By: David H. May, Rector
Sermons
Catch up on Sunday sermons that you have missed, or revisit them again. Find the readings for the week on http://lectionarypage.net.
A Reflection for Noonday Prayer
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
By: Amelia McDaniel, Lay Associate for Christian Formation
This is a poem by Friar Richard Hendrick a Franciscan Friar living in Ireland.
Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent
By: Eleanor Wellford, Priest Associate
On the surface, the story that we just heard from John’s gospel is about a blind man who was healed by Jesus. Ironically it’s also about people who could see well enough but were blind to what was right in front of them.
I get that. How many times have I found myself standing in front of an open refrigerator door looking for something that I knew was in there? And how many times does my husband have to step in and pull out the item that I was looking for? It was there all along. I just didn’t see it.
Or how many times have I been on a walk, especially this time of year, and missed the beauty of nature in full bloom? It’s not that I choose to do that as much as I simply get distracted by my thoughts.
The man in this morning’s gospel had no choice about what he could see or not see. He was blind from birth. People would pass by him all the time, talking about him as if he weren’t there and speculating about the cause of his blindness. He was in the same place every day and every day they chose not to see him.
But Jesus saw him and felt compelled to heal him even though the blind man didn’t ask for that. Jesus just did it – and he happened to do it on the day of rest – the Sabbath. When the Pharisees heard about that, they didn’t like it one bit.
A Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent
By: David H. May, Rector
I’ve been thinking about one of the traditional practices for Christians in the season of Lent is that we refrain, we fast from saying ‘alleluia’. We just hold onto all those ‘alleluias’ and store them up in our spirits so that when Easter morning comes we can just let all those stored up ‘alleluias’ burst out with special energy and joy, like a bird out of a cage flying off free into the bright blue sky.
And I’ve been thinking that we’ve now been given a different kind of fast this Lent – we’re fasting, abstaining from being together. I’m not sure anyone can say when we’ll be able to come back together – a few weeks, months? I don’t think there’s anyone who really knows. I thought with a start just the other day, will we back together for Holy Week? Easter? I don’t think anyone knows.
One of the things that the Spirit has shown people when we fast from food is what it feels like to actually be hungry and what a gift it is when you can finally dig in and have that hunger satisfied. That experience – like knowing else – shows us what a grace, what a miracle really the life God has given us really is.
And I think the same may be true about this unexpected and unchosen fast we are on right now – a fast from being gathered together as the Beloved Community of Jesus. But maybe there’s a gift in this too.
A Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent
By: Amelia McDaniel, Lay Associate for Christian Formation
Yesterday morning, while scrolling through all the smattering of news I can access on my phone, I came upon something worth stopping for.
The story of Dan Peterson and Norah Wood. You may know it.
Dan Peterson was shopping at the local Publix in Norcross, Georgia. Mr. Peterson was, as he told it, pretty severely depressed. He had just lost his wife of many years and I can only imagine what an incredibly lonely task it was to be out shopping for just himself.
Norah Wood was at the grocery store too with her mom. She was four years old and getting a ride in one of those big carts. Norah was in her cart not feeling particularly lonely at all. In fact, when you watch the security video of what follows, you see she is perfectly filled up.
Norah waved at Dan as their carts passed. She called out to him, “Hey Old Person”. The three of them were strangers to one another. But that didn’t stop Norah. Dan paused kind of dumbstruck. Next she asked for a hug. “Absolutely” said Dan. Norah asked for her mama to take a picture of them together.
Then Dan said, to Norah and her mom, “You don’t know. This is the first time for quite a while that I’ve been this happy.” And hearing him recount the story you realize just how much Norah was a blessing to Dan.
The story went viral and got picked up for national news. Thousands of letters of encouragement came flooding into Dan’s mailbox. It is a story that just felt good.