All Saints’
The Weekly WWW.ALLSAINTSCARMEL.ORG
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost • June 30, 2013
Following Jesus in the Power of the Spirit By The Rev. Rick Matters In today’s Gospel, we witness different responses of the first followers of Jesus Christ. Some resolutely followed, while others made excuses. Their ambivalence, like ours, derives from resisting the magnitude and purity of life Jesus embodied.
of these fruit-prints in Galatians. However tentatively or fearfully, we choose life in its richness and passion by following Jesus through the power of the Spirit.
People longed for healing, miraculous feeding, a sense of being truly known, and Jesus’s authoritative teaching, but they also resisted. Like them, we sometimes respond to God’s vibrancy by fulfilling T. S. Eliot’s observation that “humankind cannot bear very much reality.” Our society provides endless methods of being distracted and tranquilized into a half-life.
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 Psalm 77:1-2,11-20 Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Luke 9:51-62
Unlike those original disciples, we cannot see the literal footprints of Jesus, because he is now present to us through the invisible Holy Spirit. Though we cannot see his footprints, we know the consequences of his goodness and love, which we might call his fruit-prints. Paul lists some
Scripture Lessons Today
Scripture Lessons for Next Week Isaiah 66:10-14 Psalm 66:1-8 Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Recommended Reading:
Hinds Feet on High Places By Robin Denney
This book is an allegory. The first time I read it, I found the character names like “Much Afraid” from the “Fearing” family, a bit strange. But as I dug into this story, I found it such a beautifully revealing way of describing and informing the journey of following Jesus. Much Afraid is true to her name, but steps out on a journey of following the Good Shepard to the high places. Along the way accompanied by Sorrow and Pain, she must pass through many challenges, which test and grow her faith, even when she feels that she has been abandoned by her Shepard. It is a deeply moving story because as we read it, we can see that we are the character Much Afraid, and her journey reveals much about our journey. I’ve read this book several times, and each time it brings me new insight and encouragement!
All Saints’ • The Weekly
“Yes, but first let me…” By Robin Denney
Following Jesus changes us. In the Gospel reading today Jesus had some seemingly harsh things to say to those who wanted to follow him, but with conditions “yes, but first let me…” Jesus is not offering us Band-Aids, but a healing and wholeness that touches the soul. He is not offering us a beverage, but the living water that quenches our deepest longing forever. He is not calling us to join a club, but rather to form our lives from his teaching and to be his hands and his body in the world bringing life to others. Following Jesus is something worth living for. Following Jesus changes everything. The love of God, the power of the Spirit, the forgiveness of Jesus are all within our grasp. Yet there are temptations and trials from the very start, so many reasons to say “yes but first let me…” Let us pray to God for the strength to make the difficult decisions both big and small, every day, that put us on the path of following Jesus. Let us pray that if we step off the path, the Spirit would show us the way back. Let us pray for the courage to change our “yes, but…” into “Yes!”
Maintaining our Freedom By Greg Troxell
Have you ever taken advantage of another person’s kindness, generosity, or love? Usually, the result of such disregard is a loss of trust, followed by an ensuing loss of freedom in the relationship. It subsequently takes a great amount of time, forgiveness, and energy to restore the relationship and sense of intimacy. In Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia (a large province of the Roman empire in modern-day Turkey) he writes, “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom” (Galatians 5:13). Whether it be the loss of your spiritual and emotional freedom imparted by the grace of God via your relationship with Christ, or the freedom granted you within a loving or cordial relationship, I urge you as did Paul: be careful, be loving, be thoughtful and gracious. Treasure every relationship. Be vulnerable enough to verbalize your own needs and dreams, and be attentive to the needs and feelings of others around you.
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Highlighted Events and Meetings JULY 1
Salon des Artistes
JULY 4-5
INDEPENDENCE DAY Church Office is closed
JULY 6-12
Middle School Sierra Service Project
JULY 13
Pastoral Training Sessions
JULY 9
Building and Grounds meeting
JULY 13-19
Sr. High Sierra Service Project
JULY 15-19
Bach to the Future, Session I
JULY 16
Finance meeting
JULY 17
Foundation Trust Fund meeting
JULY 17
Friends of St. Benedict
JULY 22-26
Bach to the Future, Session II
JULY 26
I-Help Dinner at All Saints’
JULY 29AUGUST 4
All Saints’ Camp out at Santa Lucia
AUGUST 3
All Saints’ Annual Picnic at Santa Lucia
All Saints’ • The Weekly
Friends of St. Benedict July 17
Our aim is to integrate the wisdom of monastic life and spiritual theology into our everyday lives as Christians. We meet the third Wednesday of every month, and all are welcome. For more information about the Friends of St. Benedict, please contact Claudia Ward by calling 831-373-5069.
An Urgent Call to Follow By Robin Denney
The tone of Jesus’ call in the Gospel reading today is urgent. His face has turned toward Jerusalem, toward the temptations, the pain, and the death that await him there. He has no time for those that would follow him half-heartedly. He was looking for those who were willing to give everything to follow him, those who could see that only he had the words of life. Nothing less would have endured the temptations that awaited them, nothing less would have allowed the power of the Spirit to move the apostles out to change the world. We too are living in urgent times. Catastrophic challenges threaten the earth with in my lifetime. We, as followers of Christ in our time, must prayerfully discern where he is leading us, and pray for the faith to follow him with our whole hearts. For if our hearts are full of the love of Christ, we will be beacons of hope in a fearful world.
This Bible study is based on a synoptic and chronological study of the four Gospels. Together we will study and learn from the Jesus’ life and ministry and learn more about being disciples. Starting: When: Time: Wherea:
June 5, 2013 Wednesday mornings 10:30 – 11:45 a.m. All Saints’ Church in Grant Hall
To learn more plese contact Greg Troxell, gtroxell65@gmail.com.
Summer Services at Santa Lucia Sunday, July 7, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. Mother Cynthia will begin summer services at Santa Lucia Chapel.
The Fruits of Our Following By The Rev. Rick Matters
Even though we, as the church, are the followers of Jesus Christ, we might not fully understand what it means to follow him. However challenging it was for the first disciples, at least they could see his face (or even his back), and hear his voice. So how do we follow Jesus in the power of an invisible Spirit? As taught in the sermon, we follow him by responding to the fruits of the Spirit. Paul helps us by listing nine fruits of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians. We know the way Jesus is leading by the fruits that are being harvested. We follow the person, and not the doctrine, about Jesus Christ. It’s pretty obvious that we love other human beings, rather than a definition of them, and so it is with God. The creeds tell the story of who Jesus is, just as we might tell stories when introducing our beloved to another. When we act in his name, we offer to his glory the fruits of our following.
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Announcements Healthy Saints hike—Join Mother Cynthia for a hike at Big Sur’s Limekiln State Park on Thursday, July 11. We’ll assemble at the Santa Lucia campground at 9:00 a.m. and drive south to Limekiln, which features three beautiful and easy hiking trails. The hike will finish around noon, and can be followed by lunch at The Maiden, a pub near Santa Lucia. Please RSVP to Mother Cynthia at thevicarofbigsur@gmail.com Interfaith Outreach of Carmel’s Joining Hands Benefit Shop is in need of volunteers to work a few hours a week. To learn more about Joining Hands, talk to Sofia Osborne or Nancy Jones after church, or contact Sofia at 620-2147 or osbornesofia@gmail.com. All Saints’ is a founding member of IOC. Names added to the parish prayer list will remain on the list for one month. If you wish to have the name(s) remain on the list after that time, please add them again or call the office (624-3883).
All Saints’ Episcopal Parish Ninth and Dolores PO Box 1296 Carmel, CA 93921 Phone: 831-624-3883 Fax: 831-624-1459 www.allsaintscarmel.org
Food Pantry—We need cans of soup and ramen noodles in individual packs. We gave out 40 bags of food in May, and Epiphany distributed 475! Thanks to all for your continued help with this ministry. National Episcopal Cursillo Conference 2013—Register by July 14 at a reduced rate for the annual conference, held this year in Chicago, October 24–27. More information is available at http://www. nationalepiscopalcursillo.org/how_to_ register.htm. The updated 2013 church directory is now available. Please stop by during regular office hours to obtain a copy. Evensong, a traditional Anglican service of music, prayer, and reflection, will be offered next Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
Counter needed—Counters are those who each week count all the monies received by the church and deposit the receipts in our bank account. To be a counter, you need to be available on Mondays from about 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. so that you can do the counting in company with our bookkeeper, Lin Sponsler. No computer skills are needed or used—Lin takes care of that. There are presently three counters: Nan Walker, Warren Bartle, and Mike Raggett. Please contact Mike at 831-620-0638 if you would be willing to join the team. Thanks! Sunday handout deadline—To be included in next Sunday’s handout, your announcement must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on the preceding Wednesday. Contact Andrea Matters at andreamatters@gmail.com or 624-3090.