Spirit of the Eagle – January 2015
Spiritual Tidbits for January from Father Tim
2014 is behind us and now just a part of history. I looked back at last January’s newsletter to see what I had written as our hopes for 2014. I had asked each of us to pray for “increased wisdom” and “to make the best choices, decisions, and creations and fulfill God’s holy will”. I believe we can rest assured that many wise decisions have been made in each of our lives, and we should continue to pray for more of the same. It is also safe to assume that some choices we made in 2014 led to upheaval. For sure we have had some of these turbulent choices affect Saint John’s this past year. However, with all my heart and with all my soul, I trust we will learn from our experience. God’s blessings have already, and will so continue, to emerge from this experience. For 2015 let’s pray for guidance, for ourselves, and for Saint John’s. Jesus Christ, humbleness, and humility should be the order of each day. Our hopes should be built on nothing less. Have a happy and blessed new year. ~ Father Tim
January Spirituality Class
Please join us after Mass on Sunday the 4th of January as we watch the final session, read, and discuss Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts. In this five-session, video based study, Ann encourages participants to take on the life-changing discipline of journaling God’s gifts — to really look at life and find the good in it. It’s only in this expressing of gratitude for the life we already have that we discover the life we’ve always wanted … A life we can take, give thanks for, and break for others. And only then can we come to feel and know the impossible right down in our bones: we are wildly loved — by God. We recently used this material in the September one day Women’s Retreat, but did not have near enough time to do it justice. You can preview Ann’s material at www.aholyexperience.com and explore her web page. Be sure to play the beautiful music at the top of the page while you browse. ~ Father Tim
Epiphany Chalk
It is in the home that the first experience of love occurs; it is there that love is nurtured and grows to maturity. The Christian home is also the ground for much of people’s spiritual growth. The ministry of Jesus occurs in many different homes. Therefore to hallow the home as an environment for nurture and renewal, is a deeply felt need by many Christian households. The blessing of a home encourages Christians to dedicate their life at home to God and to others.
A part of church history is the custom of blessing homes at the New Year. A family would hold a short service of prayer to ask God’s blessing on their dwellings and on all who live, work with and visit them. In this way, we invite Jesus to be a “guest” in our home, a listener to each conversation, a guide for troubled times, and a blessing in times of thanksgiving.
“Chalking the door” or the door step may be used as a way to celebrate and literally “mark” the occasion. In the Old Testament the Israelites were told to mark their doors with the blood of the lamb on the night of the Passover to ensure that the angel of death would pass them by. Deuteronomy 6: 9 says that we shall “write [the words of God] on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house … and you shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.”
Chalk is made of the substance of the earth and is used by teachers to instruct and by children to play. As the image of the chalk fades, we will remember the sign we have made and transfer it to our hearts and our habits. (liturgy.co.nz/epiphany-chalk-house-blessing-2)
January Birthdays & Anniversaries
Margo Nienaber – Birthday – January 1
Edie Brady – Birthday – January 2
Tina Smith – Birthday – January 7
Matt Lenz – Birthday – January 7
Kelsey Robbins – Birthday – January 8
Eileen Hanson – Birthday – January 14
Susan Moore – Birthday – January 20
Adam Cook – Birthday – January 20
Chris Murray – Birthday – January 24
Kim Marshall – Birthday – January 24
Devan Smith – Birthday – January 25
Katie Longshore – Birthday – January 28
Samantha Longshore – Birthday – January 29
Kathy Hougham – Birthday – January 31
ACW WILL HOLD A QUICK MEETING AFTER CHURCH ON JANUARY 4
JANUARY’S COFFEE HOUR WILL BE HELD AFTER CHURCH ON JANUARY 11
Thanks for your generosity!
The Vestry of St. John’s would sincerely like to thank all of you for the generosity you provided for our holiday outreach efforts this past year. Once again, we went over and above in providing those less fortunate with a nice Thanksgiving meal, as well as food and gifts for Christmas. We would also like to thank everyone who contributed to the Christmas Flower Memorial. Thanks to you, St John’s looked absolutely beautiful for welcoming our many visitors who visited us during the Christmas Season!
A New Year to get involved
With the coming of the New Year, now is the perfect time to examine our inner selves to discover what services and talents we all have to contribute to make St. John’s a better place. If you like to sing, our choir would love to welcome you into the fold. If you enjoy the outdoors and gardening, perhaps you will consider choosing an area of the garden to maintain. In addition to this, there are always the many ministries within our Church that could use a helping hand, such as: Epistlers, Torch Bearers, Servers, Altar Guild or even doing the Church Bulletin All that is required are a couple of hours of your time a week. The satisfaction of knowing you are helping out is very rewarding, so please consider this by contacting a member of the Vestry about giving back.