The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online:
Morning                     Evening

Matthew 10:14b: 

“‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” - Jesus 
Never worry about approaching God with your simple prayers and pleas. Our simple, child-like prayers, along with our heartfelt hopes, are all welcomed by God in the same way that Jesus welcomed the little children into his lap. God does not ask or require us to be eloquent or profound or even “mature” in our prayers and approach – and in times of crisis or need, we are stripped of such things anyway. Sometimes all we can muster is a glance heavenward and the words, “help.”  It‘s okay. It is in the simplicity and basics of our human need, trust, and hope that we are most like little children. Approach the throne of God with your simple and heartfelt needs and requests – trusting in the love of God like a parent to a child, and know that you are welcome and beloved, just as you are.   
Be well. This too shall pass. In the meantime we pray.  
In Christ, 

~Rebecca+ 

​Miss Gabby reads the story "Little 1" in the company of her two daughters. The next Wiggles video is all about an art project based on the story. Scroll down to see it.

​Miss Gabby leads you through a fun art project involving bubbles. So, get your materials together and follow along with the kids.

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online:
Morning                            Evening

Psalm 126:6-7 “Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. 
Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.” 

We are in a time of sowing tears.  You, like me, have probably had many occasions to weep in recent weeks.  Tears have come unexpectedly too  – just one word in a news story or an email from a church member or even seeing photos of activities people are doing to make the “best” of this time of isolation will suddenly strike me emotionally, and before I realize it, my eyes are filled with tears. 
We have all had seasons of life when tears were a large part of our existence...times of loss and mourning and heartbreak. These seasons are not new to us or to humanity, but they’re never easy.   
What I find beautiful about the words of this Psalm is the reminder that tears can serve a purpose – that tears can “sow” and plant a “seed” that will, eventually, give way to something new and different.  As many of us have experienced, weeping can eventually give way to songs of joy and we later find ourselves carrying sheaves (sheaves in the Bible were bundles of wheat or rye that had been harvested)...in other words, tears can be healing and can plant new life in our hearts and lives. Tears will eventually give way to new life.    
But we are still in the season of weeping.  We don’t know yet what our tears and weeping will sow – but we know that with God, something new and life giving can eventually come out of this season.  I wonder what, in the months ahead, we will find? I wonder what our tears will sow – what changes will come and what will grow in its place? 

Be well. This too shall pass. In the meantime we pray.  

In Christ, 

~Rebecca+ 

​Miss Gabby continues The Faces of Easter. Watch today as Jesus enters the desert to find out more about who he is and what his work is going to be. Remember to have a variety of creative materials out for the children so that they can process the story in a way that is meaningful for them. Be sure to have a "feast" to enjoy together after all of the wondering and processing is complete. And please email Miss Gabby pictures of the children's work. She loves knowing what the children are creating.

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online:

Morning

Evening

1 Corinthians 14:1a 

“Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts...” 

I have been thinking a lot lately about the fact that we have the option to choose love or to choose fear during this crisis.  St. Paul invites us to choose love...to “pursue love.”  We love others, because God first loved us, and God loves us whether we are filled with love or fear.  A certain amount of fear is healthy and can keep us safe, but at this time we have the option to lean into love more than we lean into fear.   
What might it look like to choose love right now?  
It could look like using loving and comforting words when we speak. It could look like calling and checking in on others by phone. (Many thanks to everyone doing this through the St. James phone tree!)  It could look like sending cards to people who would appreciate hearing from you. It could look like smiling at others at the grocery store and thanking the grocers for working during this time. It could like praying for others and for our world.  It could look like staying quarantined when you should and practicing social distancing.  It could like volunteering to feed the hungry or donating to those in need. It could look like meditating and focusing one’s attention on the way of love and peace. It could look like noticing and thanking God for the blessings of each day.  
There are so many ways we can choose to lean into and pursue love and strive for God’s spiritual gifts at this time.  No virus can destroy love.  Thanks be to God.  

Be well. This too shall pass. In the meantime we pray.  

In Christ, 

~Rebecca+ 

Get the Sunday Bulletin to follow along HERE.   Join our Virtual Coffee Hour after the service at 11:00 am HERE.

Video of only the sermon click HERE.

​A preview of what is soon to come for the children of St. James and their families. Need a little help getting ready for story time? Watch Miss Gabby and her girls as they demonstrate a fun music and movement song that can help with just that.

You’re invited to join in praying of the Daily Office of Morning or Evening Prayer. Reflections are taken from the lessons of the day. The Daily Office can be found in the Book of Common Prayer or online:

​Morning

Mark 8 vs 27-9 vs 1

These verses come right in the middle of Mark’s Gospel. And they mark a very significant transition in the narrative. This is the first time that Jesus’s true identity as Messiah is recognized. As soon as Peter identifies Jesus for who he really is, Jesus begins to teach the disciples that he must undergo great suffering. This is the first time that Jesus teaches about his death. From this point on the Gospel is focused on the great events of Easter, which is why Mark’s Gospel has been called a Passion Narrative with a long introduction. This moment at Caesarea Philippi is the hinge on which the book turns. It is the turning point of the Gospel.

Let’s think about the turning points in our lives. What have been the events, the discussions on which our lives have hinged? And what about the present crisis? How will life be different when it is all over?  Do we want it to be different or do we want things to go back how they were?

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For Friday, March 27

Evening

Psalm 107 vs 1-32

I have heard many people say that one of the secrets to thriving in these times of isolation is to maintain a routine and a rhythm to life. Prayer is an important part of that routine. I have found it helpful to find a pattern of prayer which can become a habit, not something I do simply when I feel like it. I hope that these electronic services of Morning and Evening Prayer are helping to shape your days. Today’s Psalm reminds us that each day we are to “give thanks to the Lord for he is good.” Thanksgiving is a great habit. There are always things for which we can give thanks to God. I am grateful today for the technology which is enabling us to stay in contact.

Fourth Class - the Ancient Enneagram taught by Mo. Rebecca
"Solitude, Stillness, and Silence" 
Join Mo. Rebecca by video for this last class on a topic that is relevant to all of us as we "shelter in place." Right now all of us are unexpectedly having a "desert experience" - and the practices of silence, solitude, and stillness are available to us in an even deeper and more meaningful way during this time.  We will finish our study of our book, "The Sacred Enneagram" by applying the themes of contemplative practice in a way that applies to everyone. Join us whether or not you have read the book!

​Click on the three documents below for class materials. You can view them on your screen as well as download and print them.
​Enneagram Class Assignments
Enneagram Diagram
Enneagram Test Resources
The book which we refer to is The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Christopher Heuertz.  Click  the title to see and purchase it at Amazon.com.
Helpful websites are here:
How the Enneagram system works
​The Enneagram - an introduction

After watching the video you are invited to join Rebecca for a Zoom discussion at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, March 25. 
Join Zoom Meeting HERE

You’re invited to join in praying of the Daily Office of Morning or Evening Prayer. Reflections are taken from the lessons of the day. The Daily Office can be found in the Book of Common Prayer or online:

Morning

Evening

Psalm 73:28: 

“It is good for me to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge.” 

My friends, now is a very good time to be near God, as the Psalmist reminds us today.  The good news in our midst is that even when we are far from one another physically, God is still here and is near to us...perhaps God is even closest to us in times of trial and challenge.    

This crisis invites us to find new ways to make the Lord God our refuge...by resting in the knowledge that God is a safe place for us to be.  Carve out time today and take refuge in God through silence, stillness, solitude, prayer and Scripture...because these practices will help you sense the nearness of God surrounding you.  God is a wonderful refuge, no matter our circumstances. God is near. Thanks be to God.    

Be well. This too shall pass. In the meantime we pray. 

In Christ, 

~Rebecca+ 

You’re invited to join in praying of the Daily Office of Morning or Evening Prayer. Reflections are taken from the lessons of the day.  

Morning

Evening


​Mark 8:1-2a: 

“During those days a large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people...” 

This passage from the 8th chapter of Mark describes the miracle of Jesus feeding the 4,000. It brings comfort to see the way God in Christ is moved by people’s suffering with such deep compassion. Jesus looked out at the thousands of hungry faces looking back at him and felt pure love and compassion. He could not let them go away hungry.  We see Jesus acting on behalf of the suffering over and over again in the Gospels...whether people are gripped with illness, fear, shame, or hunger...and we find Jesus bringing healing and meeting the needs of those he encounters.  

When and if you begin to feel overwhelmed with the knowledge of the thousands of people who are suffering now from the coronavirus  – I invite you to bring the image from this story to your mind – and see Jesus looking out at the crowds of the suffering with his abiding compassion.  We can join Jesus in that compassion and act with him in prayer and acts of mercy on behalf of those who suffer.  And we can rest in the deep and abiding knowledge that each and every one of us is known to God and loved by God: we are held by God’s mercy and compassion in life, in illness, and in all that we face.       

Be well. This too shall pass. In the meantime we pray. 

In Christ, 

~Rebecca+

The Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer are found in the Book of Common Prayer or online HERE.  

1 Corinthians 10:31:  

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  

I remember first coming across this verse as a young person and wondered how the simple acts of eating and drinking or “whatever” one does could be done to the “glory of God.” Somehow these simple daily acts seemed too small and insignificant to matter.  

Over time I came to realize that when we seek to glorify God in the little and mundane things in life, we can be assured that we will be living our entire lives to the glory of God. In that sense, all we do takes on significance.  

During this time of “shelter in place” and isolation, this commendation from St. Paul has come to take on new meaning.  I may not be out and out about and “busy” in the same ways I usually am, but life has no less meaning, and in some ways, it has even more.  And I notice that when I keep God at the forefront of my day and my mind, then every act becomes an act of grace and potentially a way to glorify God.   

My prayer for all of us today is that we will find ways to make our days count – that whether we eat, drink, rest, or send some emails....we will know that can give glory to God here and now.  God is ever-present in the mundane and small things as much as the big and great things.  

Be well. This too shall pass. In the meantime we pray.  

In Christ, 

~Rebecca+ 

​Miss Gabby continues to connect with our families as they finish crossing their first week of uncharted waters. Today She brings us more of The Faces of Easter, and we journey with Jesus as he finds himself baptized by a wild man in the darkness and chaos of the River Jordan. We suggest providing creative materials, and ample time to the children so that they can respond to the story in their own way, and remember to enjoy a "feast" together as a family be it a simple snack or a whole meal. Social Distancing...we can do this!