​Dear St. John’s,
 
This week, I attended the Summer Music Institute at Drew Theological School. The one-day program provided continuing education on music and liturgy and how to make worship relevant in today’s society. We celebrated Eucharist, heard a keynote speaker, designed elements for a worship experience and sang lots and lots of music.
 
For me, it was not only a day of learning but also a day of renewal. I saw beloved friends and worshiped and sang and exchanged news and broke bread with them. I made new connections. My son attended with me, and I experienced the joy of hearing him play cello along with the other instrumentalists. I ended the day energized, inspired and filled with new ideas and resources for ministry.
 
Where do you find renewal? What nourishes your soul? What stimulates your intellect and creativity, or provides you with peace and a needed respite from life’s stresses?
 
Perhaps you find it while gardening or baking or playing golf or walking through the woods or relaxing on a beach with a good book. Whatever it is, I hope you take time this summer to pursue it. Make time to do things that bring you joy, and may they renew your spirit.
 
Rev. Sharon 

Dear St. John’s,
 
I recently wrenched some muscles in my back. I tell you this not to gain sympathy, but to observe that pain focuses our attention. We look for ways to alleviate our pain. We may move more slowly or in different ways to avoid the pain. We may get a little grumpy. And all of this can distract us during other tasks or conversations.
 
The same is true with emotional pain. Someone who is grieving or dealing with another deep emotional pain may be forgetful or easily distracted or short-tempered. Unlike many physical injuries, emotional wounds are hidden. We often have no idea what someone else is going through, especially if they put on a brave front and a cheerful smile.
 
So let us give each other the benefit of the doubt. The cashier who’s a little brusque may be worrying about her mother who just went into a nursing home. The driver who cuts us off in traffic may be distracted thinking about a potential layoff. The impatient waiter may be nursing a case of sciatica.
 
Let us be kind, as we hope others are kind to us.
 
Rev. Sharon
 
P.S. – This Sunday will be Eucharist with music. Next week, July 23, we will have morning prayer without music. I indicated the wrong date for morning prayer in last week's announcements.
 
Also, a reminder that this Sunday is our monthly food pantry collection. 

Dear St. John’s,
​
Every congregation seems to have its own repertoire of favorite and familiar hymns. A beloved hymn in one church might be completely unfamiliar in another.
Perhaps this is not surprising, given the range of hymns available. The 1982 Hymnal alone contains 720 different hymns, and that’s only one of several Episcopal Church hymnals – not to mention all of the church music published elsewhere.
So what are your favorite hymns? What do you particularly enjoy singing (or hearing) during worship?
Make a note in the comments below, or send me an email. I’m anxious to hear what you think belongs on the “St. John’s greatest hits” list.
Rev. Sharon

​Dear St. John’s,
 
   I wanted to update you on what’s happening in our music program.
We soon will be posting an ad for a new organist and choir director. We hope to hire someone to begin sometime this fall.
  In the meantime, guest musicians will continue to accompany our services. During these quieter summer months, we will have two Morning Prayer services without music, on July 23 and August 27.
  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you have recommendations for potential musicians for St. John’s.
   Wishing you all a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Rev. Sharon

Gracious is the Lord and righteous; our God is full of compassion. (Psalm 116)
Dear St. John’s,
   The fate of 5 people in a submersible watercraft that descended to view the wreckage of the Titanic has dominated the news this week.
   Some have questioned why this received so much more coverage than the death of hundreds of migrants after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean. Others wondered whether the passengers should have used the $250,000 fee they reportedly paid to go on this dangerous adventure for charitable works instead.
   These are legitimate ethical debates. But we should never lose our compassion for these individuals and others who experience tragedies.
   Compassion is not a zero-sum game. We do not feel less compassion for the dead migrants and their families or for those killed in a mass shooting and their loved ones just because we also feel compassion for the 5 people killed in the Titan submersible and for those who are grieving their loss.
   It is like Easter Vigil, when the Pascal candle is lit from the kindled fire and then spreads, candle-to-candle, throughout the church. Lighting one candle from another doesn’t extinguish the first candle; it spreads the light.
   This is how God’s love and compassion work, spreading and growing from person to person. Let us continue to share and spread God’s light throughout the world, just as God shines it upon us.

Rev. Sharon
 
Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble;
That they may be delivered from their distress.
Give to the departed eternal rest;
Let light perpetual shine upon them.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 387)

Dear St. John’s,
    I recently heard a talk on “Sisters, not Strangers” at a women’s spirituality event. The speaker was a Muslim woman who, among other things, serves as an elected official in her town and assists a refugee-resettlement agency. She also raises sheep.
    When breeding sheep, she chooses mates based on their diversity because this produces stronger, healthier lambs, she said. Diversity is a strength – for humans as well as sheep. It reminds me of a friend’s comment that, when she dies, she’ll know she’s in hell if everyone is exactly like her.
    We’re currently observing two events that celebrate the value and strength of our diversity: LGBTQ Pride Month and Juneteenth.
    On Saturday, June 17, St. John’s we participated in the Boonton Rainbow Pride celebration at Grace Lord Park. 
    Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in this country. June 16 was the state holiday and June 19 is the federal holiday commemorating the day federal troops informed slaves in Galveston, Texas, that they were free – 2 ½ years after the civil war ended.
    I hope we all can join in celebrating these events and each other, giving thanks for the wonderful diversity of the human race and all of God’s creation. For we are fearfully and wonderfully made, each of us unique, each of us in God’s image, all of us beloved children of God.

Rev. Sharon

P.S. – Don’t forget to bring groceries on Sunday for our monthly collection for the Boonton food pantry.

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.