See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. – […]
Read moreRector’s Corner
Cultivating Contentment
In this week’s chapter of Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity, Adam Hamilton talks about cultivating contentment. One of the points that Hamilton makes (which I personally find to be both fascinating and deeply convicting) is that we tend to be content with those things we should never be content with, and discontent with […]
Read moreThe American Dream, Consumerism, and Your Life’s Purpose
Last week, I started a book study on Adam Hamilton’s Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity. In the first chapter of this short book, Hamilton talked about the lie of the American Dream that promises us that it is through materialism and consumerism that we will find our true joy. I think we […]
Read moreChurch-Wide Book Read This Lent
Dear St. John’s, This Lent, I am encouraging our entire congregation to join me in reading a short but profound book called Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton. Hamilton is the Senior Pastor of Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist Church in America. In his book, Hamilton uses […]
Read moreSt. Barnabas Has Found A New Home
Dear St. John’s, As most of you know, St. Barnabas’ Deaf Church has called St. John’s “home” for the last 45 years. Every Sunday at 10 am, St. Barnabas has held its Sunday service in our chapel, and, on occasion, has joined us for our 11:15 worship service with the assistance of an ASL interpreter. […]
Read morePrayer, Education, Action: St. John’s Approach to Gun Violence Prevention
Two months ago, in the aftermath of a series of mass shootings in our nation, I sent out a notice to the parish (dated November 8) in which I committed to exploring with you a way for us to take intentional steps toward becoming more involved in the struggle toward gun violence prevention (GVP) in […]
Read more
by John Ross The Episcopal News Service recently published an online feature about how St. John’s Norwood led the charge in raising funds to buy an ambulance for St. Luke’s in the West Bank city of Nablus. Both Sari and our deacon, Anne Derse, were quoted. Ever since our first Holy Land pilgrimage in 2014, […]
Read more
Context Is Everything: Learning About the Democratic Republic of Congo
Dear St. John’s, One of the first things I thought to myself when I learned that we would be sponsoring a refugee family from the Democratic Republic of Congo was, “I hardly know anything about the DRC!” We are now well into the second month of our mutually-edifying relationship with the Kabira/Kambere family who entered […]
Read moreAnd A Little Child Will Lead Them
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6 It was a child that changed the course of this world forever. It was a little baby – born in a stable […]
Read more
Thanksgiving Month
Dear friends, As we wrap up the month of November in which we’ve been hearing and sharing anecdotes of St. John’s in our lives for which we are grateful, I want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story, and to say even more how much I hope we can continue to […]
Read morePage 1 of 5