Good morning St. George’s, it is so good to be back with you after being away for our Shrine Mont retreat and a few weeks of vacation this past month. Now it is Rev. Shearon’s turn to take some well-deserved time off for her sabbatical which began this week. She will be back with us at the end of the summer on August 20th and I hope you’ll join me in lifting her up in prayer while she’s away resting, traveling, and re-grounding herself in God’s love.
Read MoreThe Fourth Sunday of the Easter season is Good Shepherd Sunday. On the first three Sundays of Easter, we hear accounts of Jesus’ post- resurrection appearances to his disciples. And today, instead of hearing about Jesus showing his hands and feet to astonished disciples, Jesus talks about what kind of relationship he wants with his followers going forward. He describes himself as the Good Shepherd who cares for the sheep, who even lays down his life for the sheep. And, as Jesus says this, we hear psalm 23 in the background.
Read MoreThis past Monday, people all over our country were caught up in the wonder of the solar eclipse. Many people travelled to the places that experienced totality, including some Saint Georgians. And here in our area, it was wonderful to see people, even for just a day, joined together in a way that had nothing to do with anything going on that divides us. I was out in our front yard from 3 to 3:30 that day with the glasses that Ben Keseley, our Minister of Music, gave us from his stash. And I was amazed to see the eclipse. Even if it was only 89% here, it was still incredible. Parents were walking back from the school across the street from us, after a viewing party, with their children chattering away about how great it was. Two of my older neighbors walked by and wanted to show me the cool crescent-shaped shadows that the eclipse made on the street, as the light was filtered through the leaves of a tree. It was a lovely moment of shared spiritual connection. Moments of wonder are a wonderful thing, they are part of what makes us human, and seasons of wonder are even better.
Read MoreAlleluia. Christ is risen. (The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.). What a joy it is to come together today to proclaim these words. We join with Christians around the world and across the ages to rejoice that God has conquered sin and death and that we live forever in the risen life of Christ.
Read MoreIn the Eastern Orthodox Church there is one sermon preached at the Easter Vigil and that is the paschal homily of St. John Chrysostom, written in 4th century. And as far as I’m concerned, it is the best sermon ever written. So when I sat down this week to write my own paschal homily, I swiftly realized that there is no point in trying to imitate perfection, when perfection is already before us. So I’d like for us to be Orthodox for the next ten minutes and I’ll preach it for you. Chrysostom captures so perfectly the theology of Easter, which is the theology of Christ Jesus himself. And the theology of Easter is that Christ, through his death and glorious resurrection conquered once and for all any power which sin and evil holds over us. Christ conquered death and we are free. Full stop.
Read MoreToday is Good Friday, the darkest day of the church year. We gather to remember Jesus’ death, just as Christians throughout the ages have gathered on this day to remember that day, that day of unspeakable cruelty, violence, and injustice. We gather because looking at it alone would just be too painful. And we come together to remember not just the first Good Friday, but to also look at ourselves and our world today.
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