Johns Memorial
Episcopal Church
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The Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
February 20, 2022
Holy Eucharist Rite II
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
The Flowers on the Altar today are
given to the glory of God and in loving memory of
Les Andrews Sr.
by his wife Donna
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If you can't join us in person,
Participants in the Service
The Very Reverend Dr. Nancy E. Meck
The Reverend Dr. Carolyn M. Craft
Chris Swanson, Music Director
Peggy Hargrave, Organist
Thomas Dixon
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Click Here for services at Washington National Cathedral
Click Here for services at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Click Here for services at Trinity Church - Wall Street
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A Reflection from Mother Carolyn...
Dear Friends,
Ron Rolheiser, OMI’s meditation, “Displacing Ego and Narcissism,” makes some important points about ego and the spiritual life. Below is a shortened version, but you may prefer the longer version. Rolheiser wrote:
The Buddhists have a little axiom that explains more about ourselves than we would like. They say that you can understand most of what’s wrong in the world and inside yourself by looking at a group-photo. Invariably you will look first at how you turned out before looking at whether or not this is a good photo of the group. Basically, we assess the quality of things on the basis of how we are doing.
Rene Descartes must be smiling. . . . [he asked] What’s the one thing that’s indubitable? . . . . of which we can be certain. His answer, his famous dictum: I think, therefore I am! Ultimately what’s most real to us is our own consciousness. . . . until we can find a maturity beyond our natural instincts, it locks us inside a certain prison. What prison? narcissism, an excessive self-preoccupation that keeps us fixated on ourselves and on our own private headaches and idiosyncratic heartaches. Like the Buddhist commentary on the group-photo, we worry little about how others are doing; our focus is first of all upon ourselves.
. . . . Ego and its child, narcissism, do not go away simply because we consider ourselves mature and spiritual. . . . they’re an innate part of our make-up. Moreover, they’re not meant to go away, nor are they, in themselves, a moral defect. Our ego is the center of our conscious personality, . . . each of us needs a strong ego to remain glued-together, sane, healthily self-protective, and able to give of oneself to others.
. . . great people, spiritual people, have strong egos. For example, Francis of Assisi, Theresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, and Mother Teresa, for all their humility, had strong egos, namely, they had a clear sense of their own identity, their own giftedness, and their own importance. However, in each case, they also had the strong concomitant sense that their persons and gifts did not originate with themselves and were not meant for them. Rather, like Israel’s sense of itself as chosen people, they were clear that the source of their giftedness was God and that their gifts were intended not for themselves but for others. . .. . An egoist has a strong ego and is gifted, but he understands himself as both the creator and objective of that gift. Conversely, great persons have strong egos but are always aware that their giftedness does not come from them but is something flowing through them as a gift for others. [italics in this paragraph only are added]
The goal in maturing then is not to kill the ego but rather to have a healthy ego, one that is integrated into a larger self that precisely is concerned with the group-photo. But coming to that maturity is a struggle that will leave us, too often, in either inflation (too full of ourselves and too unaware of God) or in depression (too empty of our own value and too unaware of God).
Maturity and sanctity do not lie in killing or denigrating the ego, as is sometimes expressed in well-meaning, though misguided, spiritualities, as if human nature was evil. . . . . We need a healthy ego to be and remain healthy. So the intent is never to kill or denigrate the ego, but rather to give it its proper, mature role, that is, to keep us sane, in touch with our gifts, and in touch with both the source and intent of those gifts.
But this can only be achieved paradoxically: Jesus tells us that we can find life only by losing our lives. . A famous prayer attributed to Francis of Assisi gives this its classic, popular expression: O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek: to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life. Only by denying our ego can we have a healthy ego. . . . [italics are Rolheiser’s except I added the italics in paragraph 4].
Ideas for Reflection – or perhaps God is suggesting ones especially for you!
- How much do I make myself “the measure of all things,” perhaps unconsciously? Concerning issues of importance, how much do I “research” before arriving at my own position? Suggested methods of research: 1) prayer; 2) thinking about the issue, its various dimensions, and what you know or do not know about it; 3) discussion with others (your family, friends, others whose opinion on this issue you respect); 4) relevant reading (on the web? in reliable sources—articles, books), audio or video materials; 5) more prayer; 6) arriving at a tentative conclusion – or deciding what further things you need to read, think about, or whom you need to consult again; 7) more prayer and asking yourself if you believe God has revealed to you (with the help of others) what your stance on the issue should be (or should be for the moment). If you cannot say “yes” in #7, what more do you need to do? Or is this perhaps something you do not need to have a position on, or something you need to let your unconscious work on for a while—until you feel called to rethink. [This could be a lengthy process: it isn’t intended for relatively trivial decisions! You also may experience this more as a flowing process than as a series of seven steps—and you may well want to add other sources for informing your decision. It is, of course, possible to err in the opposite direction: so much “research” that you procrastinate or are late in making the decision.]
- How forgiving are you – forgiving of yourself, of other persons, of nature, of society, of God? When is forgiveness easiest for you? When is it more difficult? When does it seem impossible (if it ever does)?
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How do you handle knowing you are wrong (when you discover you are, or have strong reason to think you might be)? Do you pretend not to be? It’s important, I believe, to realize the sum total of available human knowledge has been growing astronomically over the past two centuries. Often discovering error benefits the development of truth: science develops partly through revealing untruth.
- The next time you are shown a group picture of yourself and others, you might observe what you notice first, second, third, etc.
I have been much more mind- or brain-centered than heart-centered or body-centered (recently my spiritual director is trying to help me move more toward heart, but I don’t think these reflections reflect “heart” as much as I wish they did); you may want to develop some heart- or body-centered reflections for yourself.
Peace, blessings, love in Christ,
Carolyn+
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The Gospel Reading for Epiphany 7 is
Luke 6:27-38, a portion of which follows -
Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, … Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
The Prelude this Sunday will be
A Prayer for Love
(Please meditate on these words while you listen.)
Lord, let me love; let loving be the symbol of grace that warms my heart,
And let me find Thy loving hand to still me when I tremble
At Thy command to love all humankind.
Lord, let me love, though love may be the losing
Of every earthly treasure I possess.
Lord, make Thy love the pattern of my choosing.
And let Thy will dictate my happiness.
I have no wish to wield the sword of power, I want no man to leap at my command;
Nor let my critics feel constrained to cower
For fear of some reprisal at my hand.
Lord, teach me mercy; let me be the winner
Of every man’s respect and simple love.
For I have known Thy mercy though a sinner.
Whenever I have sought Thy peace above.
Lord, let me love the lowly and the humble, forgetting not the mighty and the strong;
And give me grace to love those who may stumble,
Nor let me seek to judge of right or wrong.
Lord, let my parish be the world unbounded,
Let love of race and clan be at an end.
Let every hateful doctrine be confounded
That interdicts the love of friend for friend.
Words copyright ©1958 by C. Eric Lincoln (1924-2000)
Music copyright ©1981 by J. Jefferson Cleveland (1937-1986)
Found in the hymnal “Songs of Zion: Supplemental Worship Resources 12”,
Abingdon, Nashville 1981, which grew out of the Consultation on the Black Church in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1973, sponsored by the Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church.
Peggy Hargrave
Organist
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A Lectionary Reflection from Bishop Susan
The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C
February 20, 2022
Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Of all the stories of reconciliation recounted in the Scriptures, this is one of the most beautiful. Every time I read it, I hold my breath in anticipation of the moment when Joseph shows himself to his brothers and forgives them. In the Daily Office, we watch the story unfold during Morning Prayer of Year 2 – the story of Joseph’s competitive and jealous brothers who sell him into slavery in Egypt where he becomes favored of the Pharaoh and ruler over the land…, of how God uses the disastrous circumstances of a famine to bring Joseph’s brothers to him for food and of how Joseph reveals himself to them and cares for them in love, acting as if nothing has happened, as if their malice ended up bringing about good. And in fact, this is what Joseph believes. Joseph’s connection to God is so strong that he sees that God uses even catastrophic events in human history to bring about the good He intends for those whom He loves. “Now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.” In effect, Joseph is saying, “You intended harm, but God intends good.”
It is the nature of human beings to believe that catastrophes and tragedies have the last word. And certainly, there is much catastrophic harm being perpetrated on our Earth. But God is a god of reconciliation and restoration. He always intends good. As you review your own life and all that has come to pass, can you not see the good that God intends for you?
Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42
There’s something about human nature that motivates us to compare ourselves with one another. We are prone to evaluate our lives and how we are faring in comparison with those around us. When we see folks prospering through evil or immoral acts, we tend to resent it. And perhaps rightfully so. But these verses from Psalm 37 counsel us to set those feelings aside. God is in charge. Even though the wicked seem to prosper, they will not last. They are transient and are building their lives on shaky ground. Those who will last are the ones who commit their ways to God’s ways. Those who are fulfilled are the ones who delight in God and trust in Him. Those are the ones who will see their hearts’ desires realized, their paths illuminated clearly with light, their souls bathed in righteousness. Even if they seem to be in peril, those are the ones whom God will rescue.
To whom are you comparing your life? Of whom are you envious? The Christian walk is not one of competition. Everyone has full access to God. Following Him is to follow the path of righteousness and fulfillment. How can you put your feet on that path?
I Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
In last week’s selection from the Letter to the Corinthians, Paul strongly emphasized the importance of Resurrection as a core tenet of the Christian faith. Naturally people will begin to wonder about the nature of Resurrection and today’s readings address that idea. Paul is clear: resurrected bodies are different from earthly bodies; however, they are still bodies! He uses the metaphor of a grain of wheat that is sown in the ground and grows into something completely different from what it was when it started. In order for that grain to become the new shaft of wheat, its physical body (the seed) must die and become something new. Likewise for us, when we die, we must let go of our physical bodies. We must return to the dust from which we were formed, but we will rise as something completely different – a spiritual body, adorned with all the virtues of heaven. Jesus did it first. We are going to follow. But we must let go of the perishable body which we currently inhabit so as to embrace the imperishable body that God is preparing for us.
Death is hard. We experience our loved ones in their bodies. We experience ourselves in our own bodies. It is hard to let go of our experience and imagine that God has a totally different experience for us in Resurrection. Spend some time contemplating on the metamorphosis of a seed that changes in the ground and becomes a plant…or of a caterpillar that becomes a butterfly. You too, as a follower of Christ, are in metamorphosis. Thank God for that heavenly, imperishable body that He is preparing for you.
Luke 6:27-38
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Jesus spells out the Golden Rule here. But it’s hard. We are not inclined to love our enemies. We don’t want to do good to those who hate us or to bless those who curse us. If someone abuses us, the last thing we think about doing is praying for that person’s well-being. We are infected with the toxin of hatred. But Jesus makes it quite clear that Love is the answer, that Love is an act of will, not an emotion. We make a decision to do these things even when our heart is not in it. Jesus reminds us that we are “children of the Most High.” If we ask God to help us, we will be enabled to act with Love and our reward will be great… “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over…”
I have noticed that as we have emerged from this pandemic, many of us are having a hard time being patient with each other. We cut each other off in traffic or we curse those who cut us off. We forget to be kind. We forget to notice when someone might need us to smile at them rather than frown. This week, make a decision, in some tangible, concrete way, to exercise the will of love…even when you don’t feel like it. Then watch how God will reward you.
COLLECT:
O LORD, you have taught us that without love, whatever we do is worth nothing: send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Did you know you can follow the Diocese of Southern Virginia on FACEBOOK. You can find links to what is going on around the Diocese, the US, and the Anglican Communion. During some liturgical seasons you can find daily reflections. It is another way to stay connected to stay together.
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The Parish Office will be closed
Monday February 21st
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From the Pastoral Care Committee…
Intercessory prayer brings before God the needs of others; that God's will may be done. We will be refreshing our Prayer List to be sure we are including everyone who requires our prayers. If you would like to add someone to the Prayer List, or if you have requested prayers for someone and those prayers have been answered, and their name needs to be removed, contact the church office at johnsmemorial400@gmail.com or call (434) 392-5695.
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For Your Prayers
We pray for the Universal Church, its members and its mission especially Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; The Diocese of Araucanía – Iglesia Anglicana de Chile; Bishop Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Susan Haynes, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Virginia; Nancy Meck, our Rector; Carolyn Craft, our Assisting Priest, and Mr.Thomas Dixon, our Campus Minister.
We pray for all people in the time of pandemic.
Lord, we pray for all who suffer from the coronavirus.
May those who are infected receive the proper treatment and the comfort of your healing presence.
May our caregivers, families and neighbors be shielded from the onslaught of the virus.
Give solace to those who grieve the loss of loved ones.
Protect and guide those who strive to find a cure, that our work may conquer the disease and restore communities to wholeness and health.
The light of God surrounds us.
The love of God enfolds us.
The power of God protects us.
The presence of God watches over us.
Wherever we are, God is, and where God is, all will be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Amen.
We pray for the hope and comfort of the Holy Spirit for those whose lives are overshadowed by illness or pain, for those whose lives are darkened by sorrow or bereavement, especially Richard, Jennifer, David, Bill, Geraldine, Mary Jo, Marshall, Thomas, Katelyn, Gwen, Chester, Jennifer, Gail, Mike, Rick, Kim, Trina, Jill, Caroline, John, Richard, Barbara, Adam, Nancy, Kevin, Stephanie, Dave, Don, Lynn, Harrison, Chuck, Phil, Elsie, Joanna, Martha, Annie, Lynn, John, Andre, Bob, Dennis, Susan,George,Don, Ilsa, Samantha, Shirley, Alecia, Bev, Alice, and Yannick.
We pray for our church community. Loving God, we pray for this church community in this time of crisis. Deliver us from simply desiring to go “back to normal," and give us grace instead to be open to the opportunities that your Spirit brings in this time of separation. Grant that we may come out of this crisis with open eyes, more fully available to the needs of those most vulnerable and those whose labor we have always depended on. Give us creative hearts to embrace and carry forward the new ways we have found to connect with one another; and in your good time bring us safely back together as a people renewed in the knowledge of your faithfulness and abiding love and strengthened for the work.
We pray for those affected by disasters throughout the world. Compassionate God… Draw near to us in this time of sorrow and anguish, comfort those who mourn, strengthen those who are weary, encourage those in despair, and lead us all to fullness of life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
We pray for those who govern our nation and localities, especially Joe Biden, President of the United States; Glenn Youngkin, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia; the Supervisors of Prince Edward, Buckingham, Charlotte, Amelia, Nottoway, and Cumberland counties; and the Mayor and Town Council of Farmville.
We pray for those in service to our country especially Austin Bailey and Liam Burke (US Army), Sean Burns (USAF), Bobby Burke (US Coast Guard), and Zack Fenton (US Marines).
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Johns Memorial Episcopal Church | Website
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