St. John’s Episcopal Church
207 Albany Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401

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The Good News of St. John’s

February, 2024

February 23rd

The Good News from St. John’s Kingston

LENTEN ISSUE

This Sunday: Lent II and Children’s Activity Available

Join us for worship for the Second Sunday in Lent when our lessons will be about Abraham’s covenant with God and Jesus’ rebuke of Peter – “Get behind me Satan!”. You can read this Sunday’s lessons ahead of time here.  And for the younger members, we will have a children’s activity available in the Godly Play Room led by Michelle Hoffman and Sara Hutton.
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Bad Weather? Good Question!

Are we having worship?
Anytime we think there may be a travel concern due to weather – either snow or ice – pay close attention to all of our communications channels: Instagram, Facebook, and email. Rev. Michelle will put an announcement out on Saturday sometime before 8:00 pm ONLY IF worship is either canceled OR we move the worship to Zoom. If there is no announcement, we will worship in the sanctuary as normal.

Who takes care of the parking lot and sidewalks?
We have a plowing company who comes anytime there is a snowfall of at least 3 inches. They clear the parking lot, driveway, ramp, and sidewalks. If the snow continues, however, they will wait until the snowfall has finished so they don’t have to charge us twice for more than one visit.

However, if it’s a small snowfall or just ice, it’s up to us as a church community to make sure our entrances and exits are as safe as we can make them. There are shovels and ice melt stored in the vestibule outside the kitchen. If you’re here on one of those sorta-snowy days or if you have an half an hour to come over and make sure the ramp is clear, please do. Call or text Rev. Michelle and she can make sure you get into the building.
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A Lenten Space

Each week during Lent, Rev. Michelle will post here about resources for spiritual practice and reflection – books, podcasts, websites, etc. While Lent is a specific time of our liturgical year set aside for reflection, most of these resources are not only meant for Lent. Spiritual reflection and practice are things that we are invited to at any time and any place, as we are always called to deepen our relationship with God.

The Season of Lent is a call to reflection and to consider the systemic brokenness we encounter in the world. One of the most troublesome issues we have here in the Hudson Valley is the housing crisis. We have more people than we have the ability to house and the rental prices have risen sharply since the start of the pandemic.

In his online Lenten course, Inhabiting the Scriptures: Finding Home in a World of Displacement, Dr. Brian Walsh asks: “What happens if we read the whole biblical witness as a story of home, homelessness, and homecoming?”  Learn more about this course here.

This is for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the Bible and its relation to contemporary life. All are welcome, regardless of denominational or religious affiliation. No prior knowledge of the Bible is necessary. Each class will run on Zoom for two hours with a 5 minute break half-way through. Although the bulk of the class will consist of Brian teaching, participants will also be able to post questions and points for discussion in the chat which Brian will monitor and answer.

Recordings of each week’s class are available to all who register. The course fee is on a sliding scale. Speak with Rev. Michelle if you would like to receive scholarship monies for this.

List of Lenten Resources
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What Is Our Offering?


Dear Ones,

As most of you know, I’ve become a gardener. For the past several years, Ana and I have spent January planning the garden and then we begin to sow seeds in February. And this year we are not doing any of that. We’re taking the year off from planting flowers and tending a vegetable garden.

The reasons are simple – Ana is having a major surgery and will not be able to assist with gardening chores and I am planning to be on a sabbatical during the months of June, July, and August so I won’t be around to tend to and harvest what we plant. It’s just a good year to be free of this responsibility.

I have to admit to feeling a small sense of relief. But I also have to say that I am already missing the garden. I mean, it’s kind of like skipping Christmas. There is no planning, no anticipation. And, the gifts will be different. We have so many perennial flowers and plants so we won’t be in need of things to tend to and nurture and watch unfurl. But I feel like I’m not offering anything to this unfurling myself. So I am missing something.

As I reflect on this, I am reminded that our sense of belonging is deeply tied to our offering, our personal participation. We get tripped up sometimes by believing that we do not belong. Yet, we can easily forget that the invitation to participate is always there waiting for us to pick it up and respond because we DO belong. In God’s economy, God’s house, we ALWAYS belong.

Each Sunday before Eucharist, I say: “Let us walk in love as Christ loved us, and offer of ourselves a sacrifice to God.” This isn’t just about putting your pledge into the plate. This offering is your participation in the Eucharist. It’s you saying yes to God’s open invitation to the Banquet of Love. It’s an Amen. A joining-in. The offering of our presence is an acceptance of our own belovedness.

The question is, then: What is our response? What is our offering?

In God’s love and mine,
Rev. Michelle