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Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” (Mark 8:27-29)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do they say I am? Peter says, “You are the Messiah.” The message, “You are the Messiah,” is simple and profound. The entire Gospel of Mark pivots on the passage that we read today. This passage begs to ask all its hearers, “Who is this Jesus?” Now lots of people believe that Jesus was all sorts of things. If you believe he was a prophet, you are not alone. If you think he was a healer, you are not alone. But at the moment when you truly believe that he is the Messiah, the son of God, your life is just about to undergo transformation. This pivot often brings us in directions that we had never even imagined and require a letting go of our own expectations. The Good News of the Gospel is simply that God loves us and that we should love God and our neighbor.  Life becomes one continuous blessing when you finally realize that everything comes from God. Jesus was God’s showing forth of God’s loving kindness. I’m not one of those prosperity preachers that says that God rewards the faithful with material goods. God loves us deeply and wants us to love one another deeply. It is by the expression of love that we bring others to Christ. We are putting a focus on community involvement in our Thrift Shop and Harvest Fair. Outreach is a sign of God’s love and we need to team up with our community. Right now we are stock piling our Thrift Shop for fall and the Harvest Fair. We need your slightly worn fall clothes, hand bags, household goods, and jewelry. Giving to the Thrift Shop not only cleans out your closet, it helps those who cannot afford the high price of new goods today and supports St. John’s and our ECW. Corporate gifts for the Harvest Fair go directly back to the community through donations to nonprofit organizations. Donations of items to raffle off and baskets help both our community and St. John’s. Please pitch in this year by putting a sign on your lawn, asking restaurants for coupons, and purchasing raffle tickets. 

Our other priority this week is connecting with our children, youth, and young adults and their families. Our clergy will be going out of our way to meet and talk with you. Many folks from St. John’s, Huntington and St. John’s, Cold Spring Harbor worked together on the music that the children and youth will perform “Step Right Up" on Sunday September 15th. My thanks to Bryce, Alex and all those who gave of their time this summer for two weeks in August. Our Christian education program (Sunday school) begins on September 15th at 9:40. We give thanks for Christine and all our teachers. First Communion, Confirmation, and Youth Group are also starting up in September. Youth group meets on Sunday from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Confirmation retreat day is Saturday, September 21st at St. John’s, Huntington. Classes are for 7-12 grades. Please touch base with Fr. Zach, Christine, or Noelle if you are interested. We urge all families with children and youth to attend this Sunday. Next week on September 22nd from 12-3, St. John’s will have a family barbeque at Centerport Beach. The Youth Group will provide activities for the kids! The ECW provides the drinks and our breakfast group provides the hamburgers and hot dogs. Please sign up at church if you would like to bring a salad or dessert. 

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan