Epiphany 4 2022

Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Blessed be God.

Let's pray together.

Almighty God, to you all spirit.

All desires.

And from you know the secrets are hidden.

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit.

That we may perfectly love you and worth the magnify your only through Christ.

The Lord be with you.

Let us pray.

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sin, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Dear Lord, from your judgment seat on high, look down and a scout such as I.

Search me through and find me whole, then help me, Lord, to reach my goal.

Help me, Lord, to work for thee, guard my homeland, keep it free.

Help me to work with others and be kind, helpful with my hands and mind.

Keep me, Lord, both well and strong, to help growing girls and boys along.

Inspire my thoughts, lead them right, sound, clean tools for life's fight.

Protect my morals, keep them high.

Grant this to a scouter such as I.

Amen.

As you're being seated, our children are invited to children's church in the back of mistralis.

Seraphs were in attendance above him.

Each had six wings.

With two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.

And one called to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of his glory.

The pivots on the threshold shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

And I said, Woe is me, I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.

Yet my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts.

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.

The seraph touched my mouth with it and said, Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send and who will go for us?

And I said, Here I am, send me.

And he said, Go and say this to people to the say to this people, keep listening, but do not comprehend.

Keep looking, but do not understand.

Make the mind of this people dull and stop their ears and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes and listen with their ears and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed.

Then I said, How long, O Lord?

And he said, Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate, until the Lord sends everyone far away, and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land.

Even if a tenth part remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains standing when it is felled.

The holy seed is its stump.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God's people.

Thanks be to God.

God leads us on trails besides deep, besides waters deep and still, brooks babbling, streams rushing, and rivers raging.

God restores our bodies, minds and souls, even hearts and heights above.

God encourages the eagle scout and go towards scout in their upward climb.

God teaches cubs count, boy scouts, varsity scouts, and adventures to Imma.

Even though the trails may lead through dark valleys with towering mountains, we are courageous because the Lord God leads us onward.

Even when our enemies dislike or distrust us, God blesses us with the gift of love and forgiveness.

Surely God's goodness and mercy will sustain us longer in our lives.

And when we climb the final trail through the awesome path that leads to the great council fire, we shall join those who travel willfully for us with the communion of saints forever.

If you hold firmly to the message that I proclaim to you, unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I have handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me, for I am least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain.

On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim, and so you have come to believe.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God's people.

Thanks be to God!

Glory to Jesus Christ.

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, Jesus saw two boats there at the shore of the lake.

The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

Jesus got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore.

Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he'd finished speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.

Simon answered, Master, we've worked all night long, but have caught nothing.

But if you say so, I will let down the nets.

When they'd done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.

So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so that they began to sink.

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.

For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they'd taken.

So also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

Then Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid.

From now on you will be catching people.

When they brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

And that'll show up throughout the service.

But first I want to talk to you about these stories, and they they all seem to have something strongly in common with them.

So I do want to talk about them one by one and start by reminding us that when we read this story from Isaiah, we don't always remember that this is Isaiah's call to ministry.

So he's been a priest, and this is now God calling him to do something beyond his priestly duties.

And it's happening in the building in Jerusalem.

It's happening in the temple that was in Jerusalem.

And many of us didn't realize that that temple was smaller than the room that we're sitting in right now.

So the Jerusalem temple built by Solomon was about 45 feet tall, which is about as tall as this building, but not even as deep or wide as the sanctuary you're sitting in.

The reason that's important is because in the mindset of the day, the temple was God's house, like a place where God lived.

So in popular imagination, God was about 40 feet tall.

A giant, to be sure, tall, but only about 40 feet tall.

Why not 45?

Well, remember that there's the Ark of the Covenant, but that's not a seat, that's a footstool.

So they thought when they brought the ark into battle, God was standing on the box, right?

So the ark is a couple feet tall, you don't want to hit your head in the ceiling.

So Isaiah's on the temple and has this vision.

The God is so much bigger than that, so much bigger that the hem of God's robe fills up the room.

So this is like a hundred times bigger than anybody had thought.

And Isaiah has this vision, not of God, just the hem of God's clothing, and says, I'm not good enough.

I'm not good enough.

Woe is me, I've seen the Lord of hosts.

And one of the seraphs flies, and we don't always get this, a seraph.

Um anybody know what that is?

This is lost to our modern religious imagination.

Seraphs seem to be flying serpents that have six wings.

Uh if you've seen the Doctor Pole before, there's those two snakes that go around it, and that comes actually from Serapian or Aslepius in the Greek tradition.

A seraph is a flying one of those that's always on fire, meant to have, this is important, healing properties.

So Isaiah is concerned for his health, and one of these ministering spirits flies with a coal and burns off his impurities.

And this is a great reminder that when you see burning in the Bible, it's not an image of punishment or torture, it's an image of purification.

So Isaiah is worried he's not good enough, and God says, I'll take care of that worry for you.

And because this has happened, God says, Who will go for us?

And Isaiah says this really interesting thing.

The translation in front of you doesn't quite do it justice.

Um, he says, Here am I, send me.

In Hebrew, this is the word henini, which is the particle of announcement.

So in the King James Bible, this was translated as behold.

Although my Hebrew professor from Johns Hopkins uh told me that you could just as easily translate this word as boom shakalaka or bam or uh some kind of other onomatopoeia, right?

God says, who will go for us?

Boom shakalaka, God, me.

And I want you to hear it that way, not necessarily with braggadocio, but unapologetic that Isaiah will go exactly as he is.

That is, Isaiah does not need to become a nun or a monk or an episcopal priest.

Isaiah does not need to lose his weird habits, whether they were biting his nails or chewing on his cuticles or scratching his ear with an uncomfortable talking in public.

God, you see all those things, behold them, and I'll go.

It's a beautiful call, isn't it?

That God calls us as we are.

We don't have to convert to be somebody worthy to be sent out.

You are already worthy as you are.

And that God does, in fact, behold us.

And even the things that our spouses and kids and parents might get annoyed with, God beholds and is not annoyed by those things.

That's lovely.

Isaiah feels unworthy, and it is God's faith in Isaiah that makes him worthy.

Not Isaiah's faith in God.

The same is true in Paul, if you heard that today.

Paul is not a one percenter in a good way.

He's a one percenter in the worst way.

He persecutes people who follow God, and yet God calls him.

That's that's the miracle.

That God has called him despite what he's done.

Not because he's earned it.

And that brings us to this lovely story about fishing and about uh Jesus calling Peter.

And it's helpful to remember the disciples uh were not probably the most pious folk.

I mean, Peter says, look, I'm a sinful guy.

Go away.

You hear Peter's resistance.

I'm not good enough.

But I want you to hear Peter might be saying something else too, that I think is really the key of all of these stories.

Um, you see, Jesus tells Peter, go out into deep water.

All throughout the Hebrew Bible, water is a symbol for chaos.

And deep water means big problems.

Boy, I feel like we've been in deep water the last two years.

Between a pandemic and partisan politics, just to name a couple of things, the water's deep.

Jesus says, go out into some deep chaos and throw your net.

Now, see, look, I've never fished with a net.

Has anybody in the room gone net fishing?

It's not really common, you know, it's not.

Usually when I think of fishing, I think of pole fishing.

And to be honest, when I grew up hearing this story about being fishers of people, I sure thought about casting and luring and hooking people with grace, which is kind of yucky if you think about it, because, well, grace shouldn't have a hook.

Like the scariest thing you can do is walk around the lake and get a hook in you because you have to cut it out.

Like, cut it.

And we have different anatomy from fish, too.

It's helpful to remember that, you know, like when you hook a fish in the lip, you're actually hooking them through the jaw.

I mean, it's kind of an awful thing to think about being a fisher for people with hooks.

Reminds me of the bait and switch.

Right?

And surely Grace is not like that.

No, these people aren't casting poles, they're casting nets.

And actually, Greek is pretty precise.

They're not casting that pear-shaped cast net.

Jesus says, put out the drag net, like the seining net.

So go out into the deep chaos and dredge the bottom and everything else you can get.

Now, you will get fish when you do this.

But you will also get, and I learned this at an early age fishing with my grandpa, there's some fish you don't want to get.

And Herb, you're a fisherman, so if you were casting, even just with a pole, and you got a gar or a barracuda.

On your hook, what would you do with it when you reeled it in?

You cut the line, right?

And why is that?

Well, they got teeth, right?

And if you go try to pull the hook out of a gar's mouth or a barracuda's mouth, it's a personal injury risk, right?

No fisherman loves cutting the line and leaving a fish swimming with a hook in their jaw, but no fisherman likes getting their hand cut up by a gar either.

When you drag net, you're getting the perch and the bass, and you're getting the gar and the barracuda, and you're also getting the old boot and that toilet seat that's somehow washed in to the bay and sunk to the bottom and bottle caps.

You're getting detritus.

Jesus has them cast a dragnet and bring all that stuff because apparently God's interested in stuff we're not interested in.

God's interested in slender, beautiful fish, and in boots, and in toothed fish that fisher folk are afraid of.

God wants to pull all of that into grace.

And Peter says, maybe.

He might be saying, I'm not good enough to follow you, but he also might be saying, God, I'm not sure I'm good enough to enjoy those things as much as you do.

I'm not sure I can go after the garfish in my life.

I'm not sure I can want to pull the worn-out boots in my life into your grace.

I think I'm probably like Peter if that's the case.

And Jesus says, Well, you will.

Isn't that hopeful in God's call for us that God frankly is interested in people we're not interested in?

And that even those fish in our lives that seem to have teeth in their mouth, God would like to draw them into grace as well.

He says to Peter, I'll make you fishers of people.

And again, because I grew up thinking about lures, I always thought, so does that mean when you go tell somebody about God, you're trying to like hook them?

And I've even heard this interpretation that, hey, look, you just have to catch them and God will clean them.

But it's a weird image if you think about it, because it's like people who have faith or people with poles, and everybody else is just like a like a dumb fish in the sea.

But you know, Jesus became a human being like us, not a pole caster.

And it makes me think that the way we fish for people, I mean, really, is not with some kind of hook.

Frankly, it's the way we swim.

And, you know, many of us have enjoyed in the last couple of years learning about these groups of animals, like there's a conspiracy of ravens, and there's an ambush of tigers, and there's a pride of lions, and of course, there's a school of fish.

And it makes me think that the way we fish for people is not with intellectual propositions, it's the way we choose to sink or swim together.

You've probably seen on the Discovery Channel that when a school of fish is attentive to one another, they're able to move almost simultaneously as a group.

And this helps them, of course, not only to evade predators because they look really large, but it also helps them, frankly, when they get tired, because there's something really hydrodynamically efficient about swimming in a group.

That is, the ones on the edge are bearing the brunt of the current on behalf of the ones inside.

And they switch.

When the ones inside are rested, they go to the out, and the ones who are tired come in.

You know, it occurred to me too that sometimes there's problems that are bigger than one fish to solve, but when enough of us choose to swim together, not only are we able to solve a problem, sometimes we're able to change the current in the waters.

That's why we say we can do more together around here, right?

And there's something really lovely about paying attention to the fish in your school.

And I start to hear Jesus saying, hey, you know, God's school of fish doesn't just have bass in it.

The miracle of God is that God can make a school of fish and a bass and gar and perch and barracudas who all choose to swim in a school.

And you know, when we get enough, when we get enough in the school, we can carry old tires with us too.

Carry them to God.

Now Isaiah has this kind of tough ending.

God says, hey, in ministry, you're gonna go and you're gonna talk to these people, and they're not always gonna hear you.

How long should I talk to them, God?

As long as you can.

No matter how it goes, this is what you're supposed to do.

And it's this great reminder for us as we swim that, hey, we don't always see the immediate outcomes of what we're doing.

You're gonna hear that in a hundred scouts in just a second.

You don't always see the immediate outcome.

And Isaiah is encouraged.

Look, when you practice things like grace and hope and faith, even if you don't see it, the outcome is secure.

Even if you don't see it immediately, or even on a 10-year basis, things like faith, hope, and love endure longer than our own lifetimes.

So when we get tired in the swimming, we're encouraged that actually the currents of the world can change, even if we don't immediately see it.

All of this is like really uh interesting to me because we went fishing and we didn't quite realize we weren't supposed to do this off that pier.

Uh, there were about 50 scouts fishing off that pier.

It turns out that's against the city ordinance.

So, lesson learned.

But was really interesting is that for 90% of the scouts, this was their first time ever fishing.

And the awe and the wonder of operating a rod and a hook.

And like I said, this isn't about rods and hooks to me, but the awe and the wonder of the enterprise of seeing kids cat.

And I think only one fish got caught that day, anyway.

One fish, Anna, 50 lines.

I'm not sure how many lines got caught.

Probably a lot of other lines got caught and reeled in.

Look that I got a hook.

Um the awe and the wonder, though, I think that's part of our invitation.

We could say, God, I don't want to fish like you fish.

I think that might be what Peter's saying.

I often have that feeling.

But I think our invitation is to be like people who are casting for the very first time, just in awe of the process.

And if we're really in our right minds, isn't it miraculous to think that God is even interested in our junk?

And just to be clear, I think each one of us has an ocean worth of fish in us as well.

I got some good fish.

I got some toothy parts of me, and I got some old tires.

And God's interested in dragging every part of me into grace, and our opportunity as scouts, as people of faith, is to say, behold, me.

Henene, here I am, God.

Send me to fish with grace in the way that I swim, in the way that I scout, in the way that I pray, and the way I live into the skin that you made.

Please join me as we pray our faith in the words of an I seeing creed.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God for true God, begotten and made, of one being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation.

He came down from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit.

He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again, in accordance with the scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified.

He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

If anyone is a non-scouter, just a quick context, these are a recalling of the Scout Law, which is that scouts are trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

You'll hear those today.

Let us pray for scouts, for scouters, and for all people.

Lord in your mercy.

Because we have failed in the trust others placed in us, we pray for forgiveness and for renewal to be trustworthy.

Lord in your mercy, for strength to be loyal to our calling and baptism as your disciples in the world.

Lord in your mercy, for forgiveness, when we saw the need to help and pass that need by, when we failed to ask if we could be helpful to a friend or stranger.

Lord in your mercy, for the Spirit to be friendly to all people and even to those who are unfriendly to us.

Lord in your mercy.

For the gift of courtesy to all people, but especially to the elderly, the disabled, and little children.

Lord in your mercy.

For a heart that rejoices in being kind to people, to animals, and to earth on which we live.

Lord in your mercy.

For the will to discipline ourselves to be obedient to the will of our God and not to our selfish desires.

Lord in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

For a cheerful spirit to see us through disappointing events in our life.

For a faith that believes God will bring some good even from events that cause us pain and sadness.

Lord in your mercy.

Hear our prayer.

For an appreciation that all we have is the gift of our gracious God, for a mind and a heart that will be thrifty in managing the resources God has entrusted to our care.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For the courage not to be afraid of doing what is right, and to be brave in working for justice.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For the will to work to keep clean our minds, our hearts, and our land.

Lord, in your mercy, for the gift of reverence for God who values all that He has created.

For reverence for people, for animal life, for earth and all its resources, all precious in God's sight.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Into your hands, O Lord, we commend all the people and all the needs we bring before you in our prayers, especially Chris, Ken, Nancy, Amber, and Johnny, trusting in your mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry.

We humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us.

That we may delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your name.

Amen.

The Almighty and Merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sin, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

The Scout Law is a guiding light to millions of children and young adults throughout the world today, but the principles of the law have been brought to us from ancient days.

You shall not be foot bear false witness against your neighbor.

A scout is trustworthy.

Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.

A scout is loyal.

You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

For the poor will never cease out of the land, therefore I command you, you shall open wide your hand to your brother, to thy needy and to the poor in the land.

As God is helpful.

Love one another as a sibling.

Outdo one another in showing honor.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when families dwell in unity.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as good for edifying, as fits the occasion that it may impart grace to those who hear.

A scout is courteous.

A righteous person has regard for the lives of humans and animals, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

A scout is kind.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Honor thy first commandment with promise that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth.

A scout is obedient.

A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.

The mind of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

All the days of the afflicted are evil, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

A scout is cheerful.

Go to the anthost luggard, consider her ways, and be wise.

Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her food in a summit, in a sum in summer, and gathers her sustenance and harvest.

The scout is thrifty.

Be strong and of good courage.

Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.

God will not fail you or forsake you.

The scout is brave.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, and who shall stand in God's holy place?

Whoever has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up their soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.

That person will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from the God of their salvation.

A scout is clean.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

This is the first commandment.

A scout is reverent, is reverent toward God, a scout is faithful in their religious duties, and respects the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

Good morning.

It's so nice to see everyone here.

We haven't had an opportunity to do this for approximately two years, so it's very nice to be able to see everyone and give you a quick state of the scouts.

I'm going to be brief today.

I'm the troop leader for the boys troop, Troop 1966.

We're going to hear from the other leaders and our committee chairman for all the units today as well.

So I just wanted to say on behalf of the troop and the PAC, I'm the outgoing PAC leader.

We're really grateful to have the opportunity to scout here at St.

Thomas and to serve you and to walk with you as well.

The other leaders that you're going to hear from today, I'd like to uh I'll call up Zach here next.

You can start coming on up, Zach.

I'll speak briefly about our boys' troop.

We're in our second year.

We've got 12 boys that are in the troop right now.

Our activities, we went to our first summer camp last summer, and we have camp outs once a month for a full weekend every month during the school academic year.

We'll be going to summer camp again this year.

And we're we're very, very happy to be here on campus.

So thank you.

The next person that comes up will be Zach, our committee chair for the PAC and the Troop.

Good morning.

My name is Zach, and I'm the PAC committee chair, as Hal said.

I'm also the Boys Troop Committee Chair.

I'm the Zen leader for our kindergarten scouts here.

Um, the little guys and girls you see wearing the Lions t-shirts up front.

And I'm finishing my first year, my first term on your vestry as well.

I'm gonna give you a brief state of the Cub Scout Pack.

We have about 60 scouts, which, given the pandemic of the last two years, we've had a net increase of about 24 families this year last year alone.

Um, and our scout pack is strong, our cubs are strong.

We've received the Journey to Excellence Gold Score.

Five years straight, and I don't see any reason why we won't continue to do that.

We have some amazing husband and wife teams here, um, some of whom you'll see in just a few minutes, who are leading our dens at each step of the way.

We um serve boys and girls, kindergarten through fifth grade.

And um we have a lot of fun.

We're gonna launch some rockets today, this afternoon, starting about two o'clock.

I can't promise there won't be some rocket bodies dangling from the power lines in the parking lot, but as the year goes on, they'll fall down.

We'll do our best to keep them out of the lines.

We also do our Pinewood Derby, which is another big draw.

We camp, our fall camp out was rained out, unfortunately, but about a month from today, we've got our spring camp out, and we're keeping our fingers crossed for good weather.

Um, I can't say thank you enough to St.

Thomas for giving us the home for scouting.

We would not be where we are, literally, we would not be where we are right now if it were not for you and for Father Mike.

And um, Father Mike, I've got to say thank you.

He he never says no.

Um every time I ask a question regarding scouting, it's immediately yes, or why not?

And I just want to um show our gratitude for you and and thank you.

And as Hal mentioned, he's our outgoing Cubmaster.

Um, Hal planted the seeds six years ago with his pack with Father Mike, and um without his organizational excellence and his leadership, his dedication to scouting, we would not be where we are without him.

And this is only a small token, but Hal, I'd like to present this to you on behalf of the PAC with our sincere thanks for all that you've done for us.

Thank you.

And now we'll be hearing from our incoming Cubmaster, Elisa O'Neill.

She will say a few words um to introduce herself, and then we'll move on with uh girls' troop later.

Thank you.

Hello, good morning.

I'm Elisa Medina O'Neill, and I am going to be the uh new Cubmaster uh for PAC 1965.

Um I just want to say thank you, Zach, and thank you, Hal.

You guys are the reason why we are here.

You have built a beautiful place for scouts to come together and live into the val scouting values of resiliency and you know, self-reliance and reverence and respect.

And they were able to do that because of the support of this community.

Um you guys did great.

You should give yourselves a pat on the back.

It's great.

And I'm just so happy to have this opportunity to continue the development and growing of these um, you know, these young minds, our future.

Um and we couldn't do it without our den leaders.

So I will be working to organize and coordinate our den leaders to do the cool things um that uh that our scouts enjoy, like Pinewood Derby, the camp outs.

Um I hope to leverage my network in the outdoor uh conservation space to um you know expand those opportunities and do some more conservation work and community work.

So I'm you get me.

Hi.

Anytime you see me, you can come up and say hello.

And um, we'd love to have your no if you want to volunteer, let me know.

Um but thank you.

Thank you, Hal, thank you, Zach, thank you, Father Mike.

Um let's have a great year.

This is this year, a great scouting year this year.

Thank you.

I just personally want to introduce our next speaker um who's been a huge mentor to me.

So Don George uh started with us as as a Cubs and she's uh started our girls do it for us, and she's an amazing person, and she's uh they answered every question I always have, and I'm really just so grateful that she's here with us.

Thank you, Helen.

Thank you, St.

Thomas and Father Mike, as everybody has mentioned, you guys have been wonderful to provide a home for us.

And originally I had a whole bunch of statistics to come up here and tell you about, like collectively, we've hyped so much in 2021, the whole troop could have gone from Galveston to El Paso and back.

So we do do a lot of activities, but the biggest thing about scouting that I find important is that um it provides an opportunity for safe growth.

And that's the development I've seen in the Scouts that has just been so great over the time that we've been a group.

Like I'm I'm gonna pick on my poor daughter who came up here earlier and froze.

And some people might think, oh no, you know, I'm gonna be upset, but I am so incredibly proud because scouts provides that safe growth environment.

They know there's an adult behind them to help them grow.

And we also have the church behind us to help us grow.

So if you know any uh young people that are leaving fifth grade, the truth is a great place for them to uh learn new things.

Like we had them do auto maintenance at one of the scout camps, they did welding, which are not you know regular opportunities for youth to try.

Um, there's public speaking, there's you know, rock climb, or there's climbing, there's just all kinds of things where they can learn and develop and do it in a safe place.

So thank you for supporting us.

And I'm gonna go into reading the 100 scouts.

Thank you.

And so you've probably heard this before.

We did do this at the last Scout Sunday, and it it's a very common um scouting thing to read, but it's so true.

Of any hundred youth who become scouts, it must be confessed that 30 will drop out in their first year.

Perhaps this may be regarded as a failure, but later in life, all of these will remember that they have been scouts and will speak well of the program.

Of the 100, only rarely will one ever appear before a juvenile court judge.

Twelve of the 100 will be from families who have no religious affiliation.

Through scouting, these 12 and many of their families will be brought into contact with a church, synagogue, or mosque and will continue to be active all of their lives.

Six of the 100 will enter ministry.

Each of the 100 will learn something from scouting.

Almost all will develop hobbies that will add interest throughout the rest of their lives.

Many will serve in the military and in varying degrees profit from their scout training.

At least one will use it to save another person's life.

And many will credit to saving their own.

Three of the 100 will reach the rank of eagle, and at least one will later say that they value their eagle badge over their college degree.

Many will find that their future vocation through merit badge work and scouting contacts.

17 of the 100 youth will later become scout leaders and will give leadership to thousands of additional girls and boys.

Only one in four youth in America will become a scout.

But it is interesting to know that of the leaders of this nation in business, religion, and politics, three out of four were scouts.

Today we honor one scout in a hundred.

We know the things they have done in the past and imagine what they will do in the future.

Invite you to join me in thanking our scout leaders once again.

And I don't want to overdo it, but you realize part of why we're doing this is this is our second most visible community family formation ministry that we do here at St.

Thomas after our school.

And so the place is literally crawling with scouts on Sunday afternoon.

And many of you have been recipients of holiday cards, of blessings in a bag.

Those are those food bags that we can give that are in the hallway.

Our scouts do those.

You might even notice if you drive on San Sebastian that we have an Eagle Scout project in progress to redo all of our flower beds along San Sebastian.

This is a student who has raised money to improve the church grounds so that we can continue to be a community center.

These are lovely things that our scouts do.

Our girls always, the week before school begins, do grounds maintenance to make the grounds appealing.

So this is wonderful ministry that we're involved in mutually, and that's why we highlight it every year, so that you understand it's not just something we sponsor, it's part of who we are.

And what I love about you is that you get it because almost everybody I've talked to that's ever done scouting somewhere else comes and says, I cannot believe the hospitality you have for scouts at St.

Thomas.

Whether those are adults that are here to train in September or those are visiting troops, they say your church is just so kind and opening.

Thank you for understanding that this is our ministry, one of our ministries to the community and the world.

St.

Thomas, thank you for that.

Um, a couple of things you're going to see.

Starting tomorrow, uh, we have a shed out here on Venlin that holds our Cub Scout, uh, our Cub Scout gear.

And the diocese awarded us a grant to paint that shed with a mural that sort of advertises to the community what scouting looks like here.

That's going to start tomorrow morning at 6 a.m.

Uh probably could have picked better weather, but um our professional mural artist is coming down and will complete that mural over the next six or seven weeks, uh, working a couple of days a week.

So just keep glancing at that shed when you come in.

Um, our girls' troupe is getting another shed.

We we the scouting programs are growing such that we need more storage space, so you'll see another shed added.

And um anyway, just pay attention to these things because they're supporting life and community and family ministry here on the grounds.

Um, a couple of announcements I want to bring to your attention this week.

So um, one thing you'll notice on your way out is like a bunch of non-perishable food in the room right behind us.

That's because our scouts did something called scouting for food, and this this was the yield.

So, all that is going to Interfaith Caring Ministries Food Pantry tomorrow, the stock up for people who are caught up short and need groceries.

And that happened yesterday morning.

It was a two-week effort.

Um, so so have a look at what scouts are doing for our community.

Also, it's good to know that uh yesterday it was we had some cold hands, but we had some really warm hearts doing a fresh food distribution out here, and uh we sent about 288 people home with about probably$40 in groceries, actually, probably more than that.

Um it's just amazing that we kind of stumbled into this and have now been doing this almost two years, that we're giving almost 400 people a month a fresh food through your efforts.

So thank you for those who showed up on a cold morning.

It's always delightful service.

We'll be doing that again March the 5th.

March the 5th from 7:45 in the morning to about 9.30.

We do this once a month.

Um, I just want to keep you uh call to your memory that our last uh speaker in the Epiphanies of Respect series is gonna be here on Thursday night.

This is Reform Rabbi Matt from a synagogue in Galveston.

So Matt's gonna come and talk to us about reform Judaism.

It's important that you hear that word, not reformed, not past tense, reform present tense, because continues to reform along tradition, reason, and scripture.

Sounds kind of Episcopalian.

And so you can please uh join us in person or on YouTube.

We'll simulcast it as Rabbi Matt talks about reform Judaism.

He's very open to your questions and even to your comments.

And uh if you can't make it, we do record these and the link to all of the videos uh we send out in the e-news.

And I just want to name something I learned this week from uh from our pagan speakers.

This was this lovely ritual that they do.

They offer a toast, a boast, and a growth.

So, as a salt community, they start with a toast of gratitude, something that they really appreciate, and then they celebrate an achievement that they've made in their lives, and then they name a way they'd like to grow deeper.

And they thought, what a beautiful practice that is as a community.

It's got all three parts together.

And so I continue to learn from these speakers.

I hope you do too, and again, our last opportunity with Rabbi Matt is this Thursday.

I am gonna warn you, I'm not gonna be here next week for a couple of reasons, but you'll enjoy the Reverend Canon Joanne Sailors, who's coming down from in town uh to preach and celebrate.

Joanne is delightful and does incredible work uh throughout the diocese.

And she used to worship here.

She used to live in Dickinson, but she's moved downtown, so we don't see her as often.

But it'll be a treat to have Joanne here.

Walk in love.

As Christ first loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.

For why he should seek no wanders to bring off God with his love for praise.

We return to you through the ministry and outreach of this church a portion of all you've entrusted to us.

We promise that these offerings will not be the end of our giving.

We will also invest our time and abilities in your work of healing, comforting, teaching, guiding, and proclaiming the good news.

So bless each gift, whatever its size, and multiply the good to be done through our talents and treasures.

Amen.

All things come of you, O Lord.

We're about to celebrate nourishment from God's table, and I'd like you to know that all are welcome to receive.

Uh, we'll do two parallel sections, so there'll be two opportunities to receive bread and to receive the wine.

If you'd like to receive bread, just open your hands.

I do have a gluten-free option if you let us know.

You can take the bread and dip it in the wine.

You can eat the bread and skip the wine, or you can skip either and receive a blessing just by crossing your arms, and as you'll hear, uh, all are welcome to receive as you feel led.

This is the table not of the church, but of Jesus Christ.

It is made ready for those who love him and those who want to love him more.

So come, you who have much faith and you who have little, you who have been here often, and you who have not been for a long time or ever before.

You who have tried to follow and you who have failed, come.

Not because the church invites you, it is Christ.

And he invites you to meet him here.

And our service continues on page 361 of the red prayer book in front of you.

Page 361.

The Lord be with you.

I am also with you.

Let us give thanks to the Lord hard.

It is right and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere, to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Because in the mystery of the word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give a knowledge of your glory in the face of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever say this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory, Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.

Holy and gracious Father, in your infinite love, you made us from yourself.

And when we'd fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you in your mercy sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all.

He stretched down his arms upon the cross and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when he given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples and said, Take, eat.

This is my body which is given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine.

And when he'd given thanks, he gave it to them and said, Drink this, all of you.

This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for all for the forgiveness of sin.

Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.

Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer to you these gifts.

Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people, the body and blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in Him.

Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy sacrament and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace.

And at the last day, bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.

All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ, by him and with him and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever.

Amen.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

Therefore, let us keep the feast.

Feed on them in your hearts by faith and with thanksgiving.

Eternal God, Heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

And you have fed us with spiritual food and the sacraments of his body and blood.

Send us now into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

And I want to make sure you know that our scouts have provided us a thank you, sweet treats, and coffee in the hallway, sort of on your way out.

So please do take advantage of that hospitality.

And now may Christ, the Son of God, be manifest in you, that your lives may be a visible light to the world.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be with you this day and remain with you always.

Amen.