During my time away on vacation in July, I visited the Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge, MA. It contains the largest collection of Rockwell’s art and the museum property also includes his studio.

I confess my knowledge of Rockwell was very shallow − confined to hazy memories of sentimental illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post that I’d seen over the years. Most of the collection did indeed consist of those illustrations, and the sheer number and diversity of them was amazing. The museum gathered many of them chronologically, but also by themes. I particularly enjoyed the group of comedic works, such as the child discovering a Santa suit in a bureau the day after Christmas. (The Post had to run a note in that issue that Santa had simply left the suit to be dry cleaned!) I was interested also to see his series on the Four Freedoms, drawn from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address…

In June, the Episcopal Diocese of New York invited us all to participate in “#One Single Act.” In partnership with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Episcopal Charities, Episcopal Divinity School and the Interfaith Center of New York, this initiative is an online campaign that encourages reaching out to others from a place of heartfelt kindness. The goal is that individuals and groups will do one act that embodies our Gospel values, post that act online, and then invite others to do the same.

Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus continually serving others, whether it be through healing the sick, feeding the hungry, or teaching the masses. Jesus’ entire life was marked by service, and He ultimately laid down His life on the cross as the ultimate act of service for humanity.

When we serve others, we are not only meeting their needs but also growing in our relationship with God. Service is an opportunity to put our faith into action and to grow in our understanding of God’s love and grace. As we serve others, we become more like Jesus, who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ….

This Sunday, after we worship together, a team from Holy Apostles will travel to Thomas Berry Place in Queens to participate in the College for Congregational Development. The CCD is a ministry out of the Diocese of Olympia on the West coast. In 2009, the Rev. Melissa Skelton (now a Bishop in the Anglican Church in Canada) launched the first session of the College. It has grown beyond Seattle since then, and a few years ago the Episcopal Diocese of New York received a grant to fund participation for interested congregations in this diocese….

Happy Independence Day! It seems like a particularly good year to celebrate the founding of our nation, a separation from the monarchy of Britain and an embrace of democratic principles instead…..

We live in very troubling times. I am sure many don’t remember a time like the days in which we now live. Yes, there has been times in the past where there was uncertainty, but not like we live in today. There seems to be problems, issues that can’t be resolved both nationwide and internationally. People are discouraged over loss of income, loss of homes, family issues and other concerns.

Despite all that is going on, I am encouraged by Chapter eight in Luke’s Gospel 8:26-39. Here we find a message from Jesus….

Robert Louis Stevenson was a 19th century Scottish novelist and poet. His work includes thrillers like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the adventure tale Treasure Island, as well as the more innocent offerings in A Child’s Garden of Verses (“the world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings”).

Growing up in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from tuberculosis which kept him isolated from other children. Often alone, he was often lonely too. For many hours of every day, he would stare out the window, face pressed against the glass, taking in the activity on his street and in his neighborhood…..

Last Saturday, May 31st, the Diocese held a celebration of the ministry of Bishop Mary Glasspool as she prepares to retire. Bp. Glasspool has been groundbreaking in many ways, not least because she was the first openly lesbian woman to be consecrated as bishop in the Anglican Communion. Mother Anna and Canon Bob and some of our parishioners were glad to be able to attend the festivities!….

Last Sunday I preached about collective, relational peace—and I used the eating habits of the unicellular stentor as an example of individual energies combined and magnified for the greater good. One of my favorite things about preaching is continuing the conversation once the sermon is done, and after the service on Sunday I was approached by a visitor who told me that a similar collective process happens with the formation of stars.

Apparently, (and a quick online search reinforces this), stars begin with cosmic dust. The dust responds to gravitational pull, and the more dust coalesces, the greater that pull becomes. Stardust attracts more stardust. This stardust combines with atmospheric gasses, forming what’s known as “stellar nurseries.” The positive energy cycle grows and grows until the gravitational force becomes so great that the collective mass folds in on itself, concentrates, ignites, and becomes a star…..