Weekly Update 30 May 2025

Reflection

Shirley Barrett

Shirley Barrett

“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them and I will make it known so that the love with which you have loved me-may be in them and I in them.”

These final words Jesus gives in John’s Gospel today reminds me of the bumper sticker I’d assign to Emily’s sermon last week: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS…GOD LOVES YOU! A cyclical love: God-Jesus-Us-Our Neighbors-God….ALL our brothers and sisters : children of the One Father.

We usually think of Jesus’ command as: “Love God with our whole heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.”. But without meaning to commit heresy, I believe in today’s world this passage is not clear enough to many of us. One, it seems the word “neighbor” does not hold the universal meaning as, I believe, Jesus intended. Two, Often being focused on ourselves, we limit that love to ordinary day-to-day love, our own human love, how we love ourselves.

Last week’s sermon was an ah-ha moment for me: I need to love my brothers and sisters...all with the same love as…God’s love, Abba Love, Agape Love, the love that God, the Father/Mother has for all their children...including me!

And that is mind-blowing, so powerful, so daunting, but so beautiful.

Last week Emily posed the question: “How far will we go to love God…to follow our Lord’s command?” From the past two week’s lessons I believe we will go as far as it takes to follow Jesus with the Love as He loves...the love given to and within us.

In Revelations this week we read:
“The Spirit and the Bride say “Come”
And let everyone who hears say “Come”
And let everyone who is thirsty come
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.”

Everyone is invited to experience and live this love
from the Father/Mother
to and from Their Son
to and from us
to and from all our neighbors near and far
to and from all His/Her Children to our One Father/Mother.

Our job is to keep this circle alive and growing. A big job, but do-able (God willing).

Living, Sharing and Being God’s Love within us.

Sunday Services

Sunday, 1 June 2025
The Seventh Sunday of Easter:
The Sunday after Ascension Day
Year C

Chandler’s Square Morning Prayer
9:30 am
Chandler’s Square Retirement Community
1300 “O” Avenue, Anacortes
Presider: John Okerman

Christ Church Holy Eucharist

10:30 am
1216 Seventh Street, Anacortes
The service is also available on YouTube.

Servers
Presider & Homilist: The Rev. Keith Axberg
Deacon: The Rev. Eric Johnson
Eucharistic Minister: Jim Minton
Readers: Diane Guinn, John Guinn
Ushers: Jerlyn Caba, Geoff Holmes
Altar Guild: Mary Gronholt, Val Long
Bread Ministry: Jim Minton
Organist: Lynne Berg
Eucharistic Visitor: June Cook
Coffee Hour Hosts: Wes & Mary Ellen Huggins

Readings
Acts 16:16-34
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
John 17:20-26
Readings may be found in the Episcopal Lectionary.

Hymns
H 450 - All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
H 374 - Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs
H 214 - Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise, Alleluia!
H 495 - Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus!
H 460 - Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!

Bulletin Link: 1 June 2025
YouTube Sunday Service Link

Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour follows the service.
All are welcome.

Announcements

Centering Prayer

Maggie Collinge

Weekly on Wednesdays
1:15 - 1:45
Christ Church Sanctuary
All are welcome at this short, simple service: a scripture reading, 20 minutes of silence, an intercessory prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer.  Questions? Please contact Maggie Collinge, 360 202-558.

Evening Prayer

John Okerman

Weekly on Wednesdays
6:00 - 6:30 pm
Christ Church Sanctuary
June 4 Presider: John Okerman
All are welcome.

Men’s Group

The Rev. Eric
Johnson

The Men’s Group meets weekly on Fridays.
9:00 – 10:00 am
Parish Hall Gathering Room
Questions? Please contact The Rev. Eric Johnson.
All are welcome.

The Red Door Thrift Shop
Weekly News

*The Red Door Thrift Shop has a new phone number: 360-202-9966.*

Dawn Jex

Hello Everyone and Welcome to the last week of May!

Just a few updates this week. I hope to keep it short.

We have been using our new temporary donation building for a couple of weeks now and we are starting to get the hang of it. I believe everyone knows how to open and shut it, where all the items "belong" and how the donations are supposed to flow. Thank you to all of our donation crew for being so flexible and willing to work with us as we move toward our construction window!!!

A couple of other changes - We are currently having trouble with enough room on the clothing racks for everything we receive. So, for now, all shorts are going in a bin under the women's pants. Men’s and Women’s shorts do not need to go on a hanger - they can just be brought in and will be priced accordingly and placed in their respective bin. 

We also have been having problems with enough space for all the athletic pants. Laurie Towey suggested that we also put them in bins to free up some hanger space. Then Debbie made three nicely labeled bins for those. Thank you, Ladies, for your input and for being so helpful!

Last but not least - reusing white plastic garbage bags. We receive a plethora of white garbage bags through donations. We use some of these bags to package customer purchases but we usually have a lot of bags leftover. I have asked the ladies who price clothing in the back room to use these smaller white bags to package up clothing for NWC. Not only does this help the environment by reusing these bags, it also helps our budget as we are purchasing fewer new garbage bags and also the smaller bags are easier to lift and carry to the closet! That's a big win in my book. 

A few people have asked me for a Habitat Update. Our Townhouse is set for us to move in July some time. We do not have a specific date yet. We really need to sell our current Park Model Trailer - so send up a little prayer for that if you have a spare moment. I believe we will be meeting with our mortgage lender in June. Thanks for the love and support everyone. 

That's it for today. Next month we will be highlighting Father's Day and Pride. 

Lots of Love,
Dawn

Christ Church’s Red Door Thrift Shop is located at 1019 Seventh Street in Anacortes.
Red Door Thrift Shop
360.202.9966

Red Door Shopping Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm

Red Door Donation Hours:
Monday & Wednesday: 10am – 1pm
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm

Profits generated at the Red Door Thrift Shop fund Christ Church’s Community Support program.
Shoppers, Volunteers, & Donations are always welcome!

Day by Day

Day by Day daily devotions may be accessed at the following link:
Day by Day Daily Devotion.

Prayer List

Linda, sister-in-law of Lynne
Creamy
Michael & Rev. Rilla
Myrna
Mary and family
Arra, aunt of Carol
Sandy
Dale
Zoanne
Linda
Tom
Karen
Leslie
Diana
Val
John
Pete & Charlene, Brendan, Jennifer, Glen, & Donna, family & friends of Mary