Hallelujah!
Happy are they who fear the Lord *
and have great delight in his commandments!

They have given freely to the poor, *
and their righteousness stands fast for ever;
they will hold up their head with honor. 

Psalm 112: 1, 9

Our Psalm for this Sunday lists the attributes of those who fear the Lord.  They will be happy.  They also “give freely to the poor.”  In Adult Forum we’ve been talking about our wealth and resources.  We’ve also been talking about giving of our resources, especially giving them in ways that would alleviate poverty.  We’ve had some thought provoking discussions.

This verse suggests giving of your resources in a “free” way.  That’s hard, isn’t it?  We don’t want someone to scam us.  How do we know the money will be used for what the person asked and not for something of which we might disapprove?  And why are people poor?  Isn’t being poor a result of a person’s actions and behavior?

Over and over the Bible, both in the Hebrew Bible and in the teachings of Jesus, we hear the command to give freely to the poor or to sell all of our possessions and give to the poor.  It seems so ludicrous to do just that, doesn’t it?

First of all, there is something about parting from our possessions and giving up control of what someone else does with those precious possessions.  Doing so requires trust and faith.  People probably will misspend the money or might misuse our possessions, because we humans are not perfect.  But it is the act of freely letting go that is pleasing to God.  That act says we are not in control; we have handed over a portion to God.

Secondly, it is important to continually examine what is enough.  There are two recent stories I heard about wealthy people who gave up everything.  They were unhappy, even midst all of their wealth.  So they gave it up.  Read about Eleanor Steele and the Foundation she created.  Read about Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus and their minimalist lifestyle.  Both of these stories provide some perspective on what is enough.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

My Schedule: Next week, I will be in Corbin on Thursday, February 13, and my Sabbath day will be Friday, February 14.  Please feel free to contact her any time, however, by calling 859 -429-1659
or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

Lazarus at the Gate is an eight week series on economic discipleship. This week Doug Thelen will lead us in a session on Living Economic Discipleship.  Next week, Dania Egedi will lead us in a session on The Giving Circle.

Sunday, February 9
10:00am – Adult Forum and Godly Play
11:00am – Eucharist
2:00pm – UK Opera at Our Saviour Richmond to benefit St. Agnes’ House

Wednesday, February 12
4:30pm – Confirmation
6:00pm – Worship

Sunday, February 16
10:00am – Godly Play and Adult Forum
11:00am – Eucharist
12:30pm – Vestry

Living Compass Adult Faith and Wellness.  During Lent, I will lead us through the Living Compass Program, designed to help us assess our lives, plan for change, strengthen our faith, and wellness.  If you plan to participate, please let me know by February 16, so I can order the materials.  You can find more information about the program, including the Living Compass Assessment at  http://www.livingcompass.org/adult/program.html/  

Confirmation Classes continue on Wednesdays at 4:30pm through February 12.  Classes are open to everyone.   The February 12 session will focus on the sacramental theology of the church, including Baptism, Eucharist and other sacramental rites.  This will be the last session.

Godly Play: There will be Godly Play classes this Sunday.  If you are interested in assisting with these classes on an occasional basis, please let Anne Day Davis or Dura Anne Price know.  You will observe the classes for 4 sessions and once you have received this training, you may be called upon to assist as you are available.  Let the children deepen your faith!

On this Sunday, February 9, 2pm, enjoy some great music by the UK Opera Theatre and benefit St. Agnes’ House.    Concert is part of the second Sunday series at Our Saviour, Richmond.  Suggested donation is $5.00.

2014 Church Calendars are available on the shelf in the parish hall.  A donation of $2.00 is suggested.

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.

We will celebrate African-American History Month at our service on February 16.  Celebrating these months reminds us that people of all cultures belong to the Worldwide Anglican Communion.

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

A message from Bp. Doug Hahn concerning St. James, Prestonsburg – On Tuesday, January 28, St. James, Prestonsburg, was vandalized. The violence done to the altar and church were very disturbing to the parish, and indeed to all of us who treasure our sacred spaces.

The young man who committed the damage has been caught and his family has reached out to us. We are currently working with the appropriate systems of justice and juvenile care to make sure that the young man finds the help that he needs and that the process of restorative justice will be honored.

In the meantime, I invite you to join me in making a financial gift to the ministry of St. James. Thank goodness insurance will cover most of the physical damage, but our financial gifts will be a sign of solidarity and grace with this small but vital ministry in Prestonsburg. In service to God and on our behalf, this parish coordinates feeding ministries that affect hundreds of people in Eastern Kentucky.

If you wish to join me in financial support, you may make an online gift through the Diocese of Lexington website, designated, “St. James Prestonsburg” or you may send a check with the same designation.

I also invite you to send your words of support to the parish by emailing Sr. Judy Yunker at revjudyy@gmail.com or by a note to St. James Parish, 562 University Dr, Prestonsburg, KY, 41653

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In our Adult Forum, we have had discussions about wealth and possessions.  Elmer Parlier found this article and it certainly lends to the discussion.  There are some easy steps to take, too.

Sermon – February 2, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin
The Presentation

‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
   according to your word;
 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
Luke 2:29-31

Please be seated.

When I was nine years old, my mother decided to join my father’s church and become a Lutheran.  It’s odd the things you remember from your childhood.  Something I remember is singing these words of Simeon every Sunday for 17 years until the new service book and hymnal came out in 1982.  I don’t think I knew they were from Simeon for many years.  They were sung after communion.  I still hear the words and music in my head.  Maybe I remember the words because they signaled the end of the service?

Fast forward another 40 years and it’s 2006.  As I mentioned recently, I was living in Washington DC, having taken a job there.  And all I wanted to do was be in church.  I was delighted that my 50^th birthday was on a Sunday!  I sang with my choir at the 9am service, stayed for the 11am service, went to my favorite restaurant within walking distance from the Cathedral, and came back for the 4:00 Evensong service. 

These words of Simeon – the Nunc Dimittis…now you dismiss – are a canticle that is often sung at Evensong after one of the lesson readings.  That day, my 50^th birthday, the words I’d learned so long ago and that were deep inside of me, washed over me.  In that moment, I felt tremendous joy.

“I’d love to live a whole lot more years,” I said to myself.  “But if I walked out of this place and was hit by a bus, I’d be at such peace.  Because I’ve lived an AMAZING life. . . . A life beyond my wildest dreams.”  I knew what Simeon meant:  “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word…” (BCP, p. 66)  Simeon was at peace with his life. 

Are you at peace with your life?  Can you, like Simeon, let go of your life in peace?  Or does the very idea make you anxious?

Now, maybe it’s just aging that brings some acceptance of life or maybe it’s the glibness that of course I can let go of my life, because I know there is more left to it?  Maybe I’m playing a game with myself.  However, here for your consideration, are some of my observations about what leads to peace with life….

We need patience.  In 2004, after 6 years at my job, I was beginning to feel it was time to leave…that I had given the organization all I had to give and it was time for someone new to lead.  I usually stayed at a job for 3 years, so I had already doubled that record.  And my experience had been that when I felt it was time to move on, something almost magically appeared and getting another job was easy.  This time, that was not the case.  It took two more years.  At times I grew so impatient that something wasn’t happening.  At other times, I could see the Wisdom of God at work.  I needed to learn some things that could only happen if I stayed where I was.  Learning to keep at a job, and bring my best to it even when I was tired or bored, for instance.   Learning that the most important thing was doing God’s work and that work could be done anywhere and did not require a new location or a new job. 

We need to trust the leading of the spirit.  I don’t know about you, but I have had so many interesting “coincidences” in my life.  I’m sure I’ve always had them, but only started identifying them in the last 15 years.  In 2004, when I started the work of where and what I needed to do next, I had a number of interesting experiences like this.  I knew I liked to work in nonprofit organizations and I was interested in being a consultant to them.  People told me I was good at what I did.  Then I heard from a number of different and unconnected people that I was a good organizer.  So, I started exploring organizing on the internet.  The first things that came up were organizing people’s stuff or closets.  No, I wasn’t really interested in that. 

Then a name started to emerge – Margaret Wheatley.  First, I heard her name from a mentor who lived in Montana, who had just met with Ms. Wheatley.  I heard about her book entitled, Leadership and the new Science.  Then I went to a meeting for work in Washington, DC and Ms. Wheatley’s name and work were mentioned.  Things were clicking.  Eventually I discovered Ms. Wheatley was a leader in organization development and finally I discovered the Organization Development Network. 

I was excited about this organization.  It was an association for organization development professionals and I liked what I read about this profession.  It seemed that’s the type of organization work I was looking for.  Organization Development professionals work with corporations and groups to strengthen their functioning…to find ways that the working together works for diverse teams of people.

And the coincidence about the Organization Development Network was that in the next month, they were sponsoring a webinar with Margaret Wheatley as the presenter!

So, off I started on the path to becoming an Organization Development professional, which led me to obtain a Certificate in Organization Development, which led me to consider moving from Harrisburg to Baltimore or Washington, DC.  You see, there weren’t many Organization Development positions in the Harrisburg area.  I felt I needed to stay close to my parents as they were aging and had serious health issues.  My son was married and I knew he and his wife wanted children, so I wanted to be close by.  Baltimore/DC area was a hub of Organization Development positions, as well as consulting firms. 

But here’s the other thing…In the end, things may not look or happen as you expect them to.  You know how people sometimes ask, especially in job interviews, where you want to be in the next 5 years?  I have grown to greatly dislike that question.

You see, I thought I was well on my way to becoming an Organization Development professional.  I worked towards my Certificate from a highly reputable organization.  I networked with people in the field, often driving the 90 miles from Harrisburg to the DC metro area for meetings.  I applied for jobs.  But it seemed like things weren’t happening as quickly as I would have liked.  Eventually, I started to apply for positions in the DC/Baltimore area that weren’t necessarily Organization Development, but could utilize those skills and also the skills I already had on my resume’.  From some things I’d read and what was occurring as I applied for positions, I thought it might be easier to get a job in DC working in Associations, which would allow me to move to the area and then I would be better positioned for Organization Development positions.  I ended up at the National Association of Social Workers.  In 2004, I would have told you I’d be an Organization Development Professional, but that’s not where I ended up.   Yet, I had a terrific position in DC and truly loved my job.  We need to be careful about locking ourselves into a box and not being open. 

Faith Helps.  I told you how I cried when I heard God’s call to priesthood.  Yet, I agreed to walk in the direction God was leading me.  I didn’t know if it would ultimately lead to priesthood.  I only knew God was calling me in that direction.  Maybe there were people I was supposed to meet, lessons I was supposed to learn, work I was supposed to do that only could be done walking down that path.

For instance, I’d always thought it would be nice to live in New York City, if you had the money.  And I was given that gift through attending seminary.  I lived in an amazing part of New York for rents that were unheard of, because I was in school.  Often I could attend events or go to museums for the student price.  Not only did I receive an excellent education and preparation for priesthood, I received the great experience of New York City and sharing that with my family was also a great joy. 

Now, all of this sounds so easy and it’s not.  The times and times I was on my knees or even on the floor prostrate, crying to God.  Was I doing the right thing?  Was I listening to God?  Was I going in the right direction?  Why do you want me to do this, Lord?  I’m not sure I can do this, Lord. 

Yet, remember I said it was 2006, when the words of Simeon washed over me as never before.  What I didn’t know was that my life would contain more amazing things…things I never put on my bucket list…things I didn’t even know I wanted to put on my bucket list.  My position in DC allowed me to travel the world, to attend meetings at the White House, even one in the West Wing. 

Moving to Washington DC, gave me spiritual connections, mentors and guides.  It led me to seminary in New York City, visits to England and the Holy Land and finally to be ordained to the priesthood and to come here to Kentucky to be with you. 

God calls each of us to an amazing life.  Our job is to listen…to be open…to be patient and to have faith. 

However many years we have on this earth, may we be like Simeon…at peace with the lives we’ve lived in faithful service to God. 

Amen

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? …For he is like a refiner’s fire…  Malachi 3:2

Words from our readings this Sunday may be familiar.  George Frederic Handel used many of these words in his famious work, The Messiah.

Who of us can stand before God?  The Prophet Malachi likens God’s power to that of a refiner’s fire. A refiner’s fire was used to clear all of the impurities out of the rock holding silver or gold.  To become either of those beautiful and shiny metals requires a fire that is over 1800 degrees Fahrenheit!

The prophet lets us know that following God is a serious undertaking.  In doing so, we go through the refiner’s fire and become the beautiful and precious silver and gold.

Enjoy this version of Handel’s piece set to a soulful setting:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TewE8cH4vHc

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

My Schedule: I will be in Corbin on Monday, February 3, and my Sabbath day will be Friday, February 7. Please feel free to contact me any time, however, by calling 859 -429-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

Lazarus at the Gate, an eight week series on economic discipleship, will begin at the Adult Forum on Sunday January 5. This week, February 2, Elmer Parlier will lead us in a session on Wealth is for Sharing with the Poor.  Next week, Doug Thelen will lead us in a session on Living Economic Discipleship.

Living Compass Adult Faith and Wellness. During Lent, I will lead the Living Compass Program, designed to help you assess your life, plan for change, strengthen your faith, and wellness. If you plan to participate, please let me know by February 16, so I can order the materials. You can find more information about the program, including the Living Compass Assessment at http://www.livingcompass.org/adult/program.html/

Confirmation Classes continue on Wednesdays at 4:30pm through February 12. Classes are open to everyone. Sessions will focus on the history, theology and structure of The Episcopal Church. On February 5, Bruce Cory will lead a discussion on the structure of the Episcopal Church.

Godly Play: There will be Godly Play classes this Sunday. If you are interested in assisting with these classes on an occasional basis, please let Anne Day Davis or Dura Anne Price know. You will observe the classes for 4 sessions and once you have received this training, you may be called upon to assist as you are available. Let the children deepen your faith!

The Big Class: How to Be a Crazy Christian with Michael Curry This is a free online course, which you can take any time Monday, January 27 through Monday, February 3.  In this 45 minute class, Bishop Curry will tell us:

• What Is a Crazy Christian?
• Why Being a Crazy Christian is Easy – and Hard
• Habits of a Crazy Christian
• Giving Yourself Permission

To sign up for the course, go to http://www.churchnext.tv/school/catalog/course/how-to-be-a-crazy-christian-with-michael-curry/

Ministerial Alliance Joint Service, February 2, 3pm, Parkway Church. Join me in this ecumenical service celebrating the joining of Williamsburg and Corbin Ministeriums.

Sunday, February 2
10:00am – Adult Forum and Godly Play
11:00am – Eucharist
3:00pm – Ministerial Alliance Service, Parkway Church

Wednesday, February 5
4:30pm – Confirmation
6:00pm – Worship

Sunday, February 9
10:00am – Adult Forum and Godly Play
11:00am – Eucharist
2:00pm – UK Opera at Our Saviour Richmond to benefit St. Agnes’ House

On February 9, 2pm, enjoy some great music by the UK Opera Theatre and benefit St. Agnes’ House. Concert is part of the second Sunday series at Our Saviour, Richmond. Suggested donation is $5.00.

Daughters of the King meets the third Wednesday of each month at 4:30pm.  The next meeting is February 19.

We will celebrate African-American History Month at our service on February 16.  Celebrating these months reminds us that people of all cultures belong to the Worldwide Anglican Communion.

2014 Church Calendars are available on the shelf in the parish hall. A donation of $2.00 is suggested.

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.

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

Reimagine the Episcopal Church: In 2012, the General Convention created a taskforce to reimagine The Episcopal Church for the future. The members of the Taskforce want to hear the memories, hopes and dreams that people have for The Church. We are trying to reach as many people as we can over the next few months. We will use what we hear to help us shape recommendations for The Church’s structure, administration and governance. To add your memories, go online at http://reimaginetec.org/ or see Rev. Rebecca for a paper copy you can submit. Deadline is March 4, 2014.

United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of the Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through United Thank Offering, men, women, and children nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God. These prayers of thanksgiving start when we recognize and name our many daily blessings. Those who participate in UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity. United Thank Offering is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings, and to distribute the UTO monies to support mission and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and in invited Provinces of the Anglican Communion in the developing world.Your UTO offerings are collected twice each year. Each time you feel thankful during your day, put some change into your box. We will gather these gifts of gratitude in May and begin again for the November offering. If you need a UTO box, please see Rebecca.

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Sermon – January 26, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin
3^rd Sunday after the Epiphany

As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Matthew 4:21

Please be Seated

I moved to Washington DC in the spring of 2006, as a result of a new job.  And all I wanted to do was to be in church!  One day in June, I happened to be at a meeting near St. John’s Lafayette Square.  You’ve heard of that church.  It’s the one that Presidents attend.  As it happened, my meeting ended and I was able to make their 12:10 Eucharist.  The priest at the service was a woman I’d see at the National Cathedral.  She worked for the Diocese of Washington and often assisted at the Cathedral. 

St. John’s Lafayette Square is an old church with box pews that are fairly high.  When the Eucharist came, we knelt and I could barely see over the front of the pew.  As the priest was breaking the bread, I heard a voice say, “You can do that.”  The next morning, one of the first things I did was to go online and look up Episcopal Seminaries.  “You’re going to seminary,” I heard.

Then I started to cry.  For about a week, I wrestled with God.  I had a list of reasons a mile long.  I loved my job and the life I had in DC.  I knew being a priest was hard work.  I read the news reports about the lack of jobs.  I knew that while social work is a low paid profession, so is the clergy.  I didn’t want the expense of another degree.

But finally, I knew that if God wanted me to be a priest, God would keep asking me to take those steps.  I experience God’s voice as quiet and persistent.  “Come this way,” it says.  I knew I’d keep hearing that voice.  That God would not let me go.  I also knew that maybe the path and what I did would lead in all sorts of directions and places.  That maybe there were people I was supposed to meet or things I was supposed to do and going this route was the only way to do that.  That maybe I wouldn’t even be ordained, but there was something God needed me to experience or to do and I didn’t know what it would end up looking like.  I had faith and trust that God would give me the next step and I had the commitment to do that next step to my utmost ability.

But it sure wasn’t like the Disciples’ call we hear today.  They heard Jesus say one or two lines and left everything to follow.  What does your call from God look like?

Frederick Buechner says, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

And that was certainly true in my becoming a priest.  While I wasn’t so sure about it, once I got to seminary, I LOVED it.  I hadn’t realized how much my soul, the deepest part of me needed seminary and the training.  I hadn’t realized how deeply being a priest was held in my being.

This past week I picked up a book called “Managing Polarities in a Congregation.” (by Roy M. Oswald and Barry Johnson)  The premise is that some things are not problems to be solved or arguments to win, but rather polarities to keep in balance.  There is no right and wrong.  My friend Esther Moir calls this living in paradox and points out that a functional arch has just that right amount of balance and tension to make it work. 

One of the polarities is that between Call and Duty.  We must heed our call, understanding that it will change over time and at the same time take on duties or responsibilities that align with “what we want our life to be about.” 

When we have Call in balance, the book says, we will

1.  Feel a sense of fulfillment in serving as an instrument of God
2. Identify our motivated gifts – this may be where we wonder about whether we should try something or not.  Maybe others suggest we’d be good at something or that we try something or maybe we just feel that tug and wanting to try something out.
3. Be positive witnesses to others
4. Serve members and nonmembers in new ways.  Think about what you could offer to the church that would be in keeping with our mission.
5. Grow spiritually as we respond to God’s call.  

AND we can also become so locked into Call that we neglect duty.  There are responsibilities that must be carried out.  I believe these tie into our call, but may not be what excites us most about our call.

When we have duty in balance, we will

1.  Experience the rewards of contributing to the community.  This was true for me in participating in faith-based community organizing in Washington, DC.  The issues weren’t always #1 for me, but the community was important, so I made every effort to show up and do what was asked.
2. Experience growth because everyone is doing their fair share.  You know how it is in your personal life, as well as at church, if you feel like you are doing more than your fair share.  You burn out and start to feel resentful.
3. Offer a positive witness to life with Jesus, just as we do when we are acting out of a sense of call.  Jesus certainly was dutiful in going to the cross.
4. Carry out the necessary responsibilities that being a Christian involves.  Remember a couple of weeks ago, we spoke about our baptismal covenant?  Respecting the dignity of every human being, seeking to love and serve Christ in every person.  We have Christian duties.
5. Grow spiritually as we are part of a community and contribute to that community.

Duty may not be the things we love and yet we love them, because we are called to be part of the community or the team.  

So what is God calling you to do?  Are you living out your call or has it changed?  What duties are you performing?  Are you being dutiful to the neglect of your call or are you attending to your call at the neglect of your duty?

There are things in this world that only you can do…things that God has created you to do.  God uses everyone.  God desires every one of us to heed our call and to perform the duties that go along with it. 

Then, we too, will be like the fishermen, Peter and Simon and James and John who dropped what they were doing to follow Jesus because they heeded the call.  

Amen