The Week of June 19, 2022 |
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Join us this Sunday at 10:15AM in person or online
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Dear friends in Christ,
In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes,
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:1-11)
Nestled among the many other temptations of human life are two particular intellectual and spiritual temptations for Christians.
The first, known as antinomianism, is the idea that because we are saved by grace through faith, we have no need of following the rules, so to speak. Because Christ’s merits are imputed to us by faith and baptism, we can do whatever we want with impunity. The saved are not bound to follow the moral law contained in Scripture. This particular temptation was made famous in the New World by Anne Hutchinson, who was ejected by the Boston Puritans from Massachusetts Bay and met her untimely demise in New Netherland near the river and parkway that now bear her name just across the New York State line.
The other temptation is moralism. This tendency makes the opposite error to antinomianism: Christ is admired for his moral example rather than worshiped for his saving work on the Cross. Moralizers tend to downplay the fallibility of the human creature, leading them to overly praise those who appear virtuous and condemn those who appear to be mired in vice.
St. Paul, however, was no fool. Both antinomianism and moralism have been present since the beginning of Christian life, so look again at what Paul tells the Romans. Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! The Christian is part of a new creation, one in which sin has been definitively defeated on the Cross. It is a categorical impossibility for a life oriented properly toward Christ to incline toward sin instead of virtue. At the same time, he knew that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, even those with good luck.
What does that mean for us?
It means that if we are mindful of what has been done for us in Christ – that by his death and resurrection he has broken the stranglehold of sin and death on human life, and opened to humans a real and full life on this side of the grave - the inevitable result will be gratitude and joy. The inevitable result will be compassion for our friends and neighbors, especially those having a rough time of it, and probably for our enemies as well (even if we still don’t like them).
As Paul reminds the Romans – and us – at the end of the above passage, dying to sin, to self-absorption and temptations to self-righteousness, to despair, nihilism, and fear is a daily spiritual task, and some days are easier going than others. But in all of it, we have Jesus with us, and we turn to him in prayer when the going gets really tough. And we never have to go it alone.
Yours faithfully in Christ,
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The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, June 20, in observance of Juneteenth. |
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Flower Cross Project: Parish Work Day, THIS SATURDAY, June 18 |
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St. John's has begun a project to spread healing, peace, love, and hope in our parish and the Stamford community. The project consists crocheted, knit, and sewed flowers, which will be attached to a large cross and put up in the church balcony for all to see and enjoy.
Over 1,000 flowers have been created by both members of St. John's volunteers from the over 60s club, and the time has come to attach them to the cross. We hope that you will make time for an all-parish work day this Saturday, June 18, from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm, to join together and tie the flowers to the body of the cross. Please contact Nicky Mehan for more details, and we hope to see you on Saturday!
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Inspirica Women's Shelter Monthly Meals |
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On the last Friday of each month, various teams or families from St. John's provide a meal to a small group of women at an Inspirica women's shelter. Parishioners provide a healthy meal to approximately 10-15 Inspirica clients at their 8 Woodland Place location. The volunteers choose the menu, which should consist of a protein, starch, salad and/or vegetable, bread, water and a light dessert. Volunteers can either drop off the meal or can stay and serve the meal; clients do the clean up.
Would you please consider helping with this important ministry? Our next two available dates are June 24 and July 29. If you do not have a “team” to prepare the meal, but would like to do part of the meal, that's great; we can coordinate! Please contact Caroline Smit at csmit@optonline.net or 203-912-6661 to sign up now or in the future.
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Save the date: A Garden Party, Saturday, July 23 ~ 3-6 pm |
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The St. John’s Women’s Group will be hosting a Garden Party on the great lawn this year, in lieu of their annual High Tea. Please mark your calendars, and don’t miss this fantastic event. Tickets are $30 general admission and $20 for seniors. Please see Olive Grant on Sunday morning, or contact the Parish Office during the week to purchase. Tickets are also available via Eventbrite - click here to purchase.
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Prayers and Financial Support for Ukraine |
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The crisis in Ukraine continues, and our prayers are with not only those on the front lines and in the peace talks, but also with the millions who have been displaced. If you feel moved to contribute to humanitarian relief efforts via Episcopal Relief & Development, please visit their website: https://support.episcopalrelief.org/ukraineresponse.
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A funeral liturgy for the late Dianne Bedingfield Saunders will take place Friday, June 17, at 11:00 a.m., in the church. Your prayers and presence are requested.
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Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study |
During the summer months, Tuesday Bible study will take place on the last Tuesday of every month. For June, discussion will consider Bishop Desmond Tutu’s book, God is Not a Christian. The regular weekly schedule will resume on the first Tuesday after Labor Day. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.
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Outreach Committee Calendar |
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June 18 Distribute lunches to men who work as day laborers
June 24 Dinner for Inspirica Women's Shelter
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Open Thursdays and Saturdays: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Community Thrift Shop welcomes new, almost new, and gently used clothing, home goods, and jewelry donations. All proceeds from the Thrift Shop are donated to nonprofit charities serving those in need. Please note: Starting in June, the Thrift Shop will be open every Thursday 10:00-3:00 and the first and third Saturday of each month from 10:00-3:00.
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Recent Prayer Requests for Healing of Body, Mind and Spirit. |
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Please keep these persons in your daily prayers:
Ben, Carol, Daniel, Ed, Kedley, Lloyd, Marc, Terrence, Jon, Ann, Henri, Sharon, Erin, Dante, Anthony, Marie-Anne, Martha, Nessa, Angela, Gweneth, Toni, Jordan, Gabriella, Cindi, Barbara, Andrew, Jeffrey, Theadeen, Latoya, Christine, Murdena, Aidee, Anthony, Mitch, Jacob, Roslyn, Collin, McKenna, Andy, Errol, Emman, Bill and Verna.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer: the Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan
In the Episcopal Church in Connecticut: St. Ann’s, Old Lyme; Grace Church, Old Saybrook; Good Shepherd, Orange
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To give to St. John's Episcopal Church, you can make your donations electronically or you can simply mail in your check to the church office if you would rather not use the online giving tool. Our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride, is receiving doing the banking.
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Forward Day By Day is the Episcopal Church's own discipleship publication! As disciples, followers of Christ, daily prayer and reflection grounds us in God's love and gives us strength and clarity to confront our weaknesses, put our trust in God and listen to where God is calling us to serve. Available online for-free!
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