a note from rev. sharon

Dear St. John’s,
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   I hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving. It’s a good time to count our blessings and to give thanks to God for all that we have.
   Often, gratitude is a matter of perspective.  I once heard a story about a rich traveler who stopped at a monastery and asked if he could spend the night. By chance, a poor man did the same. The next morning, the monks asked how they had slept.
   “Oh, it was terrible!” said the rich man. “The mattress and the blanket were thin, and the pillow was small. It was nothing like my big feather bed and thick quilts and fluffy pillow back home.”
    The poor man, however, reported that he experienced a wonderful night’s sleep.
   “Everything was so warm and comfortable,” he said.  “I’m used to sleeping on the ground, with a stone for a pillow and only my coat the stars to cover me.”
   Life presents many challenges. But even in difficult circumstances, we can learn to see the so-called silver lining.
  That rich man might have given thanks for the monastery’s hospitality, even if it wasn’t as luxurious as he was used to at home. After all, if the monks hadn’t taken him in, he might have been sleeping on the ground under the stars himself.
  An attitude of gratitude is healthy. It helps us to maintain a positive mindset and remain aware of God’s many blessings. It gives us hope.
   Among my blessings, I give thanks for all of you and for the ministries of St. John’s. As we embark upon the holiday season, let us demonstrate our gratitude by continuing to find ways to serve our neighbors. This will bring even more blessings to be thankful for – for them and for us!

Rev. Sharon
P.S. – Among the world’s blessings is the pause in the war in the Holy Land and the release of hostages. The following prayer is from the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
 
A LITANY FOR THE RESTORATION OF PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND

• God of peace, we pray for the people of Palestine and Israel in these perilous and dangerous times.
• For all who are fearful for the safety of their loved ones and themselves, we pray that the assurance of unfailing love, even in the midst of danger, settles upon them. Shelter them from despair and protect them from harm.
• For all who are wounded, we pray they find healing. 
• For all who have died, we pray they find rest.
• For all who grieve, we pray they find comfort.
• For leaders on all sides, we pray for a renewed will to lay down arms, for the strength to put the grievances and wrongs suffered by their people to rest, and for the conviction to embrace a path of reconciliation and peace that preserves the rights and dignity of all of your children.
• God of mercy, help us to remember there is no border that can separate us from your great love and protection, no stone that can sound the well of your deep mercy.
• God of justice, we pray with hopeful hearts that your beloved children of the Holy Land will be spared a future of sustained violence and unrest and that a recognition of the humanity of all people will prevail. We ask all this in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.