Join us on Saturday, October 5, 2024, for the annual Festival on the Hill, a cherished Bolton Hill tradition since 1955. What began as a small church bazaar organized by Memorial Episcopal Church has grown into a vibrant community festival. In 1969, Rev. Barney Farnham introduced the idea of sharing proceeds with the community, a tradition that continues today under the leadership of the Bolton Hill Community Association.
Festival on the Hill - 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
St. Francis Blessing of the Animals - 2:00 p.m.
Dear Friends,
People watch each other and make decisions about whether they would like to be in active relationship with those they watch or not. Unfortunately, various mass media can distort the perception people have of both individuals and of groups, and this has often been true with respect to the portrayal of Christians. Not that we sometimes don’t deserve that characterization, so it’s important that we continually work to examine ourselves and see where we might become a higher fidelity representation of Jesus on Earth.
For the last couple of weeks, the epistle readings have come from the pastoral letter of James in which we learn from his instructions to the young church in Jerusalem how to get along with one another. James was very explicit in the text from last week (3:13-4, 7-8a) about how to avoid conflict in the church. He said, “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” The lectionary text ends with, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he [sic] will draw near to you.”
This week, we read another passage from James (5:13-20) in which we are entreated to draw near to God again—in prayer. James reminds the church (which had consisted primarily of Jews who had come to accept Jesus as the Messiah) of Elijah. The power of Elijah’s prayer, enough to control the weather, was remarkable, though “Elijah was a human being like us”[.]
I have been pondering the possibility that we all might have significantly more power that we know we have because we have been marked as Christ’s own forever and are committed to being the adopted children of God! Why would we not call upon the power of prayer all of the time? I wonder if the power of prayer lies not in the things for which we petition God, but in the way God transforms us when we draw near to our divine parent.
I want to be that person transformed. It’s not only because I want to grow deeper in my relationship with God and God’s people, but also because people are watching us and making decisions about who Christians are and whether or not they want anything to do with us. I am baptized and marked as Christ’s own forever, and I want to be worthy of bearing that mark. We each have control over exactly one person’s behavior and to accept that control, draw near to God, and [God] will draw near to you.”
In Christ’s love,
Pan +