 St Alban’s Episcopal Church Bolivar, Missouri Tuesday, July 25, 2023 Celebrations this Sunday POTLUCK DINNER  THIS Sunday we will celebrate the time we have had with Rocky and Lexi Walker before they move away. It has been an absolute joy to have them as an active and engaged part of St Alban’s. Their two little ones know every part of the worship and fully participate, usually by standing with me. Last Sunday, for the first time, RB imitated me – and even held up the chalice by himself. This, in my view, is how children learn to love church, to worship, to participate as if they were worthy – which they are. I hope as you move forward, each of you will feel your own worthiness to lead worship, to assist the supply priests at the altar, to preach when it is your turn, to read scripture and to lead the prayers. ALL of this is the liturgy: which means the WORK of the people – of each one of us. The little children have certainly been leading – Don’t be afraid to follow.  Last Sunday we also enjoyed the company of some of Dick and Thyra Gibson’s relatives – It was pretty wonderful, especially if you remember those two, and Dick’s sister, Romain. I am always happy to see children and grandchildren and now great-grandchildren of those first St Alban’s members – among them Kayda, sitting beside me in the photo above.  Ryan Williams, recently ordained priest, will be with us also this Sunday to celebrate Eucharist and to preach. This should be a good time for all of us. You all are responsible for loving him into his new role, after all. We are so very proud of him! Pray for Ryan and Anna as they discern where he will do his priestly ministry now that his time at Christ Church as deacon is complete.   POTLUCK DINNER THIS SUNDAY St Alban’s will provide fried chicken and dessert. Everyone else please bring something to share – either a salad or side dish – fruit or something else – Louise Ritter is reportedly making her famous corn casserole. ALSO – If you want to bring a gift for baby Avianne, since the Walker’s won’t be here when she is born, feel free to do that as well.  “Wood hath hope” based on Job 14:7-16 A song was written by Jesuit John Foley in 1978 and much loved by those of us who remember it. It came to me spontaneously today as I watered our little trees and discovered that two of them, inadvertently cut down by careless weed-eating have come up again and are growing! One is pictured above. The other under this note. Nothing is really dead – Be encouraged with yourself, with the church, with the nation – with each other. Wood hath hope. When it’s cut, it grows green again, and its boughs sprout clean again. Wood hath hope. Root and stock although old and withered up, and all sunk in earth corrupt, will revive. Leaves return. Water pure brings life to them, and the trees live young again. Wood hath hope. But ah, strange thought: if we could rise again, called home to a loving land, we would have hope. We would have hope. Like a tree we’d grow green again, and our boughs sprout clean again; we would have hope.  |
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