Sunday, February 20, 2022

9:00 am

Please join us for our celebration of Holy Eucharist at 9:00 am in the church.

Come, pray, sing, receive Holy Communion,

and join us for fellowship following our liturgy.

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Psalm 37:3-7, 11-12, 41  

1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

Luke 6:27-38

Facebook Link for Services: Saint John's Episcopal Church

St. John's website: saint-johns.org

Some might say, “this is crazy talk.”

However, these words aren’t just challenging and confusing, they are the heart of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and the very heart of the Christian gospel.

Jesus comes to proclaim a kingdom of God that is almost different in every way from the kingdom of the world, the kingdom that says you should look out for number one, that you love those who love you and hate those who hate you, that life is meant to be lived, finally and always, quid pro quo.

So after setting out his crazy – at least according to our experience in the world – vision for the Christian life, he does two things.

First, he assails the logic of the kingdom of the world.

How can we honor things we do out of our own self interest?

Doing good to those who do good to us, loving those who love us, may be the norm, but it is essentially self-centered and nothing to be admired or emulated. And following in that pattern won’t move us beyond the violence-saturated and scarcity-driven history of the world. We have to find a new way forward.

Second, he offers the only motivation strong enough to withstand the pull of the culture to look out first and foremost for our own interests and invite us to take that new path. He point us, that is, to the very nature of God – the one who is merciful and loving even to those who don’t deserve it.

And that includes us.

The only thing that invites love that transcends self-interest, you see, is being loved. And the one thing that prompts mercy, that is not self-serving, is receiving mercy. So Jesus directs our attention to God, the one who abounds in compassion, mercy, love, and forgiveness.

And because that’s so hard for us to believe, Jesus ultimately won’t just talk about that love, he’ll shows it, spreading his arms wide upon the cross to offer God’s loving embrace to each and all of us.

Crazy?

Our 2022 Altar Flower sign-up is available in the Narthex. If you are not able to sign up in person, please contact the office to see if your desired date is available. If you donate online, please contact Maria with your dedication: maria@saint-johns.org

Suggested donation is $40.00.

During our worship services at 12 noon and 7:00pm, we will again impose ashes on our foreheads. If you are unable to join us in person for our liturgy, and wish to join us virtually thorough our livestream - we will send you ashes. You can self-impose the ashes on your forehead at the appointed time during the service. Please contact the church office if you would like ashes sent to you.

The word Lent comes from the Saxon lencton which means Spring.  Lent, as we now know it, is the Spring Fast.  This season of Lent is traditionally marked by acts of special devotion:  fasting, prayer, self-examination and repentance, spiritual reading, self-denial and alms giving.

-------(giving of your excess in order to cloth those who go without - please see the

-------Outreach article in this E-Newsletter)

-------(you may obtain the Zoom link from Rev. Roger)

-------(for your private devotion, you are invite to walk step of Jesus on his journey to

-------the cross; the link to the service booklet is located below)

Along with the prayers and reflections for each station, you will find artwork from former St. John's students.

Attached is the link to the prayer booklet:

Sunday School is now available. Children ages 4 and up are welcome to come and learn about the Word of God with Heather Wallace.

Child Care is available during our Sunday Services. Ana, the daughter of Alex Valdez-Beer, will be staffing our child care room.

Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? If you'd like to receive the assessment and information on how to get the results, please contact Diane Gustafson (diangus15@aol.com or 619-253-7298).

The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego wishes to thank all healthcare workers during this challenging time of the COVID pandemic.

(BCP, p. 460)

St. John's has four Lay Eucharistic Visitors who are commissioned to bring Holy Communion to anyone requesting a visit.

In times of grief, we are comforted with assurance of our faith, that those who die have the promise of newness of life in the resurrection.

Please hold the Evans family in your prayers during this difficult time.

The Celebration of Life for Dale Evans will be on

Saturday, February 19th at 1:00pm at

St. John's Episcopal Church, 760 First Ave. Chula Vista, CA 91910

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation at https://www.rls.org/.

Notes of Care and Sympathy may be sent to:

The Family of Dale Evans

3350 Watercrest Ct.

Bonita CA 91902

Facebook Link for Services: Saint John's Episcopal Church

St. John's website: saint-johns.org

As we carefully gather in person at St. John's, we would like to remind you that we are here for you!

If you, a family member, neighbor or a friend are interested in celebrating a significant event in your spiritual life, please know that you are welcome.

We would be honored to be a part of your Baptism, Holy Communion, Quinceañera Marriage, Renewal of Vows or Anointing of the Sick.

At St. John's, no matter who you are or where you are on your spiritual journey - you are welcome here

If you have a pastoral emergency when the parish offices are closed,

please call 619-301-0724 or email revroger@saint-johns.org

Wednesday, March 2, 2022 (Ash Wednesday) is the first day of Lent. Each day of Lent, you are encouraged to think of someone less fortunate as you look in your closets and drawers. Remove one item from your closet that you no longer wear or need and put it into the appropriate bag.

We will provide labeled bags to separate the items by Men’s, Women’s, and Children’s items. (If you need a bag mailed to you, please let us know) Men’s items will go in a black bag, Women’s items in a white bag, Children’s items in a separate bag labeled “Children’s”. At the end of the forty days, donate these items to St John’s so that we may share them with clients of Episcopal Community Services - Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC) and Father Joe’s Villages.

The following are suggested items that are really needed:

St. John's Outreach Committee meets monthly to discuss our parish Outreach activities.

We will continue our ongoing collections for:

You may also bring your items to church during our weekday office hours, Monday through Thursday from 9am to 3pm. Ring the doorbell, and you will be buzzed in to leave your items outside Nale Hall.

If you do not feel comfortable driving, please contact the parish office, and we will find a volunteer to pick up the items from your home.

Please click on the following link or visit the St. John's website (www.saint-johns.org) for more information on our Outreach Ministries:

We’ll gather on the outside patio of the Galley at the Marina on Friday, February 25 at 11:30 a.m.   Everyone buys their own lunch, and you must sign up by Monday, February 21 so we can tell the Galley how many tables to reserve.  Sign up on the sheet on the Narthex counter or by calling Diane Gustafson 619 253 7298 or emailing diangus15@aol.com

We will meet on Zoom on Monday, March 14, from 1 to 2 p.m. If you are interested, notify Norma Dunn (4nodunn@gmail.com) so she can add you to the list of people she'll send the link to.

Questions? Call Diane Gustafson 619 253-7298 or diangus15@aol.com.

For almost the entire time that Rev. Roger has been at St. John's we have been in a pandemic with part of that time being shut down.

Rev. Roger would like to provide an opportunity for any members of the parish to "get to know him".

On Wednesday mornings from 10:30-11:30, following Morning Prayer and Bible Study,

Rev. Roger will be available in the Rev. Jack and Sarah Tolley Memorial Library for a visit. This is time to get to know him, ask him questions, and learn about his vision and dreams for the church.

If you would like to host a Sunday, you may sign up on the poster in Nale Hall or by calling or emailing Maria at 619-422-4141 or maria@saint-johns.org

Refreshments should be individually portioned or wrapped, or served by a server who is the only one touching the serving implements. Coffee and Clean-up are done by our Sexton, Ryan Attaway.

2022 will be our Centennial Year!

Please contact Maria Love in the parish office by calling 1-619-422-4141 or emailing maria@saint-johns.org

Join us for Wednesday Morning Prayer and Bible Study

on Wednesdays at 9:30 am as a Zoom meeting.

Please contact Rev. Roger ( revroger@saint-johns.org)

The Morning Prayer guide can be found here:

The leaders of the Prayer Quilt Ministry would like to remind

you that there are many quilts available for anyone in need

of prayer and support. This important ministry brings comfort and healing to many people who are suffering with illness.

Please contact Diane Gustafson directly (diangus15@aol.com)

or through the office (maria@saint-johns.org).

All the women of the parish are invited to discern becoming a member of the Daughters of the King. If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Young (208-695-7735) or Linda Dennehy (619-429-4747).

If you have a special prayer request for Daughters of the King, you are invited to fill out a prayer card, found in the narthex. Drop your prayer request in the church-shaped box or in the offering plate. These requests are confidential and are separate from our printed parish prayer lists.

We would like to acknowledge and pray for anyone celebrating a birthday and/or anniversary in the coming week. Please let us know by Thursday of the prior week so that we can get it in the Sunday liturgy. If you have a picture of you that we could post for your birthday and/or a wedding photo or current photo for those celebrating an anniversary, please email it to us - it would be great to allow everyone to see you.

Today and every day include some time for prayer, for yourself,

for your church family, and for those in need.

Matt Jensen, Drew Shorkey, Cody Crossland, Cameron Ronie, Chariti Paden, Mark Stanfield, Sean Robinson, Jonathan Martinez, TK Nguyen, Christopher Lindshield, Timothy Lindshield, Jeremy Colton, David Sanchez, Jonathan Baldera, Nick Wyatt, Daniel Getreu, Jamal Warner, Matt Hernandez, Devon Strunk, Taylor Harrold, Jorge Zuazua, Katherine Milam, Sebastian Morales, Richie Lebron, Andrew C. Dugger, Roberto Johnson and the crew of USS Essex.

Heather Pokornowski, Callie McKay, Mimma Fonti, Linda Urbano, Dianne Lewis, Sharon,

and Christy Gollihur.

For the repose of the soul of Scott Lewis, brother-in-law of Rev. Cathey Dowdle.

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the clergy and people of St. Alban's

in El Cajon.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and

the Middle East.

In the Military Cycle of Prayer, we pray for Sailors serving aboard USS Higgins (DDG 76)

and USS Howard (DDG 83).

meeting is on Wednesday, February 23rd at 6:00 pm. Please contact Rev. Roger or Maria in the office and we will send you the Zoom link for the meeting.

Lynn Young, Senior Warden

aaaaaa208-695-7735

aaaaaalynnyoung2786@gmail.com

Bill Cheney, Treasurer

Terry Farrelly, Assistant Treasurer

---------------------------Ashes To Go, church parking lot, 7:30-9:00am and

------------------------------------------My Cup of Tea (242 3rd Ave), 2:00-3:30pm.

As our staff are now fully vaccinated, we are permitted to open our parish office.

Masking and social distance should be maintained when visitors are present.

The Parish Office will be open 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Thursday.

Please call the parish office if you have any questions or concerns

(619-422-4141).

Rev. Roger will be working half-days in the office on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday; and all day on Wednesday and Friday. He will be available by appointment. Please call the office (619-422-4141) to schedule an appointment.

In case of a pastoral emergency, Rev. Roger may be reached on his cell phone at

619-301-0724.

If you receive a suspicious email from an address that seems to be Rev. Roger or another parishioner asking for a favor, it may be a phishing attempt. Scam emails mimic addresses we are familiar with and are very often full of grammatical errors.

Rev. Roger will never email you asking for funds or financial support by way of gift cards. If you receive an email that seems suspicious, do not open it or respond to it. Delete it immediately.

Phishing is a cyber attack that uses disguised email as a weapon. The goal is to trick the email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need - a request from their bank, for instance, or a note from someone in their company - and to click a link or download an attachment.

Your weekly newsletter highlights important events at St. John's Episcopal Church. You can also find news about St. John's at www.saint-johns.org.

We welcome your feedback, photos, and news items. Contact Maria Love at 619-422-4141 or maria@saint-johns.org.

Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919) was “the first Black woman millionaire in America” and made her fortune thanks to her homemade line of hair care products for Black women. Born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867. Her parents, Owen and Minerva, were Louisiana sharecroppers who had been born into slavery. Sarah, their fifth child, was the first in her family to be born free after the Emancipation Proclamation. Her early life was marked by hardship; she was orphaned at six, married at fourteen (to Moses McWilliams, with whom she had a daughter, A’Lelia, in 1885) and became a widow at twenty. 

She was inspired to create her hair products after an experience with hair loss, which led to the creation of the “Walker system” of hair care. A talented entrepreneur with a knack for self-promotion, Walker built a business empire, at first selling products directly to Black women, then employing “beauty culturalists” to hand-sell her wares. The self-made millionaire used her fortune to fund scholarships for women at the Tuskegee Institute and donated large parts of her wealth to the NAACP, the Black YMCA and other charities.  Source: History.com

Self Made [Drama · TV-MA]

[Episcopal News Service] At a memorial service for Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City on Feb. 13, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry remembered the former primate of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa as a relentless optimist who saw the promise of Easter even when it looked like Good Friday.

In addition to a sermon from Curry, the memorial service for Tutu, who died on Dec. 26, 2021, at age 90, featured eulogies from international dignitaries and prayers and hymns in multiple ethnic and religious traditions.

Tutu was remembered for his steadfast commitment to a just, nonviolent end to the apartheid regime in South Africa – an effort that won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. The success of that movement culminated in the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela, who named Tutu the chairman of the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Tutu’s leadership lent credibility to the commission’s work of exposing the atrocities of apartheid and pursuing restorative justice.

Amidst “the darkness of bigotry, the darkness of animosity, the darkness of arrogance, the darkness of injustice, [Tutu’s voice] reminded [us], it is Easter,” Curry said in his sermon. “Goodness is stronger than evil. That voice, sometimes with a smile, [said,] ‘Love is stronger than hate.’

“The voice of that little man. Remember how little he was? Before I met him the first time, back in the ‘80s, I just knew he was as big as LeBron James. And he was bigger than that!”

Curry recalled going to hear Tutu speak during “the dark days” in South Africa, when Mandela and other Black political leaders were still in prison.

“He ended it by saying, ‘I believe that one day, my beloved South Africa will be free. I believe that one day she will be free for all of her children: Black, brown, colored, white, Asian, all of her children. I believe that one day, my beloved South Africa will be the land of all the rainbow children of God,’” Curry recalled, referring to the phrase “rainbow nation” coined by Tutu describing the diversity of South Africa. “‘I believe that God has a dream for South Africa and nothing can stop God’s dream. I believe that because he raised Jesus from the dead and if God can do that, look out, apartheid. You’ve already lost.’”

Curry also drew parallels between Tutu’s fight for justice in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s and the challenges facing the world today. The guiding principle in these efforts, Curry said, must be the golden rule of loving God with all one’s heart and loving one’s neighbor as oneself.

“Do that and you will figure out how to make poverty history so that folks aren’t suffering in this world anymore. Do that and we will make sure that vaccines are available around the world and not just for us, who are privileged in this part of the world,” Curry said, drawing applause from the in-person audience, limited due to COVID-19.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaks at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City in 1986. Photo: Mary Bloom/Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

“Do that even as the sabers are rattling around the world, even as we gather here tonight. Do that and we’ll learn how to lay down our swords and shields down by the riverside and study war no more.”

The service at St. John the Divine, where Tutu spoke in 1986 to thank Americans for protesting against apartheid, was led by New York Bishop Andrew Dietsche and included eulogies from former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel; Nomaindiya Cathleen Mfeketo, South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S.; Mathu Joyini, South Africa’s representative to the United Nations; and Abdulla Shahid, president of the U.N. General Assembly. Rabbi Geoffrey Basik and Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat offered Jewish and Muslim prayers, respectively.

In his eulogy, Rangel remembered “that smile, that wit, that eloquence that Bishop Tutu had” and credited Tutu as an inspiration for his own political career, which included representing New York in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 2017. Rangel said he admired Tutu’s boldness in applying Christian values to political problems, a trait Rangel said should be reclaimed by Christians.

“His life has shattered the myth of the separation that we should have between our churches and our spiritual institutions and our policies,” Rangel said. “If [our] spiritual leaders are separate and neutral in the things that we do, then all of the things that Jesus said that we should do in making certain that we treat the lesser of our brothers and sisters – it just doesn’t make sense.”

The music included a traditional Namibian song, an African American spiritual and the South African hymn “Siyahamba,” with lyrics sung in English, Zulu and Spanish, and the service closed with an organ and saxophone rendition of “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (God Bless Africa),” the South African national anthem.

A Film-based Dialogue Series on Race and Faith

Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, ministries, and society. This film-based dialogue is a 10-part series on Race & Faith, produced by The Episcopal Church. Dialogue Circles will meet every two weeks to discuss the films and readings. The Dialogue Circles will self-select a day and time that works for the group once the registration is closed. The discussion circles will meet on Zoom.

Email the Rev. Regan Schutz for more information.

RefugeeNet invites you to register for its annual fundraising gala on the evening of Saturday, March 19. Guests will have the option of attending the event, which will be held at St. Luke's in North Park, either in-person or virtually via live stream. In-person tickets of $60 will cover a delightful array of east African foods enjoyed in a beautiful outdoor setting with plenty of space for you to choose the level of social distancing you prefer. There is no cost to participating in the online live stream, though virtual attendees can also order food to be delivered if they would like. Help us raise the crucial operating funds necessary to provide for the thriving of San Diego's refugee families!

For sponsorship and ticketing contact Andrea Muir at amuir@ecscalifornia.org.

Did you know…

…that the Greek word we translate in this week's teaching from Jesus as "forgive" actually has a much more literal meaning? As you might know, the New Testament was written in Greek (specifically a kind of Greek called koine, or common, Greek). When we read the bible in English, we are reading a translation from that original language, and as you might have noticed, there are a lot of different translations (in fact we feature a different one every week in our email). Sometimes words are translated literally and sometimes they are translated into English words that best grasp the general feeling of the Greek word, as not all Greek words have a direct translation into English.

In this week's gospel, Jesus is teaching in his Sermon on the Plain about forgiveness, telling those assembled before him to "Forgive, and you will be forgiven." The word we translate

as forgive is the Greek word ἀπολύω (pronounced apo-loo-oh). The interesting things about this word is that the more literal translation of it would be "to let go" or "to send away" or "to release." We have a certain cultural understanding of what it means to forgive, but the writer of Luke's gospel used this word that means "to release" to sum up what Jesus meant when he taught people to forgive.

Does the literal meaning of this Greek word "to release" change your ideas about forgiveness? If so, how? If not, why not? Does it change how you read Jesus' teaching this week to say, instead of forgive, "Release, and you will be released?"

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is changing life for all of us. You may feel anxious, stressed, worried, sad, bored, depressed, lonely or frustrated in these circumstances.

Find resources to connect with real people that can help, here.

Love calls us to care for our neighbors and for our enemies. Love calls us to attend to those in prison, to those who are homeless, to those in poverty, to children, immigrants and refugees.

What would love do? To you, who so generously support the transformative work of Episcopal Relief & Development, love calls you to continue to sow seeds of lasting change

Visit Episcopal Relief and Development: One Thousand Days of Love to see how you can help.

As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe haven for everyone, our diocese trains people in the prevention of misconduct and encourages all to report misconduct. All reported incidences are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially. If you believe you have experienced misconduct of any kind, please contact Mr. John Seitman, (jseitman@pacbell.net), 858-793-4555 or Ms. Equilla Luke, (aequilla@icloud.com), 760-583-0485.