We believe passionately that God has given us a mission: to draw others to know and experience in their lives the love of God in Christ. Sharing this “Good News” is at the center of our call and our life. In our chapels and retreat houses, and our online teachings, we hope to offer a still point in the midst of the chaos of contemporary life. We hope that as you explore these pages, you’ll find “Good News” that will help you live authentically, responsive to God’s call of love.
Evening Prayer: Hymn Board October 27 – November 1, 2020
Musical Selections & Psalms for Daily Evensong 27 October Tuesday, Feria Phos H82 #440 Blessed Jesus, at thy word Hymn H82 #494 Crown him with many crowns Psalms: 80, 81, 82 28 October Wednesday, Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles Phos H82 #27 O blest Creator, source of light Hymn H82 #239 Blessed feasts of…
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We will not be live-streaming Evensong Tuesday (10/20) through Monday (10/26). We will resume our live-streaming on Tuesday, October 27th at 6 pm. Please know of our prayers for you as we Brothers are away this week. Visit the Friends of SSJE Facebook page to enjoy our past live-streams of Evensong both at the Monastery…
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The things that are God’s – Br. Lucas Hall
“A fractious political environment, with lots of different groups vying for power and influence, might seem rather familiar to you. It does to me. Many people are wondering how bonds of family, friendship, and community can be maintained across these divides.”
Br. Lucas Hall ponders how we can best navigate the fraught political divides that threaten our society and our relationships.
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We come to God not by navigation but by love – Br. Geoffrey Tristram
“You could see this period we are in now, this pandemic, as a kind of plateau, a kind of flat time. So, it could also be a perfect time to pause and take stock of our lives. What’s the journey been like so far, and what have I learned? And when this flat period is over, how will I go forward again in my life; what route will I take? Call on the Spirit of Jesus.”
Br. Geoffrey Tristram invites us to take inspiration from the example of Paul’s extraordinary journeys, as we navigate our own way through life’s challenges and ever deeper into love for Jesus.
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The Praise of God’s Glory – Br. James Koester
“Where we see truth, honor, purity, we see the glory of God, and when we behold God’s glory, especially in another person, we are brought to our knees in praise.”
Br. James Koester invites us into the evocative phrase from the letter to the Epehsians: “the praise of his glory.”
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Judging Rightly – Br. Curtis Almquist
“Jesus is forever saying, ‘Do not judge.’ Of course, life requires us to use our judgment from the moment we rise until we go to bed. That’s not what Jesus is talking about. When he commends us not to judge, he’s talking about how we regard the essence of another human being.”
Br. Curtis Almquist encourages us to leave judgment to God – at least as far as it concerns judging other children of God.
Read MorePause Evensong, October 9-12
Each October we brothers have a work weekend at Emery House where we invite others to help us put the gardens “to bed” for the winter as well as other housekeeping and repair work. Due to the global pandemic we are unable to invite the help we need in this annual undertaking.Therefore many of the…
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Joy to the World – Br. Geoffrey Tristram
“These are not happy times, but we can still know joy, because it is a gift from God. We can’t create joy, we can only receive it, and delight in it. Joy is elusive. We can’t grasp it, or hold it, or contain it, or store it up. If we try to, it vanishes.”
On the Feast of Saint Francis amid such troubled times, Br. Geoffrey Tristram invites us to open our hearts to joy.
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Broken Images and Living Divinity – Br. Sean Glenn
“The nearer I draw to God, the more it becomes clear I really have no idea who I’m dealing with. The personality I encounter overflows and shatters every image or picture I could ever imagine.”
Br. Sean Glenn urges us to set aside our images and pictures of God and encounter the living God whose love upholds every moment.
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The Sacrament of Our Longing – Br. James Koester
“Like the People of Israel, we find ourselves in a wilderness. The landscape at the moment seems especially dry and particularly barren. We are hungry. We are thirsty. Yes, perhaps we are not about to die, but none the less we are longing, and like the Israelites, we look back towards Egypt and long to return. How many of us have not longed to return to what once was?”
Br. James Koester reminds us that we are united, in our longing, to God’s people from time immemorial – and to one another in this dry and thirsty time.
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