June 29, 2010

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

The All Saints Weekly is a spiritual resource for you during the week. The Weekly provides a preview of the Scripture readings for the coming weekend for your reflection and study and makes available the sermon from the previous Sunday. To view my sermon from last Sunday, please click here.

On this Fourth of July weekend, we will give thanks for the gift of freedom and democracy and pray that our country may live up to its ideals of justice and equality for all of God's children.

This weekend is the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. On the Sundays after Pentecost, our liturgical readings will explore the Hebrew prophets. You are invited to the final session of a Bible Study of the prophets Elijah and Elisha on Sunday, July 11, at 9:15 am. For more information about the Bible Study, please click here.

The All Saints website is a rich spiritual resource with information about Celtic Spirituality and prayers for various occasions. Please click here to access the Celtic Spirituality section. Please click here for a link to the prayers. If you have additional prayers that you would like to be included on our website, please email our websexton with the prayer.

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The reading from the Second Book of Kings describes the prophet Elisha's healing of Naaman's leprosy: Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, 'Wash, and be clean'?" So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:1-14)

Psalm 30 is prayer of thankfulness of one who was restored to health: I will exalt you, O LORD, because you have lifted me up and have not let my enemies triumph over me. O LORD my God, I cried out to you, and you restored me to health. You brought me up, O LORD, from the dead; you restored my life as I was going down to the grave. Sing to the LORD, you servants of his; give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness. For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, his favor for a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning ... You have turned my wailing into dancing; you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy. Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O LORD my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

The reading from Galatians expresses Paul's encouragement for the community to remain strong in the face of adversity: "So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith." (Galatians 6:(1-6)7-16)

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus sends the disciples to bring his message to villages and towns: After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'" (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20)

Please join us for the Holy Eucharist on Saturday at 5:00 pm and on Sunday at 10:30 am. Prayers for Healing with the Laying on of Hands are offered at the Sunday service.

Sincerely,

David A. Killian
Rector

Worship Services for

The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, July 3-4, 2010
Saturday, July 3, at 5:00 pm: Preacher: The Rev. Laurie Rofinot
Sunday, July 4, at 10:30 am: Preacher: The Rev. Laurie Rofinot

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