Perhaps you have noticed over the years that a certain passage of Scripture, a specific hymn or a particular prayer stays with you. It is like the line from the 1971 pop song by Carole King (famously covered by James Taylor) “Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you’ve got to do is call. And I’ll be there, yeah, yeah. You’ve got a friend.” This passage, hymn or prayer acts likes a word from the Lord and reminds us he loves to be our companion in life. The following prayer composed by the 20th century monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968) has been a trustworthy friend to me since I first read it in 1983. It captures the fact that Christian life is a pilgrimage. The Lord leads us through seasons of grief and sorrow, joy and victory; times of interior dryness and abundance; moments of confusion and clarity. And, his love and mercy remain constant and persistent whether we experience it or not. Merton reminds us of the desire to please God, the choice to keep steadfast to the way of Jesus, the will to preserve with him at all costs, this is faith. And, we are never alone in keeping this faith. We have each other, the church and the Holy Spirit. MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. - Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude" See you in Church! Father Hastings
The Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser was a great success thanks especially to Anthony and Betty Carleo. It was a fun evening and the food was delicious. Thank you to all who came to eat, the mission team and all who helped; those who made donations, and Jay Harrar. We will be selling quarts of Anthony’s homemade tomato sauce at our next fundraiser. Our last Gospel lesson in April was about Jesus at the Last Supper telling the disciples to love one another. We will spend time in Chapel this month talking about God’s love for us, healing prayer, what it means to love one another, and continue to sing “Seek Ye First”, (p. 711 in the hymnal), with Nancy Smith. It would be great if you could encourage your children to sing this at home; they know the words. Some of the beautiful hymns we have learned this year with Nancy Smith and Steve Woytowicz are like prayers, and I’m hoping the children will always remember them. In June, July and August the children are welcome to come to our one-room church school where we will have an activity each Sunday in the Dixson Lounge, and then join our families for Communion. Please see me if you can help over the summer. Church School Calendar Sunday, May 5 - Church School and Annual Meeting Thursday, May 9 - VBS meeting 7:00 p.m. Saturday, May 11 - Youth Group Prayer Walk 9:00 a.m. at Pennypack Park Sunday, May 12 - Youth Sunday, Mother’s Day (no church school) Sunday, May 19 - Bake Sale to raise funds for Youth Mission Trip. Anthony Carleo’s famous spaghetti sauce will also be on sale. Sunday, June 2 - Parish Picnic. Last day of church school. Children will sing “Seek Ye First” after Communion in church, and we’ll acknowledge our Chapel and Church School Teachers.
June 23-28 - Youth Mission Trip to Rutland VT July 22-25 - Vacation Bible School. Our theme is Christians around the world. Please contact me if you would like to help with VBS.
Many, many thanks to the choir members for their hard work and dedication during Holy Week. We had some challenging music to prepare and dealt with some 'behind the scenes' challenges which made the outstanding musical offerings we were able to present all the more rewarding. We are planning some very demanding music for next Easter which will include the use of additional instruments. So, to help with the accompanying additional costs, we will be hosting several fundraising events. Announcements will be made when the schedule is set, and we will post the various events in the Narthex and here in the Epistle when they have been added to the church calendar. As always, we appreciate all the support we receive from you, the heart and soul of the church.
