What Is The Rev. Watching?
Dear Cal-St. G Family,
This last week I binged two very interesting shows on Netflix and Hulu. The first was the fifth season of Alone. Alone is a reality show about ten professional survivalists, dropped in the middle of the Arctic, by themselves with a camera and ten survival items. The last person standing wins. The second is an Australian documentary about young adults on the autism spectrum entering the complicated world of dating entitled Love on the Spectrum. I think these two shows have three things for us to ponder in regards to the human condition.
In Genesis 2:18 God looks upon his creation and for the first time says something is not good: that man is alone. Both of these shows convey the Biblical truth that many of us have been experiencing, aloneness is terrible. In one episode of Alone a contestant literally breaks as a result of aloneness and in Love on the Spectrum, the desire for companionship sends these adults miles out of their comfort zones in order to not be alone.
Second, these two shows illustrate how desperately we need to be loved. In Alone, those who make it past 40 days typically have family back at home rooting them on and this love carries them miles away through some challenging moments. In Love on the Spectrum, the desire to be loved and to love is visible even if they know not how to do it.
Finally, the real joy that comes from being someone’s beloved. My eyes welled up with tears when at the last episode of Alone instead of being greeted by doctors to extract Jordan Jonas, he was joyfully greeted with an embrace by his wife and declared the winner. In Love on The Spectrum the couple Ruth and Thomas demonstrate the real joy and security that comes from being loved as you are in the midst of all the difficulties and unfairness life throws at you.
This Sunday is Kick-Off Sunday. We will have our first in person worship services at St. George’s Church since March 15th at 11:00 am. I am very excited about this and there are still a few seats available so please register online below. We will also have our 11 a.m. service of Morning Prayer available on our website and Facebook page. As we begin a new program year our mission as a parish is very clear. We have a heavenly call to proclaim to the world the Gospel. The Gospel reminds us that we are never alone, that you are a human and deeply loved, because the creator and redeemer of the universe has in Jesus declared you his beloved.
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in person or virtually through our livestream service.
Pax,
Jacob
What’s New?
We are excited to announce that we are resuming In-Person worship at our St. George’s location on Sunday, September 13th with social distancing and limited seating.
Reservations are open until Friday, September 11th at 9am. Click HERE for complete details and reservations.
Youth and Family
Sunday School registration is OPEN!! This Fall we are launching into a brand new adventure: “The Stars”. We’re going to be talking about the promise God made to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky! It’s going to be a blast!
Click HERE to register and get your Sunday School Kit!
Devotion Groups
Staying connected with your faith and community is easier than ever…there is no commute and distance is no longer a problem. If you are looking to get plugged in, reach out to the Rev. Ben DeHart HERE.
Staying in Touch…
During this time, you can tune into our livestream events via calvarystgeorges.org. If you need pastoral care, please call the church office at 646-723-4178 or email us at info@calstg.org. Your clergy are here for you.
