"Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord."

The Psalms evoke such emotion; they get right into the center of one’s heart and soul. They express in words what we may feel as well, but do not know how to express. One of the Psalms appointed for today, Psalm 130, is such a Psalm:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.” What was the Psalmist faced with that he cried out of the depths? We can only imagine. But you and I have felt that way. You and I have cried to God out of the depths. Which one of us has not, when faced with pain that is unbearable, when we were helpless and life seemed hopeless, cried out of the depths of our souls to God? We have cried out of the depths at the death of a loved one. We have cried out of the depths when we have been held captive by an addiction that has destroyed those around us. We have cried out of the depths when we lost everything that we had and did not know where to turn. We have cried out of the depths when our body has been riddled with disease. We have cried out of the depths when we have been unable to help a son or daughter who has chosen the wrong path. We have cried out of the depths when we were alone and felt abandoned.

The inspired writer of the Psalms knew what we were feeling, or perhaps are even feeling today. But in the midst of darkness and despair, in the midst of pain and suffering, there is hope, the Psalmist tells us. There is hope in the Lord who loves us steadfastly and has the power to restore and to redeem us. Out of the depths we cry unto God, and from the heights God descends to us as a babe in a manger who will grow up with us, be God with us, and eventually give His life for us so that we may live in the hope of His Resurrection.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

NEWS

The Galveston Island Tree Conservancy’s 2011/12 NeighborWoods Project has been chosen as one of 20 finalists for Tom’s of Maine 50 States for Good Community Sponsorship. We have the opportunity to win a share of $150,000 to fund next year’s NeighborWoods in Galveston, Texas, but we need your on-line vote to help us win one of five $20,000 sponsorships or one $50,000 sponsorship. To find out more about NeighborWoods please visit www.galvestonislandtreeconservancy.org.

To vote, please go to www.50statesforgood.com, click on Vote Now and vote for The Galveston Island Tree Conservancy. Help us plant 700 trees in Galveston Island Neighborhoods in 2011/12!

Top twenty (20) applications will be posted on www.50statesforgood.com, and the public will be encouraged to vote from Tuesday, 2 August 2011 to Tuesday, 13 September 2011. Visitors can vote once (1) per day. Project voting standings will be displayed on www.50statesforgood.com and will be public until the last week of voting, on or about 6 September 2011. At the completion of the final voting phase, the 6 projects with the highest vote totals will be declared as the selected projects to receive funding, as determined by the consumer vote.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

We will have a Bishop’s Committee meeting on the regular third Sunday of the month.

St. Augustine’s Feast Day: Potluck Dinner and Dancing on Saturday, 27 August at 7 p.m. and Eucharist Rite II on Sunday at 9 a.m. followed by a reception in Sutton Hall. We will also bless backpacks at the end of the service as our students start another school year. There is a sign-up sheet in Sutton Hall for the pot luck dinner. Please sign up to bring a dish to share. Here is what is on the menu as of Sunday before the Service:

Bremers - pizza rolls, mini pigs in a blanket
Alicia- brisket
Pat - salad
Tammie - baked beans and pies
Mary - ham
Lee - Pasta salad
Raul - Mexican beans

PRAYER MINISTRY

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, and we especially pray for the Walker Family at the death of their son, Griff, those addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, shut-ins, anyone suffering from depression of anxiety of any kind, those suffering from the extreme heat, all of those who are traveling, those suffering any kind of adversity, for families, and for all those looking for work. “Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance, but taking hold of God’s willingness.” The Rt. Rev. Phillips Brooks

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550