Proclaim by Word and Example

This sermon was preached for Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at St. Andrew's, Ayer. The texts for this sermon were: Isaiah 58:1-12,  2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10,  Matthew 6:1-6,16-21, and  Psalm 103 or 103:8-14. In the little cabinet where my sisters and I kept our Flintstone multivitamins and the checklist of all the things we needed to do to get ready for school in the mornings, my mother taped a small article she cut out from the wellness section of the New York Times. It was all about how taking time every day to jump - even just five minutes of jumping - can help strengthen your bones. Apparently, it’s especially important for girls given rates of osteoporosis later in life. So when I’d open the cabinet to get my vitamins in the morning, the little newspaper clipping would remind me to jump up and down. I remember picturing the bones inside me getting stronger as I jumped.  “The Lord will make your bones strong,” Isaiah proclaims.  Scripture is filled with metaph...

  This sermon was preached for the Last Sunday After Epiphany on Sunday, March 2, 2025 at St. Andrew's, Ayer. The texts for this sermon was: Exodus 34:29-35,  2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2,  Luke 9:28-36, and  Psalm 99. Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” This line reminded me of that moment on backpacking trips - I’m sure it’s happened more than once - toward the end of the hike or maybe even the midpoint, let’s be honest - when I’m exhausted and panting and my feet have blisters and my backpack feels so so heavy. The sun’s going down but there’s still so far to go to get to the camping site and I just want to turn to my companion and say, what about here? Can’t we just stop here? Here looks good. Let’s make a dwelling here.  But of course, whoever I’m with urges me on to where we are actually headed - the safer, drier place up ahead. The place we are meant to go...