Our Mission
Sharing ourselves and our faith with others...
St. James is a Christian community that welcomes all with respect for
the inherent dignity and value of every person.
We strive to enable spiritual growth through worship, education, outreach, and stewardship for
the purpose of restoring all people to unity with God and each other.
St. James is a Christian community that welcomes all with respect for
the inherent dignity and value of every person.
We strive to enable spiritual growth through worship, education, outreach, and stewardship for
the purpose of restoring all people to unity with God and each other.
People of St. James Wear Masks in Public Because....
we respect the citizens of our community.
Our masks may not protect US from the Corona Virus, but they might protect our neighbors.
Wearing a mask is an act of LOVE.
Statement by the St. James Vestry May 27, 2020
we respect the citizens of our community.
Our masks may not protect US from the Corona Virus, but they might protect our neighbors.
Wearing a mask is an act of LOVE.
Statement by the St. James Vestry May 27, 2020
Holy Gospel for Sunday, September 27, 2020
The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 21:23-32
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"
Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?"
They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
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September 24, 2020
Friends,
Thank you for the time away at Clergy Conference last week. Although we were not physically gathered as the Bishop, Priests, and Deacons of this Diocese, we gathered in prayer and open conversation across the wireless waves of the internet.
I don't know about y'all, but sometimes I am both of the sons in this story from this week's Gospel lesson. Sometimes, I answer the call to labor only to be distracted. Sometimes, I refuse to answer the call, only to begrudgingly respond later. And sometimes, I am both of them at the exact same time.
We all know that we have made mistakes. And as I hear Jesus' taking about these two sons, I hear my own self-critical conscience going through the very long list of when I have been either of these sons.
And so I want to talk about a subject that we all face. Shame. When I think back on the list of times I have been either son, when I haven't done what I was supposed to do, when I was obstinate and procrastinated thus missing the call God was offering to me to be of service in the Garden, I can sometimes feel regret about my decisions, feel unable to explain myself, and feel unable to stand up for what I decided to do. That, in me, can produce some shame.
Now shame is that complex emotion that we use to cover other emotions and conversations that we may not wish to deal with. In my feeling like the sons, the shame masks the difficult conversation that I should have had with God about why I didn't feel called, why I didn't feel equipped, didn't have the time. You see, I believe that we think we can hide things from God. So we won't have the conversation. But by not having the conversation, expressing our emotions, laying our burdens on God, then we miss the opportunity to allow God to be God.
The Pharisees didn't want to engage in the conversation because of their fear, anxiety, perceived inability. And so we are reminded, that in not having the conversation, by not allowing God to be God, we impede the growth that is potential in ourselves and our community.
So let us allow God to turn our shame into resurrected new life. May God allow us to have the tough conversations, so that we may all come closer to the One who loves us all.
The Very Rev. Mac Brown rector@stjamestaos.org
The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 21:23-32
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"
Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?"
They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
****************
September 24, 2020
Friends,
Thank you for the time away at Clergy Conference last week. Although we were not physically gathered as the Bishop, Priests, and Deacons of this Diocese, we gathered in prayer and open conversation across the wireless waves of the internet.
I don't know about y'all, but sometimes I am both of the sons in this story from this week's Gospel lesson. Sometimes, I answer the call to labor only to be distracted. Sometimes, I refuse to answer the call, only to begrudgingly respond later. And sometimes, I am both of them at the exact same time.
We all know that we have made mistakes. And as I hear Jesus' taking about these two sons, I hear my own self-critical conscience going through the very long list of when I have been either of these sons.
And so I want to talk about a subject that we all face. Shame. When I think back on the list of times I have been either son, when I haven't done what I was supposed to do, when I was obstinate and procrastinated thus missing the call God was offering to me to be of service in the Garden, I can sometimes feel regret about my decisions, feel unable to explain myself, and feel unable to stand up for what I decided to do. That, in me, can produce some shame.
Now shame is that complex emotion that we use to cover other emotions and conversations that we may not wish to deal with. In my feeling like the sons, the shame masks the difficult conversation that I should have had with God about why I didn't feel called, why I didn't feel equipped, didn't have the time. You see, I believe that we think we can hide things from God. So we won't have the conversation. But by not having the conversation, expressing our emotions, laying our burdens on God, then we miss the opportunity to allow God to be God.
The Pharisees didn't want to engage in the conversation because of their fear, anxiety, perceived inability. And so we are reminded, that in not having the conversation, by not allowing God to be God, we impede the growth that is potential in ourselves and our community.
So let us allow God to turn our shame into resurrected new life. May God allow us to have the tough conversations, so that we may all come closer to the One who loves us all.
The Very Rev. Mac Brown rector@stjamestaos.org