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Next Sunday’s Readings: Trinity Sunday

This Sunday is dedicated to the doctrine of the Trinity. In this week’s Gospel we read, “Baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) We know God as Creator and Father. God is revealed to us and made accessible to us by Jesus, the Son. We experience God’s ongoing presence, guidance, encouragement and inspiration through the Holy Spirit. That’s the Trinity. Could it really be that simple? Yes.

Click here to see our Trinity Sunday Readings.
 

Last Sunday’s Sermon: The Gift of Life

We know that there is life, and there is life. There is the life of work, hunger, passions, pain, pleasure and struggle, and then there is eternal life – life in God and life with God.

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The Hazy, Lazy Days of Summer

Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe that the school year is almost over.  The Sunday School and the Youth Group will have held their final sessions on Sunday, June 19 until next fall, and we have students graduating from high school and college.  The time flies by so quickly.

Many of us are planning our summer vacations with our family.  I hope that you have a wonderful summer and a safe one as well.  My family will be spending a fair amount of time on Whidbey Island and doing some additional traveling as well.

As we approach the time of rest and travel, we need to be mindful of the fact that the work of the church goes on, even while we are away.  The bills come in, and they must be paid.  The upkeep of the church and grounds  continues over the summer.  I am asking that if at all possible, you pre-pay your pledge for the summer months.  Many of us will be gone and it is easy to forget that the responsibilities of St. Dunstan’s Church go on, even while we are not here.  It will be a great help to us if you are able to keep you pledge payments current.  I thank you in advance for taking care of this.

May you have an awesome summer and many enjoyable moments with the people that you love. Each one of you is an important part of St. Dunstan’s and we appreciate all that you do.

Let us all rejoice in the day that God has made and the countless blessings that He has given us. Let us share in the good news of His Son, and give praise for all the marvelous things that He has done for us.
 
Blessings,
Mary E. Pacher
 

Signs of the Spirit

On Monday evening I stepped into the Narthex and saw the baptismal font glowing with light in many colors. The sun was shining through our new stained glass window directly onto the font. On Sunday, at our Pentecost celebration, we baptized baby Iris in this font, with the light of that window glowing around us. This is a beautiful and vivid sign of God’s Spirit working in and among us.


There are many signs of the Holy Spirit at St. Dunstan's Church. Some of these signs are mystical, some are surprising, and some are simple and practical. On Pentecost I visited our beloved Marnie in the intensive care unit at the hospital. She was breathing on her own! Spirit is breath and wind, and Marnie is breathing again. That is truly the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Marnie is looking forward to seeing the stained glass window installed with her own eyes, and I believe she will. She has been moved out of the intensive care unit and is making steady progress.

The Holy Spirit is what allows us to live with that special quality of life that Jesus calls “eternal life”. We would not have the Church today without the wondrous gift of God’s Spirit. When we work together, as we did to create our new window, we experience God’s presence and guidance. In this picture, Joe Hester is showing us how we will construct the window. Time like this, learning and working shoulder to shoulder, becomes more than fellowship and more than work when we acknowledge God’s presence. We are formed as Christians by our care for one another as we do God’s work together. That is another sign of the Holy Spirit.

God fills us with love, strength and courage to go into the world and do the work of Christ. That’s what the Holy Spirit does for us. Maybe that’s why the season of Pentecost is the longest season of the church year. This is the season in which we live into the reality of the Christmas incarnation and Easter resurrection.

The life that Jesus invites us to live (Eternal life, life in God’s Kingdom, in Greek, “zoe life”) is participation in the very life of God. Without God, our lives can feel empty and desperate, even when our circumstances are good. With God, our lives can feel full and joyful, even when circumstances are desperate. Salvation is available to us in the form of a life worth living. The path to this life is to follow Jesus. Jesus leads us, through his crucifixion and resurrection, into this new life. That path is not easy. Jesus suffered horribly, after all. We have a choice. We can suffer on our own, or we can follow Jesus and the suffering of life is sanctified and redeemed. God does not take our suffering away, but the experience of life’s challenges is transformed. Life with the Holy Spirit is enriched, joyful, and purposeful.


The font in our narthex is just a glass bowl of water, but on Sunday, it became an instrument of new life. On Monday, as the light shone through the window onto the font, that glass bowl glowed with color and beauty.




Without Christ, our lives are like that simple glass bowl. With Christ, our lives take on new life and new joy. With the Holy Spirit, our lives shine with color and beauty.

Your brother in Christ,

The Rev. David Marshall

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Community Engagement

Upcoming Events in our Congregational Life

 Altar Flowers are needed for this Sunday, June 19 and next Sunday, June 26.  If you would like to donate and dedicate flowers for either of these Sundays, please contact Dixie Buol @ duold@comcast.net or call the church office @206-363-4319.

St. Agnes Guild is constantly looking for donations to our Canterbury Faire (bazaar) and parish dinner silent auctions. It is that time of year when some conscientious souls among us do their spring cleaning. Are you one? If you are, please remember that your white elephants may be someone else's treasure! Books, puzzles and games are always popular items at the Faire. The "Treasure Room" where costume jewelry, crystal and silver items are featureed is a busy place indeed. Surprise us! Even though we cannot use clothing, electronics, televisions, or computers, you can call us and we will pick up your donations. This year, the Canterbury Faire is on Saturday, November 12.  Please call Ann-Patrice Riccardo @ 206-363-3994 or email dtap3@msn.com with your request for a pick-up or to volunteer. Come and join your friends at this annual event.

 
Vestry Corner

The Vestry would like extend a special THANK YOU to Ann Patrice Riccardo and Sandy Lamb for their continued work and commitment to our Sunday School and Youth Group. The beautiful Origami doves that adorned the church for Pentecost were a lovely gift and added additional beauty to an already wonderful service: the baptism of Iris and the dedication of our stained glass window. At coffee hour, there was even buzz about the successful fund raising our youth accomplished for their Heifer project.

We cannot thank Joe Hester enough for his expertise and guidance with our stained glass window. It has been a privilege to get to work on this project with someone of his considerable talents and skills. It was amazing to experience all the different stages of the process. The sheets of glass were all one of a kind and like individual uncut jewels just waiting to be shaped so they can now always sparkle for us in the light of our window. We are not sure if choosing the different colors and glasses was the best part of experiencing the surprise and awe we all felt as we started leading the window and began to see how all the pieces looked together.  The project has been the "Light of God" entering into the St. Dunstan's community with wonderful delight.