27 November

First Advent – the first Sunday of the new liturgical church year.  Advent is the season where we prepare for Christmas.  What are we preparing for and why?  I believe we are preparing for the kingdom of God and Jesus’ return.  Why are we preparing? Because we don’t know when it will be.

How do we prepare?  I suggest it’s no different than making sure we’re ready for any kind of physical opportunity: is your passport ready to go or has it expired?  Is your resume up to date?  Are you healthy?  We need to ask the same questions of our spiritual preparedness: are we living as true disciples?  Do we strive to embody our baptismal vows?   Are doing our best to resist sin and temptation; and when we succumb do we repent and turn back to God?  Because that’s what Jesus is telling us we need to do.

So, while we wait, let’s not be idle.  We need to prepare, particularly our spiritual lives.  There are all sorts of ways to do that: reading scripture each day, doing an Advent Calendar together.  Maybe light a candle on your own Advent wreath and say prayers.  What you do isn’t as important as doing something.  So in this season of waiting and giving, don’t ignore your spiritual life – make sure it’s on your To-Do list.

Keep awake – Come, Lord Jesus!

Waiting with you,
M.E.+

20 November

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I send up prayers of thanksgiving for St. Simon’s.  I hope you all know what a wonderful community this is.  And I offer you this Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Harvest (BCP, 840):

Most gracious God, by whose knowledge the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew: We yield to you hearty thanks and praise for the return of seedtime and harvest, for the increase of the ground and the gathering in of its fruits, and for all the other blessings of your merciful providence bestowed upon this nation and people. And, we beseech you, give us a just sense of these great mercies, such as may appear in our lives by a humble, holy, and obedient walking before you all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit be all glory and honor, world without end.  Amen.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratefully,

M.E.+

13 November

The gospel today can make folks uncomfortable – one of the slaves gets thrown into outer darkness.  While I believe that’s an excessive punishment, he did not do what was expected of him.

Ken Stiff, in his sermon, taught us that a “talent” was something that had value.  In this particular story, we assume the talents referred to are coins.  But he proposed the question, what if the talents were assignments/jobs?  Thinking about it in that framework, what might be the talents given to you?  What will you do with them?

The slave that buries his talent does himself and all those around him a great disservice.  You don’t light a lamp and hide it under a bushel.  Neither should we bury our talents.

Yours,

M.E.+

6 November

Well, we survived it – the first weekend without the Dekkers!  I don’t know about you, but I certainly felt a hole that I imagine I’ll feel for a while.

It was a big weekend too.  There was a funeral on Saturday.  We celebrated All Saints’ Day with the added blessing of a baptism.  Finally, Kevin Campe (senior warden) announced the members of the Search Committee.  Those twelve folks have stepped up to a big job and will need the support of everyone to do it well.

There is more stepping up and supporting to do though.  In January, we’ll hold our Annual Meeting and one piece of business is to elect new members to the Vestry.  The Vestry’s leadership is key to the success of a parish.  I am deeply grateful to the folks who are “graduating” this year.  Kevin Campe (senior warden) and Katie Suprenuk (junior warden) have done an amazing job during their tenure and, especially during the transition of Fr. Bob’s retirement.  Chris Benne, Bari Flores and Lynn Jensen have served vestry well and faithfully.  All this means St. Simon’s is at a time when nominations for new vestry members take place.

A nominating committee is in place and will be meeting this coming Sunday (11.13).  The committee is: Kevin Campe, Katie Suprenuk, Lynn Jensen, Bari Flores, Sara Lewandowski and Mary Kurbat.  If you are curious or interested in serving on Vestry, please tell one of these folks this week.  Or, if you’d like to nominate someone else, please let us know (after you get their permission, of course).

Please pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance through this process.

M.E.+