Give us, O Lord,
steadfast hearts, which no unworthy thought can drag downwards;
unconquered hearts, which no tribulation can wear out,
upright hearts, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.
Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God,
understanding to know Thee,
diligence to seek Thee,
wisdom to find Thee,
and a faithfulness that may finally embrace Thee.
---St. Thomas Aquinas---

Shepherds and Brides

This week I have been working on sermons for a funeral and a wedding. The gospel reading for one focuses on Jesus the Good Shepherd. The reading for the other talks about the sanctity of marriage, and its beginning in Creation.

Both speak of the enduring quality of the relationship. The shepherd keeps his sheep throughout their lives, tends them with care, knows them as one knows individuals one works with. Man and woman in creation learned to live with one another, to be faithful companions, to love one another in a way that is iconic of Christ’s love for his church.

There is a call from God in both images. The Good Shepherd calls his sheep, and they hear his voice and follow him. Man and woman in creation, and through marriage, are called to be an expression of Christ’s love for his church – to live together in holy matrimony, to put one another first, to care for one another in the good times and the bad.

No matter what our circumstances are, there is a call sent out for us. For Jesus longs to draw us near, as a shepherd draws to himself a worried sheep, or as a bridegroom draws his bride to himself. We are called into relationship, and out of that relationship, we grow into the people God desires us to be. It requires us to follow this Great Shepherd of the sheep. It requires sacrifice, giving, loss, and love. But the rewards of this relationship far surpass anything we could ask or imagine.

Debra is on vacation this month, and we are having some "technical difficulty" receiving her meditation. When we have worked that out, I will send the meditation out to you.

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

This Week at St. James:

This week we have our regularly scheduled Sunday and Wednesday services. This is, however a very busy week. Beginning last week with Laura’s Ordination, we will have administered all but two of the seven sacraments at St. James this week alone. There are three marriages on Saturday, a funeral today, along with Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Healing of the Sick. God is at work at St. James!

Prayers Etc.

For those on our prayer list:
David; Arabella; Brittany; Owen; Jennifer D.; Rob C.
Jason; Larry; Read; Donna and Jim; Betsy
Mary S.; Mimi and Poppa B.; Todd; Vicki T.; Sherry
Ray W.; Cathy A.; Carol W.; Charles R.; Dolores; Alexa
Joe O.; Richard D.; William; Charlie B.; Gracie
The Bergen family
The Rekoski family

For those who are deployed and their families. For the victims of the flooding in the Midwest.

In Closing:

Following is a transliteration of the Lord’s Prayer from Aramaic

O Creator, from whom the breath of life comes,
Who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration.
May your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.
Your heavenly domain approaches.
Let your will come true – in the universe just as on earth.
Give us wisdom for our daily need,
Detach the fetters of faults that bind us,
Lie we let go the guilt of others.
Let us not be lost in superficial things,
Common temptations,
But let us be freed from that which keeps us from our true purpose.
From you comes the all-working will,
The lively strength to act,
The song that beautifies all
And renews itself from age to age.
AMEN (sealed in trust, faith and truth, I confirm with my entire being.)

Pax et Bonum,
Loree+

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