Upcoming Events

Saturday, Oct. 25:

Feed the Homeless

10:30 AM

 Sunday, Oct. 26:

Bishop Gulick's visitation.

10:30 service

Falls Church CROP Hunger Walk
Registration: 1:00 p.m.    Walk start: 1:30 p.m.
 

Odeon Concert, 4:00 PM

Birthdays

October

2 Charles Hiller
4 Nghia Nguyen
6 Catherine Leonard
12 Jean Wetrich
12 Viet-Long Tran
14 Hong Van Phan
16 Joe Hiller
17 Natalie Dang-Ellis
17 Jorden Benjamin
22 Emmeline Pizzola
22 Matthew Pizzola
22 Tess Miller
23 Paul Los, Jr.
27 Victoria Coker-Gunter
28 Harriette Benjamin
30 Carolyn Gawarecki
 

Our Prayer List

We remember in our prayer:

Cathy Anderson, Dee Bailey, Kari Boeskov, Brandon, Rachel Burgess, Jane Chapman, Marie Cosimano, Tim Clary, Dorothy Connelly, John Davis, Michael Dickinson, Loretta Dougherty, Steve Escobar, Nance Finegan, Luis Garay, Carolyn Gawarecki, Louise Gibney, Jean Graham, Katherine Hafele, Margaret Ellis Harris, Alek Hensley, Leslie Hogan, Cindy Hogman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Michael Horn,  Lindsay Johns, Gray Johnson, Jamie Kaplon, Laura Kennedy, Iona Kiger, Quinn Kimball, Alice King, Michael Knowles, Ashley Kolitz, Peter Kosutic, Susan Lawrence, Thai Lee, Bruce Lineker, Sharon Lineker, Evelyn Morgan, Danielle Morgan, Que Nguyen, Chick Nixon, Mary Esther Obremskey, Tom Olander, Olive Oliver, Jim Owens, Gary Owens, Valerie Parkhouse, William Ross, Fern Shuck, Irene Skowron, Josh Smithers, Inez Stanton, Candi Stewart, Patrick Stefl, Barbara Stefl, Kara Stryker, Walter Sushko, George Thomas, Elizabeth Trigg, Tammy Vanphung, Michael Weekes, Warren Weinstein, The Crowley Family, The Westfall Family, Meredith Wiech, Bernard Williams, Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard, Rudy Zimpel.

               ____ 

Note: If you have a loved one or friend who needs prayer please call the church and leave a message at 703-532-5656, or write to Winnie Lebo at

thelebos@verizon.net  or call her at 703-536-2075.  Also, should a name need be removed from the list, please let Winnie know promptly, and give the reason.  

Saint Patrick's Ministers 

The Ministers of Saint Patrick's Church are the People of this Parish

supported by

The Rev. Marian Humphrey, Interim Rector

We serve our Lord as part of the Diocese of Virginia

led by

our chief pastors

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Sherwood Johnston, Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff

Bishop Suffragan 

and  

The Rt. Rev. Ted Gulick,

Assistant Bishop 

The Vision of St. Patrick's

Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church is a community of care, called to be Christ-centered and multicultural in worship, Christian education and action to proclaim  Christ's love to the world.

St. Patrick's Organized for Missions and Ministry 

SAINT PATRICK'S ORGANIZED

FOR MISSIONS AND MINISTRY

Other members of the Vestry:   Elisabeth Nguyen, Milton Thomas, Victoria Kennedy, Ann Nelson. 

GROUPS AND ACTIVITIES

The Propers 

Given by The Rev. Marian Humphrey  

October 12, 2014

Today's Scripture readings challenge us to orient ourselves towards the ways of God rather than the roads we fashion for ourselves.  Over 30 years ago, I was a recent college graduate eager to do well in my first professional job. I had been hired as a high school religion teacher at one of the Diocesan Catholic High schools. The high schools were known by their locations within the Diocese. The one I taught in was South Catholic. South had developed a specialized curriculum that emphasized a concentration on the subjects of math and science.

Teaching in this innovative program was considered a privilege. Even the religion classes were supposed to be specialized. As I interviewed for the position, I learned that I was expected to teach an outdoor education class based on outdoor leadership skill and the moral theories of Lawrence Kolhberg. I had never heard of him and I doubted that many of the sophomores in my classes had either.

Needless to say, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Do you know how frightening it is to face 35 sophomores and not have a clue?  The rest of that story is for another time. Suffice it to say that it was a lonely and difficult year.

One of the exercises that the staff engaged in was called a trust walk. This activity pairs you up with another person who leads you from place to place while you are blindfolded. When you are told to stop by the leader, you change places with your partner and now are led around blindfolded. I learned that I do not like being out of control. I cringe when I must place my safety in the hands of a peer especially if I perceive that they don't have a clue either. I am much more comfortable taking care of myself than trusting others. Over the years, I have struggled with trusting God with my life as well as my future. Maybe some here this morning know what I am talking about? Do any of you struggle to trust God?

The Israelites were in a similar place in the reading from Exodus this morning. God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt and had sent them Moses to lead them out of the misery and death they experienced in that country. God had parted the Red Sea so they could make the crossing more easily. Yahweh was in their midst as they headed for the Promised Land-the land of milk and honey God promised them. Hearing the people grumble and complain that they had more food in Egypt and wanted to return there again, Yahweh fed them with manna as they crossed the desert throughout their 40 years of wandering.

Now after all God had done for His people, while Moses was on the mountain top with God receiving the Ten Commandments; the people decide that they needed a visible representation of God to worship- a god they could see. The people told Aaron Moses' brother that they were tired of waiting for "this Moses to return". They wanted a new god and they wanted him now! Can these be the same people that had affirmed, "Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do?" Sounds like the people had no memory of how much God cares for them. Perhaps the people were afraid of being abandoned by God. They feared Moses had deserted them because he was on the mountaintop for so long. They also fear that Moses won't return at all. What thoughts or actions or words do we use when we become afraid that God has abandoned us?

The people turn to Aaron the brother and assistant to Moses. They express how they are feeling in no certain terms. Aaron gives in to the angry crowd and acquiesces to their demands. From the jewelry of the people, Aaron fashions an idol of a golden calf and declares a festival (a celebration to Yahweh). It does not take long for things to get out of hand and chaos ensues.

The impatience of the people might have a parallel to the present life of St. Patrick's parish. Some members might be feeling abandoned by Fr. Ting. He left us unprepared....We weren't ready... or some feel abandoned by the Diocese. Why can we proceed directly to a new Search process- why do we have to have an Interim priest at all? What if there are too many changes and people leave- what then? What if we don't like the changes?

In times of transition, we must all trust God. We must trust that we all have the best of intentions. We must rely on Jesus' promise to be with us until the end of time. God is always doing something new in our midst. Our responsibility is to listen, watch and pray. Change is unsettling. It is to be expected that there should be some anxiety. We must look towards the promised land- a new creation for St. Patrick's. God will not abandon you- St. Patrick's. God has plans for this parish.

Let us look to Paul's letter to the church in Philippi for help. Paul encourages us all to, "Stand firm in the Lord." Let us lean into the faith we have received that assures us that "we can do all things through Christ from whom we receive our strength. And let us all rejoice because "the Lord is near."

And for this, let us all pray AMEN!