Fix Our Hearts
March 29, 2020
Church of the Servant, Wilmington, NC
5th Sunday in Lent – Year A
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The Collect for the 5th Sunday in Lent
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Sermon Transcript:
Hi everyone. I hope you’re doing well. And more than that, I hope you’re being safe. As we are embarking on the challenges that come with a brand new virus that no one has an immunity for, we have to take extra precautions. And one of those is for us to suspend worship together for a time. So while we aren’t gathering in person, I’m thankful we have ways to gather virtually. Read the rest of this entry »
Walking through the Valley
March 22, 2020
Church of the Servant, Wilmington, NC
4th Sunday in Lent – Year A
Psalm 23
“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” – Marie Curie
As a physicist, Marie Curie studied radioactivity and actively promoted the use of radium to alleviate suffering. This was unheard of in her time, yet she applied her intellect and imagination toward something unknown so it could be harnessed for therapeutic use.
Today we find ourselves at a time of discovery. Not you and me personally, although the amount of information we consume from our media sources – whether electronic or paper – can make us feel that we know more than we actually do. But I rest in the knowledge that there are countless Curies out there right now using their intellect and imagination. They are doggedly working to gain an understanding of the COVID-19 virus.
As understandable as it is to focus on the frightening progress of this new virus, it’s also inspiring to think that there is already a prototype vaccine being tested for something we didn’t even know existed a few months ago. Even so, we would be foolish not to acknowledge that we have a long valley to walk through first. Perhaps that’s why Psalm 23 resonated with me as I confronted this week’s lectionary texts. Read the rest of this entry »
Social Distancing: A Means but Not the Dream
March 15, 2020
Church of the Servant, Wilmington, NC
3rd Sunday in Lent – Year A
John 4:5-42
(gospel text provided below)
Not part of my vocabulary just five days ago, I’ve now used the phrase social distancing at least a dozen times in the past twenty-four hours. In response to concerns about the spread of the new COVID-19 virus, we’re embracing the call to limit in-person social interaction in the hope of “flattening the curve” (another newly adopted term) of the virus’s reach. 
And while social distancing may be new to our vernacular, its existence is as old as time. Perhaps not so much the mitigating risk kind we’re enacting today, but the kind that results when we exclude others because of who they are, what they’ve done, or how they live.
The story told in John’s gospel about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman demonstrates social distancing on multiple levels. Read the rest of this entry »
