S T .

J O H N ’ S E P I S C O P A L

The Chimes
St. John’s Episcopal Church is a loving community of faith and
worship, showing the love of God to each other and the world.

a publication of St.John’s Episcopal Church, Sealy, Texas April 2020

Hwy 36 N at 6th St. Life is Not Fair Upcoming Events
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lives of our for the months of
parishioners February and
Website:
www.stjohnssealy.com March
Page 3 Page 5-11
Join us at 10 am on
Sunday for Worship!

“Life is Not Fair” A few minutes later, God saw His

children having an apple break!
“Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit?”
How many times have we thought
God asked?
that “Life is Not Fair”? How many
“Uh huh” Adam replied.
times have things happened to us we
“The serpent made me do it,” Eve
knew were unfair? Not being fair
said.
seems to have been with us since the
“She started it!” Adam said.
beginning of time.
“Did not.”
Just remember, after creating heaven
“Did too.”
and earth, God created Adam and
“Did not.”
Eve; and one of the first things God
Having had it with his two children,
said was “Don’t!”
God punished them with children of
“Don’t what?” Adam replied.
their own. Not Fair!
“Don’t eat the forbidden fruit,” God
And this pattern has not changed
said.
since that time.
“Forbidden fruit? We have forbidden
Then there is the parable of the rich
fruit? Hey Eve, we have forbidden
young man who asked Jesus what he
fruit!” Because I am you Father and I said must do to be saved; and Jesus told
“No Way!” says Eve. so!” God replied, wondering why He him to take all that he has, sell it, and
“Yes way!” Adam said. hadn’t stopped creation after making give the money to the poor.
“Do Not eat the fruit!” God the elephants. “Not Fair” either.
Said.“Why”” Adam and Eve said in “No Fair” said Adam and Eve, “he And in the movie Fiddler on the Roof
unison. has all the fun!”
April 2020 1

the poor Jewish milkman sings what
he would do “if I were a rich man.”
His wife quickly reminds him that
money is a curse. He immediately
shouts up to heaven, “Curse me God,
curse me.”
There was once an English Supreme
Court Judge who went to church and
found himself kneeling at the
Communion rail next to a burglar he
had sentenced to prison several years
before.
After the service the pastor asked the
judge if he noticed he was kneeling
beside the convict he had previously
sentenced. The judge said he did
notice, and “what a miracle of God’s
Grace.” The judge then asked the
pastor to whom he was referring. The
pastor said, “Why, I was referring to
the convict” whereupon the judge
said, “Well, I was referring to
myself.”
“You see, it did not cost that burglar
much to get converted when he came
out of jail. He had nothing but a
history of crime behind him, and
when he saw Jesus as his Savior he
know there was salvation and hope
and joy for him.
“But look at me,” the judge said, “I
was taught from the earliest infancy
to live as a gentleman; that my word
was to be my bond; that I was to say
my prayers, was called to the church,
take Communion and so on. I went
through Oxford and got all the
breaks.
“Pastor, nothing but the Grace of God
could have caused me to admit that I
was a sinner on level with that
burglar. It took much more of God’s
Grace to forgive me for all my pride
and self-deception, to get me to admit
I was no better in the eyes of God
than that convict that I sent to
prison.”
2 April 2020
T H E C H I M E S
You see, the parable today is not only
about the laborers, it is indeed about
the mercy and Grace of God. It is
about the Generous Land lord.
Yet, that just doesn’t seem fair. It
goes against the business mentality
that dominates our lives. It goes
against what we have always been
taught: you only get out of something
directly in proportion to that which
you put in it.
Remember, Christ said, “The first
shall be last and the last shall be
first.” Bishops need just as much of
God’s Grace as each of us do. And I
can assure you that my late-in-life
lifting to the priesthood makes me
just as much a priest as those who
have been ordained for many more
years.
It really wasn’t fair that Jesus, a
sinless man, goes to the cross for our
sins and for mine. Yet, that is
precisely what happened. You see, we
live in a world of tallies, accounts, of
debts owed, and debts paid We live in
a world of boundaries and schedules,
spreadsheets and bookkeeping, and of
hourly wages.
The economics of the Kingdom of
God are quite unlike the economics
of the world. And like Simon Peter
we bitterly complain about the
unfairness of it all. We miss the point
that if God had our tally book
mentality, and went strictly by what is
fair, then salvation would be out of
the grasp of us all. And I will confess
to you, I would not be standing here
in front of you today. The issue is not
what is fair. The issue is: How can we
bring more into the fields to serve our
Master.
So many of us live with the certainty
of our salvation; we are so used to
being part of God’s work and being
guaranteed our reward that we can no
longer remember or imagine what
being outside is like—what being
without God is like.
We have worked harder;
We have been here longer;
We have done more
We have had to go through this – so
should others
We have lost all sense of our
blessedness and it disappears.
After serving as a missionary for
forty years in Africa, Henry C.
Morrison became sick and had to
return to America. As his ship docked
in New York harbor there was a great
crowd was gathered on the dock—but
the crowd was not there to meet him.
The crowd was there to welcome
Teddy Roosevelt after his return from
his African Safari.
Resentment seized Henry Morrison
and he was angry, for he had devoted
over 40 years of his life to God’s
ministry.
Then a still small voice came to
Morrison and said, “You are not
home yet, Henry.”
We have a reward coming! But not in
this world. The economics of the
kingdom of God are different than the
economics of the world.
We are not home yet.
Let us Pray:
Oh God who has given so much to us,
Give us one thing more,
A grateful heart,
And help us Lord to remember that
While it is possible to give without
loving,
It is impossible to love without
giving.
+ Fr. Eric
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Fr Eric and his grandson, Jordan

Scroggs, at Louisiana Tech
University. Jordan recently
graduated from LaTech with his
MBA.
Photos to the right:
Waverly on the trail ride
Waverly and Cricket all ready to ride.
Far right:
John and Caroline Owen @ Senior Serve
John O and Sugie Sartwelle @ Senior Serve
Allison Vazquez @ Interact Mardi Gras
Party for nursing home residents

The Columbarium at St Alban’s. It’s

located in the side chapel, where
Judy’s sister, Jeanette’s ashes are
interred. Judy and the St. Alban’s
DOK.

April 2020
3

April
Birthdays
4/10 Wyatt Kellner
4/16 Jeff Whitzel your daily prayers.
4/21 Gloria Noy
4/23 Rita Royle
4/24 Will Ford
4/26 Annie Smith
4/30 Lavinia Owen
Anniversaries
4/28 Eric & Mary Lou LeBrocq
4
TT HH EE CC HH II MM EE SS
• Gloria Noy
• LaJuan Farrell
• Fr. Eric
• Carla Beckendorff
• Cody Childress
• John Klotz
In addition to those we are praying for on a regular
basis, please consider adding the following prayers to
For Medical Professionals
Sanctify, O Lord, those whom you have called to the
study and practice of the arts of healing, and to the
prevention of disease and pain. Strengthen them by
your life-giving Spirit, that by their ministries the health
of the community may be promoted and your creation
glorified; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Unemployed
Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who
suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the
people of this land so to use our public and private
wealth that all may find suitable and fulfilling
employment, and receive just payment for their labor;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Those Who Live Alone
Almighty God, whose Son had nowhere to lay his
head: Grant that those who live alone may not be
lonely in their solitude, but that, following in his steps,
they may find fulfillment in loving you and their
neighbors; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
April 2020
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Palm Sunday and Easter

On Sunday, April 5 in the morning, put a branch on
the door of your house or in the window to
celebrate Palm Sunday.

It could be any green branch you can get. This

would help, despite the social distancing, to be
connected as we enter into the Holiest of Weeks.

We may be physically isolated, but not separated.

We are united as the members of the body of
Christ. We are the Church.

As people of faith, we certainly grieve the loss of routine in our lives and in our churches, but the church calendar is
an expression of our faith in a spiritual reality. It is not the spiritual reality itself. Easter represents our belief that there
is a truth that illness, fear, pandemic, economic distress and even death cannot touch. That truth is God’s incredible
love for us.
Once a year, we come together on Easter Sunday to celebrate that reality in all its fullness with trumpets, flowers,
baskets, brunches, and words of great joy. This year, we most likely won’t be able to celebrate that love with those
symbolic expressions on the designated day, but our faith in God’s love abides.
We will be relying on it in the days ahead and trusting that there will be a day when we can join
together as a community in person again. The first thing we will celebrate is the power of God’s
love, the power of love over pandemic and death.
That day, whenever it comes, will be Easter Sunday! 
Amber Neuroth, pastor, Hope United Church of Christ, Alexandria, Virginia

St. John’s in bloom

for Easter
April 2020 5
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Palm Sunday and Holy Week Memories

Palm Cross folding experts

Look at these Easter kids!

6 April 2020
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April 2020 7
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Shrove
Tuesday

April 2020
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St. Valentine’s
Cookie Party

Outreach at the
Oaks
April 2020 9
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I've gone to the website: viacharacter.org. 

I.Rita says - for the first time in many years  my closets
They have a quick test that will give you a
are clean, but no Goodwill to take all of this junk to.
list of character strengths ranked by your
For a good book to read, try ORDINARY GRACE by
answers. 
Wm KRUEGER. Wonderful book, full of  suspense
Questions to ask: did any of the character
and drama.
strengths surprise you? Were there any that
just didn't sound like you at first? How do
these character strengths show up in your
faith life? How can you apply your character
strengths to our current circumstances?

What I'm doing during the siege: we still

have to be prepared to provide emergency
care, so the two dentists in our clinic are
taking turns attending work to provide
coverage.  Not much to actually do while we
wait for the phone to ring. The assistants and
hygienists have been recruited by the nursing
staff to provide coverage screening
Candace is working from home and also doing some EVERYONE who is admitted to the campus.
cooking. She shared a recipes
Hushpuppies Paul still works, he's a computer geek who
1 cup flour" " " 2 tsp baking powder can work anywhere, so he's been holed up in
the Hill Country.
1 cup cornmeal" " 2 Tbls sugar
¾ cup buttermilk" " 1 egg And Al cracked out the bread machine!
1 tsp salt" " " ½ tsp baking soda
1 onion chopped Look forward to seeing you all again.
Mix and fry!
Carol Heath

Patty McAlexander reported that she has

Kathleen Kelly is thankful that John Kelly made it home been busy with tax season and has been
from Sweden. He arrived home on Wednesday, April 1. blessed with 8 new calves!
He was on the last flight out of Sweden to the US.

8 April 2020
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The Sealy News

featured Joel and
James Gassiott in an
article about how the
Corona Virus is
affecting high school
seniors in sports. https://
www.sealynews.com/stories/seeing-

Senior outfielder James Gassiott may have the

Senior pole vaulter Joel Gassiott was just beginning
rest of his final baseball season in Tiger black
to catch his stride in his senior year, but the
and gold cut short due to the coronavirus, but he
coronavirus pandemic has put a halt on things. Still,
isn’t letting it get him down. He’s used the free
his sights are set on the next level and qualifying for
time to prepare for college while also staying in
an Olympics sometime soon & his twin James is
shape by working out with his twin brother Joel.
helping keep him in shape. Pictured: Joel heading
Pictured: James warming up for a district contest
down the runway at Sealy’s T.J. Mills Stadium for last
against El Campo last year at Sealy’s Aubrey “Mutt”
year’s running of the Sammy Dierschke Relays
Stuessel Stadium.
Shout out to Sealy ISD
Our St. John’s family includes the Superintendent of
Sealy ISD, a board member and at least 4 teachers.
Those in leadership have done an awesome job of
guiding us through this unprecedented time in public
education. They also have helped relieve anxieties
by paying all full time staff during the pandemic.
Teachers are working to provide lessons for
students to complete at home. This is a difficult
endeavor as not all students have access to
technology to support their learning. Adjustments
are being made, teachers and students are
adapting. Hopefully the result of this real life
experiment will be to foster a closer relationship
between parents and teachers.
Before the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was Sheryl Moore announced her retirement from Sealy
forced to shut down due to coronavirus concerns, ISD earlier this year, effective June 30, 2020. I for
Sealy FFA members earned ribbons in various show one am thankful for her leadership through this
categories. difficult time.
Senior John Owen was able to show his goat one last Please pray for our students, teachers and staff as
time on the green shavings of the HLSR and took we navigate through this unchartered territory in
home sixth place in Class 16. public education.
April 2020 11
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Upcoming Events at
Historic St. John’s Episcopal Church
The Diocese of Texas has moved the
restriction of gathering 10 or more
people to Sunday May 10th, 2020.
Any previously scheduled events
have been cancelled, including
Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter.

St. John’s Episcopal Church is located at Hwy 36 N & 6th St., Sealy, TX
Phone: 979-885-2359 Email: info@stjohnssealy.com Website: www.stjohnssealy.com
Join us at 10 am on Sunday for Worship!