Stay with me,
And then I shall begin to shine
As thou shinest:
So to shine as to be a light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from thee.
None of it will be mine.
No merit to me.
It will be though who shinest through me upon others.
O let me thus praise thee,
In the way which thou dost love best,
By shining on all those around me.
Give light to them as well as to me;
Light them with me, through me.
Teach me to show forth thy praise,
Thy truth, thy will.
Make me preach thee without preaching –
Not by words, but by my example
And by the catching force,
The sympathetic influence,
Of what I do –
By the visible resemblance to thy saints,
And the evident fullness of the love
Which my heart bears to thee.
--John Henry Newman--

A Person of Integrity

Today is the feast day of Phillips Brooks, hailed by many to be the greatest preacher of his century. Brooks was born in 1835 and began his ministry in Philadelphia. He later became Rector of Trinity Church in Boston and remained there when fire destroyed the church three years later. Over the next four years, while the parish dwelt in temporary surroundings, it continued to grow, a testament to his leadership.

Brooks was a man of vision. The new parish was built with its altar placed in the center of the chancel. This was decades ahead of the rest of the church. Brooks looked at the centering of the altar as a symbol of unity.

Brooks eventually became Bishop of Massachusetts. He was known as a great preacher and a person who ministered with tenderness and and understanding. He inspired many to enter the ministry, and provided a depth of spiritual leadership rarely seen.

We have, unknowingly perhaps, sung words that Brooks penned. Inspired by a trip he made at Christmas time from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in 1865, he wrote the words of the well-known carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem. "I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the wonderful night of the Savior’s birth."

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

Few of us have been called to a place of influence as great as the place Brooks held; but all of us have been called to live and speak according to our convictions. We are charged with preaching the Gospel in word and in deed. This does not require the gifts of the orator, but only the gifts of the Spirit. What would God have you do this week to be faithful to your call as a Christian?

Collect for the Feast of Phillips Brooks:
O everlasting God, you revealed truth to your servant Phillips Brooks, and so formed and molded his mind and heart that he was able to mediate that truth with grace and power: grant, we pray, that all whom you call to preach the gospel may steep themselves in your Word, and conform their lives to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one god, for ever and ever, AMEN.

Daily Morning Prayer:
http://www.episcopalchurchingarrettcounty.org/churchonthewebpage.htm

This Week at St. James:

Thursday: Newsletter Folding
Sunday: 10:15 Children’s Eucharist; 3-6 Epiphany Stewardship Tea at the Rectory; 4-6 Confirmation in the Parish Hall
Monday: 10:00 CS Lewis Book Study

Prayers Etc.

For those on our prayer list:
David; Brittany; Arabella; Lori S.
Owen; Jennifer D.; Rob C.; Nancy K.
Betsy, Jim and Family; Michelle K.
Ed S.; Krista B; Dolores; Kirby
Mary S.; Rebecca; Andrew; Jason
Peter C.; Kirby S.; Charlie M. Bannon
Barbara S.; Matt S.; Rick O.; Donna and Jim

Circle me, Lord.
Keep protection near
And danger afar.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep hope within.
Keep doubt without.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep light near
And darkness afar.

Circle me, Lord
Keep peace within.
Keep evil out.
--David Adam--

In Closing:

Set our hearts on fire with love for you, O Christ our God,
That in its flame we may love with all our heart,
With all our mind, with all our soul
And with all our strength
And our neighbors as ourselves,
So that, keeping your commandments,
We may glorify you,
The giver of all good gifts.
--Eastern Orthodox Prayer--

Pax et Bonum,
Loree+

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