For Sunday, June 9th, 2024
| ST. JOHN THE APOSTLE EPISCOPAL CHURCH |
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Dear Friends: In the third chapter of Mark’s Gospel, it appears that Jesus is so busy with his ministry, and so pressed upon by the people that he doesn’t even have time to eat. His worried family attempts to go get him and get him to stop, as he is beside himself with his responsibilities. And of course, no good deed goes unpunished. People described as “scribes” scoff at Jesus and claim he is possessed. This preposterous name-calling does cause Jesus to stop and address these specific “scribes.” He shows them the hypocrisy of such a claim by stating that a house divided against itself cannot stand, that blaspheming against the Holy Spirit the real unforgiveable sin. Then comes a very strange occurrence. His worried mother and brothers are still close by and they call out to him, still trying to get Jesus to stop and rest. Jesus responds by asking who indeed are his mother and brothers? Then he gestures to the crowds and says, “Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” At first, this seems like Jesus is treating his blood relatives harshly. This is not the compassionate Jesus, the Jesus who is commanded by Mosaic Law to “honor your father and mother.” Here Jesus seems to disrespect them in favor of everyone else. But I have a different take on this. I can see Jesus throwing his arms open wide to embrace the crowd, including his family, meaning that everyone in the world belongs to his family – his divine family. If you think of this incident in this way, you get a sense of Jesus’ dedication to his ministry, and his willingness to do whatever it takes to spread the Good News. Let us think of everyone in the world as our wonderful blended human family. Let us embrace those who differ from us or who think differently from us. Finally, let us dedicate ourselves to spreading the Good News of Jesus to those we meet. Perhaps they need to be part of a family too. Ours is ready to welcome them! Peace, The Rev. Dr. Marci Pounders+Rector |
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SCRIPTURES FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)Psalm 1382 Corinthians 4:13-5:1Mark 3:20-35 WATCH US ON FACEBOOK AT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/STJOHNSTEXOMA EMAIL US!STJOHNSTEXOMA@GMAIL.COM WESITE:WWW.STJOHNSTEXOMA.ORGTEXOMA.CHURCH PHONE:903-786-4339    ST. JOHN’S WOMEN’S GROUP MEETS THE THIRD WEDNESDAY EVENING OF EVERY MONTH. OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE JUNE 19 AT 5:30. PLEASE COME FOR HAPPY HOUR, LIGHT SNACKS AND A GREAT TIME OF SISTERHOOD AND LEARNING AS WE FOCUS ON WOMEN OF THE BIBLE. * * * * * * * * * * * * *ST. JOHN’S MEN’S GROUPMEETS THE FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 6:00 P.M. THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON JUNE 4. OUR SPEAKER WILL BE DARRELL ELMORE, SAFETY OFFICER WITH THE CIVIL AIR PATROL, NTRA. MR. ELMORE IS A 37 YEAR ARMY VETERAN WHO SERVES AT A HIGH-LEVEL CAPACITY WITH THE CAP. COME AND ENJOY DINNER AND AN INFORMATIVE TIME OF LEARNING TOGETHER. * * * * * * * * * * * *WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST WITH OUR AUDIO-VIDEO MONITORING. INTERESTED?CONTACT TRACY POUNDERS TO SET UP A TRAINING SESSION. * * * * * * * * * |
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