Sermons

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!

Sermon for December 13, 2015: Third Sunday of Advent
Rev. Amy Welin: When our circumstances feel the most dire, it is time to seize moments of joy. That is the theology of the song We Need a Little Christmas. I found myself humming it on Tuesday afternoon after reading the article about St John’s in the Waterbury Republican.
 
We light the Advent candle of joy on Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the command to rejoice, echoed in Paul’s epistle. In the ancient church , this was the Sunday that answered the children’s question are we there yet? with a liturgical almost. On Gaudete Sunday, the faithful were exempted from the Advent fast, and the priests wore vestments colored rose to signify the joy of the day. We are nearly to Christmas, and we need to rejoice, because although the nights are dark and long and the news is not all good, the Day of the Lord is very near. Read More Read more • Leer más → “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!”
Sermons

The dawn from on high shall break upon us

Sermon for December 6, 2015: Second Sunday of Advent
Rev. Amy Welin: We light the candle of peace on the Advent wreath today, in a world overflowing with violence and anxiety, which resists and even crushes the messengers of peace. We live under the pall of terrorist threats and economic uncertainty, with the painful memory of Sandy Hook and San Bernardino. If we could implore St Nicholas to leave us a little present today (because today is the Feast of St Nicholas), which of us would not implore the Wonderworker to leave us peace instead of coins or chocolate? Read More Read more • Leer más → “The dawn from on high shall break upon us”
Sermons

When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near

Sermon for November 29, 2015 (First Sunday of Advent)
Rev. Amy Welin:
Thanksgiving is past and now we begin the journey to Christmas. It feels a bit anti-climactic, doesn’t it, when the decorations have been up in all the stores for at least a month? The world is already busy with the business of getting ready for the retailing blitz. And in church, we take a moment to slow down, and to be quiet, to prepare for the coming of God among us.
 
We begin Advent with a bleak reminder that the world as we know it is going to come to an end. This is the way the world ends, according to the Bible: with wars, and conflict, and terror. Get ready.
 
Nothing like adding a little edge to the season of preparation, is there? Read More Read more • Leer más → “When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”
Sermons

Christ the King

Rev. Amy Welin (Christ the King): Today is the Church’s spiritual New Year’s Eve. It is the Feast of Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is a major feast day in the Christian churches. Beyond singing that line from the Messiah, how comfortable are you with the notion of being ruled by a king? Is it good to have a king? Is the kingship of Jesus Christ a good reason to celebrate? Read More Read more • Leer más → “Christ the King”
Building / Sermons

We are St. John’s Strong

Mr. Jay Anthony, Senior Warden (Proper 28): Pour nos amis à Paris. Nous sommes avec vous. Être fort!!! Good morning my St. John’s family. St. John’s has existed for 272 years. Thousands before us have worshipped here. St. John’s weathered many storms of many types: fire, wind, rain, hurricanes, floods and still the heart of St. John’s which is the people, carried on. So something as simple as financial stress isn’t going to kill us now. We can and will adapt. We are St. John’s Strong. We will also run out of money in two years at our current pace. Our endowment is dwindling. Your Vestry has been discerning and discussing this with much pain and humility. We have also been discussing it rationally and with some of the best minds in the Diocese. The time has come to seek shelter from our current financial position in order to continue the work we do and need to continue to do. Like the parishioners who have come before us, we will go on. But we can no longer go on in this facility. The grand and glorious gray stone building that has been our spiritual refuge for many, many years is now a huge weight around our collective necks. We cannot allow it to become our tomb. We can find a way to go on in a facility that can be supported by the income we currently receive. The Vestry, your leadership, has not come to this painful, yet brave recommendation easily. Many tears were shed and will still be shed. An analogy was made that helped us: “If we were all sitting here and the building spontaneously burst into flames, what would you grab to save from the fire?” We all agreed it would be the people. Read More Read more • Leer más → “We are St. John’s Strong”
Sermons

Sermon: Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Amy Welin (Proper 27): Without context, we are left to our own devices. We read meaning into the words, and construct our own interpretation, distinct from what a person may be trying to say. This is what happens when we listen to gossip or rumors – we hear a partial truth repeated out of context, and then we make up the rest of the story in our heads. Context can be a very subtle - sometimes almost invisible to us - and still it is very powerful. This can be part of the difficulty with interpretation of the Scriptures, because not only are they many centuries old, they also were written in different languages, and their situational context is occasionally ambiguous. We hear a story, and we cannot take it at face value if it is going to teach us well. The context of our scripture lessons influences what they actually say to us. In each passage, God says something about the challenge of living a faithful life. Read More Read more • Leer más → “Sermon: Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost”
Sermons

All Saints Day

Rev. Amy Welin (All Saints Day): Today is the Feast of All Saints, the wonderful celebration of the communion of all the faithful, who are part of the Reign of God. In Europe and Asia, this date of this holy day wasn’t decided for a couple of centuries. The Irish and the Greeks celebrated it in April, and the French and Germans in the fall. In the eighth century, it settled in at the beginning of November. But it was always proclaimed as a special holy day, which replaced a local festival that commemorated the dead. Christians have a different understanding of death. We believe that the dead are not erased, but that they become part of the Communion of Saints in heaven. We believe that ordinary people can be saints. What does a saint look like? Read More Read more • Leer más → “All Saints Day”
Sermons

Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant”

Rev. Amy Welin (21 Pentecost/Proper 24): Whom will you serve? We live in a world that values independence and accomplishment. Many of us find the concept of being a servant unpalatable. We like to think that we do not serve anyone. And yet, we do. Many have been observing the actions of Pope Francis this year. He embraces simplicity. He declined to live in the papal palace, choosing to live in a modest apartment. He rides in Fiats and not limousines. I imagine that he is a nightmare for his security team, as he tends to mingle with ordinary people, as well as to advocate for them. He goes to lunch with the homeless and visits tenements. His image is all about living as a servant of God and humanity. Do you have an image to maintain? Many of us do. How do you feel about cultivating the image of servant? Read More Read more • Leer más → “Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant””
Sermons

Our help is in the Name of the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth

Rev. Amy Welin (18 Pentecost/Proper 21):Would you be willing to cut off the part of you that leads you to sin? While it may be interesting to ponder what each of us might need to amputate, most of us find the teaching of this gospel lesson a bit harsh. Three years ago, my husband initiated a children’s sermon in his parish. This was the gospel text. He pondered preaching a “kids, don’t do this at home” sort of sermon. And then he decided to preach on the Epistle, which is about the blessing of second chances. Read More Read more • Leer más → “Our help is in the Name of the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth”