The Rev. George Adamik celebrates the Feast of the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11): “Sometimes, it’s easier to look up at the sky than it is to do what Jesus did: to look at each other. To look into the eyes of each other. During this pandemic, this Feast of the Ascension can be a powerful message for us.”
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Sermons (Page 32)
On Youth Sunday, high school seniors Emily Schertz and McKenna Jeffries reflect on what the St. Paul’s community means to them, especially during a global pandemic.
The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista discusses the story of Stephen (Acts 7:55-60) and mourns the recurring violence against black people in our communities: “I am saddened like many of you by what we have lost with the passing of this young man. I am saddened every time lives are stolen from us before we get the full story. I am saddened every time a life is cut short before they get to do the good work they have been placed on this earth to do.”
The Rev. Carr Holland reflects on the metaphor of the shepherd in Psalm 23 and John 10:1-10 and what it means to inhabit the uncertain, liminal time of COVID-19.
Eddie Bricio and Elise Hubbard share their experiences helping families in Appalachia as part of the Appalachian Service Project.
On the Second Sunday of Easter, the Rev. George Adamik shares insights on Jesus’s appearance to his disciples (John 20:19-31), Christ’s surprising message of forgiveness and new life, and the depiction of the Resurrection in Eastern icons.
On Easter Day, the Rev. George Adamik reflects on a phrase that resonates with so many of us right now: “I just want to get back to normal again.” Instead, “Easter invites us to something quite different. As we gather today, I’d like to propose during this Easter season, as we still walk in the midst of this pandemic, that we see our call as something different. Not something that we’re called to go back to again, but something we’re called to lean forward into.”
On Holy Saturday, the Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista asks what it means to wait (esperar) for Easter joy to arrive: “The streets are too quiet for me. Where I long to rejoice as Easter bells ring, all I do is dread the alarm of ambulance sirens. The days flow together; the future seems uncertain. I don’t know how to run and tell the good news of Jesus’s resurrection filled with joy. I feel like the best I can manage is to sit still and wait.”
On Palm Sunday, the Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista asks “What does Christianity have to say to people who are suffering? What does Jesus have to say not to those of us who are calm, cool, and collected but to those of us who live in fear? That question has been haunting me for the last few weeks.”
The Rev. George Adamik reflects on the story of Lazarus (John 11:1-45) and what it means for our community in a time of fear and anxiety.