Readings for July 6, 2008 Proper 9

The Collect of the Day Proper 9

O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading Zechariah 9:9-12

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass. I will cut off the chariot from E'phraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your captives free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Psalm 145:8-15 8

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.

10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *
and your faithful servants bless you.

11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;

12 That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.

14 The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.

15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.

Second Reading Romans 7:15-25a

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

The Gospel Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Jesus said, ‘To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’ At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ‘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.’

Readings for July 13, 2008 Proper 10

The Collect of the Day Proper 10 (July 13, 2008)

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and may also have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Reading Isaiah 55:10-13

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. "For you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off."
with

Psalm 65:1-8, 9-14 Te decet hymnus

1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.

2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.

3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.

4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.

5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation, *
O Hope of all the ends of the earth and of the seas that are far away.

6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.

7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves, and the clamor of the peoples.

8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.

9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.

10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.

11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.

12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.

13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.

14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,
and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.


Second Reading Romans 8:1-11

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.


The Gospel Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear." "Hear then the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

July-August Newsletter

Newsletter%20JulyAugust%202008.pdf

Regular Weekly Announcements

Announcements & Opportunities
July 6, 2008

† Altar flowers today are given by April Dobbs in celebration of Rick's birthday and also almost two years without smoking (will be 2 years August 5)

† Adult Ed: 9:30 am Sundays in the Adult Ed Room in the “Old Sacramento” building.
† Today: June 29th: Early Christianity in the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Because so many people have asked, Pat Cannariato will share some of what she saw on her recent trip to Greece and Turkey plus additional scriptures and history. (There will be some amateur pictures, but it’s not a travelogue.)
† Class with Paul Stewart: Ready to deepen your faith? Using Norman Grubb’s book The Law of Faith and scripture, we’ll explore how to gain the inheritances found in Christ and how to save and maintain that touch with God that leads us from natural faith to spiritual faith, from elementary to advanced faith, and ultimately to a life of faith. Join us in the Choir Room of the “Old Sacramento” building. You can enter through the Adult Ed Room.
† Coffee in the Courtyard: Please join us.
† Prayer needs? Clergy will be available from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Church each Wednesday. Come for personal prayer for healing or other needs. Bring those who want prayer. Praise God for His blessings.
† No Food or Book Donations will be accepted at this time. Please store what you have until we are settled in our new temporary home. However, there is a donation barrel in the multi-purpose room for clothing donations.

† Ice Cream Social after the second service on July 13th.

† Vestry Meeting Wednesday evening, July 16, 6:30 p.m. All Welcome.

† Lay Ministries Workshop at St. Francis, Fair Oaks on July 19.



Keep in Your Prayers for the Week of July 6, 2008

Healing For: Bill (Alzheimer’s ), Rickey. Stephania (P.O.E.M. syndrome), Robin (pinched nerve), Anne (recovery from a stroke), Marie (stroke and blindness), Bette (tail bone pain), Cathy (congestive heart failure), Nickole (depression), Mike (mental breakdown). Garnet. Steve & Keith (multiple injuries from a fall). Pat for benign test result and peace while waiting, Tamara for IBS.
Cancer cure for: Laura (sarcoma), Linda and Kayla (leukemia), Gene (bladder), Dan, Dennis, Robert (melanoma), Robin, Judy, Diane, Melanie, Dottie, Debbie, Doris, (breast), Chris (throat), Chris, & Carol-Lee (colon), Vicki and Andra (ovarian), Jeanette (islet cell), Lynne (pancreatic), Leif, Pat and Barbara (lung), Richard, Ranny, Jim (prostate), Julie (renal), Tracy & Melinda (lymphoma), Jeff (prostate).
The Departed: Shirley Gong, Edwin Proctor.
Release from addictions: Mike, George.
Faith for: Rickey, Caitlyn, Emilio, David.
Strength and Grace: Kay in her journey with Bill.
Comfort and peace for: Sara in her grief at the passing of her Grandma. Audrey in her grief. Suzie, Christopher and Justin while Dan is deployed overseas.
Reconciliation: Broken marriages, Shannon and Mike, the Episcopal church and the Anglican Communion. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters.
Guidance and Wisdom for: Rick and April, Sean, Scottie, Thomas, Doctor’s treating and finding proper diagnosis for Sandy and Robin.
For protection for: Military: Nicholas, Joshua (Army), Ashley Gaitan, John (Air Force), Sgt. Phil Thorpe , Lee Donny Shuk, Maj. Manny Diaz, Robert Young III, Chris, Brandon & Rudy (deployed to Iraq), Dan (deployed to Iraq), Sean (Special Forces), Doug (Navy). Kurt (Merchant Marines).
Civilian: Katie Gabler as she travels to Uganda to work on Twinomujuni Orphanage. Bill & Nickol’s new home from forest fires. Larry & Tamara while working in Uganda.
For Provision: Job for Tony, home to rent or buy for Tony & Tasha. Churches and schools in Kigezi Diocese. Steph, Michael, Debbie & Kenny. Doug to sell his house before his deployment to Kuwait. Kristen while on her mission. All the AIDS orphans in Africa, Patrick and Shannon.
Salvation for: My brother, children and husband. Nicole and family.
Blessings for: Shepherd’s Love and the Twinomujuni Orphanage in Uganda. Long life for Cracky the bird.
Thanksgiving for: The building of the Orphanage beginning. Healthy family and wonderful grandchildren for Brady & Sarah.

If you have a prayer request for the St. John’s prayer chain, please call the office: 786-6911.

Vestry Minutes May 2008

May%202008%20Vestry%20Minutes.pdf

Good News from St. John's - June 2008

Newsletter%20June%202008.pdf

This Week at St. John's

This Week at St. John’s

Sunday, July 6, The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. Eucharist and coffee time.
9:30 a.m. Adult Ed.
10:30 a.m. Eucharist, Youth Group, Summer Sunday School, coffee time.
Monday, July 7
7:30 p.m. House Groups
Tuesday, July 8
9:30 a.m. Eucharist & Women’s Group
7:30 p.m. House Groups
Wednesday, July 9
No Choir practice until September.
Thursday, July 10
7:00 p.m. Praise Musician Practice
Friday, July 11
Altar Guild
Saturday, July 12
Sunday, July 13, The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 a.m. Eucharist and coffee hour
9:30 a.m. Adult Ed.
10:30 a.m. Eucharist, Youth Group, Summer Sunday School, Coffee time.
12:00—Ice Cream Social