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A Lenten Meditation for Palm Sunday March 29 on Isaiah 50:4-9a
By Gloria Rose

This passage suggests a combination of toughness, obedience, humility, and faith that could be exemplary in our lives. First comes the careful listening to God's Word, the commitment to follow and to speak it, the consequent scorn and suffering brought on by such a commitment, and yet the clinging to the certain faith that God's ways and words will triumph.  It is the role of every Christian, no matter what our circumstances and ability, to strive to become like Christ in our everyday living.

We must be obedient in speaking and teaching the word of God, to speak an encouraging word to the weary; the learned tongue is knowing what to say. The text mentions a learned ear. He awakens us each morning to hear.  A learned ear comes from intimate and frequent interactions with our Lord.  Our Lord opens our ear, and we must be obedient to listen. Thus, hearing equals obedience.  So when God says listen, hear, give me your ear, he is calling us to be obedient to demonstrate our trust in Him.

The question is, what do we know about His will for us from this passage?  We must spend time in speaking and teaching, sharing the gospel message, encouraging and admonishing each other.  We must listen to what God has to tell us, through the bible, each other and the inner voice; with suffering we must learn to deal with life’s circumstances in a righteous manner and to do God’s will. Then, finally, we need to commit to steadfastness in purpose, doing God’s will regardless of hardship, opposition or even betrayal.   As we begin this Holy week, let us focus and reflect on this passage which is read on Palm Sunday and exemplifies the life of Christ.

Gloria M. Rose has been a member of St. James Episcopal Church for over 25 years.  She was born in Aruba and migrated to Curacao before moving to St. Vincent and the Grenadines – country of her parents.  She moved to the US and lived in New York for 10 years before relocating to Texas. Gloria is currently employed at Prairie View A & M University as Coordinator of the Family Nurse Practitioner program and practices one day per week in a private physician’s office as a family nurse practitioner.
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A Lenten Meditation for Holy Monday March 30th on Isaiah 42:1-9
By Isaiah Schauer

We Are Servants Carrying Hope & Justice

This passage transports us into history. God is reassuring His people following the humiliation of the Babylonian exile, a time of displacement, bondage, slavery and imprisonment. He describes a Servant as one who is chosen, held and kept by God, called in righteousness, one in whom the soul of God delights, one infused with the Spirit of God. This Servant resounds with the clarion calls of justice and hope for the holy, broken people of Israel. Those originally receiving this message understood it immediately__ sight given back to blind wanderers, freedom given to those trapped in the darkness of slave cells, liberation for all imprisoned. A time of renewal. So, what does this mean to us reading these words about 2160 years later? I believe these words can be easily addressed to the Church and to each of us. We are the heirs of the Message, the ones to whom these ancient and profound words are now entrusted. We follow Christ, the ultimate embodiment as God’s Servant, striving ourselves to be His servants. We can be the Servant’s voice of hope, the hands and feet of justice. These words remind us that times of exile and despair, imprisonment and bondage are not the end. Darkness will lead to light, death to life. Praise God for a Savior who demonstrated in His life and death how to be His Servant, by living with empathy, compassion, hope & justice!

Isaiah Schauer has been “happily attending St. James',” along with his wife Michele, since August 2013. At St. James’, Isaiah sings in the choir, serves as a Lector and writes the Sermon Seconds. He is a full time instructor of Biology, Environmental Science, and Genetics and Microbiology at Brazosport College in Lake Jackson. Isaiah received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from Baylor College of Medicine in 2008, dual B.S. degrees in Biochemistry & Biophysics from Oregon State University in 2001, and his Associate of Arts degree at Lane Community College in 1999.
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A Lenten Meditation for Holy Tuesday March 31 on John 12:20-36
By Glenda Greene

Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead and had become a rock star. Even Gentiles came to meet Him. We don't know if the Gentiles were intrigued by this fellow who spoke of wheat and who was confused about death, saying if one hated his life, he'd get to keep it for eternity, or if they walked away shaking their heads.

In this scenario, however, Jesus showed His humanity to them and to us. He spoke clearly about the events to come, yet the crowd remained clueless. What about “If I am lifted up,” He said, “I  will draw ALL people to myself.” By saying this, he was widening the circle of who is "in" with God. Jews, Gentiles, and even sinners are included.

How big is our circle? Oh, yes, we give money or groceries to help the poor, but how many participate actively in the ministries we support financially? When we lift Jesus up in an ever-widening circle, Jesus will do the hard work of drawing people into the circle. INVITE people to church. Then let God get them there! 

Jesus was troubled by what He had to do for us. Yet, He willingly went to the cross. Holy Week is here. If He could be crucified for us, what could He ask of us that would be too much?

Born in Minnesota, Glenda Greene arrived in Houston in 1969, fresh out of grad school. She began attending St. James’ soon after arriving here and has since that time served on the vestry, in the choir, helped start St. James' School and served on the School Board at the time of its closing. In recent years, she has participated in Tuesday night and Sunday morning Bible studies, been a member of the Wednesday Bunch, and served on various other committees and teams. Glenda retired from Shell in 2008 after 32 years, most of it in health & safety. In her spare time, she adopted 5 children (Bill, Denise, Marien, Lulu, & Rusty). She is currently Senior Warden.
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A Lenten Meditation for Holy Wednesday April 1st on Isaiah - 50:4-9a
By Marilyn Lawson 

Have you ever had the occasion to be thanked by someone for “saying the right thing at just the right time”? Most of us would respond: “Oh! Don’t thank me! I just wanted to help.” God is the source of the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must be good stewards of this precious gift. Speech was the chief instrument employed by Christ to convey truth to the minds of men.

To be weary is to be worn out or worn down. We all have had the experience of being weary at some time. Physical weariness, mental weariness, and/or inner conflict have affected each of us at some time. We have observed it in others. We have witnessed exploitation, violence, and oppression in our lifetime. We have worked alongside persons not in communion with God. We have survived generations of intolerance and injustice.  We remain obedient and trust in the name of the Lord and His grace. This can be called a combination of holiness and sorrow.

God inspires and teaches us to speak reassuring words at the right moment and in the right tone.  God speaks to us in many ways. We only have to listen. As children, our family and Christian Education lessons of listening, obedience, faith and love developed the foundation.  We knew that Jesus loved us because we repeatedly sang “Jesus Loves Me.” God was with us forever. Our strength, love and faith sustain us as we remain in communion with God. Let us remain in God’s presence as we “speak our words” in season.

Marilyn Lawson is a School Nurse and Faith Community Nurse. At St. James’ , she is a member of the Dr. Catherine Roett-Reid Chapter Order of the  Daughters of the King, Community of Hope, and is Facilitator of the Adult Bible Study that meets on Sunday mornings during the Christian Education Hour.
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A Lenten Meditation for Maundy Thursday April 2nd  on 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
By Betty Edmonds

While reading this scripture and reflecting on its meaning, the word "covenant" stands out. If we take and examine the word covenant we see that it takes on a variety of different forms, serving both as a noun and as a verb. As a noun, covenant means an agreement, a contract, a pledge, or promise. In its verb form, it is the thing we do to enact the promise. This passage shows Christ as both the promise and the fulfillment of the promise with the shedding of his blood. As Christians, during weekly communion we are all symbolically renewing our covenant with God. At our baptism, we entered into contract or an agreement with God. As with any contract there are terms we have agreed upon. God promises to give us eternal life and sheds his grace upon our lives. On our side of the covenant, or agreement, the expectation is that we give thanks, share His word, and live our lives in a Godly manner, striving to make the lives of others and our own lives in line with His teachings. As we come to the end of this Lenten season and even beyond, let us always remember our covenant with God and the ultimate sacrifice that He has made for the world. In return, let us continue to act on the covenant and the promise to make our world a better place for everyone. 

Betty Edmonds is originally from Virginia and was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Norfolk. She, along with her husband Stephen and daughter, Grace, began attending St. James’ during the summer of 2014. Betty enjoys spending time with her family and enjoys crafting, fishing, and cooking.
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A Lenten Meditation for Good Friday April 3rd on Isaiah 52:13--53:12
By Mark Praigg

Isaiah’s famous “Song of the Suffering Servant” is an important part of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, an oratorio that was first performed after one Easter in the 18th century. Messiah covers the whole of Christ’s life from Old Testament prophecy to his suffering, death and ultimate triumph over death. Part II recalls Christ’s Passion in nine movements, four of which are based on scripture taken from Isaiah 53 which including an alto aria, “He was despised,” a chorus, “Surely he hath borne griefs,” a second chorus, “And with his stripes we are healed,” and a final chorus, “All we like sheep.” For those that have sung Handel’s masterpiece or had the good pleasure to hear it sung, the first reading for Good Friday conjures up memories of these powerful words of Christ’s life that have been set to music. Yet these are no ordinary words. It is no coincidence that this portion of scripture was chosen for Good Friday. They remind us that what happened on that day was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The profound nature of Christ’s calling is prefigured in Isaiah’s glorious hymn.

The collect for Monday in Holy Week reads, “Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace.” May meditating on Isaiah give us the way of life and peace while we walk in the steps of the one who, in the words of the spiritual, “never said a mumblin' word.”

Mark Praigg is a native of California and was confirmed at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Newport Beach in 1971. After graduating from California State University, Long Beach, he has had a varied career including Hughes Aircraft Company, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Wells Fargo and the Houston Area Urban League. Currently he is a Business Advisor with the Houston Minority Business Development Agency Business Center, which is operated by Houston Community College. Mark is currently a member of St. James’ Vestry.
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A Lenten Meditation for Holy Saturday April 4th  on Job 14:1-14
By Tom Divine

Job contemplates the brevity of life, the finality of death, and the depth of human suffering.  He has known much misery, without apparent cause, over a very short time.  He ultimately asks God to hide him in the grave until His anger has passed.  Job didn't know that his suffering would soon end, and that he would soon have a better life than he had ever known.

Today we remember a dark day.  Jesus had been executed.  Many had seen Him die, and many had seen His broken body.  There was no doubt that He was gone.  His followers had left their homes, abandoned their loved ones, and turned from their livelihoods to come with Him, and now he was dead.  They were ruined, their faith unmasked as fantasy.  They grieved their fallen Master, they feared for their lives at the hands of both the Romans and the Jews, and they doubted the truths that had ordered their lives for years. 

They, too, must have longed for the solitude and safety of the grave, away from grief, away from dashed hopes, away from the angry eyes of God, who had let this horror happen. They didn't know that they were just one dark night away from a sunrise that would change everything forever.  

Heavenly Father, keep me in your hand.  When I falter, strengthen and encourage me.  When I fail, stand in my place, and be strength and hope for me.  Don’t let me give up, just before You change the world.

Tom Divine has been a member of St. James for about four years.  He became an Episcopalian about seventeen years ago, while he was dating Deacon Betty, in hopes of making a good impression on her.  He currently serves as Secretary to the St. James chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew.
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A Lenten Meditation for Easter April 5th on Acts 10:34-43

By Karen Jenkins

Chances are, if you have siblings, you may have had the experience of being looked upon as “the favorite” or perhaps perceived  your brother or sister as the favorite child. Being the favorite, one seemingly enjoyed special relationship with their parents and enjoyed privileges that were reserved strictly for them, while the others were left feeling separated, clamoring for attention and acknowledgement.

As Children of God, aren’t we thrilled when Peter opens his mouth and declares that God does not show favoritism? That is indeed Good News to know that we do not need to feel separated, alienated or outside of relationship with God because He is with us.

When we honor God and do what is right, God’s acceptance is evident in the peace we experience by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. When we accept the free gift of reconciliation with God , we are then commanded to be witnesses-  to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42).

I know Peter told us that God has no favorites, but we know we serve an awesome God who makes us ALL feel like his favorite child and gave us a perfect gift so we would always be in right relationship with him. That’s GOOD NEWS!

Karen Jenkins, a native of New Jersey, moved to Houston to study law. An active member of St. James' for over 25 years, she is the proud mother of three adult children and two grandchildren. She enjoys golf, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

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BRINGING PEOPLE TO CHRIST AND HELPING THEM TO  BE CHRIST-LIKE
3129 Southmore Boulevard  |   Houston, Texas 77004
713-526-9571     
staff@stjameshouston.org
The Rev. Victor Thomas, Rector