Sunday, March 23, 2014 (full size gallery)
This week past – Frog and Toad Lenten Study, kickoff for Port Royal tutoring, culminating in this Sunday. Also, we supposedly transitioned from winter to spring. On Monday, March 17 we had 4+ inches which disappeared to beautiful sunlight on Friday, March 21, the second day of spring. Sunday’s temperatures were in the 40’s on overcast skies – all of which felt colder compared to Friday.
We expected attendance would be off this Sunday after the Bishop’s visit last Sunday. However, Johnny brought his family in which included his brother and family, sister, and daughter. With the children coming in during the Eucharist we had 53. The bulletin is here and the readings
Godly Play had a record of 8 children as Amy began the stories of the Faces of Jesus which will last to Easter. Alex Long VI has joined the group.
Birthdays from last week were celebrated this week including Alex VI and Arthur. This week it’s Johnny and David.
This week is the final session of "Frog and Toad" which will concern living in community and a final signup for Shrine Mont next Sunday
Ken had a successful turnout on Friday, March 21 of potential students and tutors for the Port Royal Tutoring program. There were 11 students and a total of over 20 in attendance. He was busy on Sunday lining people to be at the firehouse on Mon, Wed. and Friday.
The sermon’s subject was the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. "But Jesus takes the conversation to a different level—rather than a hard hearted response on his part, Jesus, with his open heart, seeks to address the woman’s deepest longing—a longing for respect, dignity, and ultimately, love…The Samaritans ask Jesus to stay with them and he does, for two days. And many more believed because of his word.They come to believe that Jesus is not only the Messiah that the Jews are expecting, but also the Savior of the entire world.
"Not surprisingly much of the news in our world today is about hard heartedness, because in our world we have trouble seeing God’s love for us and presence with us in the midst of all of the negative things that happen in our lives and in the world—so we, along with others, respond defensively, with hard hearts to things that happen and to those around us who are not like us.
"The problem with hard heartedness is that it just leads to more hard heartedness, which leads to despair, and also to hatred and to evil. Hard heartedness keeps us and our society and the nations of the world from living into the fullness of life that God longs to give to us.
"As Christians, one of the most important things we can do for ourselves and for the world around us is to have open hearts, and to foster a state of loving hospitality with ourselves, with one another, and with God. "
Quoting C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, she said that "Lewis says that “nobody can always have devout feelings; and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about. Christian Love, either towards God or towards others, is an affair of the will.”
"The idea is to live as if God loves us, even when we can’t feel that love. "
"And in so doing, we find within us the spring of water gushing up to eternal life, and we can enter even here and now with one another into the fullness of life that God has promised to all of us. "
The Rev. Canon Lance Ousley writes the following about the scripture this week:
"For both the Woman at the Well and for Jesus’ disciples Jesus provided Living Water in their desert perspective of scarcity through the unconditional love that God offers us as the Cup of Salvation. The Israelites needed to learn to depend upon God and to live into the relationship of God as their god. The disciples and the Samaritan Woman needed to learn that the Font of Every Blessing flows continuously to all so that they might understand the depth of the well of God’s grace to all and through all. This, too, is Paul’s message to the Romans. We have more than we can imagine for which we can live in gratitude to God and drink in the blessedness of divine provision quenching our souls.