Come and See, Go and Tell

Our Gospel lesson for tomorrow is John 1:29-42:

The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).

Andrew the fisherman caught a very big fish the first time he went fishing for people. Peter gets most of the press after that, and to us Andrew's life becomes something of a blur.


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: blurry picture of the Old Market
in Jerusalem, August 2004

Good work if you can get it

"Go out to your work in the world, the toils that custom has staled and long familiarity has belittled. But know that the beaten path of life skirts the kingdom of the miraculous and leads into the divine wonderland, if only we will hear afresh the call of Christ." -- Percy C. Ainsworth


In peace,
Linda+

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

The desert was good for Anthony

From The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, The Alphabetical Collection, page 1-2:

Anthony the Great, called 'The Father of Monks', was born in central Egypt about A.D. 251, the son of peasant farmers who were Christian. In c. 269 he heard the Gospel read in church and applied to himself the words: 'Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor and come . . . .'

He devoted himself to a life of asceticism under the guidance of a recluse near his village. In c. 285 he went alone into the desert to live in complete solitude. His reputation attracted followers, who settled near him, and in c. 305 he came out of his hermitage in order to act as their spiritual father.

Five years later he again retired into solitude. He visited Alexandria at least twice, once during the persecution of Christians and again to support the Bishop Athanasius against heresy.

He died at the age of one hundred and five. His life was written by Saint Athanasius and was very influential in spreading the ideals of monasticism throughout the Christian World.

"Saying" No. 2: When the same Abba Anthony thought about the depth of the judgements of God, he asked, 'Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?' He heard a voice answering him, 'Anthony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to the judgement of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.'

So, on this his feast day, we remember that Anthony lived to be a hundred and five. The desert was good for Anthony, and Anthony was good for the desert.


In peace,
Linda+

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

Making Choices

"Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war. . . . Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other." -- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.


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: Grave marker of author Eugenia Price

Christ Church, St. Simons Island, Georgia

The noise of your cataracts

As the deer longs for the water-brooks,
so longs my soul for you, O God.

My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;
when shall I come to appear before the presence of God? . . . .

My soul is heavy within me;
therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,
and from the peak of Mizar among the heights of Hermon.

One deep calls to another in the noise of your cataracts;
all your rapids and floods have gone over me.

The Lord grants his loving-kindness in the daytime;
in the night season his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
(Psalm 42:1-2, 8-10)

Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, 827)


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: the headwaters of the Jordan River
Banias, Israel (at the foot of Mount Hermon)
August 2004. The rushing water is so loud that
you cannot hear what your neighbor is shouting
in your ear - LM+

Books in Heaven

'YES,' MY FRIEND said. 'I don't see why there shouldn't be books in Heaven. But you will find that your library in Heaven contains only some of the books you had on earth.' 'Which?' I asked. 'The ones you gave away or lent.' 'I hope the lent ones won't still have all the borrowers' dirty thumb-marks,' said I. 'Oh yes they will,' said he. 'But just as the wounds of the martyrs will have turned into beauties, so you will find that the thumb-marks have turned into beautiful illuminated capitals or exquisite marginal woodcuts.'

--"Scraps" - The Collected Works of C.S. Lewis, 445.

My mother's definition of a rare book: one that has been borrowed and returned.


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
P.S. Happy Birthday to Brynda

Next Sunday

Next Sunday, January 20, we will stay for a half hour after the morning worship service and discuss dreams and plans for the church.

There is possibility of involvement for everyone at The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek. There are committees on which to serve, parties to plan, worship services with which to assist - the list goes on. If each person took responsibility for only one item on the list, we would need at least 125 persons right now. So, please attend the worship service at 10:00 a.m. this morning, meet some nice people, and pick up a list of possibilities. This will give you a week to think about your involvement.

Need directions to the church? Please visit our website at http://www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org/ and click on "directions" at the top of the page.


In peace,
Linda+


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