Dear St. J​ohn's,

I am eager to return to celebrate Holy Eucharist with you this Sunday. I had hoped to return from my medical leave in time for Pentecost, but, as the Robert Burn poem says, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley”!
 
As humans, we move through time chronologically, planning for what will happen in the next moment and hour and day and year. But often, the future forces changes to those plans.
 
When this happens, it’s helpful to remember that God is with us every moment – and that each individual moment is the only time we truly have. While it is good to plan ahead, there is no guarantee we will live to see the future we have planned for.
 
So, let us not get so caught up in dwelling on the past or dreaming of the future that we forget to live in the present. Let us not miss the beauty of the iris or the flicker of summer’s first firefly or the love in a dear friend’s smile.
 
“This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24-25)
 
Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,
 
I suspect none of us expected this morning’s earthquake. When such an unusual event occurs, we often look first to more ordinary explanations. I initially thought a tree fell on my house. Other friends at first attributed the rumbling to a passing truck, a car hitting the foundation of their building, an airplane crashing near Newark Airport and even to their washing machine.
 
It’s like the Resurrection. No one expected Jesus to rise from the dead. So those who first saw the empty tomb assumed someone had stolen his body. Those who first encountered him didn’t recognize him at first. They thought he was a gardener or a fellow traveler on the road to Emmaus.
 
And even though the miraculous event was the same, each person experienced and understood and interpreted it from their own location and perspective. So the Bible contains different accounts of the Resurrection. And we, too, experience the Risen Christ in different ways – often when we’re least expecting it. We, too, share our stories of when we have seen the Lord in our lives.
 
Each story may be as unique as our fingerprints, because Jesus meets each of us where we are. But they all share the amazing, eternal truth on which our faith is based: Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
 
Rev. Sharon
 

Dear St. John's,
   This Sunday, we are excited to welcome Bishop Carlye Hughes to St. John's. She will lead the worship service and join us for a short time at coffee hour, then meet with the vestry, wardens and clergy. 
   This will be a time to celebrate St. John's and also to assess where we are and dream about the future. So that we all are well-informed, in case any of you missed the annual meeting last Sunday, I'm printing a copy of my message below and attaching a copy of the annual report.  
   I hope you are all able to join us for this special Sunday.

Rev. Sharon

Annual report message: 

The past year was a busy one for St. John’s. We worshiped together every Sunday, undeterred by the occasional balky boiler, fallen plaster or winter storm. We buried beloved parishioners and baptized babies into our membership. We introduced a Longest Night service and revived the tradition of celebrating Palm Sunday with the First Presbyterian Church by eating breakfast together and processing with blessed palms between our churches.
 
Among our many other activities:

• In cooperation with other churches and organizations, we continued to provide food and companionship very week at the Saturday Luncheon Socials.
• We packed the parish hall with guests for the Peace Islands Institute’s iftar feast and Ramadan presentation.
• We planted a new perennial garden symbolizing our pledge commitments.
• We welcomed the community to view the Black Poster Project memorial to those lost to addiction, receive Narcan training and walk unique Stations of the Cross created by local artists. These efforts garnered both diocesan and national publicity.
• We participated in Boonton Pride Day.
• In conjunction with NorthStar animal rescue, we held a popular and successful tricky tray.
•  We launched family craft days that have drawn participants from in and outside Boonton.
• We continued to support the Ibrahimi and Mohabat families in their transition to life in America. The Mohabats have now taken the next step and moved to Ohio. The Ibrahimis will be moving onward this summer.
• As the “mother church,” we joined with St. Peter’s, Mountain Lakes, in celebrating their 100th anniversary.
• We welcomed everyone, including animals who came for blessings on St. Francis Sunday.  

   The year also brought challenges. Like many churches, St. John’s emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic with fewer members and fewer financial resources. We raised nearly $10,000 in our tricky tray, and stewardship pledges for 2024 held steady from 2023. But this was not enough to overcome our ongoing deficit.
   Because of these ongoing financial pressures, I will conclude my time as priest-in-residence at St. John’s at the end of my two-year letter of agreement in June. During my remaining time here, I am working with the vestry to arrange training for those interested in assisting with worship. This includes members to lead Morning Prayer and to serve as readers of sermons as well as lessons. Periodic supply clergy will provide Communion each month. I also will be preparing bulletin templates to assist with future worship planning.
   On the financial side, the vestry is working hard to cut expenses and prioritize needed capital improvements. Among other things, it is exploring options for renting or eventually selling the rectory after the Ibrahimis move and looking for new fundraisers. 
   I am sad to leave this church community I have come to love. Members may be feeling anxious about entering a time of clergy transition and about making decisions about St. John’s future.
    Change and transition can be hard for all of us.
   But the COVID shutdown reminded us that, at its heart, the church is its people. St. John’s members are a faithful, loving church family. And we have Jesus’ promise that he will always be with us. So let us move forward in prayer with confidence as we prepare for and discern the future together. For, as one of my favorite hymns proclaims: God has work for us to do.
 
Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,
 
    Have you ever wondered why we’re called the Episcopal Church? “Episcopal” refers to bishops, one of the three ordained ministries in the church (the others being priests and deacons).
    The glossary of terms on the denominational website (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/) explains that “bishops serve as chief pastors of the church, exercising a ministry of oversight and supervision. Diocesan bishops hold jurisdiction in their dioceses, with particular responsibility for the doctrine, discipline and worship of the church. Bishops serve as the focus for diocesan unity and for the unity of their dioceses with the wider church. Since the bishop's ministry is a ministry of oversight, the term ‘episcopal’ (derived from the Greek episcopos, ‘overseer’) is applied to matters pertaining to bishops. An ‘episcopal’ church is a church governed by bishops, and ‘episcopal’ services are led by bishops.”
    Diocesan bishops oversee the geographic areas called dioceses in our church. St. John’s belongs to the Diocese of Newark, which encompasses the northern half of New Jersey and is led Bishop Carlye Hughes. Such bishops are required to visit every parish in the diocese at least once every three years. Bishop Hughes will visit us on March 17, where she will celebrate and preach at the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist, greet the congregation at coffee hour, and then meet with the vestry and clergy.
    To learn more about what’s happening in our diocese and the work of our bishop and the diocesan staff, I encourage you to explore the diocesan website (https://dioceseofnewark.org), read our diocesan newsletters (https://dioceseofnewark.org/e-news) and to listen to (or read) the bishop’s vlog posts (https://dioceseofnewark.org/bishops-vlog). On the website, you also can sign up to receive the every-other-week newsletters and other announcements via email.
    I hope you all will mark the date on your calendar and join me in welcoming our bishop in a few weeks!
 
Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,

I saw a Facebook “meme” this morning where one person asks, “What are you doing on Valentine’s Day?”
 
“Rubbing dirt on people’s faces and telling them they’re going to die,” the other replies.
 
The post pokes fun at the fact that this year Ash Wednesday, when we repent our sins and contemplate our mortality, falls on Valentine’s Day, when we celebrate love.
 
Ash Wednesday is a somber moment as we begin the season of Lent. The 40 days of Lent are a time for self-examination and repentance. We may fast – whether physically giving up things like alcohol or smoking or meat on Fridays or food entirely on certain days, or from things such as criticizing others or gossiping or participating in certain social media. We may commit to additional prayer time or Bible study or take on a new ministry or volunteer opportunity.
 
It’s a serious time, but that doesn’t mean we’re required to be miserable or berate ourselves for our shortcomings. Our actions should seek to enhance our self-awareness and our relationship with God. And they can be enjoyable!
 
For example, at St. John’s, we’ll host a one-hour Zoom prayer service and discussion each Friday night. Our neighboring Episcopal churches in Mountain Lakes and Denville are hosting a Wednesday night study of a brief book on the Lord’s Prayer to which all are invited. For an entertaining and education March Madness-style event about the Episcopal Church’s saints, check out Lent Madness at lentmadness.org.
 
I hope programs such as these can help you enter into a Holy Lent. We will begin our Lenten journey at St. John’s with a Eucharist and imposition of ashes on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m.
 
Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,

“Tikkun Olam” is a Hebrew phrase that means healing or repairing the world. According to an article by scholar Jonathan Krasner, “Many American Jews consider it a cornerstone of their Jewish identity, a key reason they’re committed to making the world a better place.”

As Christians, we also are called to be world healers. God called us in Genesis to be good stewards of Creation. And the Church’s mission, as described in the catechism in the back of our prayer book, is “to restore all people to unity with God and with each other in Christ.”

This work of repair and restoration could take many forms: praying for others; performing acts of kindness and mercy; taking steps to help achieve justice and peace among all people, as we promise in the baptismal covenant; picking up trash or recycling our waste or planting a garden; engaging with others we disagree with in respectful dialogue.

What can we each do this week as part of Tikkun Olam?
 
Rev. Sharon
 

Dear St. John’s,
 
Lately, the church calendar has been filled with stories of call and conversion. In last week’s Gospel, Philip and Nathanael become Jesus’ disciples. Yesterday marked what is called the Confession of Saint Peter, when the disciple Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. This Sunday, we will hear about Jesus’ invitation to fishermen Simon (Peter) and Andrew to follow him and become “fishers of people.” And Thursday will celebrate the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus.
 
Jesus calls each of us to follow him. As happened with those early disciples, we each experience that call differently.

This Sunday, we will resume Bible study with a look at some of these biblical stories of call and talk about the disciples’ experiences and our own. How did we come to believe in Jesus? How is God calling us today?
 
I hope you will join us for this discussion. We’ll worship as usual at 10:30 a.m., when we will welcome three new young members through baptism. Then we’ll gather for coffee hour and begin Bible study about 11:45. I’m anxious to hear your stories!
 
Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,
Today is the 12th day of Christmas (cue the drummers drumming), which means that tomorrow is Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is when we celebrate the arrival of wise men who followed a star to Bethlehem to see Jesus, “the child who has been born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2).
An “epiphany” is a manifestation – in this case, the first manifestation of Christ to the gentiles, or non-Jews. The season of Epiphany is filled with signs or manifestations of Jesus’ true nature, from his baptism, when a voice from heaven declares, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11), to Jesus’ first recorded miracle turning water into wine to his mountaintop transfiguration.
One fun tradition is to write a special Epiphany blessing on doorways. The blessing changes each year and follows a formula. This year, it is 20+C+M+B+24. The letters come from the traditional names for the wise men: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. They also are an abbreviation for “Christus Mansionem Benedicat,” which means “May Christ bless this dwelling.”
So, consider taking a piece of chalk and creating a little “holy graffiti” at your house. Here’s a link to an article with more details about this ancient practice. https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/.../for-an-epiphany.../
Rev. Sharon
P.S. – We’re keeping a close eye on the weather reports. The current plan is to hold church in person on Sunday for those who can safely make it. But if you are worried about travel conditions, please err on the side of safety and stay at home. There are plenty of worship opportunities available online!
If we feel we must cancel in-person worship for safety reasons, we will send out an email by 9 a.m. on Sunday and include a Zoom link so you can join me for worship led from my home.

Dear St. John’s,
​
   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.

Dear St. John’s,
    We’ve experienced many losses in our church community this year. Parishioners and relatives have died. Our music director left. Some have faced health crises.
In recent years, St. John’s also said goodbye to beloved clergy members. The COVID pandemic changed how we work, attend school, vote and participate in church. We’ve seen ongoing gun violence and political strife in our country. And we’ve witnessed unrest and warfare across the world, including the current war in the Holy Land.
    All of these can provoke grief within us. I don’t write this to depress you, but to acknowledge that we have reasons to mourn and that grief is a natural response to sad and traumatic events.
    But grief is a journey, not a destination, and we do not have to travel it alone. Starting this Sunday, I invite you to join with others on this journey as we explore what the Bible and faith say about grief and how they can help us heal. We’ll meet at 11:45 a.m. in the parish hall after our 10:30 a.m. worship service.
Our discussion topics will be:
Nov. 19: What am I grieving? How do I express my sadness?
Dec. 3: I feel so angry. Is that normal? How do I handle it?
Dec. 17: How can I heal? Where does God fit into all of this?
All are welcome. Come to coffee hour and join us for the discussions, and invite others to join us as well.
Rev. Sharon