Now what? We have arrived at Easter. Our Lenten journey is complete, and we have witnessed our annual reliving of the drama of the Last Supper, Passion, and Resurrection again. Finally, the tomb is empty, Angel’s proclamation is heard, and Jesus lives! What a relief, but now what do we do? In my Sunday sermon,…
“Making mistakes in the spiritual life is an essential part of growth—as important as forest fires, blow-downs, and insects are to the life of a thriving forest. You grow only in being burnt, bent, and bitten. You have to stumble before you walk…” As one who has spent their life incessantly striving for perfectionism, the…
Last Sunday afternoon I joined our awesome EYC leaders (Christina Kastendike and Mike Phelps), Father Philip, and about ten of our youth in the Parish Hall to discuss Outreach at St. John’s (AKA “worshiping outside the walls of church”). Most of them were familiar with some of the work we do in the community to…
I arrive at the preschool early each morning to a quiet building filled with promise. The promise of the joy that will fill each classroom when the teachers and students arrive. I walk down the hall and begin to pray. I pray for the health and safety of all our students and teachers. I pray for the teachers…
Last week Mo. Sarah wrote in her eNews article about the practice of Lent. As she said, our Lenten journey begins this year as it does every year with Ash Wednesday. The practice of having the sign of the cross placed on our foreheads with ashes is a powerful experience. The grittiness of the ashes…
Message of the Week “There are saints who light the darkness, and the world cannot contain them, For the love of God sustains them, they will never be forgotten. We are blest to have them with us, and we praise the God who made them…” John Ylvisaker, (1937-2017), the author of this text,…
By Ken Marsh (pictured right) and Moe Isenberg (pictured left) From Ken: Moe Isenberg recently shared with me a piece he wrote in the 1980’s titled “What I get out of taking communion to shut-ins?” Moe summed it up in one word: PEACE! In that one word, Moe beautifully sums up all the feelings, emotions and activities…
As Fall settles in, we move from a focus on Creation Season at St. John’s (celebrating God’s gift of Creation and God’s call to steward it well), to a season of reflection on other dimensions of stewardship: First, discerning how we might best serve God and neighbor with our time, and our talents, and our…
“I want to walk as a child of the light.” This simple song we sing every Sunday as the children of St. John’s process to Godly Play grounds us and reminds us of Isaiah’s vision of the peaceful kingdom, which states, “and a little child shall lead them.” As we have entered the Season of…