Thy kingdom come

Last Sunday after Pentecost/Christ the King Sunday/Year B

Nov 21, 2021

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93; John 18:33-37

Opening prayer: (from Faith at Home)

Everlasting God, you show us love through the life of Jesus, the King of Kings. Guide us to follow Jesus’ example and love others, as you have first loved us. Amen.

Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the church year. It’s a day to honor and celebrate Jesus, as the King of kings, as the One who we believe has come into this world, to testify to the Truth of God’s love, through his life, death and resurrection. We honor and celebrate Jesus, as King of kings, the Lord of lords, of a kingdom, not of this world. But of a kingdom of love, God’s beloved community, where all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God. (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/beloved-community/)

In the words of the Lord’s Prayer, we recite each week, we pray with persistent hope, that this kingdom of love, God’s beloved community, will come when we boldly say…thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…

I don’t know about you…but I am so ready for this kingdom to come right here and now…I truly long for the day when violence and oppression no longer rules the hearts and minds of humankind…I truly long for the day when hatred and injustice no longer divides the people of this world. I truly long for the day when all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God.

I truly long for the day, when God’s kingdom will come, when God’s will, will be done, here on earth, as in heaven…

Here’s the thing…when we pray for God’s kingdom to come among us, when we pray for God’s will to be done here on earth, as in heaven….it takes us all…we need to atune our hearts and minds and hands and feet to the One who is already revealing God’s kingdom of love in this world - Jesus…the One who has already testified to the truth, time and time again, as is revealed in the scriptures, and as revealed in the lives of those who have listened closely to Jesus’ words, and have followed in Jesus’ footsteps before us… and even those among us now…who are part of the kingdom-building work of proclaiming and testifying to the truth of God’s love, as revealed to us in the loving, liberating, and life-giving way of Jesus.

We don’t usually talk much about Kings and kingdoms in our everyday lives now…but, in today’s language…we might think of Kings as our leaders…the ones we look up to, the ones we want to seek guidance and direction from, the ones who inspire us and encourage us to keep on keeping on…the ones who provoke us to boldly and persistently pray with hope in our hearts, and in the loving, liberating, life-giving actions of our lives,  for God’s kingdom to come, for God’s will to be done, here on earth, as in heaven…

Today, as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday…We are all invited to turn our focus once again towards Jesus, the King of kings, a compassionate, loving, world-transformational leader who invites us to follow Him, in walking in a way of love, that seeks to build up God’s kingdom, God’s beloved community here on earth, as in heaven; a kingdom of love where all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God.

(https://www.episcopalchurch.org/beloved-community/)

Prayer to the King of Glory - written by Rev Abi

Lord, we pray for your Kingdom to come here now,

bringing a kingdom of justice, righteousness, hope, love,

peace, mercy and grace for all.

Lord, we ask that you rule in our hearts,

lead in this world and govern over your kingdom.

Jesus, You are the King of Glory,

You are the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings.

And we pray that your Kingdom will reign forever

in our hearts and in this world. Amen.

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

Hymn after sermon: The Hymnal 1982 - #544 Jesus shall reign where’er the sun

Hold fast to HOPE

25 Pentecost/Year B

Nov 14, 2021

Daniel 12:1-3 ; Psalm 16; Mark 13:1-8

We all want to know, right? We want to know (yesterday)…what’s going to happen today…We want to know today, what’s going to happen tomorrow, and the next day, and the next month…and the next year….and we want to know all of that…(yesterday!)

We’ve become experts these past couple of years during the pandemic with asking all kinds of questions and living with the tension of not having clear answers….especially the ones that capture our longing and desire to know “when”…Early on, we wanted to know when we would be able to visit loved ones in facilities again…to know when the kids would be able to resume in person school again…to know when we could sit down in our favorite restaurants again…to know when it would be safe to travel again…to know when there would be a vaccine or treatment available for the COVID-19 virus…Early on, and now…we want to know when this pandemic and the various restrictions will end…we want to know when we can get back to gathering like we used to…we want to know when those without jobs will be able to start work again….we want to know when those who had to put off surgeries and treatments because of the pandemic will be able to finally get some relief…

The “when” wonderings can trouble us…yet they can also lead us to learn to hold fast to HOPE…The HOPE that reminds us that God has been with us all along, that God is with us now…and that God will be with us…when the new day dawns…

Every day, we wake up…we want to know…we want clear answers to our questions. We want to know all the who, what, when, where, why details to set our minds and hearts at ease.

In today’s gospel reading, Peter, James, John and Andrew want to know “when” and what…and Jesus’ response to their questions, doesn’t exactly come through as a clear answer, in their minds…(or ours)…or at least not the answer, they or we wanted to hear…

The reading starts off with Jesus coming out of the temple, and with one of his disciples saying to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

Then Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?”

Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.”

If we look and listen carefully to this passage of scripture…we do see glimmers of hope in the uncertainty of the times that Jesus is talking about. He doesn’t give them a “set time” or even a whole long list of specific signs so that they would know exactly when something would take place….but he assures them…in the midst of all that looks like destruction and end times…that they need not be alarmed…that looking around at the suffering and the destruction, yes, there will be endings….but endings with the promise of giving birth to something new…something new that we can’t quite know yet…something new that can only arise out of the ashes of death, and the dust of the earth…something new that is birthed in HOPE: hope and trust in The Word of God, and the promises being fulfilled in our hearing of the scriptures through Jesus Christ, and by the inspiration  of the Holy Spirit.

Hope is what Jesus is asking the disciples and us to hold onto…Hope when we don’t know when…Hope when we don’t see the signs, yet…Hope when we can’t understand what’s happening now…Hope when the answers we desire seem so far off and out of reach…or beyond our understanding….In the midst of all the unknowns, Jesus is inviting us to HOPE and trust in His words and his promises…

The bible is full of stories that teach us about hope and trusting in His words and promises…It’s important that we take time often to read and meditate on God’s Holy Word…so that we may embrace and ever hold fast to this blessed Hope…

In our opening collect today, we prayed:

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ…

The scriptures, are the living Word of God…they continue to inspire us, and equip us for the many difficult days we endure in our lifetimes…and they can help us as we navigate the many mysteries, and the unanswered “who, what, when, where, why” questions, that rest heavily on our hearts…

The scriptures are meant to inspire and inform our lives, guiding us and leading us in ways to provoke one another to love and good deeds…They are meant to remind us of the importance of meeting together regularly…to worship with one another, pray with one another, encourage one another, build up hope for one another, not only with our lips, but in our lives….

Hope is built in community, where Jesus is the center of all creation, and the love of Christ unites us….

And in this community, we learn together, and we are strengthened by our presence with one another, what it means to continue to hope, even when we hear of wars and rumors of wars, even when we hear of destruction, division, turmoil, violence, disasters…even when all the signs of endings are all around us…

As we move closer to the end of this liturgical year on the church calendar, and prepare to begin a new season of Advent, a season of preparing for the coming of Christ to be born anew in our hearts…let us hold fast to HOPE…

The HOPE that reminds us that in all our questions and wonderings and in all our endings… God has been with us all along, that God is with us now…and that God will be with us…when the new day dawns…when the dream of God’s beloved community will come…here on earth…as in heaven….

What a morning that will be…

My Lord, what a morning,

My Lord, what a morning,

My Lord, what a morning,

When the stars begin to fall.

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

Hymn after the sermon: My Lord, What a Morning

RECORDING: My Lord What A Morning  (The Golden Gate Quartet)

For All the Saints - we give thanks!

All Saints Sunday Sermon/Year B

Nov 7, 2021

Isaiah 25:6-9, Psalm 24, Revelation 21:1-6a, John 11:32-44

I know I’ve said this before…but it’s worth repeating again...All Saints Sunday is my favorite special day on the church calendar…There are so many things to love about this day…

I love that we can set aside this day to remember our connection to those who have gone on before us…yet are still so alive in our hearts now and who still move us and inspire us to keep on going…to keep on living…to keep on hoping….to keep on loving one another…

Officially, November 1st is All Saints Day – the day we remember the famous saints, who have been the movers and shakers in the history of the church in ages past… Nov 2nd is All Souls Day - the day we remember the everyday saints who have died, the ones we call mom, dad, grandma, grandpa…the ones we know as teacher, firefighter, fisherwoman, nurse, artist, musician…the list of names could go on and on and on…

Many churches, merge them both together, All Saints and All Souls, and celebrate ALL the saints on the closest Sunday after November 1st…So here we are…celebrating ALL Saints Sunday, here at St Peter’s…in communion with many churches nationwide today…

All Saints Sunday has been especially meaningful in my mind and heart these past couple of years, in this time of the pandemic…There have been so many losses, so many deaths; so many tears, seen and unseen…yet, in the midst of such sorrows, we have been reminded over and over again of the hope and the love that abides in us, and among us, in the selfless examples of love and kindness that have been poured out for our neighbors near and far…

We have been witness to these saints of God in action in this time of the pandemic…in so many inspiring and uplifting ways…

All Saints Sunday is a good time to remember that we don’t navigate this world alone…by our baptisms into the household of God, we are always in the company of those saints who have gone on before us…those beloveds who still manage to inspire us, encourage us to keep on going…to keep on living…to keep on hoping….to keep on loving one another…

On All Saints Sunday, our scriptures give us incredible words of hope to hold fast to: that death does not have the final say….that tears and sorrows will be transformed into ineffable joys… that the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces …

We are given a vision of a new heaven and earth to behold:

"See, the home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell with them as their God;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them;

he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away."

In our gospel reading today, Jesus shows up to be present with those who were grieving, he loves them, he wept with those who were weeping, he cried out to God with those who were crying out to God, longing for answers. He wiped every tear from their eyes. He raised Lazarus to new life…he invited the others to unbind him and let him go…

Jesus set an example for us to follow…he gave us a glimpse of what love can do in a time of such sorrow….what abiding in hope with one another can lead to next…

That’s one of the beautiful gifts the saints of God have given to us…they have showed us what it means to walk in the way of love that Jesus has revealed to them in times of grief and sorrow…we have seen on their faces the tears of sorrow transformed into tears of joy…

Now more than ever….we need to look to the inspiration of the saints of God to help us navigate these changing times in our world…to inspire us to keep on going…to keep on living…to keep on hoping….to keep on loving one another…

AND….Now more than ever….the world needs each one of us to step up into the long line of saints being called to follow Jesus NOW in the way of love that heals and reconciles us to one another…so that all may come to know the ineffable joys, of being united to one another in the family of God….

From the words of Steven Charleston: Your song will not end. The kindness you have shown. The wisdom you have shared. The love you have given. None of that will end. It will go on and on, passed like an heirloom of faith from person to person, not only of your own family, but between the countless others you have known, cared for, worked with, prayed for and respected. You have made music with your life. You have made a witness. The harmony you have embodied and the hope you have embraced will sing on after you, sing on into generations yet to come. Your vision will live in many hearts until one joyous day it joins the chorus of life that began when Spirit first started to sing.

For all the saints, we pray and give thanks!

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

Hymn after the sermon: The Hymnal 1982 - #279 For thy dear saints, O Lord

1        For thy dear saints, O Lord,

          who strove in thee to live,

          who followed thee, obeyed, adored,

          our grateful hymn receive.

2        They all in life and death,

          with thee their Lord in view,

          learned from thy Holy Spirit’s breath

          to suffer and to do.

3        Thine earthly members fit

          to join thy saints above,

          in one communion ever knit,

          one fellowship of love.

4        Jesus, thy Name we bless,

          and humbly pray that we

          may follow them in holiness,

          who lived and died for thee.

Today's Sermon : Love in Action

Check out today’s sermon: Love in Action…(wtritten and shared by Kit Mellema)

Pop-up Prayer

22 Pentecost/Year B

Oct 24, 2021

Psalm 126; Jeremiah 31:7-9; Mark 10:46-52

Pop-up Prayer

A few years back, The Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invited us to become part of the Jesus Movement by adopting a rule of life, based on ancient monastic communities who shaped their lives around rhythms and disciplines for following Jesus together. He gave us a framework to use called The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life.

It includes seven practices...Turn – Learn – Pray – Worship – Bless – Go – Rest…and it doesn’t need to be followed in any particular order…

We’ve been exploring these practices the past several weeks in our books and conversations gatherings…using the Traveling the Way of Love video storytelling series, that has highlighted several churches and ministries across the United States, engaged in these different practices in their own communities…

This past week at our Books and Conversations gathering, we focused on the practice of Pray, as outlined in The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life. 

It’s described in this way:

PRAY: Dwell intentionally with God each day.

Jesus teaches us to come before God with humble hearts, boldly offering our thanksgivings and concerns to God or simply listening for God’s voice in our lives and in the world. Whether in thought, word or deed, individually or corporately, when we pray, we invite and dwell in God’s loving presence.

We watched and listened to a story about Pop-Up Prayer…a Facebook ministry of “Pop-Up Prayer” that was started up by the Rev Katie Churchwell in the midst of preparing for a hurricane in St Petersburg, Fla, in 2017 when suddenly all the churches, buildings and businesses had to shut their doors in preparation for the storm and everyone suddenly found themselves cut off from the church, and everything that gave them comfort.

Her pop-up prayer ministry on facebook was a mix of simple prayers, short morning and evening prayer services, all offered, from her home, with her family, and at varying times of the day, and without a set time.

As I reflect on her ministry of Pop-Up Prayer, and the description of the practice of Pray…I am struck, how she humbly, and boldly offered this time of prayer, in a great time of need, and clearly in response to listening for God’s voice, in the lives and in the people in her community. Facebook and prayer together was a new and bold offering back in 2017. I’m sure you can all identify with it presently, in this time of the pandemic…as a pretty common way to pray and worship together. And a powerful testimony to remind one another, of God’s loving presence and our connectedness being only a prayer away.

This practice of Pray and Pop-Up Prayer reminds me of Bartimeaus, the blind beggar, in our gospel reading today.  He gives us another great visual of what pop-up prayer might look like. He’s just sitting alongside the road, when he heard it was Jesus, who was about to pass him by.  He shouted and called out to Jesus, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”…And when the others tried to quiet him down, he persisted all the more, and even more loudly, with his prayer, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still. And told the others, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” Bartimaeus sprang up, throwing off his cloak, perhaps the one thing that protected him, and brought him much comfort and security…and he came to Jesus. His pop-up prayer…led him to Jesus…face to face…heart to heart…Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man answered him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.

I wonder how many of us recognize that we’ve probably been engaged pretty regularly during this time of the pandemic in the practice of “Pop-up prayer”. Only we don’t often think of it as that. I know I’ve often talked about our need to set aside time to dwell intentionally with God in prayer, in some times of silence and quiet. So, I am loving this other image of prayer, that reminds us that at any time, and in any place, and in any situation we find ourselves in…when we humbly and boldly cry out to Jesus, to God, in our time of need….our cries for mercy and God’ amazing grace will always be heard…Jesus asks us always what we need, and awaits our response…waits to hear our desires and our hopes….and our faith helps us to trust this, and know this…and to believe that indeed, we are seen by God, we are called beloved…But it doesn’t stop at just knowing this, our faith invites us to respond, to start anew with following Jesus, in the way of love…just as Bartimaeus did….Being showered in God’s love, mercy and amazing grace, it’s a renewed call to GO: witness to the love, justice, and truth of God with our lips and with our lives….

Closing prayer: O Jesus Christ, teacher and healer, you heard the cry of the blind beggar when others would have silenced him. Teach us to be persistent in prayer and give us courage to ask plainly what we need from you, that we might respond in your name by the power of the Spirit through the ministry entrusted to us for the sake of the gospel. Amen.

(Posted on Thematic, Intercessory and Scripture Prayers for the RCL, Vanderbilt Divinity Library. (http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/)

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Music Reflection after Sermon: Amazing Grace - sung by Ali Hosford

1        Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,

          that saved a wretch like me!

          I once was lost but now am found,

          was blind but now I see.

2        ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

          and grace my fears relieved;

          how precious did that grace appear

          the hour I first believed!

3        The Lord has promised good to me,

          his word my hope secures;

          he will my shield and portion be

          as long as life endures.

4        Through many dangers, toils, and snares,

          I have already come;

          ’tis grace that brought me safe thus far,

          and grace will lead me home.

5        When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

          bright shining as the sun,

          we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

          than when we’d first begun.

We are seen, heard and loved...

20th Sunday after Pentecost/Year B

Oct 10, 2021

Psalm 90:12-17; Amos 5:6-7,10-15; Mark 10:17-31

Help! That seems to be the cry of desperation of the man who ran up to Jesus and knelt before Him, in our gospel reading today…

The man asked Jesus: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Jesus’ response was probably not what the man was expecting…we are told that he was shocked…and went away grieving…It appears as if this man really believed he was already being faithful enough, doing all the things he thought he should do to inherit eternal life….and thinking that by following all the commandments, at the end of the day, he could just check everything off his list of “good things” done for the day. Perhaps he was waiting for Jesus to tell him, “well done, good and faithful servant.” But, I suspect, he knew he was in need of some help, some kind of healing…he knew in his own heart, there was something missing, there was something lacking in his life.

And Jesus addresses his quiet cry for help…by telling him….yes…there is something lacking…. Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

I wonder what that the one thing was?

Did he really trust God to provide all that he needed?

Did he really believe that God cared for him, even in times, when he doubted his own worth?

Did he really think that God or others would value his worth, if he didn’t have lots of possessions and worldly things to prove himself to be of value or importance to the world?

Did he really trust that if he gave away all that he owned that he would still have more than enough of what he needed for himself?

I wonder if the one thing he lacked was his belief that he was a beloved child of God? That there wasn’t anything more or anything less that would take away from God’s love for him, or for any other person or creature on this earth, or in heaven?

Jesus looked at him, loved him…reminded him in that moment…that he was loved…that the possessions he was holding on to so tightly could never take the place of this love…Without this love, the love of God revealed to us in the way of love that Jesus has shown us, time and time again, there would always be the gnawing feeling that something was missing…

As we go to God in prayer, turning our hearts and our whole selves to kneel before Jesus, to cry out for help and healing, we discover what is missing….the saving power of God’s love to restore us into the beloved community with God and one another…in this life…and for eternal life…  

By God’s grace, and through the saving power of God’s love poured out for us in Christ Jesus, we discover that we are indeed a beloved child of God.

Imagine, how our daily lives would be transformed by the knowledge of this truth of God’s love for us?

Imagine how each other’s lives would be transformed, if we spent time every day sharing this generous love, and our gifts with one another?

Just imagine a world, where we all love one another and respect the dignity of every human being…we know it’s possible….for with God, all things are possible….

May the graciousness, (and the love) of the Lord our God be upon us; *

prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork. Psalm 90:17

HYMN after sermon: Spirit of God, Unseen as the Wind

Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,

gentle as is the dove:

teach us the truth and help us believe,

show us the Saviour’s love!

1 You spoke to us long, long ago,

gave us the written word;

we read it still, needing its truth,

through it God’s voice is heard.

Refrain

2 Without your help we fail our Lord,

we cannot live his way;

we need your power, we need your strength,

following Christ each day.

Refrain

Words: Margaret Old (1932-2002)

Music: Skye boat Song, Scottish traditional melody; arr. James Whitbourn

Meter: 86. 86 with Refrain

Chet Valley Churches

https://youtu.be/ozWAspk5Zcg

FROM THE SITKA SENTINEL: CLIMATE CONNECTION

OCT 1, 2021

Climate Connection: Feeling Change: October

We have experienced another summer of extreme weather events. For all the destruction caused, they have also brought an increasing awareness of what a changing climate looks like. And especially what it feels like, in all its unsettling uneasiness. And with this awareness, there seems to be a growing appetite for solutions. 

When approaching a problem, an important first step is to define the task at hand. For climate change, our collective task is becoming clearer. It’s to change those behaviors and activities that are pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and warming the planet. Or more simply put: to stop burning so much fossil fuel. 

As individuals though, this can feel overwhelming. After all, the scope of this problem is truly global in nature.

Not only that, but we are more closely feeling the impact of a changing climate. If we didn’t directly experience an extreme weather event this year, it’s likely we know someone who did. Someone whose home flooded, or was threatened by fire. Someone who was without electricity or air conditioning during sweltering heat waves. Someone who had to hunker down during unusually powerful storms.

We need to understand the nature of the problem that climate change poses. Because in some important ways it’s not like other problems. It’s something that is both everywhere and nowhere at once. We can’t exactly touch it , but we can feel it all over the place.

One term to describe these kinds of problems is as hyperobjects. Other hyperobjects include COVID, the internet or black holes. Things so big, they are beyond our ability to fully grasp.  They also tend to challenge our belief in human mastery. After all, it’s this belief that gives us the confidence to complete a task or solve a problem. 

And this is what can make climate change so scary. It’s not only the scope of the problem, but the threat it poses. Not just the threat to our own and other lives but a profound threat to the possibility of life itself.

So we know our collective challenge in reversing the trends driving climate change. But what about our task at the personal level? Can we define this in a way that gives us a map to move forward and courage to meet this challenge? The next few articles here will explore these questions. 

––––––––––

John Lewis is a behavioral health professional and a member of the Sitka Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

Posted in the Sitka Sentinel on Oct 1, 2021

Could anyone ever see enough of this splendor?

Creation Care Sunday

Oct 3, 2021

Sirach 42:15-25, Psalm 104:1, 2b-5, 10-13,Matthew 6:26-34                                                            

Periodically, throughout the year, we take the time during a Sunday service, to focus on Creation Care…Of course, this isn’t meant to suggest that our focus on creation care should only be a once in awhile thing to think about …It just gives us an opportunity, today,  to intentionally turn our hearts and minds, once again, to the gifts of God, and the glory of God, revealed to us in Creation…in the land, the mountains, the deserts, the trees, the waters, the animals, the birds, the fish, the butterflies, the planets, the stars, the expanse of the skies, and in the people all around us…It’s meant to re-awaken the gift of wonder in us…as we are reminded of the magnificence and beauty of God’s handiwork in all things bright and beautiful, in all creatures great and small, and in all the wise and wonderful things made by God, as revealed to us in the scriptures, in our prayers, in the music, and as we look at the created world all around us, in the places, we call home….And it allows for a moment of contemplation, in the midst of our time together today to wonder, “Could anyone ever see enough of this splendor?” (Sirach 42:25)

“Could anyone ever see enough of this splendor?” (Sirach 42:25)

When was the last time, a question like this even bubbled up in your heart…with such deep gratitude…for the beautiful works of God and the gifts of God given to us, in creation?

When was the last time these opening words from A General Thanksgiving (from our Book of Common prayer) came to mind, and you couldn’t help but to speak them out loud…

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

If we are honest with ourselves, we would admit that we often fall short, in taking time to thank and praise God for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

Somewhere along the way, as we grow into adults…our hearts and our minds get quite distracted by so many other things…we grow weary of all the changes and chances of this life…we get discouraged by the never-ending sufferings and heartaches that affect our families and friends, we fill up our time with so many other things that draw our attention away from the simple beauty in the gifts of creation that have so much to teach us and so much to reveal to us, about the nearness of God…As we become adults, we often “think” on too many impossibilities, instead of the infinite possibilities when we look at the created world through the eyes and the heart of God…And as noted in this week’s Every Perfect Gift reflection, “we replace the act of wonder with the practice of worry.”

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus invites us to look to the wonder of creation, to ease our worries. He says to his disciples who are worried about many things - Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

 Children, too, have a lot to teach us about the gift of wonder in creation… Have you ever watched or walked with a child taking a hike in the woods or on a trail…or perhaps at the shore of the beach…they take notice of every little thing…the color, the movement, the texture, the smell…they ask questions, and more questions, and more questions…they never grow tired of wondering…they never grow tired of being amazed at all the wonderous gifts in creation…

So, yes, we can learn so much from Jesus about the wonders of creation to ease our worries, and we can learn so much from the children about keeping the curiosity and wonder alive in our minds and in our hearts, so as to never give up hope for what is still to come…and we can vow to make a renewed commitment to practice more wonder and joy in the gifts of God, revealed in creation… and we can stop regularly for a moment of contemplation to wonder aloud, or in silence, “Could anyone ever see enough of this splendor?” (Sirach 42: 25)

But, it can’t stop there…with just the awe of it all…we are called to respond with gratitude, not only with our lips, but in our lives…in the ways we love and cherish and care for these beautiful gifts of creation, and in the ways we love and cherish and care for one another today…

Yet, we don’t just do all of this for the sake of this time and this place, and with those we walk with now, but for those who will come long after us…We want them too, to be able to look around at the magnificence and the beauty of God’s handiwork in all things bright and beautiful, in all creatures great and small, and in all the wise and wonderful things made by God…and to be able to just pause for a moment, take a deep breath, and wonder…“Could anyone ever see enough of this splendor?” (Sirach 42:25)

Let us pray: A General Thanksgiving (2007 Version)

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have

done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole

creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life,

and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for

the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best

efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy

and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures

that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the

truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast

obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying,

through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life

again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and

make him known; and through him, at all times and in all

places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

Hymn after the sermon: All Things Bright and Beautiful (H) 405

Organist: Kathi Jones & St Peter’s Choir

It's about a balance of both: A time for prayer and a time for action

18 Pentecost/Year B

Sept 26, 2021

James 5:13-20; Psalm 19:7-14; Mark 9:38-50

Let me begin this morning by asking you to do a quick check-in with yourself about your own well-being…How are you doing this morning? Feeling well-rested or feeling tired? Feeling assured that all will be well or feeling worried and anxious? Feeling hopeful or feeling discouraged? Feeling grateful or feeling a bit disgruntled? Feeling joyful or feeling a little sorrowful?

I wonder if you are like me, at times…when I don’t always have one clear answer to those “either/or” questions… Sometimes, a mix of those feelings can come up in the span of minutes and by the hour…They can change quite often throughout the day, depending on what kind of conversation I’m engaged in, or what I’m reading online in the daily news, or who I’m talking with…or what I’m observing or listening to, in the variety of settings I find myself in…and most especially, I know that the fluctuation of my feelings, is influenced by how faithful I’ve been to setting aside time for prayer, throughout the day…

It can feel pretty unsettling, at times…to live in such a time as this…The toll of this lengthy time of the covid-19 pandemic is having an impact on all of our lives…it’s affecting our spiritual lives, our physical health, and our mental health…all of us…no-one is being spared from the ripple effects of this pandemic…

We can see evident signs of the toll it is taking, in the ways we are interacting with each other in the public square, in the ways we are reacting to what’s going on in our own lives in regards to what is within our control, or the realization of what has never really been within our control…On some days, time seems to be dragging on…on other days, we wake up, and wonder…how could another week have gone by…how can it be that another month has already gone by…Has it really been over 18 months, since the pandemic hit close to home here in Sitka? When, we often lament, will this time of the pandemic and all the suffering associated with it, ever come to an end?

So many questions, at times, with so few answers, it seems, at times… …and the disorientation that we sometimes feel with not always having clear yes or no answers, or being able to make a clear choice between this or that or “either/or”…leaves us wondering…what can we even do?

Well, last week, I shared that there is always one thing we can do…

And that is to just stop for a moment to pray… take a few deep breaths, any time of day, and often throughout the day and evening, knowing that God is present, Jesus is ready to listen, and the Holy Spirit is always ready to comfort.

Prayer, whether it’s in silence, reading the scriptures, listen to music, or taking a walk outside, is always something we can “do”. Time spent in prayer is always time well-spent. It helps us to grow in our understanding of God’s ways, and in our relationship with God; it helps us to better align our desires and longings with God’s vision of what is possible; and it helps us to discern what other things we can “do” to love and support one another…in becoming the beloved community that God created us to be.

It’s a simple beginning…something we can always do…but it’s often the one area of our lives that we easily push aside, and try to cut corners, and just jump on to “do the next thing”.

In our reading from James today, we see that the decision on whether to take the time to pray, or to jump straight to the action is not an either/or decision we are called to make each day…It’s always a balance of both…Taking time for prayer equips us, encourages us, and can lead us to faithfully respond in our actions: to reach out to one another with love, to pray for one another, to confess our sins to one another and forgive one another, so that all of us, the people of God of all ages, races, cultures, and walks of life, working together and walking together, will discover that it is the love of God, and our love for one another, that will bring healing and hope and joy into all our lives, once again, and it will be this love, that we can trust, will carry us safely through to the end of these pandemic times…

Listen again to what we just heard in our reading from James this morning…

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.

The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

Now, more than ever, we need the collective prayers of our faith to help guide us and lead us all to engage in some very simple, life-affirming actions, to encourage one another and support one another, and re-ignite hope and joy for one another, and in our shared lives in this community…and beyond…

I commend to you, once again, a list of 20 simple actions to choose from that came out of our 2020 diocesan convention last year…

20 ways to be United in Christ, in the interest of others

1.  make a phone call to someone

2. contribute to local food banks

3. pray for one another

4. Take a walk with a friend

5. write a prayer note to a church or fellow church member

6. March for equality

7. Vote!

8. Drop off a meal for a friend

9. connect with church members

10. Visit outside with an elder

11. Wear a mask

12. wash your hands

13. Write a thank you note to the medical community

14. sharing our harvest

15. Be patient and kind with one another

16. Sing with a friend (from a distance)

17. clean up trash

18. invite a friend to church

19.Reject cruelty and divisiveness

20. Embrace empathy and diversity

And there’s one more to add to the list this year…that wasn’t an option for us last October… yet, it’s probably one of the most important actions today that will help us all move out of these pandemic times…and will help us lessen the suffering and burden on those who become ill with the covid-19 virus, and will help us lessen the suffering and burden on those on the front lines of our health care systems who are working tirelessly to care for the sick and dying…

21. Get Vaccinated. And encourage others to do the same.

Let us pray: Hear our prayer, O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord;

Incline thine ear to us, and grant us thy peace. Amen.

Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

Hymn after the sermon: Hear Our Prayer, O Lord (LEVS II) 249

Walk for Recovery - Letter to the editor

From the Sitka Sentinel, Sept 23, 2021

‘Walk for Recovery’

Dear Editor: September is National Recovery Month and to honor those in recovery, our community is hosting a masked and socially distanced “Walk for Recovery” on Saturday, Sept. 25, starting at 10 a.m. in front of Centennial Hall. Community resources, button making in honor of recovery and a limited number of free purple T-shirts will be available. Purple is the official color of Recovery Month. 

Recovery is for everyone because it benefits everyone. In recovery, we build new connections to ourselves, our families, and our communities. 

The 2021 National Recovery Month theme, “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community,” reminds people in recovery and those who support them that recovery belongs to all of us.

We are all called to end gatekeeping and welcome everyone to recovery by lowering barriers to recovery support, creating inclusive spaces and programs, and broadening our understanding of what recovery means for people with different experiences. 

While it may be tempting to characterize recovery as a universal experience or single journey, our community is proof there are as many pathways to and of recovery as there are people. Our strength is our diversity and because of who we are, the recovery community has unique opportunities to learn, challenge, grow and dream. By expanding traditional, limited conceptions of recovery, which center on white, heterosexual, cisgender, religious, wealthy perspectives, we enrich everyone’s experience.

Mental health and substance use disorder are not one-size-fit all conditions, nor do they affect everyone equally. Culturally competent multilingual resources and gender-expansive programs should acknowledge and include LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning), BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), and other historically marginalized community members. 

Looking beyond our individual experiences strengthens and supports recovery in all its forms. The recovery community has a powerful foundation of mutual aid, peer support, and adaptability. As we grow in empathy and understanding, we save lives by adding protective factors and building resiliency. We honor the incredible contributions from communities within recovery as groups connect and implement resources that serve their unique needs. 

The powerful bonds built in recovery are life-altering. To honor those bonds, in every form they take, is a significant factor in sustaining recovery as well as building bridges between our communities. When we connect with open minds and hearts, we learn from one another and create life-saving opportunities.

Loyd Platson, Sitka