Dear Friends,
We are turning our attention from summer rest and play to new beginnings—the start of the school year, renewed energy in the workplace, a new program year at church. This Sunday, we will celebrate all those who are starting something new—students, teachers, folks with new jobs, and so on. If that’s you, please come preparing to be blessed for your new endeavor and feel welcome to bring a symbol of that new start (backpack, briefcase, new uniform) to be blessed as well! We’ll bless all at each service, and there will be a celebratory coffee hour at 10:00am outside on the front lawn, weather permitting.
While we will celebrate new things on Sunday, we have a complicated Gospel, one that explores purity and defilement, ideas of who is on the “inside” and who is on the “outside,” what makes someone “worthy” to belong. A woman, an “outsider” as a Gentile, asks for Jesus’ help. Jesus responds in a way nearly impossible to fathom, saying, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Ouch. I promise it will turn to grace, but we’ll need to wrestle with those words.
If you want a straight shot of grace and beauty before then, I commend this clip of “The Prayer Cycle: V. Grace,” sung by James Taylor, which I referenced in my sermon on Sunday. When you feel like the sea is wide and your boat is small, here’s a song to help you rest in God.
See you in church!
Faithfully, Suzanne+
P. S. We’re starting a tuck pointing project on the Parish Hall. See article below for more information!