Dear St. John’s,

​    June is a month of celebrating milestones. It marks the end of another school year and, for some, graduation ceremonies. In this favorite month for weddings, many couples mark the milestone of entering holy matrimony or celebrate their anniversary of “tying the knot.”  
    It’s a celebratory month for me personally as I mark the 4th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood and my first anniversary as priest in residence at St. John’s. I continue to give thanks for my call into this vocation and to this wonderful parish and community.
    This morning, I attended another milestone, a celebration of life for the Rev. Deacon Kathleen Ballard, who died last week at age 98. Deacon Kathleen was a woman of deep faith and dedicated service who spent much of her life as an educator. She served many roles in her church and this diocese and was ordained at age 80. I particularly knew her through our diocese’s prison ministry, where we worked with the children of incarcerated parents. She was ever kind, joyful and eager to serve – a true example of someone who answered God’s call.
    This Sunday’s Gospel is “the Great Commission,” God’s call to all of us to spread the good news and make disciples of all people. As we mark our own milestones in this life, let us continue to listen for God’s call to us and live out our commission wherever we may be: in our schools, our jobs, our families and friendships, our church and our communities. Let us follow the example of Deacon Kathleen, who never stopped learning and loving in God’s service.

Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,
   Sometimes, spring can feel a bit like that famous Charles Dickens line: the best of times, the worst of times.
   The flowers and burgeoning trees are beautiful and life-affirming. But for those of us with allergies, their proliferation of airborne pollen is less welcome.
    Growth can be like that. We want it, we embrace it, it can be very beautiful. But growth also can bring growing pains and change, which challenge us.
   This Sunday, we will plant perennial flowers at St. John’s – one for each pledge in our fall fundraising stewardship campaign. They’re a symbol of our commitment to our church and its ministries as well as our desire for and commitment to growth.
   Let our garden continue to remind us of our pledge to grow in faith and love. Let it inspire us to stay the course, even if we must endure a little pollen in the process.
   Please join us on Sunday in planting our flowers. Bring a trowel or shovel if you have one. And feel free to wear your gardening clothes to church!
   Hope to see you there.
 
Rev. Sharon
 
P.S. – Next Sunday, May 28, we will begin work at the end of coffee hour on our parish quilt for the tricky tray. Everyone from novices to experienced sewers is welcome to help. See attached flyer.

Dear St. John’s,

Earlier this week, I got a flat tire while driving home from Trenton. I could have ranted at the inconvenience and unfairness and expense of it all. Instead, I find myself feeling gratitude.
I’m thankful that it didn’t happen while I was driving at high speed on a highway. That I didn’t get into an accident. That I got out of work early, so I wasn’t late for the Got Faith meeting St. John’s was hosting. That a kind stranger advised me on putting air into the tire, tried to fix the malfunctioning tire stem and then changed the tire for me when it became clear the stem was broken and the tire thus couldn’t hold air.
In short, I felt as though God had been watching out for me.
God does watch out for us and eases many a sticky situation. If we pay attention, we can notice and give thanks.
Where have you noticed God’s providence in your life lately?
 
Rev. Sharon

​Dear St. John’s,

On this Sunday, and the first Sunday of each month, we collect special offerings for the clergy discretionary fund. These are funds that I may use at my discretion to address needs among congregation and community members – to apply them to “pious and charitable uses,” as the official church canons describe it.

This doesn’t mean I can use them for anything I choose. I can’t use the funds to make payments to benefit myself, for example, nor are the funds supposed to be applied to meeting operating expenses of St. John’s.
 
What I can do is help people in need. Perhaps someone has lost their job or dealing with a sudden medical crisis. The discretionary fund allows me to assist them during a difficult time. The amount of money in the discretionary fund helps determine how many people I can help and how much I can assist them. Last year, our Afghan Refugee Resettlement Fund benefited from charitable donations from other clergy’s discretionary funds.
 
I encourage you to contribute to the fund, as you are able. This is one way we can help our neighbors in need.
 
Rev. Sharon

​Dear St. John’s,
 
Did you know that the tradition of praying the “Prayers of the People” in our Communion service dates back to the year 150?
 
While the prayers for much of our service are set, our prayer book allows for great flexibility in the prayers of the people. We must include prayers for the Universal Church, its members and its mission; the nations and all in authority; the welfare of the world; the concerns of the local community; those who suffer or are in any trouble; and those who have died. But we are free to use or adapt one of the forms in the prayer book or to create our own prayers.
 
The beauty of this is that it allows us to tailor the prayers to the concerns of “the people” – in our case, to the congregation of St. John’s. We can pray for individuals we care about who are sick or who have died; give thanks for the birth of a baby or successful surgery or a new job; and raise up current events, from a local house fire to national elections to a war overseas.
 
I’ve discovered that working with church school classes to write their own prayers of the people is a joy because they enthusiastically add items for every prayer category. They pray for everyone from sick grandparents to ailing goldfish. They remember close relatives and folks like George Washington among the dead. And they give thanks for everything from families and church to dance class to individual pets and stuffed animals by name to Shore homes undamaged by Hurricane Sandy.
 
Adults generally are much shyer about adding their prayers aloud. But the prayers of the people invite us to do just that – to lift up our prayer concerns, so we all may pray about them together. I encourage you to give it a try! Everyone also is welcome to give prayer concerns or thanksgivings ahead of time for inclusion in the prayers to me or Deacon John.
 
And if anyone would like to assist in writing prayers of the people for our worship service, please let me know.
 
Looking forward to praying with you all on Sunday.
 
Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,
​
As I take time to reflect on our busy last few weeks – the iftar dinner, the Black Poster Project and Stations of the Cross, Holy Week and Easter – I’m grateful and amazed at how many people pitched in to help.
A large percentage of our members volunteered their time cooking, cleaning, serving at the altar, welcoming visitors, preparing and printing bulletins, creating art, arranging for flowers and palms, setting up displays, filling candles, publicizing events, rehearsing and singing, making signs, preparing the altar for worship, serving as lectors, adjusting the sound system ... and the list goes on.
It’s a great demonstration of how we all are part of the body of Christ – many individual members, all working together to do God’s work in the world.
Just as we work together within St. John’s, we also work together with other churches in our region to do ministries that are more than one congregation can tackle alone. The SLS and the Afghan Refugee Resettlement program are two prime examples.
On Monday at 7 p.m., members of churches throughout our Constance and Companions region will meet on Zoom for no more than an hour to talk about ways we can work collaboratively as a region to better serve our parishes. Everyone is invited – not just clergy, and not just those in leadership positions. I hope many of you can make it. The Zoom information is below.
Rev. Sharon

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84158770376...
Meeting ID: 841 5877 0376 Passcode: 575819
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdxy4iF1bh

Dear St. John’s,
 
One of the delights of spring is seeing green shoots poke up from the soil, the first crocuses open their flowers and buds swell on leafless branches with the promise of new blossoms and growth. The earth’s yearly awakening after the dormancy of winter is a visual reminder of the spiritual path we trace through the quiet days of Lent and the somber days of Holy Week to the joyful celebration of Resurrection on Easter.
 
Outdoors, the signs of spring seem to accelerate as the days grow warmer. Here at St. John’s, things seem to be speeding up, too, as we prepare for our April 1 Black Poster Project event, the Stations of the Cross exhibit and six worship services from Palm Sunday through Easter.
 
I’d like to highlight two upcoming volunteer needs:
 
1.      St. John’s is hosting the Saturday Luncheon Social next week, on April 1. We anticipate we may have more guests than typical because of the Black Poster Project program that afternoon. Please let Sharon Liparini know if you can help.
 
2.      Volunteers are needed to open the parish hall and greet visitors to the Stations of the Cross. Multiple people are welcome to volunteer at each time, but we need at least one greeter per time slot. You can sign up online here: https://tinyurl.com/thestationsart​tinyurl.com/thestationsart
 
Also, don’t forget to RSVP to me or the parish office if you are interested in participating in the painting workshop at 2:30 on April 1. Debra Cook, a talented artist from Grace Church in Nutley, will provide all supplies and instruction. Cost is $40. (All other activities on that day are free of charge.)

Dear St. John’s,
   If you look at the service music on the first page of your bulletin on Sunday and think, “It’s Greek to me!” – you’ll be exactly right.
   During Lent, many churches switch from singing the celebratory Gloria to the petitionary Kyrie. This is an ancient prayer of the church that translates to: “Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.”
   The editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica tell us, “The word Kyrie is used in the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament, to translate the Hebrew word Yahweh. In the New Testament, Kyrie is the title given to Christ, as in Philippians 2:11.”
   So when we sing this prayer, we will be joining our voices with Christians who have prayed using these same words for centuries.
A few other important notes for Sunday:

•  ​Daylight Savings Time: Remember to turn your clock forward one hour. Spring ahead.
• Our annual meeting with election of officers will take place soon after the 10 a.m. service.
• Sign up for the free Ramadan feast we are hosting on Saturday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m.
• Volunteer to create one of the Stations of the Cross in conjunction with the Black Poster Project.

Details on these events and more, including our full Holy Week worship schedule, will be on this week’s announcement sheet.
 
Rev. Sharon