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<DIV><FONT size=5>
<DIV><FONT size=5>Below is a draft of our sermon for our Anniversary
Sunday, based on Luke 1:57-80.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5>A final version will be posted on our church web site by
Monday, God willing, on the Worship tab of <A
href="http://sjnj.org/">http://sjnj.org</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5>Peace and blessings,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5>Joe</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt">St.
John's</SPAN></B></st1:place></st1:City><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt">
Episcopal Church<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><FONT size=5><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address
w:st="on"><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt"><STRONG>61
Broad Street</STRONG></SPAN></st1:address></st1:Street></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><FONT size=5><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address
w:st="on"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt"></SPAN></st1:address></st1:Street></FONT><FONT
size=5><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 24pt">Elizabeth</SPAN></B></st1:City><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 24pt">,
<st1:State w:st="on">New Jersey</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode
w:st="on">07201</st1:PostalCode></SPAN></B></st1:place></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><FONT size=5><st1:place w:st="on"><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><st1:PostalCode
w:st="on"></st1:PostalCode></SPAN></B></st1:place></FONT><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5>The Nativity of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St.
John</st1:place></st1:City> Baptist</FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"></SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5>June 21, 2009</FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"></SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5>DRAFT</FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"></SPAN></B><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5>A Sermon by the Rev. <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Joe
Parrish</st1:PersonName></FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><st1:PersonName w:st="on"></st1:PersonName></FONT></SPAN></B><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5>The Holy Gospel according to<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt"><FONT size=5>Luke
1:57-80<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 40.5pt"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=4><FONT size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The time came for <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Elizabeth</st1:place></st1:City> to give birth, and she bore a
son.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Her neighbors and relatives
heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with
her.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>On the eighth day they came to
circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his
father.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But his mother said, "No;
he is to be called John."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They said
to her, "None of your relatives has this name."<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then they began motioning to his father
to find out what name he wanted to give him.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He asked for a writing tablet and wrote,
"His name is John."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And all of them
were amazed.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Immediately his mouth
was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Fear came over all their neighbors, and
all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of
<st1:place w:st="on">Judea</st1:place>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>All who heard them pondered them and said, "What then will this child
become?"<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For, indeed, the hand of
the Lord was with him.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then his
father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:
"Blessed be the Lord God of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, for he has looked favorably
on his people and redeemed them.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He
has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he
spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved
from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Thus he has shown the mercy promised to
our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to
our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our
enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him
all our days.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And you, child, will
be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to
prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the
forgiveness of their sins.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>By the
tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light
to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into
the way of peace."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The child grew
and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he
appeared publicly to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</FONT><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><o:p><FONT
size=5> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Help us
serve you more dearly, day by day, in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Amen.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><o:p><FONT
size=5> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=4><FONT size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>There is some speculation that Zechariah was struck dumb so his
complaining would not disturb his wife, Elizabeth, during her pregnancy.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But the Spirit of disbelief was the
reason the writer of Luke’s gospel gives as the reason for his temporary nine
month muteness.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Sometimes our
language of disbelief is more than the Spirit of the Lord can tolerate.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We can play the role of the skeptic or
critical thinker easier than we can be creative thinkers.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It takes more energy to come up with
constructive ideas than to stand back and criticize the positive suggestions
others make.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And in our time of
recession, it is easier to come up with ideas of how to spend money unwisely
than it is to discern how to save money, without sacrificing quality or impact;
and our challenge sometimes may even be to spend money in order to make an
investment that will end up saving funds.</FONT><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Scholars
note that the people of Israel in the late first century B.C. were probably
greatly disheartened by being the slaves of the Roman state and under the
scrutiny of Roman authority.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The
Israelites were no longer in control of their destiny, or so they thought.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But suddenly the good news of the
impending birth of the Messiah in broke and set tongues a twitter.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The long expected one had finally become
real enough that a forerunner was to be born, John the Baptist.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And John’s mission would be to clear the
way for the Coming One.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>John would
be in the wilderness, able to hear God’s voice clearly, able to discern what God
was calling John to do, and would have the stamina to do
it.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=4><FONT size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Rome had usurped control of the Temple, it appears, and the high priest
and his family had likely gotten their appointment politically rather than
through the historic religious means of making this most important
selection.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Thus every decision of
the people’s religious future had been sealed off by this disgraceful intrusion
into the sacred place of the people of God.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And the corruption which followed
reached down into every village and town of Israel.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Pharisees took charge of the
synagogues, and carried out their personal aggrandizement at the expense of the
people, and the Sadducees took over the Temple precincts, turning the place of
prayer into a market place and supporting the corrupt High Priests of the time,
Annas and Caiaphas.</FONT> <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It was a
dark time for Israel.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But the Dawn
was coming!<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The
prophecy of a forerunner the likes of Elijah was clear in the writing of the
Prophet Malachi, who foretold the coming of one like Elijah before the glorious
day.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And in our reading from the
prophet Isaiah today we hear the voice of one crying in the wilderness to “make
straight in the desert a highway for our God.”<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I saw an
interesting video from the Church of England who has been challenged to open up
some of their church lands for agriculture, for community gardens.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One church I have visited there, St.
Mary the Virgin in Harmondsworth near the Heathrow Airport, had a back plot of
vacant land with piles of various debris and unkempt borders.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But the person spearheading the English
vegetable garden concept saw the land and noted about forty garden plots for
vegetables could be grown in that one empty piece of land.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Indeed, the soil appeared dark and
fertile, and very good for planting crops, although the parish had never looked
upon the plot as something which could become something useful to the
surrounding community.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And
apparently in the London Diocese alone there were dozens of acres that could be
put to agricultural use.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Several
years ago, some immigrant farmers from Somalia came to the American city of
Seattle, Washington State, and saw opportunities galore within the Seattle city
limits.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They keep petitioning the
city government to let them use some of the government owned property for
gardening, they succeeded in their efforts, and now several acres of crops are
being grown with a few miles of the state Capitol building!<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Beauty, the agricultural kind, is in the
eye of the trained beholder, it seems!<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>At the
coming of St. John the Baptist, God saw the wonderful potential to begin a
strain of greatly reformed Judaism—which in time assumed the name of
Christianity, and which would be so broad that Gentiles could join, without
having to become Jewish converts.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The impending destruction of the Temple would mean the temple-centric
Jerusalem worship would cease, and the constant offering of animal sacrifices
could no longer occur, the Passover pilgrimages would cease, and the people
would be mired in their unforgiven sins as a result.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Solution, of course, was to have a
single sacrifice that would end all sacrifices; a perfect lamb, Jesus, would be
killed on a cross, hung up for all to see, the Lamb of God that would take away
all sins for those who put their trust in him.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What an
incredible calling for John the Baptist—to become the forerunner of the Christ
of God!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Yet that would be John’s
task. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>John was ordained from birth
to be his kinsman’s harbinger.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>John’s ability was to see things from their most basic vantage
point.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Where had the Jewish society
turned from God and become so similar to the Roman captors that there was
nothing to distinguish believers from non-believers, Jews from anyone
secular?<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The
renewed religion of God would be open to any who believed on Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior, and who would follow his commandment of
love.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The
challenge we have here is that new believers don’t have the economic means to
keep these big buildings of St. John’s Church whole and repaired.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Here has become our ‘squeeze’.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We are successful in the basic way of
the Lord, but in this building and in the others we are not successful in
meeting our financial needs.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Thus
we have all these new ideas of how to make out land more ‘productive’, yet we
don’t have agricultural land as they do in Seattle, but we do have land that
could become more economically productive, or could be so with a certain amount
of investment. General Seminary in New York has leased its property for 99 years
and has received over 30 million dollars as a result.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our calling as stewards is more complex
than winning souls for Christ; it has become winning money to keep buildings
repaired in order to keep our worship space whole.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But our challenge may be actually what
was facing the Temple authorities in 26 AD, when selling pigeons, and farm
animals and money changing had taken over the religious function of the sacred
building.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The
result, of course, that had happened by the time the gospel of Luke had been
written was that there were no more buildings to repair and upkeep.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Jewish rebellion against Rome had
occurred; the Temple and the City of Jerusalem had been completely destroyed;
and the population of Jerusalem had been scattered to the four winds.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It would be decades before Jerusalem
would be repopulated.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And the
writers of the New Testament were absolutely necessary to cast a vision of how
the sect of Christ followers could hold together, now in total
exile.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Though a
scary idea, such a disaster could befall us here, though none would be willing
to foretell it in a way that would be even remotely believable.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We are of course within the fallout
range of New York City; a nuclear blast there would empty out Elizabeth and the
rest of northern New Jersey.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And
even though we have constant alerts to be certain such an event cannot possibly
occur, there is always that remote chance that it could happen.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And we would be left to face the future
much the same way Christians in the first century after 70 AD had to
survive.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some became cave dwellers
in the Catacombs near the precincts of Rome.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Others scattered in various directions
throughout the world.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I am sure
God has a plan for us, but I certainly hope nuclear death and destruction is not
it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So we continue to seek other
avenues to maintain our ministries in this place.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Right after this service we will host
another congregation who will be worshipping here from time to time, one who is
seeking to be accepted into the Episcopal Church.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Unlike most of the rest of the Episcopal
Church which is loosing congregations, we are close to gaining one!<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Maybe this is God’s plan for us, we’ll
see.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In any
event, what God began at the time of John the Baptist, God continues to carry
out in our time and in our place.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The will of the Lord will not be diverted.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We may be the harbingers of the future,
when believers from all over seek safety and solace here.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our task is to remain faithful stewards,
keeping our pledging growing, becoming tithers, and continuing to become for
Christ the loving congregation that cares for the last, the least, and the
lonely of Elizabeth, New Jersey, and the world.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Happy
303<SUP>rd</SUP> Anniversary, St. John’s!<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><FONT
size=4><FONT size=5><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Amen.</FONT><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 6pt 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-SIZE: 24pt"><o:p><FONT
size=5> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>