St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

At St. Paul’s Parish This Week:

In Church News:

English blogging priest, the Rev. Jonathan Hagger (a/k/a Madpriest), has interviewed the new primate of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Read the interview at his blog, Of Course, I Could Be Wrong…..

Find other news of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion at Episcopal Life Online.

The July issue of St. Paul’s Epistle, our monthly newsletter, is available on line as a .PDF file readable with Abobe Reader by PC users and with Preview by Mac users.

On the Liturgical Calendar – 5th Sunday after Pentecost:

Today is the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel lesson appointed in the Revised Common Lectionary (Proper 9, Year B) for today relates the story of Jesus visiting his hometown of Nazareth, where those who knew him questioned his ministry. As related by Mark the story is:

On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. (Mark 6:2-6a)

Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber at the blog entitled Theolog: Blogging Toward Sunday comments:

We might be tempted to look down our noses at the people of Nazareth for responding to Jesus the way they do. But we would miss an important point: we too disbelieve. We too are apt to restrict what we think God is capable of in our lives and our communities.

Such a reaction also overlooks the connection between this episode and what follows. The rejection Jesus experiences allows his disciples to know that in Christ God has entered the human condition in an entirely real way, complete with suffering. The disciples are no longer ever alone in their weaknesses and so-called failures—and neither are we. As they go out two by two, they do so knowing that even Jesus, God the Word, came to his own and his own received him not. In this way God glorified the stranger.

Rejection has been the traveling companion of the Gospel from the beginning. Don’t take it personally.(Read Pastor Bolz-Weber’s entire enry and the comments of others here.)

A prayer for today:

The collect for this Sunday is found in The Book of Common Prayer – 1979:

O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.