Newsletter Sunday, July 12, 2020

Dear Friends of Emmanuel,

In the Collect for Sunday, July 12, we pray that we may know and understand what things we ought to do and ask for the grace and power to accomplish them.  It is a lofty request of God.

Jesus after all did not live in the midst of this pandemic!  Jesus did not have the racism, ageism, and sexism, etc. to deal with what we are facing today.  Or did he?  If we believe that God has provided guidance for all these modern things by giving Jesus to live and die as one of us, then where do we find help for today’s problems?

Actually, we can if we put our minds to it.  If we pay attention.  If we open our minds and hearts, the answer is there.  Remember the Samaritans, the tax collectors, the lepers? Those were the communities that were discriminated against.  Remember the lepers that no one wanted to go near?  Remember the woman who was about to be stoned?  And the woman who came to wash his feet with their hair? Remember Zacchaeus and Lazarus the rich man and many other characters in our scriptures.

Let us not be like the seed that has fallen on the rocks and turn away. Let us embrace the blessings and the challenges that are before us in 2020 as God would have us do.

The Lessons for us this week focus on seed and “sower.”  Timeless images for those of us who garden or even remember from our grade school science class know about the need for water, sunshine, and good soil in order to receive a good harvest.

The analogy is simple. Everyone and everything needs to be nourished with the soil, water, and sunshine of life. When we nourish our souls and hearts, we receive the joy and peace needed to accomplish what God has for us to do.

Isaiah 55: 12-13 says, “the mountains and the hills” will burst out in song…and it will be an everlasting sign. God calls us to be safe, be comfortable, care for ourselves, and pray that God will give us the knowledge our task.  And “we shall go out with Joy and be led forth with peace.”  Surely peace and joy are a priceless precious gift from God.

Be well, be safe,

The Rev. Joyce Caggiano

View the taped service anytime via our website:

https://emmanuelwr.org/sermons/

New this week on our website: Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has posted a new “Habits of Grace”

Reflection.

https://emmanuelwr.org/news-events/

Hydrangeas at Emmanuel

(photo by Terri Halliday)

 We may not be there—but the flowers bloom at our beautiful church. Taken on July 7, 2020.