Dear Friends in Christ—
Sometimes, I go off script.
In the Episcopal Church, preaching is governed by the lectionary. We follow a three-year cycle of readings, each year focusing on a different synoptic gospel (Matthew, Mark, or Luke). Preachers reflect on the texts chosen for the day.
But sometimes, certain topics need to be addressed. Sometimes, there are issues on our collective mind that we have to think about together. I feel like this is one of those times—and I feel like the topic we all need to think about is healing.
Almost everyone I talk to is exhausted. We are tired from COVID, tired from politics, tired from injustice, tired from change. We got thrown into troubled waters a year and a half ago, and while we may have become (as the adage says) strong sailors, we are all battered, in one way or another.
And so, as I preach for the next month, I am going to be preaching a series. Don’t worry—I’m too much of a rule-follower to go really off script and leave our appointed lessons. But I am going to look at them through the lens of trauma and healing.
I’m calling the series “Stilling the Storm: How Do I Live Now?”. Here’s what’s ahead:
- Sunday, August 15: How Do I Live With Myself?
- Sunday, August 22: How Do I Live With My Family?
- Sunday, August 29: How Do I Live With God?
- Sunday, September 5: How Do I Live With This World?
I hope you will join me in thinking how we heal together, and I pray for refreshment and new life for each of us.
Yours in Christ,
Anne+