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Saint James Episcopal Church - Weekly Epistle
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Approaching the 8th Sunday after Pentecost
| August 1st, 2014 |
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 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Jesus The Christ
Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.( Matthew 14: 16-20)
Feeding people resides at the core of Jesus' Gospel message of God's reign. Jesus doesn't withdraw from the scene when he most certainly could. He doesn't retreat from the crowd. He chooses to enter the fray and turns nothing into something very special. He prompts his followers to nourish and encounter people rather than send them away, even under the most impossible circumstances. Disciples can't fathom how to control the situation. They and we often wish to bid the crowd away. Jesus instead blesses food and blesses us, especially those folks who are hungry.
Every time I read this story I wonder, "how did it happen?" I presently think that's the wrong question to ask. A better question might be: "How am I called to feed someone who is famished and how best to offer a meal of one sort or another?"
My internal conversation with The Divine goes something like this.
I hear God say - "You give them something to eat!"
I respond "I don't know how."
God answers "Try anyway. I'll show up somehow."
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Jesus Feeds 5.000 - Laura Jones
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The Gospel message, especially as we read it through this story, seems clear enough. There are times in the faithful life when we set aside our own sense of self, our own need for boundaries, and our well being for the sake of hungry people around us. It is not humanly possible to act in such a way every waking moment. Even Jesus himself ultimately withdraws for rest following this miracle. Yes and.... Christ followers are feeders of people, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and consciously. Presbyterian pastor and theologian Alan Brehm writes:
"When we stay in our fears that there will not be enough or perhaps we aren't good enough, when we just want to send others away to fend themselves, we inevitably withhold the loving kindness and compassion that we have been so generously given. On the other hand, when we let go our fears and concerns about our own well being-at least when the situation calls for it-and open our hearts to the people we encounter with a giving spirit, we become channels of the divine compassion that can have a truly miraculous effect." (Brehm, August, 2011, para. 7).
It is impossible for us to feed all of the hungry people in the world. God knows there are millions of starving children close and far away from St. James. These facts are true and the Gospel truth is that something unbelievable may indeed happen when we show up and offer some portion of our daily bread to someone else who needs it more than we do. Communion shared, whether it be at the altar rail this Sunday, or in some manner on the street somewhere is a gift from God. It happens with our hands and hearts open to the miracle of shared sustenance beyond our limits of human reason or self-control.
Blessings Along The Way, Jim+
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This Week @ St. James and around Westwood
There's an updated website article on the webpage summarizing some key July events.
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Westwood Elementary School - Backpack Drive
Westwood United Methodist Church and other nearby churches are working with the Westwood Elementary School resource coordinator to collect 500 backpacks filled with essential school supplies. Saint James is signing up to support this effort by purchasing and providing 500 packs of pencils, 500 erasers, and 500 pocket folders. Nancy Jacob has graciously volunteered to be the project person to support St. James' involvement in this worthwhile outreach project. The latest info is that we need to collect these school supplies by August 3rd. (This Sunday!) Volunteers will assemble the backpacks on August 10th at Westwood United Methodist Church (Time to be determined). Westwood Elementary's back to school fair is August 17th. Let's get moving! E-mail or talk with Nancy and get involved in making sure our neighborhood children have the resources they need to get off to a successful start in school! | |
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Prepare Ye The Way of The Lord
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Music and children continues to be a
big theme this summer at St. James. About 20 children from " Stage West" are rehearsing for performances of Godspell Junior. Those shows along with a fantastic artistic display of quilts and fabric art pieces is happening at St. James on Aug 8 and 9. Check out the beautiful banners on our webpage for more info. |
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Crowdfunding - Oppotunities to share ideas and more
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Crowdfunding is quickly becoming a popular means for launching, developing, and sharing innovative projects and campaigns. Websites such as Indiegogo and GoFundMe provide entrepreneurs, families, and, organizations social media platforms for sharing their ideas and garnering support.  | | Imagining The Bible anew and sharing its creation into being. |
Outcomes may vary but sometimes the results are miraculous. Consider graphic artist and book designer Adam Lewis Greene's "Bibliotheca" project. He dreamed about crafting a literal but reader-friendly version of The Bible. Ancient texts drafted in modern font without chapters and verses to mess up the stories. He hoped to raise $37,000 to design and publish his biblical edition. He posted a video describing his project to potential donors and buyers. Amazingly, he has raised more than $800.000 for his project. I found out about it because Howie+ posted a note on his Facebook page. I'd love to buy a version of this Bible for St. James' parishioners' and guests' use. Just think, how will Greene's entrepreneurial idea feed millions of spiritually hungry people. Rather than trying to do it on his own, he shared what he had with others around him. Maybe this is how more than 5,000 people got fed on a Galilean hillside? I invite you to watch the "Bibliotheca" video.
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