The September 2020 issue of the Shepherd's Staff

A Word from the Fold

September 2020 edition of the Shepherd’s Staff

What’s Happening at Church of the Good Shepherd?

It feels like we just got into the rhythm of summer with the hot humid days of August when suddenly we’ve turned a corner, and here we are approaching Autumn. This is my favorite time of year with its warm days and cool nights, not to mention all the fall activities like apple picking and pie baking. Of course, this is normally also the time for back to school and a return to a full schedule of church programs. But this year is quite different for all of us as many of the routines have changed due to the ongoing pandemic.

This is also a time of new beginnings at CGS. Programs will look a little different this fall but rest assured that many people have been hard at work behind the scenes preparing for this new phase of ministry.

The Regathering Committee has been mapping out a plan for holding outdoor worship services at least while the weather cooperates. Protocols have been written and are being submitted to the Diocese for approval. In order for everyone to hear the service outdoors, we need to purchase some sound equipment. A sound tech has visited the church and made a recommendation for our set-up. Approvals from the Finance Committee and the Vestry are complete, and the order is in process. We will let you know as soon as possible when all is ready for our first outdoor service.

With regard to Christian Education, Taryn Ross-Hyman has been meeting regularly throughout the summer with church school and youth leaders from across the diocese. These Zoom sessions have provided a way for folks to share ideas about how best to re-engage the children and youth in faith formation. Taryn hopes to offer several activities for the children in the coming weeks. The Church School Council met last week along with Barb Magee from Mission Outreach to brainstorm ways to continue providing opportunities for the kids to get excited about mission and help others in communities near and far.

The Vestry is undergoing a process of linking its members with the various standing committees of our parish in an effort to foster better communication and support for ministry leaders. There are a number of areas in which parishioners can be of assistance in helping to keep this a strong and vibrant parish.

So while we’ve not been together in the building at 164 Newtown Road over the last six months, there is a great deal going on by members of the church to keep things moving forward. A number of improvements have been made to the building and grounds, the most recent being the installation of phone system and internet upgrades. These developments will enable continued live streaming of our worship, even after services resume in the sanctuary.

In the meantime, I hope that you will continue to support the ministry of CGS through your participation, your financial pledge and your prayers. May God continue to bless us for service in our communities as we journey together in faith.

Blessings,

Melissa

Announcing our new Rector!

The Reverend Eleanor Applewhite Terry

The Wardens and Vestry are delighted to announce that The Reverend Eleanor Applewhite Terry has accepted the call to become the 5th Rector of our beloved Church of the Good Shepherd, Acton! Ellie will be joining us on or after October 1, 2020. Ellie comes to us from the Old North Church in Boston, where she has served on the clergy staff since 2013, first as Associate Vicar, and then in 2019, as Bridge Vicar. In this current role, she has sole responsibility for parish services, ministries, and administration, all the while supporting that parish during a transitional period as they prepare to welcome a new Vicar.

Our new Rector also served for seven years as the Vicar of St. Paul's Church in Plainfield, Connecticut, and began her ordained ministry as the Associate Rector of Saints Peter & Paul Church in Portland, Oregon. These two parishes gave her diverse experiences: one a family-oriented, small community parish where she was instrumental in growing average Sunday attendance by 86%; the other an urban congregation with exquisite liturgy and a strong commitment to outreach.

Ellie earned a M.Div. from Yale Divinity School in 1997 (Diploma of Anglican Studies, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale) and a B.A. from Smith College in 1991, with a Major in Religion and Biblical Literature and a Minor in Government.

Ellie has actually been among us in the Acton community for some time: she and her family have lived in Acton since 2012! Some of you might already know Ellie and her family from school and other activities.

The Wardens and Vestry are extremely appreciative of the dedicated and discerning work of the Rector Search Committee over these past months and years. Thank you for your good and faithful service! Please join with the Wardens and Vestry in sharing a big WELCOME to Ellie as she prepares to join the Church of the Good Shepherd faith community!

The Rev. Melissa Buono

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost 6.28.2020

Church of the Good Shepherd, Acton, Massachusetts

Rev. Melissa Buono, Interim Priest

Readings: Jer. 28:5-9; Ps 89:1-4,15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42

Welcome back to the final installment of Jesus’ “Missionary Discourse” “How to Follow Jesus,” brought to you by Matthew Chapter 10.

The first installment was a lesson in Jesus showing his disciples how it’s done - moving from town to town and sharing the message of God’s love and mercy, and having compassion on God’s people by feeding and healing them and tending to their needs.

Having shown them, Jesus then sent out his followers, called Apostles meaning “those sent out” to go out and follow his example. They were to take no payment for their service, bring no bag of coins, no extra clothes, sandals or staff. They were sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves.

The second installment brought understanding that they would be rejected by some people, mocked and criticized by others, but through it all they need not fear. God would be their rod and their staff along the way. But they should be forewarned that the message of salvation that they bring to the weak and the marginalized will cause your closest relationships to be challenged, father and son, mother and daughter, as those who challenge you will likely be members of your own household.

And finally in this last bit, the last couple of verses of Matt. chapter 10, we learn a little something about hospitality.

At first read, this week’s Gospel lesson might sound like a directive to simply be hospitable to others by serving them with a cup of cold water on a hot muggy day or with a cup of hot coffee with steamed milk on a beautiful Sat. morning, for doing so will bring great reward. However, that’s not where Matthew has Jesus go with this teaching.

A closer reading of the text says, “whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”

Did you catch that subtle difference? It’s not asking you or me to welcome others, but it’s charging us to be the ones welcomed by those willing to accept the message of God’s love for the building up of God’s kingdom on earth.

If you think about it, the whole text has been about what Jesus’ disciples should expect when they are sent out as sheep among wolves. So far, Jesus has been teaching the warnings of what to expect the reaction of some people to be. But in this lesson, Jesus speaks of the promise that is to come for one who is faithful in bringing the message of God’s kingdom.

And the promise is connected to the ancient understanding of hospitality. Throughout the Bible, the gift of showing hospitality especially to the stranger in your village was very important. No one was ever to be left outside to sleep in the town square. Doing so, would leave one vulnerable to the bandits and thieves who were most active at night.

The thing is, in the ancient world, there’s no such thing as the “rugged individual” that we know today. Instead one’s identity was connected to one’s family and the community in which one lived. Therefore, it was understood that in showing hospitality, one welcomed not just an individual, but wholeheartedly accepted the community who sent the person and all that they represent. The connection being that those who welcomed a disciple of Jesus, welcomed the very presence of Jesus as well as God, the Father who sent him to earth in the first place.

This passage therefore is speaking about the people that do the welcoming to you and to me and to all Jesus’ followers. We are not the ones welcoming anyone, instead it is about the disciples being welcomed by others. They and we, are to go out and preach like the prophets of old, bringing a word of God’s love, and in turn they will receive a prophet’s reward.

Here we must ask ourselves, what is a prophet’s reward?

Think about John the Baptist. He was sent as a prophet to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming. What happened to him when he took on the King and pointed out his adulterous behavior? His head was cut off.

Think about the prophets of the Old Testament? How was Moses received by Pharaoh when he came with a message from God to let God’s people go? Let the slave labor that was enriching Egypt’s economy go free? He was told no, and no, and no again - that was until God made it clear who Pharaoh was really dealing with.

What of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos? Each one faced very difficult challenges because they brought a message that was not all peaches and cream. Their calling, their mission was to speak to God’s people to remind them of their sin and call them back to relationship with God. How popular do you think the prophets were in their time?

The reward of the prophet is not welcome parades and be pampered with hospitality. The reward of the prophet is less tangible in that one is seen as righteous in the eyes of God. In other words, being seen as doing the right thing according to God is more important that being liked by members of one’s community.

The reading from the book of Jeremiah is a classic example of this. The true prophets usually came with a message of war, famine, and persecution of some kind. But they weren’t the only players in town. There were also false prophets - fair weather friends - who said that they spoke a message from God, but in fact, they were just telling the people what they wanted to hear in that moment to make them feel better.

Hmmm, by this understanding, and in our own 21st c, might this be one of the reasons that immunologist Dr. Fauci is being vilified in social media by those who don’t want to hear that the Coronavirus pandemic is real and that everyone needs to take precautions to prevent its spread?

Idk, that’s something you need to decide for yourself.

See even in the time BCE (before the Common Era), people had to decide for themselves what prophets to believe.

In the Jeremiah lesson, the ancient people of Judah were taken captive by their enemy, the Babylonians. They were ripped from their land, no longer able to worship in the Temple and some of the sacred vessels used in worship were stolen by the Babylonians as well. The people’s live were so uprooted and they were living much like we are today with coronavirus not knowing what was next and what to do.

And there were these two prophets: Hananiah and Jeremiah each proclaiming different messages. And they had to choose.

Would they accept the message of Hananiah that their time of exile at the hands of the Babylonians would be over soon and their lives would be restored? Or would they listen to the weeping prophet Jeremiah, who showed up wearing a literal yoke around his neck, as a sign that they were going to live under Babylonian rule for quite some time and they might as well begin to build houses and plant gardens and live out their lives in this new reality because it wasn’t about to change back anytime soon?

Who do you think the people listened to?

The prophet with the rosy message? or the just hang in for this rough ride?

Jeremiah said to all those gathered, yes indeed, I hope all ends as Hananiah prophesies, wouldn’t it be great. But that’s not the word that I received from God. But the only way to find out who was telling the truth was to wait and see how things played out.

In the meantime, which prophet’s word will you live by?

In the case of Jeremiah, he was telling the truth even though many people thought his prophecy felt like they were giving in to the oppressors. But Jeremiah also announced a prophecy of judgment against Hananiah, that came to pass two months later. The last sentence of Jeremiah chapter 28 reads, “In that same year, in the 7th month, the prophet Hananiah died.” That was 2 months after the two prophets clashed.

So what does all this mean for us as church in the 21st century?

Who are the ones sent out to proclaim the Kingdom of God today?

Who are the prophets of our day calling people back to the Lord?

We are.

We are a people who are sent out to bring good news to the poor, the sick, and those living in the margins of life.

And we can no longer expect or wait for people to come to the church for spiritual nourishment.

Instead we need to find ways to be the church beyond our walls. We need to be out in our communities, whether it’s standing with Black Lives Matter - like the folks at ACC, or with Mothers Out Front, or reaching out to the police departments in each of our communities to ask how can we help? Finding ways to support immigrant communities through volunteering with groups like Progente to teach English.

This is the reality of the world - there are powers and principalities at work seeking to snuff out the Gospel. We can’t sit back and wait for someone else to make things better. We need to continue doing our part to share the message of God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ in our words and our deeds. But we can’t do it having an eye focused on some immediate glory.

Our call given in baptism, is to be a people of justice and mercy, even when it’s not popular to do so, but to know at the end of the day, that it’s the next right thing to be done.

AMEN.

New England bishops respond with one voice to President's "cynical" photo op

Sent to clergy and congregational and diocesan leadership

The bishops of the seven New England Episcopal dioceses today issued the following joint statement in response to President Trump's photo op at St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C., characterizing it as "cynical" and calling out "the abomination of continued oppression of and violence against people of color in this nation." The text of the statement appears below.

June 2, 2020

What President Trump did in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square on the evening of June 1 was disgraceful and morally repugnant. Displaying a Bible from which he did not quote, using as a mere backdrop an Episcopal church where he did not pray, and – more callously – ordering law enforcement to clear, with force and tear gas, a path through demonstrators who had gathered in peace, President Trump distorted for his own purposes the cherished symbols of our faith to condone and stoke yet more violence.

His tactic was obvious. Simply by holding aloft an unopened Bible he presumed to claim Christian endorsement and imply that of The Episcopal Church. Far more disturbingly, he seemed to be affecting the authority of the God and Savior we worship and serve, in order to support his own authority and to wield enhanced use of military force in a perverted attempt to restore peace to our nation.

His actions did nothing to mend the torn social fabric of our nation. Instead, they were a blatant attempt to drive a wedge between the people of this nation, and even between people of faith. No matter where we may stand on the partisan spectrum, we, as Christian leaders called to proclaim a God of love, find his actions repugnant. Jesus taught us to love our enemies, to seek healing over division, and make peace in the midst of violence.

Our church may rightly feel outraged and insulted by having the symbols of our faith used as a set prop in a cynical political drama. The real abomination before us, however, is the continued oppression of and violence against people of color in this nation. Let us reserve and focus the energies of our indignation to serve our Lord Jesus Christ’s higher purpose: to extend love and mercy and justice for all, and especially for those whose life, liberty, and very humanity is threatened by the persistent sin of systemic racism and the contagion of white supremacy.

The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan, Connecticut
The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Bishop Diocesan, Connecticut
The Rt. Rev. Thomas James Brown, Bishop Diocesan, Maine
The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, Bishop Diocesan, Massachusetts
The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Bishop Suffragan, Massachusetts
The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop Diocesan, New Hampshire
The Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop Diocesan, Rhode Island
The Rt. Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop Diocesan, Vermont
The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, Bishop Diocesan, Western Massachusetts

# # #

https://www.diomass.org/news/diocesan-news/new-england-bishops-respond-one-voice-presidents-cynical-photo-op

The Easter 2020 issue of the Shepherd's Staff!

A Word from the Fold

Easter 2020 edition of the Seasonal Shepherd's Staff

Alleluia!

Christ is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Alleluia!

Lately it’s been hard to to remember that we are still in in the Easter season and that it it lasts through the 50 days following the great celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. Each day seems to f fold into the next and apart from the schedule of Zoom meetings, it’s sometimes a challenge to keep track of what day it actually is. And yet, somehow the heartbeat of life continues; the sun comes up each morning, the moon in the sky at night. Spring flowers push up out of the darkness of the winter soil, and trees that stood bare are showing signs of life in little green buds sprouting from their tender branches. This is indeed a time to consider the lilies of the field and all the precious signs of Spring, as the earth enjoys a chance to breathe again.

For all the difficulties of this global shutdown - of which there are so many - it is impressive what the global community has done in its efforts to break the spread of COVID-19. Before this pandemic, I could not imagine that the roadways and skies would be so quiet and still; that the hustle and bustle of life would be brought to a virtual halt. Yes, I remember the Blizzard of ’78, the stalled out cars on the highways and the blanket of white that covered New England, but that now pales in comparison to the present state of affairs.

There are lessons to be learned from this experience and an opportunity to move forward with intention and care, so as not to simply jump back to the way things used to be. We have before us a moment to “consider the lilies of the field” and think about this as a metaphor for the bigger picture of life and the future we’d like to create. It’s an opportunity to think about what’s important in this life and grab on to the good will that many people have so creatively shown in this most difficult time. Think of restaurants, an industry hit particularly hard by this shutdown, how they have rallied to the cause providing meals to hospital employees and other essential workers. People teaming up, though socially distant, to make masks and shields with whatever items they can find to assist medical personnel. Teachers and educators who almost overnight have transformed their classrooms to an online learning program. The creative ways parents and teachers are finding to celebrate this year’s graduates who likely won’t make that memorable walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. We’ve seen birthday brigades organized by parents to bring some cheer to children having birthdays in this time of quarantine. The list goes on and on.

We as church also have much to consider as we think about what worship will look like when we come back together. How will we continue to reach those who for a variety of reasons may not be ready to come back to the building? What will church school look like in the future? Indeed these are the kinds of questions that the leaders of our churches and the Diocese are considering as we reimagine what it means to be church and how to celebrate the sacraments in this new reality? I look forward to exploring these topics with you in the weeks and months to come. In the meantime, continue to take good care of one another, offer prayers for all in need, and keep being the loving and generous community of faith that is a hallmark of the Church of the Good Shepherd.

In the peace of Christ,

Melissa

The Rev. Melissa Buono

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter 5.3.2020

Church of the Good Shepherd, Acton, Massachusetts

Rev. Melissa Buono, Interim Priest

Readings: Acts 2:42-47; Ps. 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10

I’ve been looking to buy a bike for quite some time, to ride on the bike trails in the area and, as it turns out, the options are endless. John and I have rented bikes the last couple of years to try out different models and get a feel for what we like and don’t in a bike. Apparently electric assist bikes are all the rage now. I didn’t go for one of those, a decision I might regret later on. I have a cousin who has been an avid cyclist for many years and I’ve asked him on occasion about what to get for a bike, and without fail, he suggested I call Joyce at Pedal Power in Acton. She knows all there is to know about bikes. So about a week ago, I picked up the phone and called Pedal Power. I was glad when the voice on the other end said “this is Joyce, how can I help you?“

I asked Joyce how one buys a bike in this time of social distancing. As it turns out, there’s no trying out different models, (though I feel as though we did some of that already with our rentals). I explained where we expected to ride - basically on a bike trail, and told Joyce my height and she said, This is the bike I recommend for you and I have it in stock, and a week later, I was off to pick it up from the shop.

It wasn’t quite that fast and that’s not how I would normally make such a decision, but these are unusual times. In this case, I felt comfortable with Joyce’s recommendation. It was her down to earth manner and explanations that put me at ease with the decision, not to mention the number of people in town who recognize Pedal Power as THE place to buy a bike. In our conversations, she went over the features of the bike she was recommending and suggested that I look it up for myself and let her know if I wanted to proceed with that bike.

After my first ride, I’m quite pleased with my new wheels. And you might even say that in a manner of speaking, Joyce “shepherded” me through the decision, which on this 4th Sunday of Easter - sometimes referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday - seems rather apropos.

Each year of the 3 year lectionary cycle, the reading for the 4th Sunday of Easter is a selection from chapter 10 of the Gospel of John. It is the point in the story where Jesus describes himself with various aspects of the good shepherd and hence the name for this Sunday. In this morning’s reading, Jesus begins with a parable of sorts (the closest thing to a parable in John’s gospel). In it, he extolls the virtues of the shepherd who cares for his flock as one who enters by the gate, is known by the gatekeeper, and who’s voice is familiar to the sheep. Above all, the shepherd’s sole aim is to care for and protect the flock.

Seeing that his audience was confused by this imagery, Jesus went on to explain that he is not just the shepherd but he is also the gate through which the sheep enter and exit. To which I think, ah yes, much clearer now. - not really.

The sheep follow the voice of the shepherd relying on him to protect and provide for them. In the 1st c, several shepherds would lead their flocks into the sheepfold at night to protect them from predators like poachers and thieves, as well as other animals like wolves. And in some cases, the shepherd would lay down in front of the entrance to the sheepfold, literally laying down his life for the sheep. In the morning, each shepherd would call his sheep and lead them out of the sheepfold and out to pasture where they would graze in the fields.

At first glance, it might seem that Jesus was talking with his disciples and sharing this image of the shepherd. However, this passage is meant to be understood in the context of the events of the previous chapter - chap 9 - which is the story of Jesus healing the man born blind (which we heard during Lent). The numbered verses and chapter breaks make this seem as if it’s a separate event, but most scholars agree that this is the commentary that follows that earlier healing story. This means that the audience includes the Pharisees, the newly seeing man, perhaps his parents, and members of the synagogue as well as the disciples.

In essence, Jesus was trying to show the Pharisees that in their harsh treatment of the man born blind - questioning him again and again as to who and how he received his sight, rather than giving thanks for the healing - that they were like the bandits trying to sneak into the sheepfold by ways other than the gate; that they were making rules for the people that were above and beyond what God required, and thus were not protecting the sheep as they were supposed to do.

I admit, it’s a bit of a confusing analogy. And the text says more about who Jesus is and isn’t, than anyone else. There isn’t a one to one correspondence with the characters of the parable. Instead it calls us to reflect on what does it look like for us to follow the voice of Jesus?

What does that mean and how do we recognize Jesus’ voice among the many others we hear each day? And how do we discern the difference?

Think about all the voices you hear every day - The voices of the household you live in, those you work with, your friends and neighbors.

There are advertising voices trying to convince us that we need xyz product or service. There’s the music we listen to. There are journalists and reporters, bloggers and “experts”, talk show hosts, radio broadcasters - like sports radio announcers - news media personalities, Late show comedians? and more.

There are a lot of voices that bombard our ears each day. Have you ever considered what kind of influence that might have on our way of seeing the world?

What about the voice of Jesus? Where and when do we hear that voice? Presumably, we hear it in our Sunday worship in the readings, the prayers, and the hymns. If we have a practice of praying or listening to one or more of the daily offices, morning prayer, evening prayer or compline. And by spending time in prayer with the Scriptures, we cultivate a kind of listening of the heart.

And it’s a process and it’s part of the journey of faith to grow in our understanding of what it means to follow the voice of Jesus.

We listen to the stories of the Bible each week so as to learn something about how to conduct ourselves in the world in ways that convey the love of God to all people. It just so happens that it’s easier to convey that love to the people who think like we do, but it’s equally important to share God’s love with those who disagree with our point of view.

In the midst of this time in which people are so polarized in their views about almost everything, from the mundane of do you like coffee from Starbucks or Dunkins, to the more serious do you believe in climate change or not, there’s a sense in which this time of stay at home orders has been like a “time out” for the world. It can be an opportunity to dig deep within ourselves and find the reset for humanity.

What if we were to turn off the tv and the radio, shut off facebook and twitter, and focus on what really matters; taking care of ourselves, our families, and our neighbors. Get out and garden and cultivate a love for the earth; take stock of the flowers and trees growing and the grass under our feet. Think about the gift of water, clean and fresh from the tap and what does it take to keep that water clean and flowing for whole communities?

The 23rd psalm seems to bring it all together. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who provides for all that we need - time and space for rest in green pastures and still waters; restorative measures for the soul. Direction that leads to abundant and fruitful life. Comfort and presence, food and anointing. A song of trust in the midst of life’s challenges.

I encourage you to take time this week to listen to Jesus and hear the voice of our trusted Good Shepherd.
Amen.

The Rev. Melissa Buono

Sermon for the third Sunday of Easter 4.26.2020

Church of the Good Shepherd, Acton, Massachusetts

Rev. Melissa Buono, Interim Priest 

Readings: Acts 2:14a,36-41; Ps. 116:1-3, 10-17; 1Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35

This story of the Emmaus road reminds me of my visit last year to Minneapolis where I thought I’d get to see my dear friend and former seminary roommate Dawn, one more time before the ravages of colon cancer would take her life. But alas, I was too late. She had died 2 weeks earlier in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning.

It was the first time in the 9 years they lived in MN that I visited their home and saw the church where her husband was the Sr. Minister and she had done a great deal of teaching as well.

And on my visit, her husband Daniel and I walked for about an hour through their neighborhood, traveling our own Emmaus Road, and remembering Dawn. Our conversation was of happier times of their vacations back East in MA and RI, recalling our days at the seminary, her life before cancer and her struggle in it, and how bleak the future looked without her.

Unlike the 2 disciples of Luke’s story, I don’t recall being joined by any strangers on our walk, but I think Jesus was with us all the same, in our heartbreak and grief.

The Gospel lesson from Luke this morning takes us on a journey down a long and difficult road of heartbreak and grief as well. It’s the story of 2 friends or a married couple, both followers of Jesus and known to the other disciples. They are deeply upset and grieved by the events of Jesus’ death, the unfairness, the cruelty, along with the fact that he simply is no longer with them.

They’ve heard the story of the women at the empty tomb and how they saw Jesus, but the friends don’t know what to make of that tale. Peter and John went to the tomb after the women and confirmed that it was empty but they didn’t see Jesus.

They are confused, maybe even feeling silly for having believed that Jesus would be the Savior of God’s people Israel. Their hearts are filled with grief for Jesus as far as they know is dead. They didn’t understand resurrection any more than we do. They knew of Lazarus and a few others being raised from the dead, but resurrection? that was complete mystery.

While some of the other disciples hunkered down together in an upper room in Jerusalem, hiding out and wondering what’s next, Cleopas and his companion want to get away from it all; away from the crowds, the noise, the Roman soldiers, the smell of the air, and the anguish. A long walk to the countryside might help clear their heads and give them some perspective.

Ken GIre in his book Moments with the Savior, writes that they had several options as to where they could go. “The road north leads to Ephraim, but that was too far. The road east leads to Jericho, but that was too dangerous. The road south leads to Bethlehem but that was too glaring a reminder of all they were wanting to forget. And so they take the road west. The road to Emmaus.”

We’ve all been on the road to Emmaus at one point or another in our lives. It’s the road travelled when the things we had hoped for don’t work out: the marriage or relationship that failed; the business that went south; the school application rejected; the life lost to cancer or COVID or other disease.

And along that road, friends walk and talk, and share with each other all that had transpired as they tried to wrap their heads around it.

The conversation of Cleopas and the unnamed companion was probably not unlike the conversations we are having with family members and friends, (albeit 6 ft apart), whether out for a walk in the yard or the neighborhood, or on zoom or FaceTime. Together we go over all that’s happening right now and expressing the sadness and frustration and revealing a piece of what we are all experiencing.

Cleopas and his companion walk and talk and at some point they find themselves joined on the road with a stranger. They wonder, who is this one that knows nothing of the events of Jesus’ death and rumored resurrection? It’s all everyone is talking about, how could he not know?

And as they articulate their struggle to comprehend the events of the last days, the stranger lightly chides them asking, wasn’t this all necessary? Wasn’t this what Jesus said would happen? And to help them see the bigger picture, the broader history, Jesus shared with them the stories of the Scriptures from Genesis on through the prophets, helping them to see the bigger picture of life and why things unfolded as they did.

But it wasn’t until later in the evening, when they had invited the kindly stranger home with them, and gathered at the table, that suddenly their guest took on the role of host as he took the bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them to eat. It was then, in that moment, that they recognized the Savior Jesus, and their grief turned to joy as they recalled the warming of their hearts in their earlier conversation with him. Oh how life had been transformed in that moment and oh how life continues to be transformed for each of us today as it has in every generation.

In 2020, COVID-19 has certainly changed the way of life for people around the world. And yet, probably one of the hardest challenges of this coronavirus outbreak is the social distancing - not being able to get together with extended family or friends, be it for celebrations or in mourning.

Granted some people have been able to find some creative ways to see loved ones they’ve been separated from - like the 88 year old Watertown man (Nick) whose wife has been in a nursing home for the last year. He sat by her bedside every day until precautions were put in place and the facility had to stop allowing visitors. Seeing his father’s devastation at being separated, the couple’s son put out a plea on FB for a bucket truck and shortly thereafter he had plenty of offers to help with his mission to get his dad to see his wife of 61 years. Strapped in and hoisted 3 stories up, Nick was finally able to see Marion through the screen of her window, and it was such joy.

In this time we must look for ways to journey with one another and to be the good news of Christ’s resurrection in the world. The Mission Outreach team has been thinking about this recently and later in the service, Barb Magee and Helene Gagliano are going to share with you some ideas of how you can get involved.

In the meantime, let’s remember that even in our darkest moments, we are not alone. The Lord Jesus is with us and gives us the strength to journey on. And so we must keep walking and listening to one another, welcoming the stranger and breaking bread together. For in these simple acts, we are neighbor to one another as we are gathered into one in Christ.

Amen.

Earth Day happenings for its 50th anniversary

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day is next Wednesday April 22.

Why not celebrate while social distancing inside your home by exploring digital offerings of Earth Day celebrations all over the world? These celebrations take place on multiple days. After surfing the World Wide Web, you can take a break and watch a movie or a Frontline report about plastic. For details about all these activities recommended by Creation Care CGS, see below:

• Join Earth Day Live for multi-day, multi-national, multi-generational celebrations covering a multitude of topics. Millions around the world are taking to the web on multiple days to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

• Wednesday April 22 2:00pm - The Story of Plastic is screening on Discovery Channel. Watch the trailer for The Story of Plastic.

• PBS' FRONTLINE aired its episode entitled Plastic Wars on March 31. Click on the highlighted title to watch the trailer and scroll down to watch each of the covered investigations.

What is life like at Esperanza Academy during COVID-19?

An update from Kristina Dolce, English teacher at Esperanza Academy. For more about our relationship with Esperanza Academy, please see our Mission Outreach page.

Letters about the pandemic from El Ocotillo

In March we were touched to receive letters from six of the scholarship students in El Ocotillo sending prayers to us during this pandemic and updating us on their status in El Salvador. These letters are from Edith Martinez Rodriguez, a fourth-year agronomy student, and David Argueta Nolasco, a third-year English student.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Hello Friends of Good Shepherd,

I write to you to wish you good health in these difficult times for all that the whole world is going through. I wish that God blesses you and protects all of the members of the Good Shepherd community.

I am writing to tell you that at this moment our country finds itself on alert because of Covid 19, now no cases of infected people have been discovered.

Our community at the moment is well and in prayer, asking for the health and the wellness of the community and also for you, our sister community, and all the countries of the world who are confronted with this pandemic.

The government has taken prevention measures to avoid the contagion and has made the decision to put the country in a quarantine, suspending classes and avoiding gatherings of people. At this time the classes are online so that we are not affected by the suspension and we don’t lose the term. So far, for a period of 30 days we will not attend classes and we will be studying from our homes.

I leave you asking the Creator that you are well and in good health, and wait to know soon from you and from all of the sister community. I send you many greetings and hugs from me and my family.

Blessings to all,

With care,

Edith and Family

(age 20, university 4)

translated by BMagee

GOOD SHEPHERD Boston, Massachusetts

Elvin David Argueta Nolasco Ocotillo,

Morazán, El Salvador.

I am honored to be part of this wonderful distance-family. May the lord bless you all and care in this painful situation.

It is hard to say that we are well in these moments when the entire world is shocked about what is happening with COVID-19 pandemic. I really hope you are good and safe. As community, we are all well even though we have around two weeks quarantine waiting to overcome to this situation. Thanks God we don’t have any positive case near to this place. For now, everything is closed such as companies, markets, and even the schools and universities. Therefore, we as student are receiving the classes online.

This is quite difficult because; as you know, here in this area is very difficult to have internet access; however, all of us are doing our best in order to keep on learning and improving our knowledge.

I have noticed that in the United Stated the spread number of infested people is increasing quickly. That is so sad, but in the middle of this, God will make the way and solve this problem. We really need to trust in his promises.

I want to share with you that as a family we are well. We are also praying for the sister community. I wish you the best. God bless you.

Ocotillo, Morazán, El Salvador March 21, 2018

Best regards,

Elvin David Argueta Nolasco