This poem was included in a San Diego Union Tribune article on January 18, 2018. The title of the article was "Retired Prostitutes Home a Safe Haven." The author was Adriana Zehbrauskas of the New York Times. The home is called, Casa Xochiquetzal, in Mexico. A resident of this wonderful home wrote this poem. God, she says, was always there for her even in the bad times of her life. And God is always there for you too. -Fr. Jack
I am the one who loves you I am the one that listens to you when you are sad I am the one that comforts you in your nights of pain I am the one that warms you when you are cold And even when you ignore meI’ll always be there for you. If you would like to read the whole article, you can find it here: www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/mexico-city-prostitution-casa-xochiquetzal-sex-workers-a8160841.html Musings from Fr. Jack Tolley
I thought you might enjoy a prayer Bishop Brooks wrote. I use it regularly. -Fr. Jack For Today O God: Give me strength to live another day; Let me not turn coward before its difficulties or prove recreant to its duties; Let me not lose faith in other people; Keep me sweet and sound of heart, in spite of ingratitude, treachery or meanness; Preserve me from minding little stings or giving them. Help me to keep my heart clean, and to live so honestly and fearlessly that no outward failure can dishearten me or take away the joy of conscious integrity; Open wide the eyes of my soul that I may see good in all things; Grant me this day some new vision of thy truth; Inspire me with the spirit of joy and gladness; and make me the cup of strength to suffering souls; in the name of the strong Deliverer, our only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Written by Phillips Brooks (1835- 1893) Bishop of Massachusetts, Renowned Preacher and Pastor As we enter this rather uncertain, yet exciting, period of transition in the life of the family of Saint John’s Episcopal Church, we would like to introduce you to ourselves, our temporary pastoral transition team:
We are CJA, whom you already know as Pastor Cathey, Father Jack and Father Al. We are the CJA Team. Together, the three of us bring almost a century of pastoral ministry and experience in a vast variety of situations and callings. We are dedicating our spiritual gifts, our experience and ourselves to assist us all on our spiritual sojourn of faith and discovery as the unified Body of Christ here in Chula Vista. As we begin our joint venture in ministry on Sunday, July 15, 2018 , at Saint John’s, we invite your attention to a few alterations to some of the procedures regarding Sunday services of worship. At the 8:00 am Service of the Word, a member of the vestry or other congregational leader will bring the formal greeting and invitation o worship prior to the beginning of the service. As always, the Service of the Word will begin at 8:00 am with the entrance of the clergy. Announcements will be made by an appointed individual member of the congregation before the recognition of birthdays, anniversaries and special requests. The order of the service otherwise will not be altered. Approximately five minutes prior to the beginning of the 10:00 am Service of the Word , a member of the vestry or other leader of the congregation will bring the formal welcome and invitation to worship, followed by the organ prelude. The Service of the Word will then begin at 10:00 am with the procession of the choir and clergy and the singing of the processional hymn. Announcements will be made by a designated person before the recognition of birthdays, anniversaries or special concerns. On the first Sunday of the month, the Host and Wine will be distributed by the traditional format of members kneeling (as they are able) at the altar rail. On all other Sundays, the elements will be distributed at appointed stations in front of the altar rail, in what is commonly known as continuous communion. The service of worship will otherwise be unaltered. It is our humble prayer that these alterations will further spiritually enhance and enrich our worship and fellowship experiences together. Your recommendations are always welcome. To God be the Glory -CJA Saint Peter is credited with writing two letters, called 1 Peter and 2 Peter. In his second letter, which reads like a farewell discourse in faith, he starts with this phrase, Jesus, our Lord and Master, has gratuitously given us the divine ability/power of God toward life through the knowledge of the One-Who-Calls us through glory and virtue. (vs. 2-3, translation mine) The phrase, “gratuitously given,” is a favorite of mine. It means that we were given, without charge or payment, a free and voluntary ability and power to serve God in this life. Let’s let that sink in a bit. There is nothing we have to buy, download, or upgrade to serve the Lord. We already have it, gratuitously given.
This means we have all we need to do exactly what God wants us to do to serve him. And we have it in spades. I have shared with you before that everything Saint John’s needs is already here. Here’s an old church joke: The treasurer stood up and told the congregation, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is we have all the money we need to fund ministry. The bad news? It is still in your pockets.” As I take my leave, I want you to know that you have all you need, if you believe Peter. Since he is, I think, speaking on behalf of Jesus and all that Peter has experienced walking with Christ it would probably be a mistake not to believe him. When there were five thousand people in a field who turned up to hear Jesus, Peter was concerned about food, yet Jesus said, you have all you need. It is here already. As it turns out, they had more than they needed. A gratuitous amount of bread was collected after everyone was full. Jesus sent the disciples out, two by two, and told them to carry nothing extra because everything they needed would be provided for them, and it was. Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, the apostles gathered together and suddenly, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they found they had gifts upon gifts that they didn’t even know they had. I could sail a boat before I had a license to drive a car. Dad taught me everything I needed to know and the boat was stocked with everything I needed. The rest consisted of going out and actually sailing. Years later, I found out that Dad would periodically check on me with binoculars from a high bluff overlooking Commencement Bay. We didn’t have cell phones back then, or even a ship-to-shore radio. Yet, there he was watching over me. God has given you everything you need to serve in the manner in which God has called you to serve. I won’t be here in person to see it but like my Dad watched me to make sure I was all right, I will hear of the good things you do to help others in the name of the Lord. Individually and as a corporate entity, we have been gratuitously given everything we need to serve; all we have to do is push off from the dock, and sail. -Fr. Dave I was given a lovely gift by Mark & Gretchen Jordan, a brass compass held upright in a matching glass case. Instead of “North” the compass says “God” so as the compass hangs inside its case, the dial is always pointed towards God. Until he gave it to me, Mark didn’t know Joshua 1:9 was engraved on the back, “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This very Bible passage Mark carries on his person and from time to time he has reminded me of this phrase which helps me do things I didn’t think I had the courage or fortitude to do. This is a very important gift to me, one that I will keep within eyesight.
One of my first sermons at Saint John’s was based on the plumb line in which the prophet Amos had a vision. If you are unfamiliar with plumb lines, they are used by carpenters and engineers to get a true line and direction. One takes a string, attaches a rock at the bottom, and holds the line so the rock is off the ground. The plumb line thus shows you a straight line from which everything else can be measured and compared. Here’s the vision: “The Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line; he had a plumb line in his hand. The Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by.’” (Amos 7:8) During a time of confusion for Saint John’s, God gave us a plumb line that showed which way is up and a straight line against which to measure everything else. After the 8 am service that day, Mark loaned me his plumb line as a preaching tool for use at the 10 am service. Since he is a high-end finish carpenter, his plumb line is pretty fancy – a heavy duty line with a brass pointer at the bottom. Since then, Saint John’s has been fixed on a straight line pointing to God. I am thankful for the compass gift which, like the plumb line, reminds me of where I’ve been and can keep me pointed in the right direction in the future. There is an eight-pointed fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Have you ever wondered about the shape, or tripped over the cement angles that are higher than the lawn? We had a drone on campus one day taking videos. Looking down on the fountain in those drone videos, I suddenly made sense of the shape. It’s a compass. Four points are north, south, east and west with the other four points showing northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. Since some of us arrived at Saint John’s from the northeast, some from the southeast, and others, like the Marshalls, arrived from the northwest, we are all represented on the fountain compass and are reminded that in Christ there is no north or south, no east or west. Over the years, Mark and Gretchen have helped me find the appropriate direction. In fact, Mark’s motion to the Vestry brought me here. Their gift will stand as a symbol to remind me to be strong and courageous and to not be frightened because the Lord my God is with me wherever I go. -Fr. Dave |