Hours of Operation:

and

*****

Next Date:  Friday, July 4

First Baptist Church

493 Main Street, Malden

Volunteers needed:

4pm for food prep

5pm for food service

5:30 - 7pm for clean-up

Bakers also needed.

Contact Tony Lopes for details:  978-710-6927

*****

 

peanut butter

jelly

crackers (Ritz, 

Saltines, Club)

pancake mix

pancake syrup

100% juice boxes

100% fruit/vegetable

juice bottles

 

 

 

The Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday, when we are invited to contemplate the mysteries of the Holy Trinity, or God as "three persons," Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  Everyone at the table yesterday at our monthly clergy lunch surely knew that Sunday is Trinity Sunday.  I'm reasonably certain however that if I had been having lunch with almost any other group and had asked, "What's happening this Sunday?" most everyone would instantly have told me that this Sunday is Father's Day.  It's pretty hard to miss, after all, with the newspaper and television filled with ads hawking gifts for dads, and the card aisle at the grocery store allowing Father's Day cards to muscle out the graduation cards.

 

In our faith tradition we refer to God often as Father.  We use it in prayers and in our liturgy.  The gospels record Jesus as using father imagery repeatedly.  He taught his disciples to do the same: "When you pray, say, 'Our Father, who art in heaven."  Jesus used the intimate word "Abba" for God, a word that little children would call a loving dad, something like "Papa," or "Daddy," in English. 

 

A lot of folks find the image of God as father helpful, lending intimacy to their prayer, but that is not true for everyone.  I often hear people who are seeking relationship with God, and who are searching for a faith that works in their lives, talk about their feeling that God is stern or even wrathful, quick to anger and ready to punish them for the slightest infraction.  Usually when I dig a little deeper, I find out that the seeker's images come less from their experiences with God  than from their interactions with human beings. 

 

I have always found thinking of God as a father very helpful, and praying with the image of God as "Abba" or "Daddy" is something I do nearly every day.  But that's almost certainly because I am very fortunate on the father front, with a loving, engaged, supportive dad, and two beloved grandfathers who lived close by and were a daily part of my life.  I also am blessed with a husband and a brother who truly are gentle men.  But I know that isn't everyone's experience.  Sadly, a lot of people didn't grow up with a loving dad or with the experience of gentle and caring men. 

 

I hope that you were blessed with a great dad, and that you have male role models who helped you and loved you.  But if that isn't the case, remember that while Jesus used father images in his prayer and his teaching, he never talked about God a punishing, angry, vengeful, distant father.  Even before Jesus called God "Abba," before he thought of the Temple as his father's house, he called Joseph "Abba."  Jesus was blessed with a human dad who kept the baby Jesus and his mom safe, even fleeing to another country when Jesus' life was in danger.  Jesus had parents who made sure he was raised in their faith and traditions, and a dad who taught him a trade.  Those experiences must have helped Jesus frame his intimate relationship with God as that of a loving father and a beloved son.

 

To me, God's love for us is summed up in Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son.  Most of us identify fairly strongly with one of the sons in that story, and sometimes which son holds the most resonance depends on what's going on in our lives.  Maybe you identify with the younger lad, who squandered his inheritance, wasted his opportunities, and finally turned home, hoping only to be allowed to work as a servant in his father's household. Maybe you identify with the older son, the dutiful one who stayed and worked for his father and who resented the father's welcome of the prodigal, the one sitting angrily on the porch while the welcome home party went on inside.  Maybe you've been both of those characters, at different times in your life.  But I think the story is really about the father.  He loves both of his very different sons, and he wants them both, very much.  He leaves the party to go to his resentful, angry son, and invites him in to join the celebration, despite the young man's having slandered his brother, disrespected his father's decisions, and embarrassed his dad in front of his guests.  "All that I have is yours," he tells his son.  "Please come inside with me and celebrate with our family."  He loves the younger boy enough to set him free to make his own choices even if they prove disastrous, and he welcomes him home, no questions asked, greeting him as the beloved child he still is, despite his having diminished the family's wealth and standing and disregarding the teachings of his faith and his family's values.  No matter what, the father loved and longed for his children.  That's the kind of father Jesus was imagining when he prayed.

 

When we pray to God using the image of God as a parent, and we address God as Father in our prayers during the Eucharist, we claim our place as beloved sons and daughters.  We also claim our place as co-creators with God, heirs to Christ's work to bring about God's kingdom.  Like the very best of parents, the most loving of fathers, God longs to welcome and include each one of us.  We can call on God and find God's presence in our lives; we can offer our whole selves to God.  This Father's Day, as on every day, we can "phone home" and reach out to our father, the same Father to whom Jesus prayed, confident that we are loved and longed for, just as we are.   

We will be organizing the schedule for the 2014-2015 year this summer.  If you are interested or have questions, please call Leslie McGovern (781-438-6389) or email me at mcgovern.r@comcast.net. Not only do the flowers make our worship space more beautiful, but also after the service, the flowers are delivered to parishioners who are ill or unable to come to church.  The lovely arrangements are supplied by The Flower Shoppe of Eric's in Reading and placed on the altar by our Altar Guild.

During the summer the church office is open three days a week:  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8am- noon.  The ENews will be published on an "as needed" basis.

Although there is no Sunday School or childcare during the summer, children's bulletins, crayons and pencils are available each week on the table by the door to the hallway.  Please take one on your way in.

Hopefully, whether here in Reading or away on vacation, each member of the Good Shepherd family will be able to take time on Sundays for thanks and praise, refreshment and renewal.

Situated on 350 pristine acres on Otter Lake in Greenfield, New Hampshire, The Barbara Harris Camp is a ministry of our diocese, serving children and young people from all over the Diocese of Massachusetts and indeed from other states and even abroad.  The Camp is accredited by the American Camping Association and offers all of the traditional experiences of "sleep away" camp: hiking, a ropes course, canoeing and water sports, archery, arts and crafts, music and skits, and great food.  More importantly, The Camp is a welcoming and inclusive place to make friends, to grow in faith, and to experience dynamic worship. 

Once again we are participating as a partner church for the summer B-SAFE program.  

B-SAFE provides safe, fun programming for 500 elementary and middle school students in need at five different sites in Boston, and is coordinated by St. Stephen's in the South End. Kim Manzelli is leading the Good Shepherd team again this summer -- thank you Kim!!

Our site is St. Luke's in Chelsea, where we provide lunch and a snack to the kids and staff.  We are sharing a week with St. Paul's Lynnfield.  Good Shepherd's days at St. Luke's will be Wednesday, July 16 and Thursday, July 17.  We will share the field trip on Friday, July 18 (destination TBD).  Please mark your calendars, and watch your email for signup information.

What a beautiful celebration last Sunday!  Liam Daly made his informed communion.  Two children were baptized and welcomed into the Good Shepherd community:  Chloe Colleen Brawn, daughter of Lesley and Michael Brawn, and Louisa Mele Masunaga, daughter of Erin McLaughlin and Eric Masunaga.  And graduating senior John Fitzgerald was recognized.

Here are some photos -- for more, visit our website at www.goodshepherdreading.org.