1st Sunday of Lent, February 21, 2021

1 Kings17:  'The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought."

Hebrews 9:  But instead he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin.

Mark 12:  "All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford – she gave her all."

Another Reminder for 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 10, 2024

Readings:

 Isaiah 66, 18-21,   I come to gather nations of ever language.

Psalm 117,  Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

Hebrews 12, 5-7, 11-13,  Whom the lord loves he disciplines.

Luke 13, 22-30, Depart from me, you evil doers.

Mass Begins. The Winner's medal and red ribbon from HHH.

 Isaiah 66 observations:

Author: Isaiah III.  The book of Isaiah is one of my favorites.  Some beautiful passages.  Remember, 3 primary authors are responsible for the 66 chapters, and we are reading the very last.  Isaiah 1 covers chapters 1-39.  This book is one of the Big 3 O.T. prophets, along with Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  This is because the works are the longest.  There are 12 minor prophets.

Time: ca. 700, before the Assyrians annihilate the northern Jewish kingdom, called Israel, vs the southern kingdom called Judah, where Jerusalem is.  10 tribes were lost in this destruction, the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel. 

Remember, there were 12 tribes.  Why?  Because of the 12 sons of Jacob, who was one of the 3 great patriarchs or founders of the tribe, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, who was also called Israel. 

Marsha awaiting The Cupcake for her birthday.

 Message of Isaiah III: Mostly consolation after the catastrophe.   What is the basic activity of a prophet?  1.  criticism, 2. prediction of dire payment, 3. consolation.

Today’s message: this being the last chapter of the whole work, you might guess.  Yes, consolation and future unity.

Hebrews observation:

 The best thing about today's selection: we have to read Hebrews only one more week.  Awful reading today.

Our dear Harper.

Will only a
few be saved?

I would like to speak today about this idea that only a few will be
saved.  In the past few weeks we have
been hearing this from Luke.  Basically,
the message is the same, yes, only a few will be saved.  In fact, you got to be on guard all the time
or the master will return, catch you napping, and off to hell you go.

I would propose that these metaphors about life are all pretty fear
based.  Today I think we are moving from
a fear based life metaphor to a peace based metaphor.   My metaphor is the Hotter ‘N Hell
Hundred.  Three points.  It is a journey, it is characterized by
mutual help, and a final point.

Teresa awaiting The Cupcake for her birthday.

Yesterday as I rode along I thought about these readings and how life is
like a 100 mile bike ride.  First of all
there are people.  The other riders.  But, also, people like Bill who introduced me
to this marvelous ride.  Other friends,
like Doug & Grace, John & Connie make the ride more fun.  And there is the marvelous beauty of the day,
the surroundings, and simple joy of the ability to ride. 

Other riders whom I don’t know are fun. 
I tie a little beanie baby dog to the top of my bike helmet.  I started this at Ragbrai in Iowa, just for
fun and because I see a lot of such décor there.  The dog gets lots of comments, from, “Hey, do
you know you got a dog on your helmet?” to “I love the cute dog on your helmet.”  I tell people that I cannot leave my little
dog at home and she loves to ride.

Cupcakes of the Week for 48 years, Bernadette and Gilberto.

A second point to this life metaphor. 
Lots of people help me along the ride. 
There are what are called sag wagons. 
These are roving pickups with trailers who collect gassed riders, broken
down riders, and riders with minor injuries. 
There is first aid everywhere. 

And then there are the marvelous rest stops.  These volunteers meet you with pitchers of
cold water and Gatorade, with cold & wet towels, and with tables loaded
with fruit.  But, my favorite rest stop
comes at mile 30. 

Leo.

 A bunch of elderly women volunteers, many probably younger than I am,
they make cookies, boxes of them, about 5-6 varieties.  Every year I look forward to seeing them and
chatting them up.  I confess I ate 6 of
their cooking this year, a bit much considering the 70 miles I still had ahead
of me.

Finally, the third reason why the HHH is a life metaphor for me: everyone
who arrives at the end gets a medal. 
Everyone is a winner.  And, if you
fell out this year, you can cross the finish line next year.  No fear, peace.

In this life metaphor the ride is a marvel, the supporters are numerous
and beautiful, and everyone wins the medal. 

What is your life metaphor, peaceful or fearful?  Are
you saved?  Are you a winner?

Brent accepting check for Souls' Harbor.

Genesis 15:  The Lord God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.  Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.” 

Philippians 3:  But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 9:  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” 

Another Reminder for the 2nd Sunday in Lent, March 16, 2025

Two MORE important reminders:

1.  Saturday night: Daylight Saving Time begins.                                                                                                      
2. DAARC COLLECTION:    what to donate?  —  Download DARCC                                       Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center

Isaiah 60:  Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God's bright glory has risen for you.

Ephesians 3:  The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God.

Matthew 2:  They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

Another Reminder for the Baptism of the Lord, January 5, 2025

Deuteronomy 30:   …when you return to the Lord your God, with all your heart and all your soul.

Colossians 1:  Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Luke 9:  And who is my neighbor?

Mary Jane reading from Deuteronomy

Thanks…

Music,    Shonda, Ben & David

Readers, John & Mary Jane

Gospel,   John Cade

Homily,  John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,      Hue & Richard & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

John reading from Paul's Letter to the Colossians

Readings:  Download 07-10-22- Readings – 15th Sunday Ord

Homily:  

    Happy Birthday Brent     

Remember these special people:

For Sandra who has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Lymphoma;   For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer and Kaliope, John Cade's Mother-in-law;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;    For Tom Good;  For a young man, 19 struggling with a brain tumor and cancer;     For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie & Jan; 

Kevin working on the Zoom

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;     For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & friends, Annie, a mom of 3 kids and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Welcome back from your cruise, Michelle

Birthdays:  John Schanot 7/13

Anniversaries:   Ackermans 7/13

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  425.00 

Outreach: $  775.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Rosemary's Blessing:  

I recently read a marvelous book, The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan.  It is the story of a young couple and 2 young sons making their way from the Ukraine westward, ahead of the advancing Russian army, towards the end of WWII.

At the end of the mother’s life many years later when she was 80+ years old a friend asked the woman, Adeline to describe the most important things she learned over the course of her long and remarkable life.

Adeline thought about that for a little while before saying, “Don’t chew on the bad things that happen to you, dear.  Try to see the beauty in every cruelty. It sets you free.  Forgive hurt if you want to heal a broken heart.  Try to be grateful for every setback or tragedy, because by living through them, you become stronger.  I see the hand of God in that.”