Sunday, June 1

This week (Thursday, May 29) the Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension, a principal feast on the Church’s calendar. This is the day we remember Christ’s ascension into heaven bringing in resurrected body to the thrown of God.
Jesus’ final words to his disciples before he is lifted up are, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NRSV). Jesus gives them one last commission before he departs from them, instructing them to go out and be his witnesses - doing all that they watched him do during their journey together. They are to do this not only in the places which are familiar, but to the very ends of the known world. After Jesus ascends, the disciples are stuck gazing heavenward. Then suddenly two men in white robes appear and say, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven” (Acts 1:11, NRSV)? The disciples cannot just stand in place, they must be on their way.
Given the state of our world, we might be tempted to stand still, continually gazing heavenward. The chaos and confusion around us can be so overwhelming that we want to retreat from it all; not to mention the way the myriad of emotions we feel might cause of to freeze up not knowing what to do next. Truthfully there are more times than I care to admit that my prayer is for Jesus to come again in glory, brining the suffering of this world to an end and ushering into its fullness the kingdom of God. We may wish to continue gazing upward, but that is not a luxury we, or the world, can afford.
We must be on our way preparing ourselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Preparing ourselves to be filled with the power of God so that we might go into the world bearing witness to Jesus in every corner imaginable.
Beloved of God, come and worship this week, join in this work of prayer and preparation, come be nourished and strengthened, that we might go to every corner imaginable to proclaim the glories of our risen and ascended Lord.
Rector Sabbatical 2025
It is the practice and policy of this Diocese that after completing five years of ministry in a congregation a Rector is eligible for a three month sabbatical (in addition to usual vacation time). Sabbatical is a time set apart, when clergy are released from regular ministry for the purpose of study, theological reflection, spiritual renewal, and strengthening of skills for their ministry. Sabbatical is an important part of the work and ministry of clergy.
As announced at the Annual Meeting in January, I will be taking the first part of my sabbatical this summer. I believe being gone for four months in one year is too much. Therefore I will take two months of my sabbatical and vacation this summer, and my third sabbatical month and vacation next summer. I will be on Sabbatical from June 9 - August 9, vacation from August 10 - September 8, and will return to the parish on Tuesday, September 9. Over the next couple of weeks I will write more about my sabbatical plans in our newsletter. For now, I am deeply grateful to our parish leadership for their support of this Sabbatical and to Bishop Knisely for providing a grant which will fully cover the costs of this time.








