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The crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind” (Mark 3:20-21).

As we study the Gospel of Mark this year, I ask you to look a little deeper into this Gospel. The passage contains several questions that lead you to Mark’s main purpose of the Gospel. The Gospel begins, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1 NRSV). In the end of the passage the disciples are asking, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:41b NRSV)” It is important to see the literary context of this question. The rhetorical effect of asking these questions is that the reader must look for their own answer. To heighten this rhetorical effect Mark portrays the disciples as totally unaware of who Jesus is. The audience now shares the enlightened viewpoint of Jesus with the narrator. We therefore need to approach the passage within the context of this irony and Mark’s overall purpose in this Gospel. Mark challenges us to answer the question, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” My hope is that you live with an expectancy of many great possibilities with the Risen Lord at St. John’s.

In Sunday’s Gospel, the people are saying that Jesus has gone out of his mind. God is able to reach his arms of love through Jesus Christ to find the lost, heal the sick, cloth the naked, repair the broken and give Living Water to the thirsty. At St. John’s we are called to open our doors wide and welcome everyone into our church. Jesus calls on you to be peaceful, loving, caring, and selfless. Be kind to everyone who enters our space and love them like they were your family. This month is Gay Pride Month and we celebrate all our LGBTQ+ members. On Sunday, we will meet on Gerard Street and march with the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island in the Pride Parade at 12:00. Please meet our wardens Patti and Sean and show your support by marching to Heckscher Park. The Gay Men’s Chorus will be performing “Jukebox Saturday Night” at 5:30. This concert will feature some of your favorite songs from Billy Joel to Queen. LGBTQ+ folks have fought hard over their lifetime to be treated with respect and dignity. At St. John’s we are open and affirming and I ask you to show your support this Sunday for Pride Month by inviting the entire community to be a part of the St. John’s. 

This Sunday is Christian Education Recognition. We thank our Sunday school teachers and children for their participation. We will also award the Florence and Robert Scott Scholarship at the 10:00 service. Confirmation is Saturday at 11:00 am at St. John’s, Cold Spring Harbor. The confirmands will receive their bibles on Sunday. We ask all of our parishioners to join us on this special day.

In Christ's love,
Fr. Duncan