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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ |
They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ( Mark 7: 32-36)
Be opened. Cracked apart like breaking an egg....Be opened. Gain understanding of something or someone in a bold and new way. Be opened . Allow your soul to learn something profound, something heretofore unbelievable.
Life presen ts all sorts of opportunities to open ourselves to transformational moments. Such incidents often come with unexpected joy. The birth of a child or gift of a providential opportunity. We openly welcome and encourage such moments.
Other events burst into being in the midst of tragic grief. The paradox of Jesus' death on the Cross is that Jesus' execution conceivably and emotionally shatters our typical comprehension of senseless death. God willingly suffers at the hands and egos of powerful and fearful people. Easter happens despite our best attempts to prevent it. (Re)Birth, life, and death are (im)mortally related to one another. God opens our hearts to such otherwise undesirable situations.
Be opened. Silence and awe create space to behold our Lord's most profound miracles. Willingness to let go of our most closely held preconceptions allows God to be God even as we listen and seek God's love and presence.
A faithful and compassionate heart welcomes openness, especially during precarious experiences .Be opened. Let your ears hear enough to be still and comprehend that God's love is indeed working. Jesus the Christ in Word, Sacrament, and Incarnational moments will not abandon us even when we construe otherwise.
Blessings Along The Way. Jim+
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Dick Wesp update | Our beloved organist, music director, parishioner, and friend Dick Wesp is very ill. Doctors have diagnosed him as having contracted the West Nile Virus. He is 1 out of perhaps a 150 people who develop serious symptoms who become infected with West Nile Virus. As a reminder, WNV is not spread through casual contact or interactions. It is almost always spread by the bite of an infected mosquito
Dick's sister Shirley and brother Ken are intentionally speaking with Dick's physicians and health care providers about Dick's short and long term prognoses. There is presently no vaccine for the virus. I truly wish that I could tell you something more promising.
I will say he seems to enjoy the warmth of the blanket that Shirley Miller has knit for him. He seems to be calmed down by the Lord's Prayer and other healing intercessions. Continue to pray for him, his family, and for us as we all dwell in this uncertain and sad time.
This is another day, O Lord. We know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If we are to stand up, help us to stand bravely. If we are to sit still, help us to sit quietly. If we are to lie low, help us to do it
patiently. And if we are to do nothing, let us do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give us the Spirit of Jesus. Amen. (BCP, page 461)
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