<html><body><div>Part 2 for Sunday</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><font color="#1d2129" face="Arial" size="2"> Remember the hymn we sang at the opening of the liturgy each of the four weeks of Advent?</font><span style="margin: 0px;"><font color="#1d2129" face="Arial" size="2"> </font></span><font color="#1d2129" face="Arial" size="2">“O come, O come, Emmanuel”. And he shall be called Immanuel, which means “God is with us”.</font><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It takes on new meaning now. God is with us – physically, emotionally, spiritually present with us to help us to face up to whatever has been burdening us for the past week or longer. God is with us as we struggle with long-tern goals and their implications. God is with us, no matter what’s happening, wherever we are.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Of course, this may not seem always to be tangible or to make a whole lot of sense. It doesn’t mean that the list of problems of the things with which we know we have to deal will become shorter or any less arduous. But it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>DOES </u></b>mean not only that we’re aware that God in Jesus has stood up to His neck in the things that stress us; it means also that God won’t back away, but will take our arm to hold us when we seem as if we may stumble on something slippery, or not know how to make a decision.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Our Emmanuel is here to show that no matter what the difficulties, nothing can take from us our relationship, our love affair with God.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>God <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><u>IS</u></b> with us – for ever standing in rivers, no matter how cold, how strong the current, how murky the waters.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“The purpose of any initiation rite in any religion,” writes Suzanne Guthrie, “the purpose … is to once and for all overcome the fear of death.” In pre-Christian religious beliefs there was talk of dying and rising again from the dead. The actual rites, the processes of initiation, “simulated death, so that the initiate would fear no more.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Christian Baptism also simulates death, going down into the water to drown, to die, to enter the underworld, or the Unconscious. Bursting up out of the water represents birth, from the semi-darkness and muted sounds of the water-filled womb, to the harsh (at first brightness of new life, the struggle to breathe air, to live in a completely new medium.” <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><sup>3</sup></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But we can say “Emmanuel” with a slightly different emphasis that’s equally valid. “God – comma – with us.”</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The presence of Jesus, standing beside John, participating in the active response to show His love of God, talks about the fact that it is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>OUR</u></b> call whether or not to cooperate with God, that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>TOGETHER</u></b> we and God participate in revealing the reign of God, which means that Love, Peace, Justice, Dignity will and must be triumphant ultimately.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Thy will be done,” we pray. Yes, God’s will <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>WILL</u></b> be accomplished. Pain, heartache, feelings of separation or isolation, everything that can and does do its level best to draw us from the Love of God; all <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>SHALL</u></b> be well.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>But God never works alone. Even in Jesus’ life, God depended on Jesus to go to stand in the river, to invite others to join Him.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Just so with us: God <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><u>NEEDS</u></b> us. We’re important, vitally important, every last one of us.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>If you want to look on this in terms of us standing in the water with Jesus, and John, and everyone else, then we’re Godparents to Jesus. And Jesuis is Godpatrent to us. Each will encourage the other. Each will be there to provide a healing touch to the other.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>God knows, Jesus had enough times when He felt alone. But He needs us to be with Him now as much as we need Him to be with us.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>This is a joint effort, this life, this faith, this ministry.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Today,” write Suzanne, “Today Jesus invites.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The Church invites.</span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Let us go down to the waters.”<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><sup>4</sup></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>And the Godparents are …? </span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><span style='margin: 0px; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><span style='margin: 0px; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>NOTES:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style='margin: 0px; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style='margin: 0px; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span style='margin: 0px; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>The Diocese of Wenchoster, 3<sup>rd</sup> January, 2017 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Wenchoster/photos/a.1481258712156750.1073741828.1471764373106184/1845407615741856/?type=3"><font color="#0000ff">https://www.facebook.com/Wenchoster/photos/a.1481258712156750.1073741828.1471764373106184/1845407615741856/?type=3</font></a></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";'><font size="2">2</font></span></span><span style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";'><span style="margin: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></span><font size="2">Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23b: The New Jerusalem Bible translation.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";'><font size="2"> </font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>3</span></span><span style='margin: 0px; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> At the <span style="margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41);">Edge of the Enclosure: </span></i></span><i><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>Soulwork Toward Sunday: Self-Guided Retreat </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'> <span style="margin: 0px;">Epiphany 1 (Year A)<br> The Baptism of Jesus </span> </span></i><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>January 8, 2017</span><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 51); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'> </span><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>Suzanne Guthrie <a href="http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/epiphany1a.html"><font color="#0000ff">http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/epiphany1a.html</font></a></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style='margin: 0px; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'> </span></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style='margin: 0px; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'>4</span></span><span style='margin: 0px; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;'><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Suzanne Guthrie, Op. cit.</span></p></div></body></html>