As far as metaphors go, the Bible couldn’t get much better than the great wind, the earthquake, and the fire of 1 Kings 19. To remind you of the scene:

With the prophet Elijah on the lam—fleeing Queen Jezebel’s murderous orders to kill him, the last surviving prophet—Elijah has hidden himself in a cave on Mount Horeb (the Lord’s mountain) for obvious reasons. On his first night there, Elijah is told by the Lord that the Lord is about to pass by—and to prepare himself to stand in the presence of the Lord.

What immediately follows is a great wind; then, a mighty earthquake; and after, a fire. Hearing the story told, you would think that God was in these grand calamities and conflagrations, making herself known.

But is God in the great wind? No. Is God in the earthquake? No. Is God in fire? No.

Instead, we are told, God is in a whisper that follows or, as the King James Bible translates it, “A still small voice.”

As far as metaphors go, my outer world could easily enough be compared to the outer world in Elijah’s story. Great winds of communications pass through my gadgets on the daily; earthquakes of breaking news or overlapping deadlines; conflagrations of responsibilities and to dos. I’m not exactly fleeing Jezebel every day but it’s not uncommon for me to long for a retreat to a cave on a mountain somewhere. Preferably without cell phone reception.

Fortunately, I no longer need to book a ticket to the mountains, reserve a space on a month-long retreat to the Seychelles, or even leave Greencastle behind. How is this possible, you might ask? Well, let me tell you:

St. Andrew’s has begun offering Contemplative Prayer on Wednesdays at 1 PM, every week. Led by Reverend Jen, this half hour of contemplation is solace in a world blistering with too much noise and too much action. In the quiet of the Sanctuary, with the flicker of the votive candles, it’s a reprieve from the much-ness of our modern day world.

What do we do? We sit. We listen. In quiet.

Does this require training? No. It just requires sitting and breathing, more or less.

How does it work? Well, I like to think of it as inviting God to do whatever work God needs to do in me, without my needing to reshare a laundry list of needs that God is already aware of. Prayer in this mode becomes less like my straining to signal God from the tarmac (as though God were flying over in a Jumbo Jet), more like we’re sitting together, drinking a companionable cup of tea.

Is this a new way of praying? Reverend Jen can say more—but, in short, no. It’s ancient. Though also contemporary!

Let’s listen to what Mother Theresa has to say:
Once asked in an interview, “What do you say when you pray?” the modern-day saint replied: “Nothing. I just listen.”
Following up, the reporter asked, “Well, then, what does God say to you?” Mother Theresa replied, “Nothing much. He just listens.”

My hope is that those of you who haven’t tried Contemplative Prayer might join us in the coming weeks. Not only is it a refuge from the hectic dash of the week, it is also an opportunity to hear the still, small voice of God—or just listen in silence.

Beth Haymaker

“If you lack an interior compass, no external compass will suffice. Mature adults don’t expect a book, a church, a priest, or president to provide their moral bearings. When one assumes responsibility for the shape of one’s world, there is never a bad time to welcome new life.”
–Philip Gulley, “Do you really need a leader?” –blog post September 1, 2025

Dear Friends:

A friend forwarded Philip Gulley’s meditation to me today (I know many of you read him, so already read his post), and I loved his observation about developing an interior compass. Mr. Gulley is a Quaker, and I have a great admiration for the quiet and firm backbone of Quaker conviction and action. Quakers talk of seeing the light of God in all persons; they are often lamps that can inspire others. And as Mr. Gulley says, we can rejoice in new life and new lives if we are determined that we will live and be responsible for the change that we can bring.

Jesus’ rendering of the summary of the Torah—love God with all you have, love your neighbor as yourself—is surely the basic structure of the Christian interior compass, as is Michael Curry’s summary, “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God.” I have been using these succinct guides all summer as I navigate tension, bad news, and the usual life challenges. I am glad to be walking with you on a path to become (I hope) an ever-more mature adult.

In peace,

Jen+

Rev. Jen has set her office drop-in day as Wednesday of each week from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to stop in and visit. You are always invited to make an appointment for a time convenient for you. Mondays are her Sabbath day. NOTE: Rev. Jen will be out of the office September 8 – 15.

The Book and Bible Group has begun again, meeting at 4:30 p.m. most Tuesday afternoons with Evening Prayer celebrated at 4:00 p.m. The next one will be Tuesday, September 16. We will discuss D. Mark Davis, Left Behind and Loving It, chapters 4 & 5. All are welcome. NOTE: We will not meet Tuesday, September 9.

ALTAR FLOWER CALENDAR

An altar flower calendar is posted in Hamilton Hall. Sign up to sponsor the altar flowers to commemorate a birthday or anniversary, remember a loved one, or in thanksgiving for an important event. We ask a donation to help offset the cost of the altar flowers and other worship expenses. Be sure to tell the office your dedication so that it can be printed in the bulletin. Please make checks payable to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and in the memo field please put this information: Altar Flowers, person’s name, occasion, Sunday date you’d like for the flowers to be on the altar.

VESTRY MEETING MINUTES

If any of you are interested in what your Vestry is doing, there are two copies of each month’s minutes on the music stand in Hamilton Hall. Feel free to read and return!

SHOPPING LIST FOR NON-FOOD PANTRY

Please add Adult Pull-Ups (all sizes) and bed pads to your shopping list for the NFP for the month of September. If you are donating adult pull-ups/briefs, they should be the ones without tabs. We are currently overstocked in adult diapers and period products. Meals and conversation in Hamilton Hall are going well. Patrons are now able to pick out items they most need. Your contributions help our budget go farther in helping meet the needs of those in Putnam County. The next Non-Food Pantry will be Saturday, September 27 from noon – 2:00 p.m. If you can help with this ministry in any way, please contact Harriet Moore or Carl Huffman. Many thanks to Fred Vallowe who has served out his term coordinating deliveries, inventory, and stocking goods!

KROGER COUPONS

If you have any unwanted Kroger coupons, please bring them to Hamilton Hall and place in the window ledge near the “Little Library”. We would like to make them available to our Non-Food Pantry recipients so that they might be able to take advantage of them to help extend their food budget. Thanks in advance!

FREE DAILY DEVOTIONAL

We have some large print Day by Day daily devotionals in the sanctuary that you are free to take home for your personal devotions–and if we know that people would like copies, we can order the right amount. Many of you may also appreciate the on-line version of Day to Day. Click here.

ON-GOING COVID PROTOCOL

We continue to respond to both our county’s current CDC designation and to the current variant. Masking is optional. Decisions on COVID policy have moved from the Reconvening Committee to Rev. Jen and the Wardens.

We have heard that the daily reflections and scripture readings provided during Lent were appreciated. The meditations are written by persons from Gobin UMC and Beech Grove UMC. They will be in the newsletter each week. Whether you enjoy these every day or as the Spirit moves you, may this resource continue to bring you spiritual food for the journey. Blessings!

Click here to view the readings and accompanying links.

Your prayers are asked for: