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Lenten Daily Reflection 2020-03-09

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Mark 3:7 - 19

 

7 Jesus departed with his disciples to the lake, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; 8hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. 9He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him;10for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. 11Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ 12But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

13 He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. 14And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles,* to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message,15and to have authority to cast out demons. 16So he appointed the twelve:* Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Then he went home;

My life feels somewhat chaotic at the moment. We have a baby on the way and a rambunctious three year old, and I’m going through some professional changes. Not to mention the primaries, coronavirus, and climate change.

Most days it’s almost all I can do to care for myself and my family, let alone my friends and coworkers and the other seven billion people in the world.

I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way. It feels a little like being crushed by the crowd of my to-do lists, the friends and family who I haven’t called in a while, the planning meetings with fellow activists I’ve missed, everything I can’t quite handle right now.

In recent weeks, saying morning or evening prayer has been helpful. The familiar prayers give me a chance to pause, like a moment alone on a quiet lake or peaceful walk on a mountain. The prayers help put things in perspective, reminding me that I am a small part of a much larger story, over which I have little control. The history of failures, small and large, that haunt me in the middle of the night can be forgiven. I do not have to face the fear I sometimes feel alone. These are things I know, but in these anxious times it can be easy to forget.

That pause for prayer and quiet, the chance to return to what I know is true, is only one part of the story, of course. Jesus goes back into the crowds and sends out the disciples to do God’s work in the world.

It’s an ongoing cycle of rest and return, prayer and service. I’d say it’s a little like breathing, in and out, but that implies it comes naturally, which it does not. Not for me, anyway. Making space for quiet is hard work. And so is doing the work of loving others - our family, friends, and the world. Yet, I believe, they are both required of us, and the only way to serve the world without being crushed by the crowd.



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Posted by Jeremy Sierra

Staying Safe, Informed, and Caring for Each Other (Coronavirus)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
For good reason, there is a lot of concern, and for many a great deal of fear, in regards to COVID-19/Coronavirus.  As we said yesterday in church, we will not succumb to fear, but we WILL act smartly and use precautions.   
 
We live in NYC, and that means most of us are required to use public transportation, we have children in school, we are going to work - we are in constant contact with other people.  Just living our regular day to day lives right now can bring on a lot of fear - and it is hard in the midst of so much fear - it takes a toll on us. We want to urge you to be in touch with us if you find yourself overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, we are here for you for pastoral counseling, even if it is not in person.
 
We want to encourage everyone to remember that we have each other - and that this is one of the great moments for technology - that we can check in with each other and support each other in a variety of ways.  It is a moment for us as Christians to be good neighbors and check in on people who we know are already isolated and maybe feeling more so now.  Don't hesitate to be in touch with others via phone, FaceTime, Skype. 
 
The precautions we are taking at Holy Apostles:
 
  • As of March 8, 2020, communion will be distributed in one kind only - that is the bread, no longer distributed at the communion rail, but standing up.
  • The pews will be wiped down weekly using disinfectant wipes, immediately following the service.
  • We will no longer hold hands during the Lord's Prayer, shake hands or hug during the peace.
The precautions we are asking you to take:
  • If you are feeling ill, have a fever or a cough, please stay home.
  • If you have traveled to an infected area, or have come in contact with people who are under quarantine, please consult health officials.
  • Wash your hands regularly, do not touch your face (eyes, nose, mouth) & use hand sanitizer.
Communication during this time is incredibly important. We will continue to be in touch with you all, check in and keep you up to date with what we are doing. 
 
In peace,
The Mothers


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Lenten Daily Reflection 2020-03-07

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1 Corinthians 4: 1 - 7

 

4 Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.  Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy. 3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. 4I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore do not pronounce judgement before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.

I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, brothers and sisters,* so that you may learn through us the meaning of the saying, ‘Nothing beyond what is written’, so that none of you will be puffed up in favour of one against another. 7For who sees anything different in you?*What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?
 
History is full of charismatic leaders. Not even the best ideas truly sell themselves – movements need heroes, men and women that embody the virtues of the ideology and possess the power of persuasion necessary to sway hearts and minds.  The singular hero provides the group with an essential focus for their emotions surrounding the group’s ideals – they allow the followers to fall in love.

It seems to me that when God came to us in the form of Jesus Christ, He took a gamble. Believing in the power of His message, He created for himself an earthly medium through which to announce it. He must have thought 33 years would be long enough – after all, a message so powerful, so good and true, surely we would get it the first time. But as anyone who’s ever tried to get a five-year-old to get their shoes on can tell you, you wouldn’t believe how many times you need to repeat a message before it finally sinks in. And with Christ crucified, the burden of the precious message fell to His followers to spread. Lesser vessels, but as when a parent leaves the teenager in charge of the younger children, there must have been a hope that the authority created by the message itself would be enough to overcome the flaws of its new stewards. But again, as anyone who’s ever left a teenager in charge of a five-year-old can tell you, sometimes you come home to find the entire house covered in Cool Whip.

Poor Paul is trying his best here to remind the Corinthians to keep their eyes and hearts on the message as it was handed down by God’s most perfect messenger. But ideas, even holy ones, are tricky – we’ve all played telephone, we know how easily messages are distorted even when there isn’t some smart-aleck who changes the words to something involving butts.  And here we are, two thousand years and billions of transfers between us and the original. The Church itself has taken on so many different forms, and we have fallen under the sway of countless messengers. The crucial thing that Paul is laying out here, a message I’m sure he hoped would reverberate throughout history, is this: Put not your faith in anything or anyone but the Word. Not in me nor in any other human messenger, but in the Word and the loving ideals contained in the Word. If there’s anything history has shown us, it’s to be wary of leaders that claim that they alone can save us – strongmen who ask that we put our trust in them personally. Even Jesus was frank about his role – he was a carrier medium, a transmitter. Beware the leader, Paul is saying, who claims to have all the answers. We were all given the answers already – keep your hearts on the prize and let God sort it out in good time.


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Posted by Emily Flake

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