Sunday, October 7: 

One theme seems to thread its way through all of the Scriptures - God's surprising and unexpected work through unexpected people in unexpected ways.  May our hearts be opened to the unexpected grace, the surprising opportunity and the serendipitous move of God's Spirit as we worship this week.

READINGS

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22: The king asks Esther what he can do for her, and she asks him to deliver her people from Haman's plot. The king orders that Haman be impaled upon the stake he had made for Mordecai. Then Mordecai writes to all the Jewish people instructing them to always remember the days of their deliverance.

OR Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29

: The Israelites complain that they have no meat, and in response Moses pleads with God to help him, because he finds leading the people too much of a burden. So God instructs Moses to bring seventy leaders to the Ten of Meeting, where God fills them with some of Moses' spirit and they prophesy. When two leaders who have not gone to the tent begin to prophesy in the camp, Joshua asks Moses to stop them, but Moses refuses, saying that he wished all of God's people were prophets.

James 5:13-20: Those who suffer should pray, and those who are sick should call on the elders of the church to pray for them and anoint them with oil, because the prayers of righteous people are effective. Also, we should turn one another back whenever we stray from the truth.

Mark 9:38-50 : Jesus tells his disciples not to stop a person who is casting out demons in Jesus' name, and Jesus tells them to let him be, adding that whoever is not against him is for him. Then he teaches that anyone who gives one of Jesus' disciples water will be rewarded, but those who cause little ones to stumble will be cursed. Anything that causes us to sin must be thrown away, and we must "maintain our salt" and keep peace with each other.

 

Communities which have been open to the creative move of God's Spirit, that have invited questions and experimentation, and that have been willing to reach out to others who are different from them, have made massive positive impacts on the world. But, much of this has been forgotten in the wake of exclusive, condemnatory, rigid, and stagnant faith organisations. Followers of Christ are better known for silencing questions than embracing them in today's society. Churches are better known for rejecting and denouncing other faith communities, and other denominational groups, than embracing them and working with them. We seem to be far more eager to ensure that those who are "for" us look like us, speak like us, think like us, and separate from those who don't, than we are ready to welcome those who are not "against" us. But, in the process, we may well be missing some of the unexpected work of God's Spirit that is happening around us. We may find that, instead of being liberators, healers and comforters, we have become oppressors and destroyers. What an amazingly attractive community the church could be, though, if local groups of Christians could find the openness and creativity to work alongside whomever they can to uplift, heal and celebrate their neighbours and neighbourhoods. When we are willing to let go of our need for "purity" and exclusivism, we might just find that we experience God through the stranger, and in the most unexpected places.

The thumbnails and reflections come from sacredise.com,

Episcopal Relief and Development is one of the organizations regularly supported by our Outreach funds. As hurricane season is upon us, parishes have been asked to include this information and appeal for support.

We respond to storms in the United States and U.S. territories through our U.S. Disaster Program. Through our partnerships with Episcopal dioceses, we offer resources and training to help people prepare for disasters and provide emergency support so vulnerable people can make a sustained recovery after the storm. The benefit of our partnership with Episcopal churches is that these congregations are already deeply integrated within their communities. In other words, the Episcopal Church is there before responders arrive and will remain long after the news cameras have gone. You can help provide critical relief to affected communities by donating to our Hurricane Relief Fund. To donate and read the latest updates, visit  https://support.episcopalrelief.org/hurricane-relief.

Sunday, October 7:  World Communion Sunday at the Galena Arts Center; shared ecumenical worship with Presbyterian, United Methodist, and Lutheran churches.

Thursday, October 11: Bp. Joseph from the Diocese of Renk, Sudan, will be with us. Details to follow.