Hospitality

One of the core values of The Episcopal Church of Our Savior is hospitality. In this brand new church we have not yet developed a "hospitality program" such as offering newcomers a loaf of bread. Maybe that is because we are all newcomers. We are pilgrims on a journey of faith toward the formation of this new church.

Hospitality has long been a hallmark of Christians. In the early days of the church it was said of Christians, "Behold how they love each other." Jesus said that if we welcome other people we are welcoming him.

Henri Nouwen once remarked that Americans are "a world of strangers, estranged from their own past, culture, and country, from their neighbors, friends and family, from their deepest self and their God." Nouwen highly recommended that we get back to our Christian roots of hospitality as a way of life. He called hospitality the "creation of free space" where we can be accepted for who we are and perhaps become lifelong friends.

At Our Savior our hospitality is that we invite all to go on our pilgrim journey with us. Are you headed our way?



In peace,

Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor

The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

photo: outdoor stone labyrinth at

Camp Duncan Gray, Canton, Mississippi

Get ready to fall backward and find a new church

Fall has made a chilly arrival and speaking of Fall, it is almost time to "Fall Backward" and reset our clocks, gaining an hour sometime in the wee hours of Saturday night.

This year the time change comes at a rather awkward time as it falls on the Sunday of the "Launch" of The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek. If you are on our mailing list you will be getting a bright yellow flyer to put on your refrigerator. It says "Fall backward and find a new church" and reminds you to reset your clock in anticipation of getting in on the ground floor of a brand new Episcopal Church.

For the first official Sunday of the new church, there is nothing quite like being on time.



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333
photo: leaves in the grass at Camp Duncan Gray, Canton, Mississippi

Light from the Shadows

As you plan your upcoming holiday schedule, I hope you will set aside a special time to be with God. You will have a lovely opportunity to do that as the Rev. Frank Logue and his wife Victoria lead us in another "Journey to Wholeness" retreat at Honey Creek Camp and Conference Center.

The next retreat, "Light from the Shadows", will begin with dinner on Friday, November 30 at 6:00 p.m. and end with closing worship on Saturday, December 1 at 1:00 p.m.

Here is a description of the retreat from the brochure:

"The theme for the Advent 2007 retreat will be Light from the Shadows. During this retreat, you will discover how Jung's concept of your shadow can help yo take the next step on your own spiritual journey. You will be challenged to dive deeper into your own self-awarness as you find that each of us contains both weeds and wheat. You'll also discover how to benefit from the problem people in your life as you learn how to embrace and learn from your shadow."

You must register by 5 p.m., November 16, 2007 in order to take part in this retreat. The all-inclusive cost is $80 for a single room, $60 for a double, $45 for a dorm room, or $35 for commuters. Taxes will be added to these costs by Honey Creek. Some scholarship assistance is available.

All fees go directly to the camp and conference center. To register, please contact Honey Creek directly at (912)265-9218 or honeycreekga@aol.com.


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333

Countdown to launch: 7, 6, 5 . . .

One week from today, November 4, at 10:00 a.m. we will officially "launch" The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek. We have been meeting on Wednesday nights at 6:15 since mid-August, and we will continue to worship together on Wednesdays as well as on Sundays.

Please plan to join us for this historic occasion on November 4 at 10:00 a.m., and return to grow with us as the Body of Christ in this place.

Blessed God, you make all things new: Guide us as we seek your will for a new community of Word and Sacrament, that we may be leaven for the world's bread, and wine of delight for hearts in need; a gathering strong for service and glad in praise; and a people listening and responding to your presence in their midst; through Jesus our Redeemer and steadfast companion. Amen.


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Prayer: From the Book of Occasional Services, 225

A Twelve-Step Cure for Pride-A-Holics

Our Gospel for tomorrow is Luke 18:9-14:

Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, 'God be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

Humility is something that saints throughout the ages have struggled to achieve. The ironic thing about such efforts is that none of the great saints would think their goal was completely won. On any given day they could fall down and get back up again. Maybe it is in the striving for humility that we become more like Jesus. This is obviously a lifelong endeavor. It is almost as if we are pride-a-holics. Maybe we need a twelve-step program.

I wish I could take credit for developing a twelve-step program for humility, but an Italian monk named Benedict of Nursia beat me to it. And that was about fifteen hundred years ago.

Here is my condensed, abridged, personalized version of Benedict’s twelve steps, which come from The Rule of St. Benedict In English, Chapter 7. Humility:

1. Keep the fear of God always before your eyes, and never forget it, and remember that God sees everything.

2. Seek to know and do the will of God.

3. Imitate Jesus Christ, who, though he was in the form of God, became obedient to death, even death on a cross.

4. Have perseverance and patience in hardships, looking to Jesus for our example.

5. Confess sin and admit wrongdoings. Everyone knows we are not perfect and there is no use to pretend that we are.

6. No task is too menial or small to take on. Just about everyone has to take out the trash from time to time.

7. Respect others even above yourself, never treating them with contempt.

8. Look for things we have in common with other Christians. In the Episcopal church that is easy since we pray together out of the Book of Common Prayer, but the most common thing we hold with other Christians is baptism and Holy Communion.

9. Think before you speak. Sometimes the least said is the easiest mended.

10. Be careful what you laugh about. Some humor has a cruel edge when we step back and look at it.

11. After you have thought before you speak, speak gently and reasonably, without raising your voice.

12. Let your inner humility rule your outward behavior. Have integrity in all you do, say and think.

St. Benedict says that by following this twelve-step plan we are “ascending all these steps of humility” and that we will behave not out of fear, but “out of love for Christ, good habit and delight in virtue.”


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333

That grace-filled silence

Holy God, be in my mind
that I might let go of all
that diminishes the
movement of Your Spirit
within me.

Discerning God, be in
my eyes, that I might see
You in the midst of all the
business that fills
my life.

Loving God, be in my
heart, that I can be open
to those I love, to those
with whom I share
ministry and to the whole
human family.

Gracious God, be in that
grace-filled silence that
lies deep within me, that
I might live in Christ as
Christ lives in me.

Amen.

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333
Prayer: from CREDO
Photo: Sunrise and sailboat at Honey Creek

More rescued critters

Live Yard Art -- Pepper, Ivan, and Cinnamon

As difficult as it is to imagine, these beautiful Siberian Huskies were once abandoned and/or or mistreated. But then they were rescued and adopted by two sensitive, compassionate people. Now the dogs are whole and sound.

That's what love can do, and it works on human beings, too.



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Someday - an "Our Savior at Honey Creek" cookbook

Recipe
(For A Church Cookbook)

by J. Barrie Shepherd

Nourishment must be more
than merely fuel for running on,
fodder for the furnace that consumes
our hours in furious haste.
There is an art to eating, old
as breaking of a loaf, the sharing
of a deep, refreshing cup. Each meal,
if touched with light imagination,
a modicum of care,
can lead to miracles of more
than multiplying fish and bread,
transforming water into wine,
can bring about the forming and re-forming
of that sacred circle shaped in trust
and sealed by eyes and hands
across a table where the grace,
once said, is then revealed
in ever morsel, fragment, sip
or swallow savored in the feast
that feeds and heals our days.

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

St. James of Jerusalem

Today is the Feast Day of James of Jerusalem Brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Martyr c. 62 A.D.

Would somebody in Nazareth please stand up and be counted for Jesus? The headlines are not reading “hometown boy makes good.” By the time Jesus goes back to his old synagogue in Nazareth, he has gathered about him twelve disciples who call him “Rabbi.” He has preached the Sermon on the Mount, healed the leprous and the blind, raised the dead and given us the Lord’s Prayer.

You would think that he could get a little respect. But no . . . the people acted as if Jesus had gotten uppity – had gotten above his raising. As if a “carpenter’s son” was not good enough to have an opinion about theology. As if Jesus had no business doing “deeds of power” or miracles just because he was of such humble beginnings. And especially that they did not believe he was the Messiah.

Somewhere in that nameless throng of people known as “they” we have a list of names of Jesus’ family. “Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas, and are not all his sisters with us?” Why then did none of them take Jesus’ part? If Jesus was looking for faith and loyalty he did not find any there. As far as we know from scripture, Jesus never made another trek back to Nazareth because of the rejection he experienced. Even his brothers did not believe in Jesus, but after the resurrection that would all change.

In one of Jesus’ best-known post-resurrection appearances, he came to his brother James. He gave his brother a second chance – or maybe it was the third or fourth chance – or tenth. This is a lesson for us to give people another chance. If someone in our family is not seeing eye to eye with us, maybe instead of writing them off, we could give them another chance.

Here is a quote from the writings of Saint Paul:

For I handed on to you as of first importance
what I in turn had received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the scriptures,
and that he was buried,
and that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers
and sisters at one time,
most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
Then he appeared to James . . .

1 Corinthians 15:3-7a

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Prayers for a rainy day

Living on the coast of Georgia with abundant rainfall and access to water can lull us into not noticing that others do not have the water necessary for life. Our neighbors to the northwest in Atlanta have a three-week supply of drinking water. Watering their lawns and washing their cars? Forget it. Going boating? Forget it - or come to the coast.


Here are some prayers we can pray on behalf of those less fortunate than we, praying first and foremost that all would know the Water of Life, our Savior Jesus Christ.

O gracious Father, you open your hand and fill all things living with plenteousness: Bless the lands and waters, and multiply the harvests of the world; let your Spirit go forth, that it may renew the face of the earth; show your loving-kindness, that our land may give her increase; and save us from selfish use of what you give, that men and women everywhere may give you thanks; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, heavenly Father, who by your Son Jesus Christ promised to all those who seek your kingdom and its righteousness all things necessary to sustain their life: Send us, we entreat you, in this time of need, such moderate rain and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth, to our comfort and to your honor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[The Book of Common Prayer]


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com
912-267-0333

Teach us to pray - continued

Prayers before and after worship:


O Almighty God, you pour out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver us, when we draw near to you, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Be present, be present, O Jesus, our great High Priest, as you were present with your disciples, and be known to us in the breaking of bread; who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who in a wonderful Sacrament has left to us a memorial of your passion: Grant us, we pray you, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood, that we may ever perceive within ourselves the fruit of your redemption; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Grant, we beseech you, Almighty God, that the words which we have heard this day with our outward ears, may through your grace, be so grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honor and praise of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


[from The Book of Common Prayer]


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

That pesky widow

"This widow keeps bothering me"


Our Gospel reading for tomorrow (Luke 18:1-8) goes like this:


Jesus told the disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither fared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'"

And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"


What do you think -- will he?



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Benedictine Hospitality

Hospitality as a Justice Issue





In her book St. Benedict's Toolbox, Jane Tomaine says:

Benedictine hospitality is also concerned with issues of justice. Our hospitality is to extend beyond family, beyond neighborhood, beyond church, and beyond our local community. We're to seek Christ in far-reaching places of poverty and loneliness, extending hospitality in concrete ways. Hospitality says that the issues of the poor are our problem and that we must take steps for positive change in the lives of others. Hospitality is a call to action.

She then quotes Joan Chittister, O.S.B. from her book Wisdom Distilled from Daily Living:

Benedictine hospitality is more than simply thinking new thoughts or feeling new feelings about people we either thought harshly of before or, more likely, failed to think about at all. Benedictine hospitality demands the extra effort, the extra time, the extra care that stretches beyond and above the order of the day.

Real hospitality for our time requires that, instead of changing the channel or turning the page, we try to determine what it is about our own lives that is affecting these others. We have to wonder how we can help the poor at the doorstep who live thousands of miles away. Hospitality says that the problem is mine, not someone else's. It is my door and my heart upon which these people are knocking for attention.

Jane Tomaine continues:

Benedictine hospitality must extend beyond family and friends to the world. We who have been given the resources of education, money, and freedom can use those gifts to help the impoverished and forgotten in this country and abroad. We can be the voice that call as for justice and equity.

What do you think about this?


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

P.S. to my brother: Happy Birthday. I know what you did last summer. Don't forget that Mom's birthday is exactly six months from today. Love, Linda+

The Beloved Physician

Saint Luke the Evangelist



He wasn't one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He was a Greek physician and an outsider of sorts - a Gentile. Luke was Saint Paul's travel companion and according to the Acts of the Apostles, he was with Paul when he was shipwrecked on the Island of Malta, and was also apparently with Paul at Paul's martyrdom.

Luke gave us the second Gospel which includes a birth narrative and many stories of Jesus' miracles of healing. Luke continued his Gospel by writing the Acts of the Apostles, much of which is about the missionary journeys of St. Paul, which Luke relates in the first person plural.

Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

"Redeeming the time . . ."

Making the most of your time at work


We spend most of our waking hours working and getting ready for work, or thinking about work when we get home. So why should we relegate spiritual growth to private prayer time or worship on Sunday? Here are some tips for spiritual growth in the midst of earning a living. They come from St. Benedict's Toolbox by Jane Tomaine, in her chapter on "Work as a Holy Endeavor." No one needs to know you are doing this, of course. This is between you and God.

First thing in the morning, give your day to God. Use whatever words you would like. Examples include: "This one is for you, Lord," or "God, I give you this day" or "Be with me and guide me. Help me bring your presence to others."

When you first begin your work day, pray once again. Pray for God's presence throughout the day, for God's help in your tasks, and for the ability to be open to God's call.

Pray before you begin a task. You can express your love to God and ask God to be with you in the task. When you finish a task, give thanks for God's help.

Imagine Jesus next to you as you work. Envision his encouragement, support, and love.

Before a difficult conversation, pray. Ask for God's guidance. Ask God to help you stay put and not flee either physically or emotionally. Ask to remain open to the other person and to really listen.

Send arrow prayers to God throughout the day (such as "God help me" or "Thanks be to God.")

Repeat a short prayer or a Bible verse while you work. This works especially well when the work of the moment is physical. Use your favorite Bible verse such as, "The Lord is my shepherd" or "Do not let your hearts be troubled" or "Be still, and know that I am God." Or use your own words.

Pray the prayer of St. Francis each day. As you say this prayer, envision yourself in the place where you work, be it at home or in an office or outside. Envision coworkers, family or friends with you. This practice will prepare you to be in Christ's presence during the day.

Give thanks during the day. If you cannot think of anything to be thankful for, try giving thanks for your senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch.

Listen for God's voice in the voices of your coworkers, family, and friends. Everyone and everything can become a channel through which God speaks. When you hear that voice, listen carefully and respond.

Remember that your work is holy. Work gives you many opportunities to use the skills and talents God gave to you, to serve others, to be in close relationship with others, and to praise God. Underneath all the typewritten pages and through all the phone calls and all the vacuumed rugs, work is spiritual!



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

History not to be repeated

Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer
1555-1556


At an embarrassing point in Church history when people were burned at the stake by other Christians who opposed them theologically, the three men who gave us the Book of Common Prayer suffered such fate. Latimer and Ridley were killed at Oxford on October 16, 1555 at the order of Queen Mary of England, and Cranmer died likewise six months later. It is a very long and involved story worthy of late night reading in the dead of winter.

We are still using the Prayer Book which contains Cranmer's Great Litany, and we still commemorate Latimer's last words to Ridley: "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as (I trust) shall never be put out."

Keep us, O Lord, constant in faith and zealous in witness, that, like your servants, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer, we may live in your fear, die in your favor, and rest in your peace; for the sake of Jesus Christ you Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

The Feast of Teresa of Avila

Teresa of Avila


Teresa, a nun and Doctor of the Church who died in 1582, had this to say about her life and times. Does this sound familiar?


Oh, how unfortunate the times and miserable the life in which we now life; happy are they whose good fortune it is to remain apart from the world. Sometimes it is a particular joy for me to see these Sisters gathered together and feeling such great joy at being in the monastery that they praise our Lord as much as possible. It is seen very clearly that their praises rise from the interior of the soul. I would want you to praise Him often, Sisters; for the one who begins awakens the others. In what better way can you, when together, use your tongues than in the praise of God, since we have so many reasons for praising Him?

--- The Interior Castle, 6:12



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

A reason to pray Evening Prayer

He makes the woman of a childless house
to be a joyful mother of children

Psalm 113

(at Evening Prayer)


Hallelujah!
Give praise, you servants of the Lord;
praise the Name of the Lord.

Let the Name of the Lord be blessed,
from this time forth for evermore.

From the rising of the sun to its going down
let the Name of the Lord be praised.

The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God,
who sits enthroned on high,
but stops to behold the heavens and the earth?

He takes up the weak out of the dust
and lifts up the poor from the ashes.

He sets them with the princes,
with the princes of his people.

He makes the woman of a childless house
to be a joyful mother of children.

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Where are the nine?

In our Gospel for tomorrow Jesus meets ten lepers who are crying out (from the appropriate distance), "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Jesus did have mercy on them, and told them to do the lawful thing and go show themselves to the priests so they could be "officially" declared to be clean. In so doing they would be able to re-enter society and not be sequestered as before.

As they went away they all saw that they were healed, but only one returned to thank Jesus. And that person was an outsider - a "Samaritan."

Giving thanks to God is a right and proper thing to do. If we take God's grace for granted, we might start thinking we are entitled to it. If we were entitled to it, grace would no longer be grace.



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Small four-legged creatures

This child needs a puppy or a kitten

or maybe a puppy or a kitten
needs this child

If you, your child, or someone you know needs a puppy or a kitten, "Susie's Friends" would be glad to help. John and Shelley Allison would be pleased to speak with you about pet adoption. There are papers to fill out and promises to make that you will give the small creature a good home, so you must be serious about keeping and taking care of your new pet. You can often find John and Shelley at PetsMart in Brunswick.

The last I heard, John and Shelley have several small kittens who will soon be ready for new humans. Where do they get these animals? The one I adopted was living with his two siblings in a dumpster on Jekyll Island. The kittens were tiny and motherless when the Allisons discovered them and took them in.

Sign seen at a vet's office: You can tell the character of people by the way they treat their animals.

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333
Photo: my great nephew "down on the farm"

And now a word from "The Acts of the Apostles"

Philip, Deacon and Evangelist

Acts 8:26-40 --

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went.

Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returnng home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken way from the earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.

As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip an the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.


Holy God, no one is excluded from your love, and your truth transforms the minds of all who seek you: As your servant Philip was led to embrace the fullness of your salvation and to bring the stranger to Baptism, so give us all the grace to be heralds of the Gospel, proclaiming your love in Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

A guest preacher and celebrant

We Welcome
The Rev. Frank Logue

This evening at our 6:15 service of Holy Communion we welcome The Rev. Frank Logue as our preacher and celebrant. Fr. Frank is the founding pastor of King of Peace Episcopal Church in Kingsland Georgia, of which The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek is a "daughter church."

Please come and welcome Fr. Frank, and for a short while after the service share with him your hopes and dreams for our new church. You may learn more about King of Peace Episcopal Church at http://www.kingofpeace.org/ or visit Fr. Frank's blog at http://kingofpeace.blogspot.com/

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

A New Zealand Prayer Book

A Psalm for Tuesday

Your hands have made me and fashioned me:
give me understanding that I may know your mind.

Those who fear you will be glad when they see me,
because I have put my trust in your word.

I know that your judgments are right,
that in your faithfulness you have caused me to be troubled.

Let your merciful kindness be my comfort,
according to your promise to your servant.

Let your loving mercies come to me, that I may live,
for your law is my delight.

Let the proud be confounded, who twist us with deceit,
and I will meditate on your wisdom.

Let those who fear you turn to me,
that they may know your truth.

—Psalm 119:73-79 -- A New Zealand Prayer Book, p. 149.


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Silence and solitude (in moderation)

Silence and Solitude

Priest and spiritual writer John Westerhoff III (born 1933) has this to say about what clergy really need. I think this applies to all who try faithfully to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Teachers and preachers require spiritual lives that embrace suffering and that are in touch with the depths of existence; lives that are marked by moments of silence and solitude, lived in a rhythm between contemplation and action; lives that are self-critical, that pay attention to the deep restlessness of our spirits, and respond to God's call to grow spiritually; and lives that are lived in a community of faith comprised of persons who see the image of God in us even when we deny and distort it.



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Recognizing Jesus

Do you know Jesus when you see him?






The Stranger

You're still a stranger;
Wandering through the wilderness.
Still rejected, passed by on the street,
Starving, hungry, naked, and cold,
Pleading for a cup of cold water;
Dying all alone.

No longer mistaken
For the rebel You truly are.
You would still be tearing up temples,
Scattering the money of fools,
Scandalizing righteous pretenders,
Breaking ll the rules.

No longer blinded.
In the light I see who You really are.
Never doing what is expected,
Far beyond the frame of my mind.
Caring for the poor and neglected,
Washing the feet of the beggar on the street,
While the rich men make believe You'll never come.

--- Michael Card (1957 - )


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

How can you increase your faith?

"Increase our Faith!"

Our Gospel lesson for tomorrow (Luke 17:5-10) contains within it advice on how to increase our faith. In a word -- "serve."

Here is the full text:

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you. Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Is love blind?

What do you see in that person?


Love implies a directedness only toward whatever is proper to the fullness of the beloved. It is a journey into the unknown, toward values that become clearer only in its movement. The full value of the object is always more than what is presently given.

The lover senses a horizon of value -- we might call it an aura of mystery -- lying in and behind every value that he or she already knows. This horizon of higher value may include new values or it may be a new depth in the values already felt. Thus, love always includes a sense of expectation and hope, and love grounds a trust that exceeds legitimate inferences from past experience.

At the religious level, love intimates that reality is an inexhaustible fullness to which we can entrust ourselves.

--- Edward Collins Vacek, S.J., Love, Human and Divine, p. 44.


I also had to read this twice to get it.


In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

Bless the beasts and the children

The Feast of Francis of Assisi,
d. 1226

It is ironic for me that on this feast of St. Francis who was devoted to "Lady Poverty" I am at an Economic Development Day with "Leadership Camden" which is a program of the Chamber of Commerce.

Here I share a hymn written by Francis, which is in The Hymnal 1982 numbered 406 and 407. It is commonly known as "Canticle of the Sun."

Most High, omnipotent, good Lord,
to thee be ceaseless praise outpoured,
and blessing without measure.
From thee alone all creatures came;
no one is worthy thee to name.

My Lord be praised by brother sun
who through the skies his course doth run,
and shines in brilliant splendor:
with brightness he doth fill the day,
and signifies thy boundless sway.

My Lord be praised by sister moon
and all the stars, that with her soon
will point the glittering heavens.
Let wind and air and cloud and calm
and weathers all, repeat the psalm.

By sister water be thou blessed,
most humble, useful, precious, chaste;
be praised by brother fire;
jocund is he, robust and bright,
an strong to lighten all the night.

By mother earth my Lord be praised;
governed by thee she had upraised
what for our life is needful.
Sustained by thee, through every hour,
she bringeth forth fruit, and herb, and flower.

My Lord be praised by those who prove
in free forgivingness their love,
nor shrink from tribulation.
Happy, who peaceably endure;
with thee, Lord, their reward is sure.

For death our sister, praised be,
from whom no one alive can flee.
Woe to the unprepared!
But blessed be they who do thy will
and follow thy commandments still.

Most High, omnipotent, good Lord,
to thee be ceaseless praise outpoured,
and blessing without measure.
Let creatures all give thanks to thee,
and serve in great humility.

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333
Photo: St. Francis in the garden at Honey Creek - LM+

The family that prays together . . .

Prayers For Families

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, you set the solitary in families: We commend to your continual care the homes in which your people dwell. Put far from them, we beseech you, every root of bitterness, the desire of vainglory, and the pride of life. Fill them with faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness. Knit together in constant affection those who, in holy wedlock, have been made one flesh. Turn the hearts of the parents to the children, and the hearts of the children to the parents; and so enkindle fervent charity among us all, that we may evermore be kindly affectioned one to another; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[The Book of Common Prayer, 828-829]



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333
Photo: my brother and sister-in-law who are in their 44th year of marriage to each other leaving the beach at St. Simon's. May 2007. I notice he is carrying her shoes.

Tomorrow at Our Savior

"Instructed Eucharist" tomorrow


Tomorrow, October 3, at 6:15 p.m. we will have another "Instructed Eucharist" as the service for our first Wednesday of the month. Please join us for this service as it will be narrated using a text prepared by The Rev. Frank Logue of King of Peace. As we move through the service explanations will be given for the reasons why we worship God in this manner. Come and learn and stay to ask questions and have dinner.

The service will be followed by a family-style meal in the Dining Hall at Honey Creek. The meal is free but donations will be accepted. For information, please call 912-267-0333.



In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333

September is history

October's Bright Blue Weather

Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)

October's Bright Blue Weather

O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October's bright blue weather;

When loud the bumble-bee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And Golden-Rod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When Gentians roll their fringes tight
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields, still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October's bright blue weather.

O suns and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October's bright blue weather.


This poem can be found in:
Jackson, Helen. Poems. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1893.
Stevenson, Burton Egbert, ed. The Home Book of Verse for Young Folks.
New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1915.

In peace,
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/
http://oursaviorhoneycreek.blogspot.com/
912-267-0333
Photo: Cormorants in a dead tree at Honey Creek
March, 2007 - LM+