17 October 2021 ~ Holy Eucharist at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cathedral Road

 

Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him,

“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them,

“What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him,

“Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

But Jesus said to them,

“You do not know what you are asking.

Are you able to drink the cup that I drink,

or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them,

“The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism

with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant,

but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.

So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles

those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their

great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever

wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes

to be first among you must be slave of all.

For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,

and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Wonder

 

Mark 10:17-31

 

Mark 10:17-31

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

John "Jack" C. Eckels, IV March 21, 1937 - October 04, 2021

 

John "Jack" C. Eckels, IV

March 21, 1937 - October 04, 2021

John (Jack) Eckels died peacefully in his sleep on October 4, 2021 at Helen Porter Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Middlebury VT.  He was born, the youngest of three children, in Littleton NH on March 21, 1937. He, his sister Ann, and brother Don spent most of their young lives in Laconia NH.  There he developed a love of skiing and enjoyed competing on the ski team.  Jack attended the University of New Hampshire (UNH) where he continued to ski competitively and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  After working as a mechanical engineer, he decided that he wanted to work with young adults and not machines.  So he went back to UNH, obtained a Masters Degree in mathematics, met Carol, his wife of 56 years, and obtained his teacher’s license.  He also spent eight years in the Marine Corps Reserve.

In 1969, Jack and Carol moved to Middlebury, where they raised their family.  Jack taught math and coached skiing at Middlebury Union High School (MUHS) for 30 years.  His ski teams won numerous State ski championships including 13 Girls Nordic Skiing titles and also one New England ski championship.  He and Carol started the first Bill Koch Ski League for young skiers in the Middlebury area. Jack’s skiing and coaching were statewide. He also served as a judge for the biathlon ski event at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Upon retiring, Jack became a beekeeper, worked at a vegetable farm, and kept a fairly large garden. He and Carol also spent much time traveling, particularly to visit their children and grandchildren. Jack spent a lot of time catching his grandchildren’s kicked soccer balls in small apartments, building train tracks while sitting on floors, cutting out big boxes for the grandchildren to crawl into, playing dominoes and Uno as the kids grew older, following the kids going trick or treating in various cities, and many other activities that created happy memorable moments.

He is survived by his loving wife Carol (Jones) Eckels; his children Richard Eckels, William Eckels (Michelle), Catherine Lang (Larson), Jane Eckels (Hans), and Michael Eckels (Oxana); his grandchildren, Alex, Meredith, Bee, Ellie, Crispin, Felix, Bo, Stanley, Robert, Ben, and Bailey; his great-granddaughter Harper; and his sister Ann Eckels Bailie.  He was  pre-deceased by his parents, his brother Don, his granddaughter, Wren, and his daughter-in-law, Beth.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Tuesday October 12, 2021 at 1:30 P.M. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Middlebury, with the Rev. Luke Austin as the celebrant.

The Family request if you are attending the service to please wear a mask.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Elderly Services, P.O. Box 581, Middlebury, VT 05753 or the American Parkinson Disease Association, Parkinson Plaza, 135 Parkinson Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305-1425.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Sanderson-Ducharme Funeral Home.

Online condolences at www.sandersonfuneralservice.com