Vegetables are especially appreciated.
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Although we do not currently have a priest assigned to St. John’s, we can still assist those who are home bound due to illness or weather, or in the hospital or nursing home.
We have four members who are licensed Eucharistic Visitors: Bruce Cory, Jeff Davis, Anne Day Davis, and Dura Anne Price. We can come and offer prayer, communion, and anointing (the Book of Common Prayer states, “In cases of necessity, a deacon or lay person may perform the anointing, using oil blessed by a bishop or priest.”).
If the services of a clergy person are requested, we can also arrange to have an Episcopal priest or other clergy person (the Rev. Lisa Eye at Corbin Presbyterian has offered to help with pastoral care if needed) visit.
Please let any member of the vestry know if you desire a home or hospital visit. Members of the vestry are: Jeff Davis, Steve Gilbert, Donna Goff, Billy Hibbitts, Mary Swinford, and Doug Thelen. You can also contact the Eucharist Visitors: Bruce Cory, Jeff Davis, Anne Day Davis, and Dura Anne Price. You can also call the church office and leave a message on the voice mail. These are converted to e-mail and forwarded to a member of the vestry or a Eucharistic Visitor.
Do not let health issues or bad weather keep you from receiving the sacraments and prayers of the church! We are here for you!
With the winter weather upon us, it is good to remember that not everyone may be as fortunate as we to have a warm roof and warm clothes. I just received this through the Union College campus e-mail, and thought it a good idea to pass on to you all. If you have hats, gloves, or scarves you would like to donate for this program, you can drop them off at KCEOC main office. As I drive right past the office, you can also bring them to church and I (Bruce Cory) will drop them off at the KCEOC office on your behalf.
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KCEOC will be conducting the K-Count of the homeless on January 27th where we will be giving out blankets, hot chocolate, and coffee at the Pilot in Corbin and Main office.
We are asking for your help! We are in need of toboggans, gloves, and scarves to give the homeless. Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated. You may drop donations off at the Main Office in Gray KY.”
If you would like more information, feel free to contact KCEOC CAP at 606-546-3152 orwww.bisom@kceoc.com. Thank You for your support.
Before you think I have totally lost my mind, which I am sure some of you have long suspected I already have, you should know how the Episcopal Church and other churches like it observe the church year. Just as the fiscal year begins for some at a date different from the calendar year, so the church year begins at a date distinct from the calendar year. We start our church year on the First Sunday of Advent. So, today is the new church year. Happy new year!
The readings assigned in the lectionary for today may not make much sense to us as new year’s or Advent readings at first glance. We know the First Sunday of Advent begins the season leading up toward Christmas, and we would expect to hear the stories from scripture that lead up to the birth of Christ. Instead we receive a message that sounds more like the end of the world rather than that of the birth of a savior.
The close of the previous year with the celebration of Christ the King last Sunday, and the opening of a new year with the First Sunday of Advent present overlapping themes as the previous year comes to a close and the new year begins. We have often heard that every ending is the mark of a new beginning, and it is equally true that every new beginning is the mark of an ending. These are what are sometimes called “liminal moments”, moments that mark a transition from one state into another. Within liminal moments we are in a both-and, now and not yet, state. We are on the border between two points in time. Liminal moments have great power. It is in these moments that we are able to make decisions and change the direction of our lives. Standing on the threshold between two states, we can decide to step forward into something new, hesitate on the threshold, or step backward into the old, familiar and comfortable. We are reminded in this Sunday’s readings that Advent is not just a preparation for a coming of Christ that happened over 2000 years in the birth of an infant, but also a preparation for the coming of Christ some day in the future. The Gospel today calls us to examine where we are and recognize the signs of the in-breaking of something new and become prepared to move forward into a hope-filled future. We are to “stand up and raise [our] heads, because [our] redemption is drawing near.”
The community of Thessalonica knew what is was like to dwell too long in these liminal moments. Paul and the early church believed that Christ’s return was imminent. Jesus in the gospel today says, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place”, and Paul seems to have believed strongly in this imminent return and he shared that in his preaching in Thessalonica. The community at Thessalonica believed strongly in the imminent return of Christ, but were confused when members of their community began to die before Christ’s return. Paul, who had founded the Thessalonian community, hears of their confusion and writes this letter, which most scholars believe is the oldest book in the New Testament. While today’s selection is from Paul’s praise for the Thessalonian community, later in the the letter he will work to reassure them that even those who have “gone to sleep” in Christ will rise some day. This time period in-between may be unsettling to the Thessalonians, but Paul prays that they me be “blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our lord Jesus with all his saints”, and that those saints who accompany Jesus will include those who have died before that moment.
So how do we balance this strong belief in the scriptures in an imminent return of Christ with our lived reality of 2000 years of history since his birth, death, resurrection and promise of return? How do we, like the Thessalonian community finds it must do, reconcile our lived experience with a statement from Jesus that “this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place”?
We need to recognize we are still in that liminal moment. From the moment the Virgin Mary gave her assent to the angel Gabriel’s message and the Word became flesh something new had begun. The reign of God had come near and was breaking into our world, not as a flash as the sky was split in two, but with the cry of an infant child in a humble animal shed. From that very moment God began working on something new, and he called on a young Jewish peasant girl to take part in this new adventure.
And we, like that young peasant girl, stand on a threshold between what has been and what will be. If we open our eyes and look with care we will see the signs and hear the call to step forward over this threshold and help bring about the reign of God. Will we stand up and raise our heads, stepping across that threshold, or hesitate on the threshold, taking a step back into a past that seems all to sure, safe and secure?
That is our challenge at this point in the church year. The scriptures call us to do exactly what most of us find ourselves doing at the beginning of a new calendar year. We are called to examine where we have been and where we want to be. Will we read the signs of the times, the “signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves”? Will we “faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world”? Or will we instead “raise [our] heads, because [our] redemption is drawing near”? The kingdom of God is drawing near, day by day, being constructed around us as we stand on the threshold. Will we step forward into the bright new future promised by Jeremiah when God will “fufill the promise … made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah”, the two ruling houses of the divided Kingdom of David? Will we join in the work of the “righteous branch” that “shall execute justice and righteousness in the land”? We are not to sit passively as the reign of God is being constructed around us. Instead, we are to “stand before the Son of Man”. I see this standing not just as a standing before God as we are judged for what we have done or failed to do, but also standing before and alongside the Son of Man, prepared to march into the turmoil and work on behalf of the reign of God.
Where are we here at St. John’s? We know all too well the existence on the threshold, living in the liminal moments between two states of being. Will we hesitate here on this threshold, step backward into the safety and security of a past long gone, or will we step forward into a new and beautiful future where we work alongside the Son of Man in the building up of the reign of God here? May we pray we will benefit from the same prayer that Paul offered for the Thessalonian community: “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” Amen.
I did not write out this Sunday’s sermon. I am, however, using transcription software to convert the audio into a text file. I need only edit the text file before posting, so a text version will be coming soon.
The Infant Samuel brought by Hanna to Eli by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout
The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs (about 1423-24) by Fra Angelico. Tempera on wood. National Gallery, London.
This Sunday is All Saints Sunday. We will be remember all those who have died in the last year.
News & Notes
Pastoral Needs: If a pastoral need arises, please call the church office at 606-528-1659 and leave a message. Voicemail messages will automatically be forwarded to a member of the vestry who can arrange pastoral care. You may also contact the senior warden, Bruce W. Cory, by phone at 440-227-0035 or by e-mail at bwcory@gmail.com
Next Sunday, November 8, will be a service of Holy Eucharist (Communion).
Adult Forum: For the month of November we will be discussing the Last Things: Death, Judgment and the Afterlife each Sunday morning at 10:15 am.
Godly Play is available at 10am each Sunday to support the spiritual guidance for all children.
Al-Anon Family Group: An Al-Anon Family Group will meet in St. John’s Parish Hall on Tuesdays from 7-8pm.
Wednesday Fellowship: Gather at 6pm on Wednesday evenings for a service and fellowship.
Belk Charity Day Sale – The Belk Charity Day Sale is Nov. 7 from 6a m to 10 am. Tickets are $5 each and the proceeds go directly to St. John’s. The ticket then entitles you to $5 off your purchase at Belk Nov.7. Free gift cards will be given at the front entrance to the first 100 customers starting at 6 am during the Charity Day Sale.
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 Bruce Cory know.
United Thank Offering. Remember to get your box for your thank offerings for this ministry of The Episcopal Church. The next collection will be in the fall.
The vestry has voted to keep a supply of 5 $20.00 Kroger gift cards each month available to distribute to people who call for food or fuel assistance. If you would like to contribute toward this outreach, please mark your contribution as “Outreach”.
Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.
Everlasting Arms, Corbin’s shelter for people who are homeless, is in need of men’s and women’s razors, gloves, deodorant and socks.
The Food Pantry at Corbin Presbyterian Church is always in need of nonperishable food items. Vegetables are especially appreciated.
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St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY, is a proudly inclusive Christian community. All members are encouraged to participate fully in the life and leadership of the church regardless of age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, economic condition, physical or mental ability. We believe all people are created by God to model the diversity in unity which is the Holy Trinity and we seek to live out that diversity in unity within the faith community.
It will be a busy Sunday this weekend. Bishop Doug Hahn will be at St. John’s for his annual visit. We will be celebrating the confirmations of three members of our community, and having a potluck after the service. Vestry will also have a meeting with the bishop after the potluck.
News & Notes
Pastoral Needs: If a pastoral need arises, please call the church office at 606-528-1659 and leave a message. Voicemail messages will automatically be forwarded to a member of the vestry who can arrange pastoral care. You may also contact the senior warden, Bruce W. Cory, by phone at 440-227-0035 or by e-mail at bwcory@gmail.com
Next Sunday will be a service of Holy Eucharist.
Adult Forum: We will continue our study of the Gospel of Mark each Sunday morning at 10:15 am.
Al-Anon Family Group: An Al-Anon Family Group will meet in St. John’s Parish Hall on Tuesdays from 7-8pm.
Wednesday Fellowship: Gather at 6pm on Wednesday evenings for a service and fellowship.
Belk Charity Day Sale – The Belk Charity Day Sale is Nov. 7 from 6a m to 10 am. Tickets are $5 each and the proceeds go directly to St. John’s. The ticket then entitles you to $5 off your purchase at Belk Nov.7. Free gift cards will be given at the front entrance to the first 100 customers starting at 6 am durig the Charity Day Sale.
Hymn Selection Group If you’d like to choose hymns for services, join this group. You will choose hymns for an upcoming service and then meet with the entire group to confirm the final selections. See Billy Hibbitts if you are interested.
Are you interested in assisting with the Sunday service? Readers, Eucharistic Ministers, Crucifers, Altar Guild Members and choir members are all important for each Sunday service. If you’re interested in serving, please let Bruce know.
United Thank Offering. Remember to get your box for your thank offerings for this ministry of The Episcopal Church. The next collection will be in the fall.
The vestry has voted to keep a supply of 5 $20.00 Kroger gift cards each month available to distribute to people who call for food or fuel assistance. If you would like to contribute toward this outreach, please mark your contribution as “Outreach”.
God’s Pantry sponsors a senior food program through Corbin Presbyterian Church that unloads, packs and distributes food to 312 low income seniors in our area. The truck load of food (about 10,000 pounds) arrives at the church on the 4th Monday (October 26) of each month about 10:00, and the cases of food are unloaded and stacked in the church fellowship hall. The next night (October 27) at 6:00 we get together and pack the food into 312 boxes. Then, Wednesday (October 28) from 9:00 to 12:30 is the great day when the seniors come to the church to pick up their food and we desperately need people who can carry the boxes to their cars. All of this is labor intensive, and requires some lifting on Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday we pack the boxes in an assembly line. We are acutely aware that most people who can do this easily are working on Monday and Wednesday, but we would certainly welcome any help we can get!
Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.
Everlasting Arms, Corbin’s shelter for people who are homeless, is in need of men’s and women’s razors, gloves, deodorant and socks.
The Food Pantry at Corbin Presbyterian Church is always in need of nonperishable food items. Vegetables are especially appreciated.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Subscribe to our Website Feed!
News & Notes
Although we do not currently have a priest assigned to St. John’s, we can still assist those who are home bound due to illness or weather, or in the hospital or nursing home.
With the winter weather upon us, it is good to remember that not everyone may be as fortunate as we to have a warm roof and warm clothes. I just received this through the Union College campus e-mail, and thought it a good idea to pass on to you all. If you have hats, gloves, or scarves you would like to donate for this program, you can drop them off at KCEOC main office. As I drive right past the office, you can also bring them to church and I (Bruce Cory) will drop them off at the KCEOC office on your behalf.
Due to snowy conditions, the Wednesday, January 20, evening worship service is canceled. Please stay warm and pray for those who are traveling!
There is quite a bit happening at St. John’s this Sunday, January 10!
“Happy new year!”
It will be a busy Sunday this weekend. Bishop Doug Hahn will be at St. John’s for his annual visit. We will be celebrating the confirmations of three members of our community, and having a potluck after the service. Vestry will also have a meeting with the bishop after the potluck.