Baby Steps through the Wilderness
February 18, 2018
Church of the Servant, Wilmington, NC
1st Sunday in Lent
Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15
Listen here:
Some asked me to share here the specific suggestions I offered in my sermon. This is far from an exhaustive list. Be creative. Do what you can. Baby Steps still move us forward. Moving together with others makes the journey richer. God’s speed…
BABY STEP 1: Be an educated VOTER in 2018 and beyond
Next: Call your elected officials, even if you know they don’t agree with you, and ask them to:
- Designate funds to CDC for gun violence research.
- Reinstate the regulation that makes it harder for people with mental illness to purchase a gun.
- Create gun licensing similar to that for cars – competency tests, clear title transfers, insurance, etc.
- Limit or Ban the purchase of assault style weapons and magazines by civilians.
If you need motivation:
Aaron Feis, 37, Assistant Football Coach and Security Guard;
He died while using his body to shield students from bullets as the gunman opened fire.
Scott Beigel, 35, Geography Teacher and Cross Country Coach;
He was shot and killed when he unlocked his classroom to allow students to take refuge from the gunman.
Christopher Hixon, 49, Athletic Director, Wrestling Coach & Security Specialist
Hixon came from a military family and served in the U.S. Navy. He was killed while patrolling the school’s campus.
Students:
Alyssa Alhadeff, 14
She wanted to become a lawyer and professional soccer player, and played on the Parkland Soccer Club
Martin Anguiano, 14
His older brother described him as “a very funny kid, outgoing and sometimes really quiet.”
Nicholas Dworet, 17
He was a swimmer, committed to the University of Indianapolis. He dreamed of making the Olympic Swim team.
Jaime Guttenberg, 14
She was a dancer who was described by her father as the “life of the party.”
Luke Hoyer, 15
He was described by his grandparents as a “good kid” who “never got in trouble.”
Cara Loughran, 14
She was a beach-lover and dancer.
Gina Montalto, 14
She was a member of the winter guard and the school’s state-champion marching band. “A kind spirit with a keen sense of humor.”
Joaquin Oliver, 17
He was a hip hop and sports lover who became a naturalized American citizen in January 2017, after moving from Venezuela at the age of 3.
Alaina Petty, 14
She was described as “a vibrant and determined young woman, loved by all who knew her. Alaina loved to serve.”
Meadow Pollack, 18
She was the youngest in her family and enjoyed spending time with them. She had planned on attending Lynn University in Boca Raton.
Helena Ramsay, 17
She was described as “a smart, kind hearted, and thoughtful person… with a relentless motivation towards her academic studies…”
Alexander Schachter, 14
He played the trombone and baritone in the Douglas’ marching band. Described as “A sweetheart of a kid!”
Carmen Schentrup, 16
She was named one of the National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists in the county. She was also a gifted piano student.
Peter Wang, 15
He was a member of the JROTC. He was last seen wearing his uniform and holding the door open so that people could escape. He had planned on celebrating the Chinese New Year with his family.
Gospel Text:
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Sources:
Sean Rossman, ‘We’re children. You guys are the adults’: Shooting survivor, 17, calls out lawmakers, USA Today Network, USA TODAY Published 1:05 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2018. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/02/15/were-children-you-guys-adults-shooting-survivor-17-calls-out-lawmakers/341002002/
Walter Morris, “Students call for change, stricter gun laws in wake of Parkland shooting,” WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp, February 16, 2018 https://wsvn.com/news/local/students-call-for-change-stricter-gun-laws-in-wake-of-parkland-shooting/
Jonathan Sperling, “Florida school shooting: These are the 17 victims,” NBC News Website, Feb 17 2018, 9:59 am ET. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-school-shooting-these-are-17-victims-n848706
Shining Light on Suicide
March 26, 2017
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
The 4th Sunday in Lent
1 Samuel 16:1-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41; Psalm 23
When I was growing up my twin sister and I often had slumber parties to celebrate our birthday. One of these in particular stands out in my memory – the summer we turned 13.
After playing games and eating dinner and cake, it came time for lights-out, though that never meant eyes-closed. When the room got dark, the real stuff began, you know, ghost stories, séances, and in my day, the ever popular “light as a feather, stiff as a board.” This is when the whole group gathered around one willing party-goer who laid in the center, as we called upon spirits from beyond to assist us to lift her using only two fingers.
That year, in the wee hours of the morning, amid these mystical endeavors, the phone rang. One of our friends had a premonition that it was probably bad news… not really a stretch in hindsight, but at the time we gave her full creds as the enlightened one.
Sure enough, the next morning my parents called me and my siblings into their room. Their somber expressions caused me to wonder if my Grandma Caldwell had died. She was elderly and had already had several heart attacks. So, you can imagine my surprise when they shared that our cousin Carl was the one who had died. He was in training with the Air Force. His roommate had found him, seemingly asleep on the sofa, in their base-camp apartment. Carl was one day shy of his 19th birthday, and in two weeks he was supposed to get married. Read the rest of this entry »
A Lenten Mitzvah
March 12, 2017
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
The 2nd Sunday in Lent
Genesis 12:1-4a; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17
(Gospel Text provided below)
Thursday a week ago I received a Facebook message from a former co-worker. In it, and the ensuing phone conversation, I learned that one of the sons of a close friend in Houston had died. Jonathan was twenty-seven. His death was tragic.
Since the family is Jewish, I knew the funeral would be quick, so within an hour I had a plane ticket and began rearranging my schedule for the weekend. I landed in Houston by mid-morning on Friday, and arrived at the graveside by 2pm. Standing in the bright sunlight, feeling the cool spring breeze, I held tightly to the yarmulke I received fourteen years earlier at Jonathan, and his twin sister, Robin’s, b’nai mitzvah.
After reflections about Jonathan’s life were shared by the rabbi, we recited Psalm 23 – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. We were then all invited to help shovel dirt on the plain-wood coffin that had been lowered into the ground – I went for the big shovel. By 3pm, Jonathan was laid to rest, entombed by the earth and sealed with the recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish.
Celebrate Lent, Celebrate Life
March 1, 2017
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
Ash Wednesday
Joel 2:1-2,12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6,16-21
(Gospel Text provided below)
In a few minutes, as part of this Ash Wednesday liturgy, I will extend an Invitation to the observance of a Holy Lent. This invitation says in part:
I invite you… to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.
We’ll then say a prayer of preparation, remembering that we have been created out of the dust of the earth. We’ll ask that the ashes placed on our foreheads be a sign of our mortality and penitence. This is often the focal point on this solemn day. A day we are called to begin a season of introspection, repentance, and self-denial.
Yet, I want to point out that in that prayer there is one additional component…
… that we may remember that it is only by [God’s] gracious gift that we are given everlasting life…
I believe that the remembrance of this gracious gift is also an integral part of the day. Today’s gospel passage from Matthew calls us to lean into this gracious gift. It invites us to embrace the special connection we each have with God, and amplifies the realization that everything we have and who we are is GIFT. Read the rest of this entry »
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