Dear Friends at New Covenant, Like some horrific losses, and some beatific moments that transcend even our imaginations, the events of Good Friday and Easter are vastly beyond words. Sometimes a poet captures something words put otherwise cannot. Shortly after WW1, the Great War to end all war, when its memories and pains were still fresh, a book was published. Near the beginning is the text from John, "He showed them his hands and his side." And this poem follows. JESUS OF THE SCARS by Edward Shillito If we have never sought, we seek Thee now; Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars; We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow, We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars. The heavens frighten us; they are too calm; In all the universe we have no place. Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm? Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace. If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near, Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine; We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear, Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign. The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak; They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne; But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak, And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone. A comment on the poem by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple: " Only a God in whose perfect being pain has its place can win and hold our worship; for otherwise the creature (with his pains) would in fortitude surpass the Creator." Blessings to You All,

"Click" Snapshots of God's Servants "Democratic Republic of the Congo bishop warns violence could spiral into genocide." This was the lead story in the ChurchTimes.co.uk. The Rt. Rev. Mugenyi William Bahemuka is the bishop. Pray for him. He is coming to Florida soon and then on to India with Canon Christopher. "Where I am, so my servant is also..." -Click- Video "They left the Congo because of the killing... " So began Fr. Gabriel's homily for 8 year old Jephte Babakissa last Friday who was run down by a distracted driver in Conway. His mother, next to the bongos is singing. Earlier she was wailing at the open grave. -Click- People, reaching out, caring for one another, praying for one another. Sharing God's love is why we gather. We are His body. We are His servants. He is with us then. Jesus' first public sermon (John 3) was to the Jews about new life. His last public sermon (John 12) is to the Greeks about life from death. Hellenism espoused the effort to realize the ideal human life consisting in enjoyment and escaping sacrifice, the fullness of personal life. It's all about me . On the other hand, Jesus' teaching, "The person who is in love with one's own self ruins it, but the person who hates one's this-worldly self preserves one's true self thereby into deep, lasting Life." "He who loves his life loses it..." -Click- The Rt. Rev. Peter Johs, bishop of the diocese of Malek in South Sudan; 42,000 Anglicans; provincial secretary. He lives in a village with no running water or electricity and visits his people via bicycle because to have a car would distance him too much from his poor and starving people. Meet him here at New Covenant Good Friday. "but if it dies it bears much fruit..." -Click- Sometimes, from time to time, whether far away, as with the men above, or here at home in our local community, we get to linger with and rub elbows with God's servants, even on Sundays!

Dear Friends,

TEMPLE CLEANING This past Wednesday morning as I was getting things together for the Lenten noonday service, I noticed that our decanter of Holy Water was almost empty. So, after filling it, I said the prayers below over the water making the sign of the cross where indicated. Sunday morning during communion and prayer ministry, I gave someone a small bottle of Holy Water and said, "This should solve the problem." Over the years I have seen Holy Water cleanse rooms, attics, garages, entryways etc. (Ask Canon Christopher). It beats 409. The prayers below come from an old MANUAL FOR PRIESTS. They are, indeed, a recipe for Holy Water. We use them, along with prayers for the exorcism and blessing of salt, when we do a house blessing. It's not the only thing used for cleaning a temple, and physical space temples are not the only temples in need of cleaning, but it is a good place to begin. Let us pray. (Exorcism of the water) I adjure thee, O creature of water, in the Name of God the Father + Almighty, in the Name of Jesus + Christ, his Son, our Lord, and by the power of the Holy + Ghost, that thou become water exorcised for putting to flight all the power of the enemy, and do thou avail to cast out and send hence that same enemy, with all his apostate angels: through the power of the Same our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall come to judge the quick and the dead, and the world by fire. Amen. Let us pray. (Blessing of the water) O God, Who for the salvation of mankind hast ordained that the substance of water should be used in one of thy chiefest Sacraments: favourably regard us who call upon thee, and pour the power of thy bene+diction upon this element, made ready by careful cleansing; that this thy creature, meet for thy mysteries, may receive the effect of divine grace, and so cast out devils, and put sickness to flight, that whosoever in the dwellings of thy faithful people shall be sprinkled with this water, may be made free from all uncleanness and delivered from all manner of hurt; there let no spirit of pestilence abide, nor any corrupting air: thence let all the wiles of the hidden enemy depart; and if there be aught that layeth snares against the peace or safety of them that dwell in the house, let it fly before the sprinkling of this water, so that the health which they seek through calling upon thy holy Name may be protected against all things that threaten it. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Blessings to You All,

SENSELESS

Dear Friends,

ALONG THE ROAD

FRIENDS Friends are rare and precious. I am so thankful for so many I count as friends. New Covenant is truly a friend-filled place! Here are a couple of my other friends. FR. BURNET CHERISOL This Sunday I want to introduce to you all a new friend of the past couple years. Father Burnet Cherisol is the recently installed Episcopal Vicar of Anglican Mission Haiti. A couple weeks ago I shared the story of our time there in a bit more detail in a midweek epistle entitled, Haiti And Back. Sheryl Shaw, Fr. Gabriel and I, along with Bishop Kevin Donlon, went to Port au Prince for Fr. Burnet's installation and to do Confirmations, Receptions, and Received a couple of priests into the new Mission. Burnet was a seminary professor in Haiti and is a well-known personality there. The times we have been with him there, people regularly stop to greet him. And when he is with you at the airport, even the security people give him a nod and let you pass. You will like him! He will be with us this Sunday. FR. BRENNAN MANNING We became friends in the mid 80s. We use to walk the French Quarter stopping at every gelato and ice cream parlor, finishing the day with some fresh beignets. Here's a wonderful Christmas story from a blog Brennan wrote in 2012. He checked into the heavenly Jerusalem in April the next year. The Enchanted One from The Ship Wrecked at the Stable There is a beautiful story recounted every Christmas in the forests of Provence in southern France. It's about the four shepherds who came to Bethlehem to see the child. One brought eggs, another bread and cheese, the third brought wine. And the fourth brought nothing at all. People called him L'Enchanté. The first three shepherds chatted with Mary and Joseph, commenting on how well Mary looked, how cozy was the cave and how handsomely Joseph had appointed it, what a beautiful starlit night it was. They congratulated the proud parents, presented them with their gifts and assured them that if they needed anything else, they had only to ask. Finally someone asked, "Where is L'Enchanté?" They searched high and low, up and down, inside and out. Finally, someone peeked through the blanket hung against the draft, into the crèche. There, kneeling at the crib, was L'Enchanté - the Enchanted One. Like a flag or a flame taking the direction of the wind, he had taken the direction of love. Throughout the entire night, he stayed in adoration, whispering, "Jesu, Jesu, Jesu - Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." Yes! As the chorus goes, "What a friend we have in Jesus..." And when Jesus is in our friends, well, we experience the incarnation in every greeting! Greetings to you all my friends,

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, There was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.' The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.' The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?' *There was silence...* Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'we want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.' But the auctioneer persisted 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?' Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!' But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?' Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. 'We have $10, who will bid $20?' 'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.' The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!' A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!' The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.' 'What about the paintings?' 'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. *The man who took the son gets everything* God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?' *Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything* *FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE* Author Unknown

TO HAITI AND BACK