Note from Rev. Scottie:  Joanna Torres, a beloved member of our congregation, delivered the homily on Sunday, May 12.  Joanna's homily was not only inspiring, it was educational as well.  For those of you who were unable to be with us on Sunday, and for those who heard Joanna preach and wished you had a copy of her homily, here is the text of her sermon.

When I was first asked to give a sermon today, I didn't realize how difficult it would be.  Standing here and giving the sermon isn't the hard part, although I will admit I've only ever given speeches in front of groups numbering fewer than 30.  Writing this sermon was difficult, partly because I've never given a sermon before and partly because I take my chances and ad-lib most speeches.  On top of that, planning the sermon has been complicated because of the hectic nature of the past few weeks for me.  But I made it through, and, well, here I am.  There was a light at the end of the tunnel amid all the complicated school projects, a purpose that made my efforts worthwhile.  This is a theme that, for me, can be found in the readings today.

I will admit, when I first read the lessons and Gospel for today, I felt as though I was reading Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises for the first time (again).  Which is to say, I had no idea what the message was.  But unlike with Hemingway's novel, whose central theme I still don't know, I looked up some information on each of the books and how to understand them and found everything much easier to interpret after.  While most people (or at least, most people in my peer group) think of Revelations as focusing on the apocalypse, the Book of Revelations contains a great deal of moral and inspirational messages.  Today's reading from Revelations in particular emphasizes, at its core, hard work and moral behavior.  This reading is an exhortation to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  Here, John notes the importance of conduct and work for admittance to the "holy city," which we can view today as a guide for life, the "holy city" being a state of happiness and self-actualization.  By living a moral life according to the lessons of Jesus, we can find contentment and accomplishment in this life and the next.

This idea of following the teachings of Jesus is repeated in the Gospel.  Jesus asks for unity among his followers so that they might follow his teachings and be strengthened by unity with his spirit and that of God.  Even more than an exhortation to abide by the teachings of Jesus, today's Gospel is a call to be strong in living out those teachings.  Jesus prays to God for strength and unity for the disciples especially, knowing the difficulties that they will confront in his absence.  This can be particularly seen in the reading from Acts, when Paul and Silas are jailed for acting on their beliefs from the teachings of Jesus.  Despite the harsh punishment of beatings and imprisonment, Paul and Silas continue to pray and spread the Good News to the lost.  And this gets to the heart of what today's readings mean to each of us.

Life is difficult and filled with obstacles.  They might come in the form of disabilities or illness, or education and employment problems.  No one's life is free of problems, even if they are as simple as finding time to schedule work on a school project.  What today's readings show is that we can make it through and we don't have to be alone in doing so.  By caring for others and treating others with respect, by living by the teachings of Jesus and acting as messengers of the Good News, we can find fulfillment and happiness now and in the future.  Moreover, we know that we will always have the guidance and love of Jesus and God to help us through, as Jesus says in today's Gospel and Silas and Paul intuitively know in the reading from Acts.

On Ascension Sunday, we recognize the disciples that became apostles.  In the absence of Jesus and in the face of doubt and uncertainty, the apostles continued the teachings of Jesus, living the teachings in their own lives and spreading it to others.  These readings show what it means to be an apostle and a Christian.  It's similar to graduation from high school or college, where students must take the things they have learned and apply it either to the next step in their education or to life.  Like the apostles, students must take their newfound knowledge and use it without the aid of familiar teachers.  They must be responsible for the teachings they have learned and spreading knowledge to others so that they too, might find success and happiness.  Today, we are reminded that difficulties arise in life, but we have the guidance and support to endure.  Today, we are reminded that as Christians, we can be agents of positivity in the world and carry on the traditions of the past.

Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler were two of the greatest astronomers who have ever lived, and they changed the way we understand our place in the universe.  Both men believed that science and religious faith are entirely compatible, and that, indeed, understanding the workings of the created world can lead us more deeply into an understanding of the workings of the Creator.  Sadly, the Church has not always shared this view.

Copernicus was born in 1473, and initially studied law and medicine before serving as a cleric under the direction of his uncle, who was a bishop in Poland.  Copernicus was the first to argue that the sun, not the earth, is the center of the universe and around which the planets rotate.  Initially, the Church's reaction to Copernicus' work was somewhat muted, but the controversy intensified in the face of Galileo's further development of Copernicus' work.  Copernicus' books were placed on the index of banned books, and some of his work was not even published until the late 1800's.  This is ironic given the fact that Copernicus' 1543 opus The Revolutions of the Celestial Orbs (or Planets) was dedicated to the Pope.

Johann Kepler was born nearly a century after Copernicus, and he was chiefly responsible for solidifying Copernicus' theories.  He is chiefly known for his discovery of the laws of planetary motion.  Kepler believed that his first major work on Copernican theory demonstrated God's geometric plan for the universe.  Kepler saw in the relation between the sun and the rotating planets an image of God; he saw no conflict between his astronomical views and scripture.

Pentecost is one of the three main feast days in our church, along with Christmas and Easter.  On Pentecost, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church.  Join us this Sunday for a joyous celebration with special music, bright red vestments, and balloons!  You are invited to wear bright clothes that day, especially red.  Come join us!

This year, three of our young people will be graduated from high school.  Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare for graduation and college this fall.  Our graduating seniors are:  Luke Ines, Joanna Torres, and William Wagner. 

Our capital campaign is going forward and we hope that as part of Church of the Good Shepherd's centennial celebration we will be able to address a number of long-deferred projects in our building and on the grounds.  Thank you to everyone who participated in our listening sessions and who filled out the surveys that have helped the vestry set priorities.

This Sunday, May 19, we will welcome Joseph Rotella of Spencer Organ Company to our church.  Everyone who is interested in hearing more about restoration of our pipes and organ is invited to meet with Joseph after our 10 o'clock Eucharist.  He will be explaining various options and showing us what needs to be done in order to ensure that we have a playable organ for decades to come.

Watch the E-News and Sunday announcements for a meeting time for parents, church school teachers, and all who are interested in doing work on our classrooms to make them a safe and inviting place to learn.

Our senior warden, Ben Sands, and Rev. Scottie will be making visits to all of vestry members and their families, and will also be visiting parish leaders and anyone else who would like a home visit about the capital campaign.  In the weeks after that, other volunteers will be conducting home visits, with the hope of visiting every member of the parish.  In the coming weeks, we will also be sending out written materials outlining our goals and making the case for the campaign.  We hope that every member of the parish will plan to participate in some way.

Chuck and Ginny Barthel, Dorothy Brown, Nancy Campara, Christine Camper, George Chace, Betty Fraser, Gloria Graves, Bernice Herrick, Allan Johnson, Deborah Katt-Lloyd, Lisa Kimball, Mary Anna Krause, Tony Lopes, Carole Lutton, Maureen Manzelli, Jim McCallum, Lynn McDonald, Rheta C. McKinley, Sara O'Brien, Rhonda O'Keefe, Eleanor Schott, Kevin Smith, Ralph Ventola, Stephen Wagner and Ashley Westerman.