July 14, 2008

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Uwem Akpan, a Nigerian-born Jesuit priest, in his new book, Say You're One of Them, brings us close to the horrors of modern Africa in stories told through the lives of children. His five long stories – set in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Benin – are modern parables of good and evil. The children are good seed planted in a world of weeds.

THEME FOR THE TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

In Sunday's Gospel, Jesus tells a parable of a farmer who plants wheat in his field. An enemy then sows weeds in the same field. The parable illustrates the unfairness of life and the difficulty of living with integrity in a cruel world. In the Collect, we pray: "Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

The reading from Genesis is the story of Jacob's ladder: "And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and said, 'I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.'" (Genesis 28:10-19a)

Psalm 139 is a prayer of trust in God who leads us through the struggles of life: "LORD, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You trace my journeys and my resting-places and are acquainted with all my ways. Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, but you, O LORD, know it altogether. You press upon me behind and before and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain to it."

In his letter to the Romans, Paul expresses faith that God will vindicate the person who does what is right: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved." (Romans 8:12-25)

In the Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" (Matthew 13:24-30,36-43)

This Sunday at 10:30 am, we will celebrate the sacrament of baptism. During the service, the parents and godparents will affirm their commitment to point their child toward the values of Christ. They will pledge to create a loving home in which their child can grow and thrive against the "evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God." In baptism, we affirm our faith that the seed of God's love is greater than the weeds of hatred, jealousy, and war. Please join us at the Holy Eucharist this Saturday at 5 pm, Sunday at 10:30 am, and Sunday at 6 pm.

Sincerely,

David A. Killian
Rector

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Worship Services for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, July 19-20, 2008
Saturday, July 19, at 5:00 pm - Preacher: The Rev. David A. Killian
Sunday, July 20, at 10:30 am - Preacher: The Rev. David A. Killian
Sunday, July 20, at 6:00 pm - Preacher: The Rev. David A. Killian

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EVENTS at All Saints Parish

• For a schedule of worship services, please click here.
• For information about the Faith Formation Discussion Group that meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm, please click here.
• For information about the "I believe" course on the Apostles' Creed and Baptism that meets on Sundays at 11:30 a.m., please click here.
• For information about the Beacon Street Fellowship and their website and blog for those in their 20s and 30s, please click here.
• To see the current issue of Saints Alive, our newsletter, please click here.

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