WEEKLY MESSAGE – July 14th – Fr. McManus
Imagine you are sitting on the beach and a man, a farmer with a straw hat – comes toward you. He’s whistling a happy tune and flinging seeds right and left, without caring about where they are going. “Hey!” you say, “That just went in my drink.” He just smiles and continues to toss the seeds about, as he replies, “No problem, I’ve got plenty.” Children along the ocean’s edge run up to their parents and say, “That man is throwing seeds in the water and the sand– will they grow?” You shake your head, puzzled, as you watch him walk away, throwing the seed – wasting the seeds – for no apparent purpose, except that “he’s got plenty.”
Now if that isn’t strange, I don’t know what is! If you are a gardener – you know not to waste seeds.
The gospel story of the Sower and the Seed, tells us of a strange and vivid story, but when we look a little bit deeper, it might not be so strange after all. Think about it – when we witness the birth of a child, accomplish a hard-earned goal, our favorite team wins, or we receive a birthday present that we are overjoyed about, aren’t we so happy that we are about to burst?
We’re just bubbling over and feel we have to share our good news with others. We just have to share our joy. We’re throwing joy everywhere with abandon—we’ve got plenty!
Isn’t that what the Sower in our parable is doing?
Let’s explore more. See you Sunday!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Weekly Offering for Week Ending 7/8/2023. Total $3,305.00. Average Weekly Budget $4,646.00. The difference (-$1,341.00).
Boy’s Scout Parking Lot Renovation is scheduled on Saturday, July 22 and Saturday, July 29. The scouts and their families will be working to repaint the lines and bumpers in our church parking lot. ECW will provide pizza, drinks, and cookies for their lunch.
Sandwiches for St. George’s. Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot on Wednesday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by the Daughters of the King. Next Sunday hosted by the ECW.
Bible Study is scheduled today at 9 a.m. in the school building. The study is open to anyone who is interested. Please feel free to join us.
The Women’s Bible Study is now in recess until the first Sunday after Labor Day, September 10th.
Sunday school is open and available for children starting at age 3 years old. We would love to have new teachers in our Sunday school, if you are interested in helping, please contact Katie Waters at katiewaters@hotmail.com.
Forward Day by Day brochures are now available in the narthex. Donation $3.00.
Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.
Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass. There are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel. See the links listed below.
Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.
PLEASE PRAY. For the sick: Adrian, Alice, Annette, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Carmen, Carolyn, Chester, Cynthia, David, Dee, Diana, Dolores, Donna, Dorothy, Doris, Doug, Dudley, Ezra, Gina, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Jory, Kenzie, Manuel, Marjorie, Megan, Michael, Miguel, Parker, Patricia, Pearl, Predrag, Rachel, Robin, Ron, Rosie, Scott, Sharon, Shelly, Steve, Sue, Susan, Theresa, Tracy, Vernetta, Violet, William, Woody. For the departed: Gloria Primavera. For birthday celebrations: Danielle Kiminyo, Dr. Estelle Beresford. For anniversary celebrations: Javier and Debra Gonzalez, Jill and Ryan Artim, Yvonne and Rohan Wolliston. For our expectant mothers: Taylor and Bethany.
WEEKLY MESSAGE – July 7th – Fr. McManus
WEEKLY MESSAGE – July 7th – Fr. McManus
Jesus said something famous: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Aren’t you weary? Aren’t you carrying a heavy burden? Don’t you need a rest? We are all weary and heavy-laden. Each of us is dealing with something, or a whole litany of somethings.
So what is Jesus saying?
Jesus is inviting us into something completely different. Jesus first names our spiritual state. This is an amazingly compassionate thing to do, to notice and name, and then to tell the truth of a situation. Sometimes it is enough simply to have someone notice our weariness and burdens. This noticing, without judgment or fixing, is a lesson in empathy for all of us.
But there is more to talk about. See you Sunday!
NOTICES:
Weekly Offering for Week Ending 7/1/2023. Total $3,193.00. Average Weekly Budget $4,646.00. The difference ($1,453.00).
Sandwiches for St. George’s. Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot on Wednesday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by the Congregation. We would like to thank the dedicated service given by our bookkeeper, treasurer, and the offering counters who work so hard on the financials of the church each week. Next Sunday will be hosted by the Daughters of the King.
Vestry Meeting is scheduled on Sunday at 11:15 a.m.
Clean Up Day on Saturday, July 8 at 9 a.m. Bring tools for building a rack on side of church for hurricane shutters and shovels for spreading topsoil and planting. Lunch will be provided at 12:00 noon.
Bible Study this Sunday is at 9 a.m. in the school building. The study is open to anyone who is interested. Please feel free to join us.
The Women’s Bible Study is now in recess until the first Sunday after Labor Day, September 10th.
Sunday school is open and available for children starting at age 3 years old. We would love to have new teachers in our Sunday school, if you are interested in helping, please contact Katie Waters at katiewaters@hotmail.com.
Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.
Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass. There are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel. See the links listed below.
Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.
PLEASE PRAY. For the sick: Adrian, Alice, Annette, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Carolyn, Chester, David, Dee, Diana, Dolores, Donna, Dorothy, Doris, Doug, Dudley, Ezra, Gina, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Jory, Kenzie, Manuel, Marjorie, Michael, Miguel, Parker, Patricia, Pearl, Predrag, Rachel, Robin, Ron, Rosie, Scott, Sharon, Shelly, Steve, Sue, Susan, Theresa, Tracy, Vernetta, Violet, William, Woody. For birthday celebrations: Laurie Solomon, Kenneth Barnett, Lauren Champer, Joyce Parker, Lucas Joseph, Renee Mulligan, Marc Duquesnay. For our expectant mothers: Taylor and Bethany