(from Tricia's "This and That" email to St. Dunstan's. Tricia is currently in Salt Lake City serving as a deputy representing the Diocese of Atlanta at the Episcopal Church's General Convention.)
Dear friends,
"Let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new."
These words are from one of my favorite prayers in our prayer book. We are certainly seeing them come to life this week.
In last Sunday's sermon I shared my deep feelings of despair and hopelessness in the wake of the Charleston massacre, feelings that I know were shared by many of you. That sermon was really a pep talk to myself, a reminder that we must not give in to the evil we deplore, a reminder that even in our darkest days God is with us, a reminder that we must continue to do the good that we can do, even when it feels like we are throwing pebbles at a giant.
I could never have predicted on that day the events of this week, events which show the truth of the words of this prayer.
This week we have seen the Confederate flag, a symbol of hatred and racism and the worst evil of this country, being brought down, a sign that black lives do matter.
This week we have seen the Supreme Court uphold the Affordable Care Act, making health insurance available to millions of people, a sign that poor lives matter.
This morning we have seen the Supreme Court decree that same sex marriage is legal all across our nation, a sign that gay lives matter.
Things which had been cast down are being raised up, indeed.
I deeply believe that all of this is the work of the Spirit, God's resounding word that the evil of Charleston, the evil of racism and injustice and idolatry of weapons is not the final word. And we rejoice.
As we rejoice, we must remember there is still work to be done. But we face the work with renewed hope and vigor, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit. Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God.
Tricia
Like most of you, I was deeply saddened by the news of the shootings in Charleston last week.
And, like some of you, I missed church yesterday because I was out of town this past weekend for a family event. Because I was missed church, I also missed Tricia's sermon on recent events.
Luckily for us though, Tricia has shared the text of sermon, which can be found here:
https://app.box.com/s/bxid3uhxvi2yc3l5wjf5iw8l0gsy0sfl
As is the norm for Tricia, she shares some pretty powerful ideas in her sermon.
What do you think?
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