Tis not too late to seek a newer world

An Invitation to a Pilgrimage of Prayer Through Holy Week

Dear Ones,

As we enter the last two weeks of Lent, do you find that your firm resolution to give up something or take on something new for Lent has perhaps faded? Or maybe you never quite settled on an intention for this holy season or find yourself a bit vague about the intention you did set. If this resonates with you, welcome to the human condition!

Do not worry, for as Tennyson reminds us, "'Tis not too late to seek a newer world."

Lent is truly for our flourishing. It is a time when we make intentional moves to become more available to God and the help God longs to give us. With this in mind, I’ve been looking for a resource to help all of us prepare for the events of Holy Week. I came upon a set of fixed-hour prayers that we’ve turned into a little “manual” titled:

A Pilgrimage of Prayer Through Holy Week: A Pattern of Daily Prayer for You and Your Family to Pray as You Can.

This slim volume, which you’ll receive tomorrow, has brief sets of eight prayers laid out along the same lines as the monastic offices. These prayers may certainly be said privately, but they are designed beautifully for use by families and small gatherings of Christians – perhaps those who work together, are on retreat, or simply wish to share a moment of devotion.

We’ve chosen for its subtitle the wise advice of an Abbot to his monks: “Pray as you can, NOT as you can’t.” This approach has already been a great boon to me personally, causing me to pause and intentionally bring God into the day and into the work.

Here is an example, the prayer for the break of dawn:

I will have copies of this prayer volume available for you tomorrow after the service. We will also keep copies at the office for you to pick up during the week if you cannot make it tomorrow. You can also find it posted here.

This selection of prayers is intended as a resource to make these latter weeks of Lent an intentional and meaningful time as we journey towards the profound mysteries of Holy Week.

The invitation to you and your family is simply to engage, “as you can.” It is a set of daily practices designed to help us recount communally and privately the brave and miraculous acts of Jesus in his final days and hours.

I hope and pray this will help you and your family prepare for Holy Week and Easter. It's certainly been working for me.

Grace and Blessings,

Email Scam Alert

A Message from Father Michael

Dear friends, we’ve learned today that a member of the parish had their email hacked. The same message was sent to one of our St. John's email accounts as well.

The email had following subject line: “When You Have a Moment - Need Some Help” and the message read:

Hey there, Hope you're doing well! I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something when you have a moment.

No worries if not, just thought I'd ask.

——————

When the St. John's parishioner emailed their reply, they received this second note:

Good to read from you. I’m currently traveling to visit a friend who’s unwell, and I need to purchase an Apple gift card. I tried searching online but didn’t have any luck. If it’s convenient for you, would you mind picking one up from a grocery store? I’d be really grateful for your help with this.

Thank you so much in advance!

THIS IS A SCAM, please do not reply! We wanted to alert everyone, so you are not taken advantage of by these online predators.

Blessings,

A Special Collection to Aid Wildfire Victims

Becoming God's New Thing

Perceiving and cooperating with the good things

God "is getting up to" in and around our parish.

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you see it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

A Special Collection this Sunday in response to the Southern California wildfires

Are you looking for a meaningful way to help ease the suffering and anguish of Southern Californians who have lost their homes and loved ones in the wildfires that have raged through the Los Angeles area?

This Sunday, the parish is taking up a collection to help the victims of the most recent wildfires. Your contribution will go directly to those who need it most, by way of Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). ERD staff members are coordinating aid with Bishop John Harvey Taylor and the people and churches of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

To magnify the impact of your gift, a family in the parish will match all donations, up to a total of $2,500, effectively doubling your contribution.

Help us reach the full $2,500 match and unlock $5,000 in total giving to help the people of Southern California.

Checks for this collection can be made out to St. John’s Episcopal Church with a notation on the memo line: ERD, or SoCal Fire Relief, or however you wish to indicate that you want your contribution to be dispatched immediately to ERD to meet emergent needs.

Please continue to hold everyone impacted by these terrible fires, and their families, in your prayers, and as part of you daily devotions or as occasions arise during the day, I pray that God stirs you to offer this:

Gracious and loving God, we thank you and bless for this day, and we call to mind all of those who fleeing, and those who are safe; those who battle these fires under the worst possible conditions, and those whom they serve; those who offer help, and those who need it; those measuring incalculable loss, and those already praying for the will to recover and rebuild; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

(The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor)

Thank you, and may God bless you and all those you hold dear.

With love, gratitude and hope,