The Weekly Sunday Bulletin of St. John’s Episcopal Church |
|
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.
(Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a)
It is my prayer that you will have the “eyes of your heart enlightened.” Paul begins with a compliment to the Ephesians because he has heard of their faith. He assures them that God is working through them and has immeasurable greatness of his power. In the third chapter of Ephesians Paul said, “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.” This spirit of revelation and wisdom is the knowledge that God loves us and gave us God’s only Son that we might have abundant life in this world and eternal life in the next.
Love is a key factor in the world. Even though we all know the importance of love in the world, we often get distracted by all that is going on in our lives. At Christmas, we experience the eternal love of God in a crude manger in Bethlehem. Kings travel from the East to pay homage to Jesus Christ. God calls us to fill our hearts with this love and share it with others.
Our first act of love should be thanksgiving to God in heaven for the birth of Jesus Christ, who came to enlighten the eyes of our hearts. Our next act of love should be to those around us. When loving God and loving our neighbor are combined, our brain stops playing the fear and anxiety video that leads our reptilian brain to increased heart rate and stress. We play the hope video that leads our brain to a healthier pattern of rational, moral behavior. This in turn sends the signal to our reptilian brain to produce endorphins, lower our heart rate, and reduce our stress. Most of us are aware of that when we listen to music that triggers happy memories. When we laugh, exercise, have sex, or eat certain foods, our brain triggers the release of endorphins and other chemicals which gives us that sense of being in a euphoric state. Likewise bad experiences and traumas trigger feelings of pain, fear, and anxiety. Since we all experience these triggers to different degrees, we need to love one another in the knowledge that we have all been damaged by the actions of others and are all in need of love and comfort. We especially need to care for those who are most vulnerable and least likely to be loved and comforted.
Christianity leads us down a rational, moral path that helps us to feel good about ourselves and triggers that feeling of contentment and satisfaction in our lives. Instead of selfish, egotistical, controlling and sometimes hurtful behavior, we follow Jesus Christ in self-giving, humble, loving behavior. This leads our brain to a healthy pattern of releasing chemicals that give us a sense of wellbeing. A healthy diet, lots of clean drinking water, loving relationships, exercise, and good sleep contribute to a happy and heathy life.
In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan
|
|
Second Sunday after Christmas |
Join us for Sunday Worship at 8am and 10am in the church or remotely on Zoom and Facebook. Face masks and social distancing are required for all in-person services.
8:00 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist
Sunday School will resume on January 9th.
10:00 am – Rite II Choral Eucharist
The Readings
|
|
SAFE PRACTICES FOR IN-PERSON SERVICES & EVENTS |
We are so happy to welcome people into the church for in-person worship. As we increase the number of people allowed in the church, we can all do our part to keep ourselves and others safe and healthy:
- Masks are required. Disposable masks are available at the back of the church;
- Social distancing. Please maintain a 6ft distance between your group/family and others;
- Sanitize hands upon entrance. Dispensers are available at the back of the church;
- Prayer books and Hymnals are available;
- Service bulletins and reading inserts are available at the back of the church.
|
|
All are welcome at Morning Prayer. We meet Monday through Friday at 9:00 am via Zoom.
Our short prayer service is followed by some fellowship and discussion. Feel free to join us occassionally to listen and pray, or come more often to participate as a leader or reader, and to start your day with your focus on Christ and a deeper connection with your friends at St. John's.
|
|
Bible Study meets on Mondays at 6:30 pm and Tuesdays at 11:00 am. The topics covered on Monday will also be covered on Tuesday of the same week. On January 3rd and 4th, we will begin a new program on Paul's Letter to the Philippians using the writings of N. T. Wright.
|
|
The St. John’s Thrift shop is thankful for the ministry of Nancy Feustel. Now that George and Nancy have moved to Connecticut, we have reorganized our leadership.
Co-Chairs: Lilly W. and Mary Beth D.
Secretary: David L.
Treasurer: Hal. D.
Communication: Carol
Consultant: Mary Ann H.
TUESDAY: Annina W., Ilka R., JoAnne G., Johann S., Lilly W. & Nelly L.
THURSDAY: Carol K., Sally Q., Mary Beth D., Susan T., & Terry W.
SATURDAY: Jennifer S., Sue. H., & Susan M.
The Thrift shop is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 12-3. Please join us by helping on a short term or regular basis. I also ask for gently used women’s clothing this month. Your donations are tax deductible, help those in need, provide reasonably priced clothing to our community, and support St. John’s financially.
|
|
This winter, St. John's is supporting HIHI by collecting Dunkin Donuts gfit cards of $5 or $10 amounts to distribute to homeless in Huntington. If you would like to contribute, you may drop your Dunkin Donuts gift cards off at St. John's, 12 Propect St, Huntington.
We are also collecting men's jeans, sweatshirts, work boots, and winter coats which may be dropped off at St. John's.
HIHI is the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative. In a pre-COVID year, St. John's and other local churches would provide a meal and shelter for homeless in the area on a rotating basis in the winter months.
|
|
St. John's Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Please contact Noelle DeLorenzo ( ndelorenzo217@gmail.com) for the Zoom link to join this group. |
|
For those who requested giving envelopes, we are sorry to inform you that we just received a notice from our vendor that the giving envelope boxes will not arrive in time for January, 2022. We will let you know when they arrive and are available for pick up.
In the meantime, please continue to give either using prior years' envelopes or plain envelopes. Please be sure indicate your giving number and whether your contribution is for Stewardship, 275th Capital Campaign, Altar Guild or another ministry. You may do this in the memo of your check and on the envelope you use.
If you have any questions, please contact Coral in the Parish Office. |
|
2022 STEWARDSHIP THANK YOU! |
Thank you to everyone who has submitted a pledge for 2022! Your stewardship is a commitment to sustaining St. John’s ministry today and going forward. We are so grateful for your pledge.
Please turn in your 2022 pledge card if you have not done so already. Our Joy will increase exponentially as we give of our time, treasure, and talent!
You may also submit your pledge online using our online pledge form. Then beginning in January of 2022 you may send your regular stewardship payments in the mail, leave them in the collection plate on Sundays, or set up automatic, recurring payments online.
|
|
ST. FRANCIS IN THE VALLEY |
Mission Trip to Arizona: April 25- May 2, 2022
OUTREACH is sharing Christ’s love with all our neighbors!
Upcoming Meeting with all hoping to travel to Arizona: January 7, 2022, at 4 p.m. on Zoom!
To learn more about this trip, as well as all the outreach we are doing, please join us at our monthly Zoom meeting.
If you are interested in participating in the mission trip, please contact Claire Mis or Fr. Duncan by January 15, 2022.
For those of us present at the second Advent program, Jeanne Provenzano shared her effort to assist two young children in getting asylum through the court system. She was very disappointed that her efforts failed and we learned that it is extremely difficult for asylum to be granted in the United States. The following newsletter shows the efforts of many to bring hope to asylum seekers.
The November Newsletter pays homage to the months of dedicated work by volunteers who have brought education, hope for many new possibilities for families seeking asylum. Teachers have been trained and are present at many of the local shelters. Please check out this newsletter. The picture shown in the first article is the façade of La Casa de la Misericordia – a shelter we are hoping to visit when we travel to Arizona at the end of April.
|
|
ALTAR FLOWERS & PERPETUAL LIGHT |
If you would like to remember a loved one or give thanks for an important event with altar flowers or Perpetual Light, please complete an Altar Flower Form and return it to the Parish Office with your check made payable to "St. John's Altar Guild."
|
|
PRAYER CONCERNS FOR ST. JOHN'S |
We pray for the sick: Fred, Lynn, Jackie, Manny, Cory, Richard, Barbara, Edward, Christine, Patricia, Alberta, Patti, Tom, Allison, Mike, Gabe, Joann, Patti, Christian, Anthony, Joanne, Harry, Christine, Gabriel, Frank, Theresa, Sue, Spencer, Tom, Stephanie, Matt, Wylie, Susan, Maggie, Ursula, Christina, Bill, Amy, Kate, Cheryl, John Michael, Lauren, Mikey, Marie, Dianne, Ryan, Rich, Preston, Lucy, Irene, Jim, Debra, Rhys, David, Denise, William, Walter, Belle, Jackie, Hal, Ann, Gus, Pete
Please to add or remove someone from our prayer list, please email prayers@stjohns1745.org or call Coral in the Parish Office, .
|
|
St. John's Episcopal Church
12 Prospect Street
Huntington, New York 11743
(631) 427-1752
STAY CONNECTED
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
