“An eternal weight of glory,” Paul says; quite a phrase. Paul juxtaposes images such that the phrase seems both heavy and light at the same time. An “eternal weight” feels overwhelming. “Glory”, however, Glory feels uplifting, even freeing.
Read MoreIf I said we would talk about uncertainty this morning, you might reasonably wonder “Uncertainty about what?” And with that question a very wide door opens to all sorts of possibilities. This is Trinity Sunday when we think about the nature of God— always a straight path to ambiguity. But this is also an election year, a time that is unpredictable by definition since we do not know the outcomes. Then there are undecided wars in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East; angry divisions in our country; immigrants on the border; oceans on our doorsteps; greenhouse gasses over our heads; and around us there are children growing up, adults juggling careers, and seniors aging. These are all full of unknowns that can make us nervous if we let them. Uncertainty is ubiquitous. It is found everywhere, including in the lessons for this morning. Come with me for a few minutes, bring along the particular form of anxiety that unsettles your mind these days, and let’s see what these lessons say about how living with uncertainty.
Read MoreGood morning everyone. My name is Sam Arny, a senior from McLean High School. I
normally attend the 8:00am service, so this is a slightly bigger crowd than I’m used to. I
started attending St. George’s in 2013 but left for 3 years as I moved to France until 2017.
When we came back, we were welcomed back into the church and have been here ever
since, even during COVID when we had those online services. But as a member of St.
George’s for all of these years I’ve heard countless sermons, maybe zoned out during a
couple of them more times than I’d like to admit, and I didn’t want to add my sermon to
that list for you. I had a couple ideas on how to avoid that, such as getting everyone
standing up and singing, doing call and response, or even walking through the aisle with
Paddy and splashing some Holy Water on everybody. However, after some long talks
with Paddy and Shearon about St. George’s customs and rules, and a lot of self-restraint,
I’ve decided to stick to the script. So bear with me for a couple minutes.
Read MoreGood 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.
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