Nicodemus came to Jesus at night

In John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. Did he come at night because he didn't want to be seen by others, or because he wanted a private interview? Either way, it seems like a furtive, daring mission by Nicodemus. He was a seeker who couldn't keep away from this Jesus who was so intriguing.

Abraham with his flocks

I imagine Abraham travelling with all his flocks and herds and lots of people. Must have been a slow journey as they let the sheep and animals graze along the way.

Abraham the patriarch

Yesterday I made a sketch of the wrong lesson. The Old Testament lesson for Sunday is about Abraham. God said to Abraham, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you." (Genesis 12:1) My image of Abraham is that he had a strong face.

Lenten series: The people quarreled with Moses

In the Old Testament lesson for next Sunday, the people quarrel with Moses in the desert, saying, "Give us water to drink."

Hello from the Vicar 3/11/2011

Hi, all!

Smudging the foreheads of my people with ashes is perplexing. As I say those words, "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return," I often feel a twinge of pain. For those who are older, I'm reminded that I might preside at their funeral. And for those who are younger, especially children, the words come as a grim shock. How could we even think such a thing? Ash Wednesday is a sobering liturgy. 

This year for Ash Wednesday we rearranged the chairs so that we sat in two banks facing each other, as if we were sitting in the choir stalls of a great cathedral. It created a very different atmosphere, and most of us found it helpful. The music during the evening service was lovely because we could hear each other singing. Allison's accompaniment was just right. 

I'm sure most of us have heard the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan this morning. I emailed Bill Cleveland, who is working at a Naval shipyard in Japan, but I haven't heard from him yet. The Kitsap Sun website says that all shipyard personnel have been accounted for. In northern Japan there have been many deaths and much destruction. Please hold the people of Japan in your prayers.  

I'm very happy to report that Eleanor Brook was sitting up and alert when I saw her last in the ICU. You can send her cards at Harrison Hospital, 2520 Cherry Ave., Bremerton 98310. Please remember Ashton Scalf in your prayers as she fights a nasty virus. She needs to recover so she can continue to sell Girl Scout cookies!

For many months we've had a number of people in our prayers for employment. I'm glad to report that Peter and Sandy Stockwell's daughter and son-in-law, Lara and Jon, have found work as architects after many months of searching. And Roger Zabinski is working in the biotech field again after a period of searching.  

I see that the USS Stennis has returned briefly and Kristen Fabry is back with her family before the ship departs again. We've seen some new families from the USS Nimitz which recently came to PSNS. These comings and goings remind us that an important part of our mission at St. Antony's is to support our Navy families and provide them a caring church family. 

May the peace of Christ be in you, 

Bill 

He was famished

The Gospel for this Sunday is the story of the temptation of Jesus:
"After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished." (Matthew 4:1)

When I think of fasting forty days, I think of being weak and spaced-out. Hardly fit for a struggle with the devil. But that was when Jesus fought against the temptations of the devil -- when he was famished.

I made this sketch using this photo of a memorial to the Irish Famine of the 1840's.

The serpent was crafty

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made." Genesis 3:1