Episcopal Church 
of the Resurrection
1433 NW R.D. Mize Road
Blue Springs, Missouri 64015
(816) 228-4220
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Thursday, May 23, 2019 
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WE REMEMBER
A Prayer for Memorial Day
O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy. Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines. This we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 839)
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SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERS AND NURSERY CAREGIVERS NEEDED
Say good-bye to Gabriella and Sheria this Sunday!
This Sunday we will celebrate the services of Gabriella Benson-Amos and Sheria (Rea) Parrish after the 10:30 am service for their gifts in the Sunday School and Nursery. They are both leaving to be with their families. Gabriella has been accepted and has started full-time Nursing School at St. Luke's and Sheria will be spending time with her family in their church tradition.
As Sheria and Gabriella move on in their new journeys, we will be seeking assistance with our nursery. Fr. David will also be reaching out to anyone interested in serving as a Sunday school leader.
There will be no Sunday school through the summer. All children are welcome in church at all services and we w
ill work to have a nursery available for families.
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WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY
Resumes June 5
Wednesday evening bible study will re-start in June starting at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, June 5. Our first meeting will decide the format and the book to begin.
Please email or communicate with Fr. David with your intent to participate
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From Fr. David+ 
As we continue to celebrate Eastertide (yes Easter continues until the Sunday of Pentecost), I pray we remember the joy of what Easter means to us. Unlike other holidays that end and roll up their posters the second midnight strikes, the Easter message continues on into eternity. The joy of resurrection never fades, it only gets forgotten and replaced by daily routine. Unless we keep the Easter message of joy, eternal life, hope and anticipation in the forefront, we will lose the excitement and promise for our futures. So my prayer for all of us is: KEEP EASTER ALIVE !!!
I would also like to continue to share the blog from Fr. Jay Sidebotham as his message for this week really strikes true to me as I hope it does you.
Fr. David+
Shield the joyous
The other night, our group completed the day with the Service of Compline. That liturgy includes the following prayer:
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love's sake.
Amen.
In short order, that prayer covers a wide variety of human experiences, but that night one phrase struck me in particular. After the brief liturgy, I turned to the guy next to me and asked: What do you think it means to shield the joyous? He shrugged. Me too.
I get the other petitions, but why does joy need to be shielded? I can imagine that in our culture, in our political system, in our churches, joy may seem to be in short supply. Remember
H.L.Mencken's definition of a puritan? He said a puritan was someone who is unhappy because someone somewhere is having a good time. So maybe we do need to pray that wherever joy tries to raise its head, it will be shielded, protected, nurtured, preserved.
Think with me about joy. In an op-ed column on May 7, David Brooks compared joy and happiness. He wrote:
Happiness usually involves a victory for the self. Joy tends to involve the transcendence of self. Happiness comes from accomplishments. Joy comes when your heart is in another. Joy comes after years of changing diapers, driving to practice, worrying at night, dancing in the kitchen, playing in the yard and just sitting quietly together watching TV. Joy is the present that life gives you as you give away your gifts.
If joy is indeed a transcendence of self, in our self-centered world, maybe that's why we need to shield it. Jesus talked about joy at the Last Supper, hardly a laugh riot. He spent his last hours, aware of what was coming on Good Friday, instructing his friends on how to navigate times ahead. In John 15, he spoke about his desire that his followers know the fullest kind of joy. That was, in fact, why he bothered to show up.
John 15:8-11
Jesus said: By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
In another stirring summons to joy, St. Paul wrote a letter to the Philippians, sent from a first century prison cell. Stop for a minute and let your imagination picture that cell. I'm sure it was grim, Yet every other word in Paul's letter is rejoice or joy. (The letter is just four chapters long. If you haven't read it in a while, take time this week to do so.) The call to joy suggests both transcendence of self and harsh conditions.
More recently, we've been treated to a conversation between Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, a record of a week they spent together, captured in The Book of Joy. As I read this book, enjoying their joy, I was mindful of the extraordinary hardship each of these men experienced, how they were so deeply sensitive to the pain of the world, how they were objects of the greatest cruelties human beings and political systems can inflict, how they could easily have been dominated by fear or resentment or rage. Yet as givers, they were able to transcend all that and find a way to joy.
So, a couple questions:
Where are you now finding joy in your life? The birth of a child? The beauty of creation? The love of friends and family?
And from what does that joy need to be shielded? Anger? Regret? Resentment? Anxiety? Shame? Fear? Busy schedules? Fatigue? Indifference?
I hope that joy is part of your life today. Give thanks if that is the case. By God's grace, may it be shielded, for you and for those whose lives you touch. J
ay Sidebotham
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NEW PRAYER BOOKS AND BIBLES
Donations being accepted
New prayer books and bibles are needed for our sanctuary and programs. Our goal is to buy 40 new bibles in a translation that is consistent to our tradition (NRSV with Apocrypha) and 20 new Books of Common Prayer to replace worn books and to have books in reserve for teaching and programs so we won't have to take books from the pews. The c
ost per book is $18 for the BCP and $15 for each bible.
Donations will be recognized with a bookplate sticker in the front of each book. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor someone or the Glory of God!
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FINDING FAITH THROUGH FICTION BOOK CLUB 
Next meeting is June 3
The
Finding Faith Through Fiction
Book Club meets on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 pm to discuss a new book.
Looking ahead, here are the planned readings for the next couple of months:
June 3:
The Woman in the Window
by A.J. Finn
July 1:
The Alpine Betrayal by Mary Daheim
August 5:
The Leisure Seekers by Michael Zadoorian
The Woman in the Window
is a seductive and unpredictable novel, like the Hitchcock movies to which author A.J. Finn pays homage. Finn's protagonist Anna Fox is a child psychologist who lives alone in a New York suburb with a case of agoraphobia so debilitating she hasn't left the house in months. To occupy her time Anna watches film noir classics from her vast collection, interacts with people online, and sometimes spies on her neighbors. It's all very innocuous until she sees a horrible crime take place in the house across the park, recently inhabited by a new family. Call the police and report it, right? Things are a little more complicated for Anna-exacerbated by her routine consumption of prescription drugs with a lot of wine.
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Memorial Day Concert at Powell Gardens, Monday, May 27
Hear parishioners Rich and Devin Conn perform with the Spirit of Independence Band at a Memorial Day concert at Powell Gardens beginning at noon on Memorial Day The event is free and is set up at "The Barn" in the park. Bring a lawn chair, blanket, hat for sun and umbrella for rain. Refreshments can be purchased at the Barn or bring your own.
Necessity Pantry
Needed items include disposable razors, toothpaste and brushes, men's and women's deodorant, canned soup, cereals, feminine depends and pads S-M-L sizes and seasonal clothing. Monetary gifts are also gratefully accepted.
Save Best Choice labels and Boxtops for Education
Please clip and save Best Choice brand UPC labels and the Boxtops for Education for Resurrection. Collection containers are located in the Narthex.
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