Homily from Service on Sunday, July 3, 2022 – Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Homily preached by The Rev. Tammy Hobbs Miracky
Sermon preached by The Rev. Tammy Hobbs Miracky
Below is a DRAFT text of the homily. It may vary considerably from the recorded version. Please excuse typos and grammatical errors, and do not cite without permission.
Our worship service is a little different today. There is not music. Our form of service is Morning Prayer, without communion. Vestments are different. There are no ministers of ceremony, lay eucharistic ministers, healing prayer ministers. The altar guild has taken the day off – at least from arranging for Eucharist – I’m sure there are still things they will be taking care of behind the scenes.
These differences between our worship today and a more typical Sunday morning worship are signs of our COVID respite time, a two-week rest that our bishops have encouraged for all parishes. These differences reflect our effort to be true to a time of greater simplicity in our common life, a time of rest and refreshment for all of us.
As part of our rest, we have decided for these two Sundays NOT to research and prepare a sermon. Instead, I’ve selected a sermon to share with you that is provided by the national church. It’s from a collection of “Sermons That Work,” as this resource is called.
As is the case with many of us and rest, this in particular is not easy for me to do – to stand up and use someone else’s words in the pulpit. I was tempted, this week, to write a sermon anyway. But, in keeping with the spirit of this time of rest, I refrained.
One thing I will say, before I introduce the words of the Rev. Rebecca Dinovo…last week we talked about the passing of mantles, Cloaks of Invisibility, Irish poet-theologians and the idea that our response to the current state of our country and our world may prompt in us a desire to just sit in prayer, be honest about naming where we are – as challenging as that may be sometimes – and wait with open heart to see where the Spirit moves.
Rev. Dinovo’s sermon offers, perhaps, a next gentle move for us…naming our call to be agents of God’s peace in the world.
And with that said, I share with you the words of Rev. Rebecca Dinovo.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.