A View From The Earth

This is the sermon that I offered up during Morning Prayer on May 31, 2020. This service was held via the zoom platform for St John's Episcopal Church in Dubuque, Iowa. The reason that services weren't held in person was due to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented the congregation from gathering together. The scripture readings were Numbers 11:24-30, Psalm 104:25-35&37, Acts 2:1-21, and John 20:19-23. O Lord, you have given us peace and have forgiven us. May your breath move through us so we may do your will here on earth. In the name of the Holy Trinity, one God. Amen. Today is Pentecost! It’s not just a day to wear red and white to church.  It is remembered as the day that the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and filled the Disciples of Jesus.  It was noisy, just like a day of protest.  There was a violent wind, just as a night filled with unrest.  There was prophecy, and tongues like fire rested on the Disciples. And they were filled, filled with the ...

This is the sermon that I offered up during Morning Prayer on May 10, 2020. This service was held via the zoom platform for St John's Episcopal Church in Dubuque, Iowa. The reason that services weren't held in person was due to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented the congregation from gathering together. The scripture readings were Acts 7:55-60, Psalm 31:1-5&15-16, 1 Peter 2:2-10, and John 14:1-14. Let us pray: O God, may our hearts not be troubled. May we believe in you and in your son Jesus who came to redeem all of us with the help of our advocate the Holy Spirit. Amen. One thing that I’ve noticed in the last few weeks is that there seems to be more conspiracy theories than normal coming from all over the world and for many of us, they are maddening. I suppose that is to be expected in a world dominated by the 24/7 news cycle, the use of social media as a political weapon, and the COVID-19 pandemic. People are searching for ‘the truth’, as they see it, as a way t...