"To know Christ and to make Him known . . . "
The Chalice
The Weekly Sunday Bulletin of St. John’s Episcopal Church 
Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:4-9). 

The mystery of the Cross, the redemptive death and resurrection of Christ, is at the heart of the Christian story of salvation of the world. Christ, offering himself as a sacrifice to atone for human sins on the Cross, reveals the divine mystery of the self-sacrificing love of God. The mystery of the Cross calls for the human participation in that sacred act, which is renewed and celebrated in the Eucharistic sacrifice. The corporate participation of all the faithful is the ideal and the norm of this objectively sacred act of sacrifice (Bishop Shin).

Lent is a time of preparation, when we teach the faithful to draw closer to the one we love. It is by our example of worship, study, prayer, and outreach that others will see that Jesus Christ came that we might have life and live it abundantly. Jesus Christ came that we might be transformed from a sinner to the beautiful children of God that we were created to be.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Eternal life begins today and never ends. Please use these next few weeks of Lent to draw closer to the one who loves you deeply. The most significant preacher in a congregation is not the person in the fancy vestments in the pulpit, but the people in the congregation going out into the world. Apostles have been transformed by the cross of our Lord, to do the will of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. The fact of the matter is that priests come and go, but the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the lives at St. John’s goes on from generation to generation. God loves us so deeply that Christ, God’s Son, suffered on a cross that we might be forgiven of our sins.

We have the power to transform the nightmare that the world can be into the blessing of the Kingdom of God. We are transformed through the bread of life and we become the transforming power in the world. Please have hope that God can fix this mess of hatred, addiction, gun violence, racism, and sexism. God will transform us into the beautiful children of God, if we would just turn to him, who died for our sins. So if you have been hurting, frustrated, sick, or a little down, have faith that God will make all things new again. We will emerge from this pandemic as we emerged from our baptism, wet in the waters of the Holy Spirit and anointed to become the beloved community that God calls us to be.

This past week, Pat Ahmad gave a wonderful presentation on the children’s book, Same Difference by Calinda Rawles. If you were unable to attend our Lenten Program, I ask you to go on our website at stjohnshuntington.org and watch the program at your leisure. Our racial reconciliation and social justice committee is putting on a fabulous Lenten series on Tuesday nights. Please join us for the next two weeks on Wednesday nights.

In Christ’s love,
Rev. Duncan Burns
SUNDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK
8:00 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist in the church
Face masks, social distancing, and registration required.
Register online: 8AM REGISTRATION FORM
 
8:00 am - Rite II Morning Prayer
8am Service Bulletin: Lent4 03-14-21
 
9:15 am – Rite II Morning Prayer with Music
9:15 am Service BulletinLent4 03-14-21

10:15 am - Sunday School via Zoom
 
11:00 am - Rite II Holy Eucharist in the church & Facebook Live
Face masks, social distancing, and registration required for all in person worship.
Register online: 11 AM REGISTRATION FORM
COFFEE HOUR
Please join us for a ZOOM coffee hour each Sunday immediately following the 8:00am (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83750939744) & 9:15am (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85013336358) services. Grab a cup of your own coffee and a snack, share some time with your friends at St. Johns.

“Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, 'You owe me.' Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.” 
Hāfiz, a Persian Poet 
 
Where have you seen the light of Christ in our world? 
Join us for
Lent at St. John's
Morning Prayer
Monday - Friday at 9am via Zoom
Bible Study
Mondays at 6:30pm via Zoom

Tuesdays at 11am via Zoom
Lenten Series- Tuesdays in Lent
"Lent through Children's Eyes"
Our 2021 Lenten Series using children's books selected by our Racial Reconciliation & Social Justice Ministry will take place on Tuesdays in Lent via Zoom. We will begin with Stations of the Cross at 6:00 pm, Evening Prayer at 6:30 pm. The program will be from 7:00-8:00 pm. Each week will feature a different speaker:

  • March 16th - Fr. Duncan Burns, The Watcher: Inspired by Psalm 121 by Nikki Grimes
  • March 23rd - Crystal Roberts, Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano
Compline
Thursdays at 8:15 pm
Daily Lenten Devotions
"A Lenten Journey: A Christian Piligrimage toward New Life"
Download St. John's "A Lenten Journey: A Christian Pilgrimage to a New Life." This small collection of Lenten meditations was composed by now Bishop Allen Shin when he was rector of St. Johns as an offering to the members of St. John’s. 
THRIFT SHOP OPEN
The Thrift shop is now open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 12-3 pm. Huge Sales will offer great buys with select clothes as low as $2 each, Jewelry and Nic Nacs 50% off and games/toys $1. The Thrift Shop will begin to accept donations of clothes only as of March 6th. If you wish to become a volunteer in the ministry of the Thrift Shop, please contact Nancy Feustel at n.feustel@verizon.net.

 Come and Shop!
SPRING GARDEN CLEAN-UP DAY
Come on down to St. John’s for Spring Garden Clean-up Day on Saturday, March 27th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Bring your favorite pair of gardening gloves, hedge trimmer, weed whacker or weeding tool. Help us boost our curb appeal Holy Week.
EASTER FLOWERS
To help beautify St. John’s Altar at Easter we ask for your donation for Easter Flowers in rememberance of your deceased loved ones, or in thanksgiving for your blessings. Please complete and return this form to the office by Monday, March 29th.


Make checks payable to “St. John’s Altar Guild”
Holy Week at St. John's
Palm Sunday
7:30 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist (Church only)
9:15 am - Rite II Holy Eucharist with music (Church, Zoom, Facebook Live)
11:00 am - Rite II Holy Eucharist with music (Church, Facebook Live)
The Passion will be presented at each service by the Rambling Readers.
Maundy Thursday
7:00 pm - Christian Seder (Zoom only)
7:30 pm - Maundy Thursday Service with music (Church, Zoom, Facebook Live)
Good Friday
12 to 3 pm - The Last Words of Christ (Zoom only)
7:00 pm - Stations of the Cross (Zoom only)
7:30 pm - Good Friday Service with music (Church, Zoom, Facebook Live)
Easter Vigil
Saturday, April 3rd beginning at 7:00 pm
Remote with the Cathedral of the Incarnation
Easter Sunday
7:30 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist (Church only)
9:15 am - Rite II Holy Eucharist with music (Church, Zoom, Facebook Live)
11:00 am - Rite II Holy Eucharist with music (Church, Facebook Live)
Please note: All services in the church require registration for contact tracing purposes, face masks, and social distancing. Details for registration and other links will be available beginning March 19th.
STEWARDSHIP
Thank you so much for your generous spirit and continued support of the ministry of St. John’s. Your stewardship is a commitment to sustaining St. John’s ministry today and going forward.

Using your credit card or a direct payment from your checking account, you will be able to make a one-time payment or set up recurring payments using our secure payment platform Realm. Please click on the link below to make a payment:


Or send a check made payable to "St. John's Episcopal Church" to 12 Prospect Street, Huntington, NY 11743.
ON REALM FOR ST. JOHN'S MEMBERS
If you are interested in setting up your On Realm St. John's membership account, please contact Coral in the Parish Office to receive an account invite and sign up for a training session. Please send an email to cfreas@stjohnshuntington.org or call 631-427-1752, ext 101.
PRAYER CONCERNS FOR ST. JOHN'S
We pray for all our doctors, nurses, and medical staff who put themselves at risk to care for us during this corona virus epidemic.

We pray for all our men and women serving in the armed services and all first responders who put themselves at risk every day, especially during this time. May God keep them safe and healthy, and return them home to their loved ones.

We pray for those who work for justice. May God give us all strength and wisdom to act for change when it is needed.

We pray for the sick: Bob, Christian, Gladys, Lynn, Fred, Ellen. Lucille, Frank, Theresa, Spencer, Sue, Tom, Stephanie, Madeline, Gary, Allison, Maggie, Susan, Tyler, Ursula, Jim and Irene, Debra, Bill, Amy, Kate, Richard, Barbara, Shannon, Justin, Ogueira, Tom, John and Debra, Janice, Fran, Patti, Cheryl, Sylvia, Sue and Fr. John, Diane, Allison, Bill, Mary Ann, Cory, Alessandra, Stephanie

The Perpetual Light is given this week loving memory of Frank, Bertha, and John Lasek by Dave and Nelly Lasek.

Please submit your prayers to cfreas@stjohnshuntington.org.

For pastoral care and prayer, please contact Fr. Duncan or Claire Mis, directly.