Love is the Key (Sermon) February 18, 2015 – Ash Wednesday

Posted on February 19, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

Sermon – February 18, 2015
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY
Ash Wednesday

Yet even now, says the LORD,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing. Joel 2:12-13

Please be seated.

On Monday night, I just happened to watch the Grammy Tribute to Stevie Wonder. Different artists performed Mr. Wonder’s Works. The concert was so wonderful, especially since much of the music of Mr. Wonder is familiar to me. And the people in the audience were on their feet most of the time. They were stars and celebrities, dancing and moving to the music. I could feel the happy party in my living room. It’s just one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time.

Yet, even more than the music, was Mr. Wonder’s closing remarks:

“I can’t leave this stage, this building, this planet without letting you know how much I thank you. I love you. I don’t have to know you. I may not have ever met you or ever meet you. But I want you to know that I love you. I love you first of all because the God that I serve says that we should love everyone. I also love you because it feels better to love than to hate and I believe that if we can just come together, because we must come together, because, I mean, we are at spiritual warfare and we must without question let the world know that love is king and queen. . . . I believe that if we come together, as it is said, when 2 or more believe, then almighty God is between it, Let us come together. Let us fool everyone who thinks it’s impossible. Let’s make the impossible so very possible by loving. Love is the key ….” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxDrJ-tyHpE

Love is the key.

So what does that have to do with Ash Wednesday…. A day when we begin our season of penitence…of taking a good look at ourselves?

Because, during this time, we are asked to repent. To repent means to turna round…to change our ways. In our Lesson, Joel, the prophet says that God wants us to return with all of our heart…God wants us to acknowledge how our behavior has been so harmful to the world, so harmful, that our acknowledge makes us weep and mourn and fast. Tearing our clothing as a sign of repentance will not be enough….we must feel the depth of turning away from God Deep within our heart…we must know how our turning away from God, tears our hearts apart.

Yes, there are many ways we turn away from God. One way is our failure to love. We’d rather hate than love.

We also believe that truly loving everyone is impossible. We look at our world. Even here in Corbin last week where a 16-year-old child killed most of his family and endangered the lives of others. Or the many killings by ISIS/ISIL, most recently in Egypt. There is so much evil out there, and we become cynical, skeptical and unbelieving about the power of love.

Yes, we know God wants us to love one another – to love our neighbors as ourselves. But don’t we pay it lip service? Don’t we think it’s a huge fantasy and not even possible? Haven’t we turned away from God in this regard? And in doing so, we have harmed the world and we have harmed each other. We have given more power to hate than to love!

So, during this Holy Lent, return to God. Don’t doubt, but believe. Weep and mourn and fast because we have given in to the world and given in to the power of hatred rather than the power of love.

Think about what you can do to be more loving…what you can do to not let the hatred of the world overpower the love God calls us to. Let’s strive to be like Stevie Wonder who told us the other night…. “I love you. I don’t have to know you. I may not have ever met you or ever meet you. But I want you to know that I love you.” Let’s believe deeply in our hearts that “Love is the key.”

Amen

This Sunday (February 22, 2015) at St. John’s

Posted on February 19, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Collect, First Sunday in Lent, BCP, pg. 218

Our Gospel reading this week reminds us that Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, tempted by Satan. Our Collect for the day reminds us that we, too, are “assaulted by many temptations.” The pray asks God to help us with these assaults.

Temptations take many forms. Sometimes the temptations turn into addictions to substances (food, alcohol, drugs) or behaviors (co-dependency, gambling, hoarding, cynicism, despair). I guess they share a common denominator — in the end, giving in to them causes great harm….harm to our community, harm to others, harm to ourselves.

Our Lenten readings from Living Compass Faith & Wellness Ministry, Living Well through Lent 2015, can help us discover our temptations, as well as where we are open to God’s guidance and wisdom in addressing them.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

Rebecca will be at St. John’s Corbin, Thursday and Friday. She will be on vacation Monday through Wednesday. Deacon Amanda Musterman will be handling pastoral care needs during that time. You can contact Deacon Amanda at 859-227-1791. You can get a message to her by calling the church office at 606-528-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

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

Adult Forum
During Lent, we are discussing various issues in Appalachia. This week, Professor Joseph Pearson, Union College will speak about the Race Riots in Corbin. Here is the schedule for the following weeks:

March 1 Professor Jimmy Smith; How people interact with the land and its consequences.
March 8 Rebecca; 20^th Century Progress and Why Appalachia was Left Behind, Part I
March 15 Rebecca, 20^th Century Progress and Why Appalachia was Left Behind, Part II
March 22 The Rev. Stuart Hoke will lead a discussion on the church’s role in addiction recovery
March 29 Rebecca; Discussion of themes from the movie “Matewan.”

The Vestry proposes the following Mission Statement for St. John’s Church: Proclaiming the Gospel, promoting justice, and preparing a diverse community of seekers to reflect the welcoming love of Christ. Let us know what you think about this statement, which guides us to goals and actions that embody our Mission.

Family Game night is the 4^th Friday of the month. The next Family Game Night is February 27, 6:30 – 8:30pm. Bring your favorite games, snacks, and drinks. Pizza will be provided.

The Annual International Dinner will be held February 28, 7pm, London Community Center. Sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of London and Corbin, the proceeds of the dinner support the eradication of polio. Tickets are $25 each. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will provide of match of $100 for a purchase of 2 tickets. Tables of 8 are also available for $250. If you’d like to attend this fun event or if you’d like to provide food for it, please see Rebecca.

Wednesday Evenings During Lent, February 25 – March 25, 6:30pm, series on Appalachia. Plan to come on Wednesday evenings for a soup and bread supper, followed by a special series on Appalachia. Soup and bread will be provided. If you are interested in contributing the soup and bread, please see Rebecca or Anne Day Davis.

February 25 – Professor Joseph Pearson; 20^th Century Progress and Why Appalachia was “left behind,” Part I
March 4 – Professor Joseph Pearson continues the discussion on 20^th Century Progress and Why Appalachia was ‘left behind,” Part II
March 11 –How People Interact with the Land and its consequences
March 18 – Professor Jimmy Smith; on the first half of John Sayles’ movie, Matewan
March 25 – Professor Jimmy Smith; on the conclusion of John Sayles’ movie, Matewan

Reading Camp Meeting, February 26, 10:15am. A group is forming in Corbin to support sending at least 5 children from Corbin to Reading Camp at Pine Mountain Settlement, July 12-18. We are also exploring the possibility of starting a Reading Camp program in the area. If you are interested in helping recruit children, mentor children, volunteering for Reading Camp, or raising funds, let Rebecca know.

Pot Luck Sunday: This Sunday is our monthly pot luck. We will be eating pancakes, bacon and sausage since we didn’t have our pancake supper on Shrove Tuedsay. Bring a dish or drink to share. And 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.

Property Committee will meet Tuesday, February 24, 6pm. Please see Billy Hibbitts if you are interested in being part of this committee.

The Grow Appalachia Committee will meet Thursdays, at 6pm through March 26. If you’re interested in planting your own garden, either here in St. John’s Park or in your own backyard, or helping with a community plot here in the park, please plan to attend these meetings.

Join Rebecca and the Members of Corbin Presbyterian Church at 3:30pm, Sunday, February 22, as they install their new Pastor, The Rev. Lisa Eye.

Donations are being accepted until March 29, for flowers to decorate the church for Easter. Use the donation envelopes and write if the donation is “in honor of/in memory” of a loved one or a special occasion. Donations in any amount will be accepted.

Sunday, March 1, we welcome The Rev. Phillip Haug. Rebecca will be at St. Patrick’s Somerset to talk about St. Agnes’ House and to celebrate the service.

Ash Wednesday

Posted on February 18, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

Friends, I am at the church today if you can make it for Ash Wednesday services at 7pm; however, I know many of you cannot and should not be out in this weather. So, I hope you’ll consider reading the liturgy at home, possibly at 7pm so we’re reading it together.

You can find the Ash Wednesday service in The Book of Common Prayer, pg 264-269 or www.bcponline.org. Click on Proper Liturgies for Special Days and then on Ash Wednesday.

I’ve also attached the bulletin for tonight: Bulletin 02-15-2015 Ash Wednesday

The lectionary readings are at http://lectionarypage.net/YearABC/Lent/AshWed.html

My sermon is at: http://stjohnscorbin.org/?p=155219

Blessings as we observe a most Holy Lent….

Rebecca+

A view out the church back door…

A snowy view from the back window

It’s Lent, so we’ve changed from green to purple…

“Remember, from dust you came and to dust you shall return.”

Powerful and Awe-Inspiring Moments (Sermon) February 15, 2015

Posted on February 16, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

Sermon – February 15, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

The Last Sunday After Epiphany, Year B

The Transfiguration

And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Mark 9:2-4

Please be seated.

The church I grew up in had changed radically by the early 60s. It was in a city, whose neighborhoods were changing, really disappearing from around the church. The church was right downtown, close to the state capitol and office buildings for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The many neighborhoods, especially the predominantly African-American neighborhoods that had once been there, were being swallowed up by the needs of state government and urban renewal plans. There was not much neighborhood around the church by the early 1960s.

But the church called a new pastor in 1963 and he challenged those there to revitalize the church. My father heard this Pastor on the radio one Sunday and soon after, started attending. By 1966, my mother converted from Roman Catholicism and we all started attending.

As I neared Junior High School a couple of years later – 7th Grade – I became very excited, because I’d be able to participate in the church youth group activities. The church had called an Assistant Pastor and he focused on youth and young married couples. There were a number of other adults who also assisted with the youth group and they seemed fun to be around.

So I was glad when it came time for me to join this group of 7th – 12th graders. Now for the first 3 years, I attended confirmation classes prior to the youth group meetings. Our Youth Group addressed many of the issues of the day such as the Vietnam War, the War on Poverty and Civil Rights. We formed a singing group which performed songs with many of the themes of our time interspersed with written words and poems… songs like Blowin’ in the Wind or If I Had a Hammer.

We explored our faith and how it led us to take action. We explored our belief in God. Those were the days when Time Magazine had a cover story, Is God Dead? There was a lot of questioning about belief in God and the place of the church. I had gone to church as long as I could remember. I wanted to believe in God. I loved the story of Jesus Christ. But I didn’t feel my belief deep in my soul and heart.

My best friend at the time and I would often go into the sanctuary in the evenings when it was dark, except for the Sanctuary light, which burned to let us know God was in this place. We’d talk and share the deepest concerns of our 12-year old lives, including how we understood God. We’d talk to God there.

Our youth group also went on retreats about twice a year. Weekends away where we’d have fun and deepen our faith. In the fall of my 8th grade year, we went to a retreat house just outside a small Pennsylvania town. On Sunday morning, we had our church service, which was very free-form. I remember the day was cold and late fall and very sunny. We started saying The Lord’s Prayer and I started crying…tears streaming down my face. Because I knew…I finally knew that God was real…that God was with me and in me. I knew it deep in my soul. I had experienced transfiguration.

In today’s Gospel Reading, we hear about Jesus’ transfiguration or being changed into something beautiful. Jesus and the Disciples had left the region around the Sea of Galilee. Jesus took Peter, James and John with him up Mt. Tabor.

Mt. Tabor rises almost 1900 feet out of the Jezreel Valley. It’s a steep climb up to the top. It’s understandable that not everyone made the climb. But what happened on that mountain was crucial for the Disciples. It was an experience both powerful and scary. So powerful that Peter wanted to make monuments there. And many paintings depict the disciples falling down part of the mountain in fear. I mean, what would you do if you saw Moses and Elijah speaking to Jesus and then heard a voice from heaven confirming that Jesus was beloved and should be listened to?

But, you see, God knew what was coming when those disciples walked down that mountain. They were setting off to Jerusalem and to another mount – Calvary. God knew that the disciples would be very confused by the way salvation was going to come to them. They were expecting a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom and being freed from the Romans. But that wasn’t going to be how things worked out. God knew it would be a hard road for all of them. So, God gave them this powerful and awe-inspiring and unforgettable moment…a moment to hang on to when life got confusing and challenging.

What are those moments for you? What are those times when you’ve felt peace or joy, especially in the community of God? Or those times when amazing “coincidences” happened? Those times when you are filled with awe? Those times when you experience a power beyond yourself? I hope you’ve had them. God gives them to us to hang on to when life is difficult and hard.

I’ve forgotten plenty of things in my life, but I’ve never forgotten that moment when I was 13, on that retreat, saying The Lord’s Prayer. I can picture it just as clearly as if it happened yesterday. Yes, since then, I’ve had tough and challenging times in my life…times when I didn’t feel so close to God, but that experience at 13 has kept me close to God at the same time…sometimes just by a thread, but nonetheless unshakeable in my belief in God.

Hold on…hold on to those moments of transfiguration – powerful and awe-inspiring. They comfort you on the journeys through the valleys of difficult and challenging times.

Amen

This Sunday (February 15, 2015) at St. John’s

Posted on February 12, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Collect for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, pg. 217, Book of Common Prayer

The season of celebration that the light has come into the world, also known as Epiphany, is fast coming to an end. This Collect for the Day leads us into the next season of our Church year – Lent. But first, there are a few more days of celebration. Before the walk up calvary on Good Friday, the true glory of Christ was revealed to Peter, James and John, on the Mount Tabor, known as The Transfiguration.

Mt. Tabor, site of The Transfiguration.

In our region, winter is gray and especially in February, feels long, but our church year reminds us that Christ brought great light, great awareness to us. Christ brought and brings great joy. So, let’s enjoy the celebration..the revealing of Christ’s Glory. Join us Tuesday evening at 6pm for our annual pancake supper. Celebrate our life in Christ. Then you will be ready for the long walk through Lent to Calvary.

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

The Flowers on the Altar this Sunday are given in memory of Ed VanGorder by June VanGorder.

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.

Rebecca’s Schedule Rebecca will be in Corbin this week,Tuesday and Wednesday, and attending Diocesan Convention in Morehead Thursday through Saturday. Her Sabbath Day will be Monday, February 16. You can get a message to her by calling the church office at 606-528-1659 or priest-in-charge@stjohnscorbin.org.

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

Adult Forum: This Sunday we conclude our series on the Blessing of Same Gender Relationships. Mary Swinford will lead the session. Next Sunday, we begin a series on Appalachia. Professor Joseph Pearson, who teaches history at Union College, will speak about the race riots in Corbin.

Grow Appalachia! We’ve received a grant for $4,530 for our community garden through Grow Appalachia. The Grow Appalachia website is http://www.berea.edu/grow-appalachia/ The Grow Appalachia Committee will meet Sunday, February 15, after church.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Tuesday, February 17, 6:00 – 7:30pm. Come for this truly Episcopal tradition to end Epiphany and prepare for the start of Lent. Free Will donation.

Ash Wednesday Services will be held on February 18, at 9am and 7pm. Eucharist and imposition of ashes will occur at both services.

Interested in becoming a member of St. John’s? Please let Rebecca know. Receptions and confirmations will be held on Saturday, April 18, at the Cathedral Domain during St. George’s Day weekend.

Pot Luck Sunday: Next Sunday February 22, is our monthly pot luck. Bring a dish or drink to share. And 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.

Join Rebecca and the Members of Corbin Presbyterian Church at 3:00pm, Sunday, February 22, as they install their new Pastor, The Rev. Lisa Eye.

Family Game night is the 4^th Friday of the month. The next Family Game Night is Friday, February 27, 6:30 – 8:30pm. Bring your favorite games, snacks, and drinks. Pizza will be provided.

The Vestry is considering how best to use the space that is now our Parlor. Various ideas have included using the space as a welcome and information place, where information is available about St. John’s, our various ministries, and our members. Another idea is to have a prayer space with candles that can be lit for specific prayer intentions. If you have comments or other ideas, please see a member of Vestry or Rebecca.

Two furnaces replaced, 1 more to go! The furnaces located in the sacristy and the parish hall have been replaced. Thanks so much to all who donated! Now we need to replace the furnace in the rectory. Cost is just under $1,700 for a furnace that will also be more energy efficient. Donations for the furnace can be put in the box on the table in the parlor.

The Vestry has voted to donate $25 each month to Everlasting Arm Homeless Shelter. If you’d like to contribute, put your donations in the collection box by the guest register or mark your donation and put it in the collection plate.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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Find the Current of God (sermon) February 8, 2015

Posted on February 9, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

Sermon – February 8, 2015
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY
The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany, Year B
Observance of African-American History Month

but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Please be seated

I love the prairie. I saw the tall grass prairie for the first time in 1994, in late April, after my husband had accepted a job in Topeka, KS. I had visited Chicago as a teenager and I decided then that I did not really like flat ground, so I wasn’t all that excited about the prospect of living in a place so flat.

But even on that first trip, I loved the expanse of the sky. The view was overwhelming. You could see so far into the distance. It’s not that trees cannot grow in Kansas, it’s that you have tall grasses, which easily catch on fire, especially during a thunder and lightening storm, creating new tender grass shoots, which attract large hoofed animals that massage the earth. It’s just not conducive to trees.

So the grasses grow up to 8 feet tall during the summer. And the wind NEVER stops blowing. NEVER! There is always wind. So the earth warms up and the heat rises and the wind blows, creating the most wonderful air currents.

Raptors like hawks and eagles LOVE the Kansas prairie. And because the vista is so expansive, you can watch the hawks and eagles catch the breeze and ride the currents. They save themselves plenty of energy by doing that.

And in today’s Old Testament reading, the prophet Isaiah reminds us that when we are doing God’s work, we’ll find those air currents and be lifted high like the eagle… the eagle representing St. John. We won’t get weary nor be faint when we catch that current that God provides.

Later this week, on Friday, we’ll remember Absalom Jones, the first African-American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church. Absalom Jones knew what it meant to find those currents from God that raise the eagles in flight. Listen to the biography of Jones available on the website of African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia, the church Jones founded:

The life and legacy of The Reverend Absalom Jones is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, his faith, and his commitment to the causes of freedom, justice and self-determination.

Absalom Jones was born into slavery in Sussex County, Delaware on November 6, 1746. During the 72 years of his life, he grew to become one of the foremost leaders among persons of African descent during the post-revolutionary period. In his younger years in Delaware, Absalom sought help to learn to read. When he was 16, his owner Benjamin Wynkoop brought him to Philadelphia where he served as a clerk and handyman in a retail store. He was able to work for himself in the evenings and keep his earnings. He also briefly attended a school run by the Quakers where he learned mathematics and handwriting. In 1770, he married Mary Thomas and purchased her freedom. It was until 1784 that he obtained his own freedom through manumission. He also owned several properties.

During this period, he met Richard Allen, who became a life-long friend. In 1787 they organized the Free African Society as a social, political and humanitarian organization helping widows and orphans and assisting in sick relief and burial expenses. Jones and Allen were also lay preachers at St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA where their evangelistic efforts met with great success and their congregation multiplied ten-fold. As a result, racial tensions flared and ultimately they led an historic walk out from St. George’s.

In 1792, under the dual leadership of Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, “The African Church” was organized as a direct outgrowth of the Free African Society. Both Jones and Allen wished to affiliate with the Methodists, but the majority of the congregation favored the Episcopal Church. Richard Allen withdrew with a part of the congregation to found Bethel Church (later, Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church). The African Church became The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas with Absalom Jones as its Lay Reader and Deacon. In 1802, Jones was ordained by Bishop William White as the first African American Episcopal Priest.

During the severe yellow fever epidemic of 1793, Absalom Jones and Richard Allen mobilized the Black community to care for the afflicted. In 1797 and 1799 Absalom Jones, with other free Africans, presented tenable petitions to Congress and to the President of the United States opposing slavery. Two schools and supportive services for the Black community developed under his leadership.

Absalom Jones died on February 13, 1818 at his residence, 32 Powell Street, Philadelphia, PA. Tributes and accounts of his funeral appeared in several periodicals. The Episcopal Bishop, William White, spoke of Jones’ devotion and care of his congregation and of his many contributions to the life of the city. The February 13th Absalom Jones Feast Day was added to the Episcopal Church Calendar in 1973. His ashes are enshrined in the altar of the Reverend Absalom Jones Chapel of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, and a memorial stained glass window commemorates his life and work.

http://www.aecst.org/ajones.htm

What this biography fails to mention is the trials Absalom Jones went through to get his church recognized by The Episcopal Church. He was denied admission to General Theological Seminary, for instance. There was also some opposition to the church being fully recognized by the Diocese.

Can you imagine…here were many people drawn to The Episcopal Church and its understanding of faith in Jesus Christ, rejected only because of the color of their skin.

But Absalom and the members of St. Thomas under his cure, persevered. He and they read St. Paul’s letters, including the portion we read today from the first letter to the Corinthians, “If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!” 1 Cor. 9:16

They only wanted to proclaim the Gospel, just like Jesus did and we heard in our Gospel lesson today: “And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.” Mark 1:39

Even though The Episcopal Church of their day segregated them, they caught the winds and flew like eagles even into the current day. Many Dioceses in the country celebrate Absalom Jones Day with special services and special offerings for the Historically Black College of The Episcopal Church, St. Augustine’s in Raleigh, NC.

When we become weary and tired as we usually do, let us remember the perseverance of Absalom Jones…let us remember how the eagles find the current and rise, saving their energy. Let us rest, find the current of God, and rise like the eagles.

Amen

This Sunday (February 8) at St. John’s

Posted on February 5, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ…. Collect for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, Pg. 216, Book of Common Prayer

We have a couple of weeks hearing about Jesus healing people and setting people free of their demons. We may not talk in terms of demons these days, but our Collect of the Day for Sunday gives us a different different definition — demons are things which keep us in bondage. Our Collect asks that we be freed from the bondage of our sins — that we be freed from the demons that manifest themselves in our sins.

What are your demons? What sins hold you in bondage today? Together we’ll pray that God sets us free!

Blessings and peace as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

This Sunday we will observe African-American History month. Our observance reminds us of the many ways the church worships each Sunday all around the world.

Adult Forum Currently, we are discussing the blessing of same gender relationships. This week, Rebecca will lead a discussion on the elements of the liturgy. We will also go through the liturgy.

On February 22, we begin a series on Appalachia. Professor Joseph Pearson, who teaches history at Union College, will speak about the race riots in Corbin.

Grow Appalachia! We’ve received a grant for $4,530 for our community garden through Grow Appalachia. The Grow Appalachia website is http://www.berea.edu/grow-appalachia/ The Grow Appalachia Committee will meet Sunday, February 15, after church.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Tuesday, February 17, 6:00 – 7:30pm. Come for this truly Episcopal tradition to end Epiphany and prepare for the start of Lent. Free Will donation.

Ash Wednesday Services will be held on February 18, at 9am and 7pm. Eucharist and imposition of ashes will occur at both services.

Family Game night is the 4^th Friday of the month. The next Family Game Night is Friday, February 27, 6:30 – 8:30pm. Bring your favorite games, snacks, and drinks. Pizza will be provided.

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.

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

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Amazed! (Sermon) February 1, 2015

Posted on February 2, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

Sermon – February 1, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

The Fourth Sunday After Epiphany, Year B

They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching– with authority! Mark 1:27

Please be seated.

This week, I’ve been remembering and thinking about my experiences in addressing hunger. How was it that I came to believe that following Jesus meant addressing issues like hunger?

My earliest memory is of being in Junior High School in the late 60s and waking my parents up early on Friday mornings. The church I grew up in had partnered with the church down the street to make sure the children in the public housing complex in our neighborhood got breakfast each morning before they went to school. Obviously, this was before school breakfast programs.

The mothers in the housing complex knew that a good breakfast was essential to their children getting a good education. A number of the mothers attended the neighboring church and said they wanted to start this program. They needed additional help, and members of my church helped on Fridays. I remember there were plenty of wonderful stories about my parents going to help the mothers with this breakfast. Sometimes the children didn’t like the food, but the mothers made it clear they’d better eat it.

In 1972, there was a huge flood in Harrisburg. Only a small part of the center city did not get flooded, which included my church. So many people were devastated by this flood and having enough food was a major issue. Some people got together and started a food pantry in the basement of the church. Suddenly, the little stage and much of the storage space in the church was filled with cans and cans of food and brown paper bags. Lots of volunteers came to help. My church regularly collected food. If you visited the church during a weekday, you’d often find people waiting to get their bag of food. When my father retired and as long as he was able, he was a volunteer at this Food Pantry.

Early on, I learned that following Jesus meant finding a way for people that were hungry to get food. I guess that’s why when I found out Corbin Presbyterian needed help unloading 9,000 pounds of food and packing 312 boxes for senior citizens, I was happy to go help. I guess that’s why I’m so excited about the Grow Appalachia program that makes it possible for people to learn how to grow their own fresh food and to sell some or give it away to others. I guess that’s why I was so happy for Knox County Community Economic Council to use our park last summer as a lunch site for children.

In our Gospel today, Jesus astounds and amazes the people in Galilee. He teaches with authority. He rebukes the unclean spirits and makes them come out of people. In essence, he challenges people to think differently. I hear this amazement as excitement, but I’m sure some were thinking, “who does he think he is?”

Most of us don’t like to be challenged to think differently. Yet, that’s what Jesus does throughout his entire ministry…challenges the status quo. He asks us to love our neighbors. He asks us to love ourselves. He asks us to serve our neighbors. He challenges all of the hierarchies we build between who’s rich and who’s poor, between who’s superior and who’s inferior, between genders, between people of different ages.

Love is at the heart of the message of Jesus…love for all of humanity…love for all of creation. Making sure people have the basic needs for a good life: food, clothing, shelter, meaningful work at a living wage, and a healthy environment, for no other reason than that they are beloved of God.

It’s a lot to ask and when we follow Jesus, Jesus never stops turning our world upside down and challenging us.

In the early 1980s, I was a new single mom. My children were 4 and 5. I had lots of family support and I was working really hard to be self-sufficient. I’d gotten a new job with better benefits, although not much more money, but I wouldn’t get a paycheck for four weeks – your first bi-weekly check was held. My apartment was pretty good, but there were railroad tracks close by and when the trains went by, the rattling of the apartment would make the dining room light come on. But it had been hard as a single mom with two kids to even find a landlord willing to rent to us.

One Saturday, there was a knock on my door and I opened it to find my pastor. He was carrying a brown bag of food from the Food Pantry. I was overwhelmed to be the recipient of one of these bags of food and so grateful to be able to stretch my dollars for the month. After he left and as I was unpacking the food, I found a check for $25 in the bag. I was amazed.

That’s what following Jesus does…encourages us to come together and care for others in ways that may go against our inclinations. In the process Jesus teaches us new things with authority and we are amazed.

Amen

Going Where God Calls (Sermon) January 25, 2015

Posted on January 26, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

Sermon – January 25, 2015

The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY

The Third Sunday After Epiphany, Year B

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

Please be seated.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amen

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

Posted on January 21, 2015 by St. John's Episcopal Church

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

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

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

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

Blessings as you finish your week!

Love, Rebecca+

01-25-2015 Bulletin

POT LUCK THIS SUNDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Serving Our Neighbors – See baskets in the parlor.

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

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