God's gracious love is always with us

7 Easter/Year A - May 24, 2020

Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36; John 17:1-11

I want to begin this morning…with a brief check-in with all of you…

How are you doing this morning? What is weighing heavily on your mind and in your heart, this morning?

Let’s take a moment of silence right now…Let your thoughts be known to God alone…and imagine that God is right there with you…listening to every heartfelt cry, and listening to every hope that you are holding onto…silence…

With the words of the psalmist this morning, I pray… You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; *you refreshed the land when it was weary. I give thanks for this moment to be still and remember, that God is always listening to us, God is always with us, pouring out his gracious love upon us; refreshing the land, and the places, we call home, a home with God, where we can find true rest, and refreshment for our weary hearts. Amen.

I wonder how often any of us, are taking moments like this throughout our day, throughout our week?

I know that I have not done it, faithfully and as often as I should, lately.

Like most of you, who have jumped in with two feet, who have hit the ground running, and who have poured out every ounce of energy within you to respond to the immediate needs, and the ever changing landscape in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic…I’m right there with you…understanding that we’ve all been doing what we need to do, to survive and try to keep up with all the changes.

We have been thrust into learning new things daily, changing and updating plans daily. We’ve endured loss after loss in these past several months…and we’ve been witness to other’s accumulating losses;  our hearts are heavy as we try to cope with the news of how this current pandemic is affecting the lives of the most vulnerable people among us. We are overwhelmed at times, in our attempts to comprehend the dizzying swirl of news and resources that are being published and broadcast daily.

And then, boom…here we are…fully two months into this season of our state and city’s response to the pandemic…and longer, in many other areas of the country and world…and we realize…that we’ve barely had a chance to stop and catch our breath to even begin to mourn any of our losses…

We haven’t taken a moment to stop and grieve for the people we love, and miss, who have fallen ill and died during these past few months, and for others whose names we don’t know, whose deaths have been attributed to the COVID-19 virus….almost 100,00 in the United States, alone...We haven’t taken a moment to stop and grieve for the friends and family we’ve been unable to meet up with, in our usual gatherings in our church buildings, our schools, and other public places that have been closed.

And even now…when some of the places are slowly opening, there are still so many uncertainties, there are still so many restrictions and requirements associated with opening safely…that cause us to continue to grieve…and wonder…how long, Lord…how long, Lord?

When will you send some relief…when will you send some comfort…when will you put our hearts to rest, and refresh our hope in life again?

Jesus addressed a similar question the disciples were asking him in last week’s scriptures.

Jesus was talking about the time that was coming, when he would be leaving them, yet not leaving them orphaned.

They were worried and distressed about so many things and wondering how would they go on without him? Jesus offered words of assurance and hope, that they would not be left alone.

Jesus spoke of sending the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, to live and dwell with them, and in them…reminding them that they would never be left alone to navigate the heart-aches of this world.

He spoke of sending the Holy Spirit, who provides a seed of stillness to calm and comfort the sorrowful heart.

He spoke of sending the Holy Spirit, who whispers words of encouragement to support the weary heart.

He spoke of sending the Holy Spirit, in moments of stillness and prayer, to help us let go of whatever grieves our hearts by offering up every heartfelt cry, every worry and sorrow, and every hope we are longing to hold onto…and to place it all, in God’s hands…reminding us that God is always listening, and that God is always with us, pouring out his gracious love upon us; refreshing the land, and the places, we call home, a home with God, where we can find true rest, and refreshment for our weary hearts.

And again this week, in our Gospel reading, Jesus offers additional assurance, in his final words to his disciples before his arrest… Jesus lifts up a prayer of love to God, for all of us…lovingly and passionately asking God to take care of us, to protect us, and to bind us to one another in this life and the life to come, through the love of God, through the remembrance of the many ways the love of God was revealed to us in Jesus, and through the love of God, that will continue to be revealed to us, abide in us, comfort us, and restore and refresh our hope in life again, through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

As we prepare to begin a new week….Be sure to include time for prayer…for yourself and for others, as Jesus so lovingly prayed for us…. Make a plan to set aside some time in your day to regularly pause and breathe, for a moment of stillness and prayer with God. 

Ask the Holy Spirit, to help you let go of whatever grieves your heart….take time to mourn your losses…and place it all, in God’s hands…believing and trusting that God is always listening, and that God is always with us, pouring out his gracious love upon us; refreshing the land, and the places, we call home, a home with God, where we can find true rest, and refreshment for our weary hearts.

A home, too…where we can find true joy…in gratitude for the many blessings in our lives that remind us to smile, to pray for one another and to love one another…

***Show photo/video collection of the children at St Peter’s***

Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

Spring flowers, colorful gardens and beautiful places

6 Easter/Year A

May 17, 2020

Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:7-18; John 14:15-21

Today, I just want to talk to you about spring flowers, and colorful gardens and beautiful places.

This year, it seems as though the colors of the flowers, and the variety of colors in the spring gardens are especially vibrant and beautiful.

Every shade of green, in the trees, the flowering bushes, and the growing grass…seem especially fresh and alive.

As I walk around town and throughout the neighborhoods….my heart is at rest, and at peace…because when I look at the spectacular landscape of spring all around me…I remember God, who made the world and everything in it…I remember that it is God who gives us life and breath and all things….I remember, ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’

And I remember, Jesus…I remember Jesus and his resurrection…his promise of new life, in death; new joys in times of sorrow, new hopes, in the midst of a world that shouts for our attention, and grabs on to our deepest fears, and threatens to extinguish any joy, any hope, any love that we have for ourselves and one another.

I remember all of this. I do believe in Jesus’ resurrection, and in the many ways it matters to me now. I do believe that the way of love that has been revealed to us in Jesus’ words and actions, has the power to transform our all of our lives, as we follow Jesus and his commandments to love God and one another.

But sometimes, in a world that feels so overwhelming at times, it is difficult to believe it and live it out in our daily lives…or sometimes, life just feels too full at times, and we are tired…and we forget this Good News that lives in us, dwells with us, and can never be taken from us.

‘For in him, we live and move and have our being.’

And Jesus reminds his disciples of this.

They are worried and distressed that Jesus is talking about leaving them. They want him to stay with them forever.

Jesus tells them that he is leaving, but he will not leave them orphaned. He assures them, that another Advocate, the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, will be given to them, will abide with them, and in them, and will remind them of every word of love, every act of love, every commandment to love God, and one another as Jesus taught them when he walked his earthly life with them.

They would never be alone. Jesus and his love are only ever a heart-beat away.

This Advocate will provide a seed of stillness to calm and comfort the sorrowful heart.

This Advocate will whisper words of encouragement to support the weary heart.

This Advocate will remind us of the love and the beauty in the world that is still very much alive in this time and in this place, even in the midst of so much grief and loss.

We’ve all been touched in our lives, many times…by the death of a loved one…or the physical separation or leaving of someone we deeply loved. We are heart-broken and grieve over our lives never being the same. We grieve day after day, month after month, year after year sometimes, feeling like we could never find joy again, or hope again, or people and places to love again.

But then, little things begin to happen, in our lives…that remind us, that indeed our loved one still lives with us…they have never really left us. They are coming to us in new ways…new joys and new hopes, that we never knew were possible.

Every time, we see a new spring flower pop up, that was our loved one’s favorite…every time, someone plants a new garden, with the rich variety of flowers, every time the grass starts growing, the day dawns, the night falls and we finally close our eyes and rest…we can be assured that there they will be, they will always be…in our hearts, in that place, where we are all joined to one another by this love of God, that abides in us, and dwells in our hearts…

I’ll always remember my first experiences of arriving in Sitka, in 2015.

When I walked on the seawalk along Crescent Harbor, my thoughts immediately took me back to my grandfather, sitting by the harbor in Cape Cod every day, having his lunch.

When I came back to Sitka to begin serving with you here, the spring flowers took my breath away, and immediately took me back home, to my mother’s gardens and other family member’s gardens that were so lovingly created year after year…winter after winter.

And then my first Easter with all of you, and my first time taking part in the flowering of the Easter Cross….a tradition that continues to grow and flourish and fill my heart with such joy, at the sight of its beauty, year after year.

And, the gardens here at St Peter’s…continue to delight and surprise me every year…and these simple joys are the joys that I want to share with others.

All of these beautiful creations, lead me back to remembering people, people whom I love, near and afar…people whom I love, who have passed on, and left this earthly place, but are still very much alive in my heart, and influencing every word and action, and every invitation to love God and our neighbors.

This Advocate, this Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit will remind us, that we are never left alone.

We need only to look all around us, to be reminded, in the people, in the flowers, in the gardens, and the many other beautiful places surrounding us…that God is with us, Jesus is still teaching us, and the Holy Spirit is calling us back home to that place of peace and rest that dwells in our hearts, when we remember:

God, who made the world and everything in it…when we remember that it is God who gives us life and breath and all things….when we remember, ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’

May this be our vision, ever held before our eyes, and in our hearts…

Click below to view the video of St Peter’s spring flowers…

Spring Flowers (April/May 2020) at St Peter’s by the Sea - Sitka, AK

Rev. Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

The Hymnal 1982 - #488 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

There are many, many rooms

5 Easter/Year A

May 10, 2020

1 Peter 2:2-10; Psalm 31: 1-5; 15-16; John 14:1-14

In this time of social distancing, and quarantines, and sheltering-in-place…I’ve been thinking a lot about rooms this week…

There’s been a lot of church memes circulating lately…that make light about people attending worship online, discussing where they will attend church on Sunday morning…the kitchen, the bedroom, or the living room?

Zoom has been a popular way for people to gather online now…and when we talk about zoom, “rooms” are a familiar buzzword we hear in the conversations often… there are even breakout “rooms”, that can be set up for people to meet with a just a few others for private conversations or for additional personal prayer time.

I’m thinking about the rooms we have set up in our homes that were probably not used for the things many people find themselves using them for now…using rooms for work, for church, or for school…or perhaps for a family member to be quarantined after travelling. I’m thinking about rooms, and how much time people are spending in their rooms, in their homes, during this time of the covid-19 pandemic.

I’m thinking about the rooms in the hospitals, in the pioneers home, and other care facilities…I’m thinking about how busy they are, in all of those rooms…but also how quiet everything is in some of those rooms…

I’m thinking about rooms in buildings, in churches, in restaurants…that are empty right now…empty of people...who would normally fill those places…

I’m thinking about those empty rooms, the full rooms, the changed rooms, and the new rooms, as I read this week’s gospel.

Our gospel reading today opens with Jesus offering words of comfort…some words of assurance…and some words of love for his disciples, who were experiencing a lot of worry and distress, as Jesus was speaking about the time coming when he would no longer be physically present with them, yet would still be with them…in a way that they could not fully understand, as of yet…

In the NIV version, we hear these words spoken like this: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”

 “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Jesus said.

I imagine Jesus continuing with these words…

Let me show you what I mean by that.

Let me show you the way, the way of love that has been prepared for you, all along.

Let me tell you a few things about all the rooms that have already been lovingly prepared for you…and for others…

First…you really need to know….that God has spent a lifetime preparing a room for you. Even before you were born, your room was being prepared for you, with great love.

God has prepared every room, with great care and attention to the details of your life….God cares about part of your life.

All rooms, in God’s home…are a place of refuge, a castle to keep you safe, a place to trust God with all your prayers.

Every room, in God’s home…is a place of unconditional love, a place where you are welcomed with the wide, and open arms of Jesus’ love and compassion…

In God’s home, the rooms are a place of forgiveness, for grace and mercy, for healing and reconciliation.

There are many, many rooms…Jesus assures us…in God’s home.

There are signs of God’s love in all the rooms we are living in and working in now…signs that reveal to us that we do know that God is present…because Jesus has shown us the way of love…the way to love one another.

In the hospital rooms…God’s love is present in the way the nurses, the doctors, the CNA’s and all staff are caring for those entrusted to their care, for healing and comfort.

In the rooms, in nursing homes and other group homes, God’s love is present in the way the staff members treat all of those entrusted to their care, with love, and respect for the dignity of every person there.

In the rooms of our family homes, God’s love is present in the way the mothers, the fathers, the grandparents, and the caregivers are all doing their absolute best to teach their children, to care for one another, and love one another, in these times of feeling overwhelmed and worried.

In the rooms of our teachers, God’s love is present in the way that they have continued to give of their time and efforts to support the children and their families.

In the rooms of our city and state governments, God’s love is present in the way that our leaders are striving to guide us all through some very difficult times.

In the rooms of all the businesses that have chosen to stay open, and are beginning to open again, God’s love is present in the way the workers are safely serving the community, by providing access to food, and other necessities…

In the rooms of our homes, God’s love is, indeed present in the ways people are learning to do new things every day, with great love: learning patience, learning empathy, learning to deal with worry, day after day; learning to cope with death and loss, learning to be the church of God, the people of God…in our neighborhoods…by reaching out to others through phone calls, letters, words of hope, and love and encouragement…and reaching out to others by serving one another, in all the ways you are able..

Yes…you do know the way after-all…Jesus says to us today…

You do know that I am the way, the life and the truth…every time you have chosen to walk in the way of love…

I have been witness to your understanding and living out this love, in so many ways…in so many people…in so many lives…. And in so many rooms…

And from my heart to yours…

Thank you, for all the ways…you are taking care of each other, in the many, many rooms in God’s home…

As you begin a new week, I invite you to take some moments throughout your day, to just sit in your room…any room…and believe…believe that God is present with you, loving you, caring for you, guiding you, and giving you all that you need, for this day…and all your days to come.

Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

Hymn (457) after the sermon: Thou art the Way, to thee alone

1 Thou art the Way, to thee alone

from sin and death we flee;

and all who would the Father seek,

must seek him, Lord, by thee.

2 Thou art the Truth, thy word alone

true wisdom can impart;

thou only canst inform the mind

and purify the heart.

3 Thou art the Life, the rending tomb

proclaims thy conquering arm;

and those who put their trust in thee

nor death nor hell shall harm.

4 Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life:

grant us that way to know,

that truth to keep, that life to win,

whose joys eternal flow.

Words: George Washington Doane (1799-1859), alt.

Music: St. James, Raphael Courteville (d. 1735)

Meter: CM

Your ritesong purchase includes a one-time use reprint license for congregational use. This song may be printed in congregational song sheets for one-time use.

Good Shepherd Sunday

4 Easter/Year A

Good Shepherd Sunday

May 3, 2020

Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; John 10:1-10

Here we are…half way through the Easter season…gathered together for worship on Zoom, on our computers, or I-pads, or by phone…People online with us today, from Sitka and other places, far and wide… How strange all those tech words sound at times, in associating them with church and worship….Who among us this morning…had ever imagined that we would be gathering for church in such a way…Sure, there’s been other churches who have had an online presence, way before the COVID-19 pandemic was among us…but they were still offering in person services, and live-streaming from the service, in the church…where people gathered together each week..

Even though, we’ve been gathering this way, now…since the 4th Sunday in Lent…March 22nd …It’s still a daily struggle, at times…to want to be able to go back to worshipping the way we have always done it…gather together like we always have…move freely about the community, go to school, go shopping, go to concerts, travel, eat out at restaurants, gather with our friends and family, as often as our hearts desire…We want this Covid-19 pandemic to go away…we want the suffering of so many people to stop…we want it all to end…so we can go back to living our lives the way we were accustomed to…to go back in time, to the way things were…

But, we can’t go back. We’ve never been able to go back in time, to the way things were. Time, as we know it…is always moving forward…and in that time, as we understand it…things are always changing…always being transformed…into a new creation… We know that, in our minds, but not always, in our hearts.

In nature, we observe time moving forward, in the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, winter…and beginning again…year after year…season after season…

In the seasons of the church year, we observe time moving forward, as we observe the changes and transformations that happened to people in biblical times, in their times of suffering and joy, in their stories of their encounters with God, with Jesus.

We learn from all of this, in the hearing of the scriptures, in the singing of hymns, in the prayers, in the breaking of bread together, and in the fellowship of gathering together every week.

 And we learn, too…how all of these stories, are very much…our own stories too. No matter how much time has passed.

In today’s scriptures, we are reminded of the hope we can hold onto in this present time of unsettling changes, unknowns, grief and sorrows… that are marking our days and passage of time now…

On this 4th Sunday of Easter that we observe as Good Shepherd Sunday, we have a gospel story from John…and every year, on this 4th Sunday of Easter, we hear a different part of the story about Jesus, being called the Good Shepherd…

In today’s gospel, the disciples are having a difficult time comprehending what Jesus is speaking to them about…with all the shepherd and sheep and pastures and gate talk…Even though references to shepherds and sheep was most likely familiar to them, they seemed to be getting stuck on listening to Jesus’ words literally…listening with their minds only…

But, Jesus was speaking to their hearts….

•   Jesus’ words for them today…were meant for their hearts to hear…and for our hearts to hear…

• Jesus’ words for them (and us) today…were meant to remind us…to bend our ears toward our hearts for just a moment …that’s where we will listen for, and hear his voice calling to us…speaking words of encouragement and guidance and hope…

• Jesus’ words for them (and us) today… invite us to enter through the gate, through Jesus’ words of love, and welcome, and compassion…for even when the world and all that is happening does not makes sense in our minds, and there seems to be relentless suffering in our midst…Jesus’ invitation to us to receive this gift of unconditional love, and welcome, and compassion is a balm for our soul and our hearts…

• Jesus’ words for them (and us) today…are meant to point us towards life…to remind us of the abundant life intended for all of us…an abundant life marked with the joy of being in relationship with God, with one another, and all of creation…Even in times of uncertainty and worries…

• Jesus’ words for them (and us) today…are meant to go straight to our hearts…to bring healing, comfort, peace and hope…in the midst of whatever is happening in our lives today.

A hope that transcends all time and all understanding…a hope that our minds cannot fully comprehend…a hope that speaks directly to our hearts…

Psalm 23 captures the essence of this hope and this assurance we can hold onto in Jesus, as our shepherd…

No matter what version you have heard growing up over the years…the one your parents, or grandparents taught you…the version you learned in Sunday school or the version you heard spoken at a funeral over the years…Psalm 23 is a timeless psalm…

Psalm 23….is a timeless psalm…that assures us throughout all times… and in all circumstances….We have a shepherd who is with us… speaking words of love, and compassion, and peace, and hope…directly to our hearts…

Yes, I am thankful that we have been given a mind to think and an imagination to envision new ideas…and the will to go out into the world to share all that we have learned with others…and to do all of this, for the good and well-being of our communities… but, my heart also rejoices…and I am filled with gratitude…in knowing, that in all of our days…and with all of the changes that come with the passage of time… we have something that does not change…We have a God who loves us and care for us….we have a shepherd who speaks words of love, and compassion, and peace and hope…directly to our hearts…on this day…and in all the days to come…

 Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

Ali Hosford…sing solo after sermon…

The Hymnal 1982 - #663 The Lord my God my shepherd is

A NEW BOOK RELEASE - MAY 5

Identity, belonging and rediscovering God: Native (by Kaitlin B Curtice)

From her webpage:

Kaitlin’s new book Native comes out May 5, 2020

Native is about identity, soul-searching, and being on the never-ending journey of finding ourselves and finding God. As both a member of the Potawatomi Nation and a Christian, Kaitlin Curtice offers a unique perspective on these topics. In this book, she shows how reconnecting with her Native American roots both informs and challenges her Christian faith.

A Word to the Church: What would love do?

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Word to the Church: What would love do?

Click HERE for the message from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

Winged Prayers - Sermon

Sermon (by Lisa Sadleir-Hart) for Creation Care Service (April 26 2020)

It’s 1970; I’m 8; I live in Woodland, CA - 20 miles north of Sacramento off of I-5. Mrs. Kroft, my third grade teacher, assigned a month-long nature project.  I don’t want to disappoint her, so well before 8am, I’m perched on a chaise lounge with notebook in hand in my 1805 Archer Street backyard.  It’s relatively quiet; I’m there to listen, watch and record the robins that visit my backyard in the morning every day for the next month.  American robins arrive early in spring.  I’ve seen them balancing easily on the fence line from the living room; I’ve heard their joyous morning and evening song;

It’s 1971; I’m 9; my dad is a California state Fish & Game Warden - a protector of God’s Holy Creation.  He’s home early; he has a surprise for my sister and I in the garage.  On his rounds today, he came across a snowy owl - alabaster white feathers with keen eyes and a broken wing.  She’s on route to the raptor center at UC Davis.  I am enthralled to be so close to God’s messenger; she is a true sight to behold.  This memory is etched on my heart forever.

It’s 2020; I’m 58; I’m in the garden with Jackson who’s there to help move 3 gooseberry plants.  Tapppppppppp “Jackson turn slowly around, look there,at the top of the roof - a Northern flicker”.  She flies to a hemlock tree and sings, chatters and fully delights us.   Five minutes later “ Jackson slowly looks up, there’s a Wilson’s Snipe;  oh, look” as 3 in the adjacent yard take flight & the one on the roof flies over our home as a bald eagle circles far above.  Earlier on Monday, I had recorded 7 Canadian geese, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Belted kingfishers, 2 Pacific wren, 2 chestnut-backed chickadees, 21 Buffleheads and numerous mallards, mergansers and gulls on my walk in Totem Park.  Later a rufous hummingbird graced our feeder on the back deck and 2 Northern flickers and a Wilson’s snipe hung out eating in the muskeg behind our home.  This was an exceptional day for birding or as I like to say “ for God-ing”

But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;  (Job 12:7)

My affinity for birds started at an early age.  My dad gave me my first set of binoculars which I still have then last summer helped me pick out my most recent upgrade. He, also, gifted me with my first Peterson’s Field Guide to Western birds.  He taught me that to really see and hear birds, to fully take them in, you need to pause, get still and listen.  Birds startle easily and quickly take their leave.  And for me, God’s a bit like birds.  To really connect to the Creator requires a deep sustained pause and an unwavering willingness to still both the loud inner and outer voices in our psyche and communities, respectively, to hear what the Divine has to say.

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

Birds are no doubt Divine messengers (think canary in a coal mine), and they are in serious trouble.  As humans, we have not planted hospitable gardens for them to nest in.  To the contrary, we have created environments that have put considerable stress on birds.  Audubons’ recent report on birds and climate, Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink, indicates that 389 North American bird species—nearly two-thirds of those ­studied—are vulnerable to extinction due to climate change.  Risks to these winged species are on the rise due to wildfires, debilitating heat waves, heavy rains, red tide and sea-level rise.  AND as they point out, there’s hope - “If we take aggressive action now, we can help 76 percent of vulnerable species have a better chance of survival.” 

“Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words and never stops. -      Emily Dickenson

The Audubon report was on the heels of an in-depth assessment that appeared in the September 2019 online issue of Science - Decline of the North American Avifauna.  Over the last 50 years we lost 1 in 4 birds across North America and Canada.  That’s close to 3 billion breeding adult birds across all biomes!  We lost 33% of boreal forest birds, 23% of Arctic tundra birds and 37% of shorebirds.  This includes a loss of 1 in 3 Dark-eyed juncos - one of my frequent companions.  Cornell Lab of Ornithology conservation scientist, Ken Rosenberg, commented that “these bird losses are a strong signal that our human-altered landscapes are losing their ability to support birdlife...and that is an indicator of a coming collapse of the overall environment.” 

It is never too late to go quietly to our lakes, rivers, oceans, even our small streams, and say to the sea gulls, the great blue herons, the bald eagles, the salmon, that we are sorry.

— Brenda Peterson in Singing to the Sound: Visions of Nature, Animals and Spirit

So what are weary, yet cautiously hopeful, God & bird lovers to do?  First, and foremost, continue to take time in the Divine’s holy, beloved creation.  It brings solace to one’s soul and gives one clear evidence of how a changing climate is impacting local bird habitats.  Second, learn about climate change science through non-partisan organizations like Audubon, Sitka Sound Science Center or the Sitka Raptor Center and its impact on our winged brothers and sisters.  Third, speak up on behalf of birds.  They indeed are “canaries in coal mines” (miners actually did bring birds into mines to give them early warning signs of oxygen loss in the caverns) and the sheer loss of them since 1970 sounds a loud and clear alarm.  God is asking us clearly and loudly that THE TIME IS NOW!  REPENT - TURN AROUND/PIVOT/ABOUT FACE. YOU STILL HAVE TIME.  And finally, commit to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s 7 simple actions to help birds.

1.   Make Windows Safer, Day and Night.

2.   Keep cats indoors.

3.   Reduce lawns, plant native plants.

4.   Avoid pesticides.

5.   Drink coffee that’s good for birds. 

6.   Protect our planet from plastic. 

7.   Watch birds, share what you see as a citizen scientist. 

For more information, go to https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/seven-simple-actions-to-help-birds/  and join me in giving our winged neighbors a fighting chance at survival.

To close, I’d like to leave you with a Mary Oliver poem, Such Singing in the Wild Branches.

Such Singing in the Wild Branches

It was spring

and I finally heard him

among the first leaves––

then I saw him clutching the limb

in an island of shade

with his red-brown feathers

all trim and neat for the new year.

First, I stood still

and thought of nothing.

Then I began to listen.

Then I was filled with gladness––

and that's when it happened,

when I seemed to float,

to be, myself, a wing or a tree––

and I began to understand

what the bird was saying,

and the sands in the glass

stopped

for a pure white moment

while gravity sprinkled upward

like rain, rising,

and in fact

it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing––

it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed

not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers,

and also the trees around them,

as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds

in the perfect blue sky–––all of them

were singing.

And, of course, so it seemed,

so was I.

Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn't last

For more than a few moments.

It's one of those magical places wise people

like to talk about.

One of the things they say about it, that is true,

is that, once you've been there,

you're there forever.

Listen, everyone has a chance.

Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you,

and does your own soul need comforting?

Quick, then––open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song

may already be drifting away.

-Mary Oliver

__________________________________________________________________________

Quotes about birds and wings:

“The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.” ― J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird

“A bird is safe in its nest - but that is not what its wings are made for.”

― Amit Ray, World Peace: The Voice of a Mountain Bird

“Run my dear,

From anything

That may not strengthen

Your precious budding wings.”

― Hafez

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark."

-       Rabindranath Tagore

Creation Care Prayer service - April 26

Creation Care Prayer service

St. Peter's by the Sea Episcopal Church will offer a Creation Care morning prayer service on Sunday, 4/26 at 10 am. Lisa Sadleir-Hart, parishioner and Citizens Climate Lobby member, will offer the message - On a Wing and a Prayer. All are invited.

For the link to the ZOOM meeting, send an email to stpetersbytheseak@gmail.com.

Sitkans can pick up an "I pledge to be a Faith Climate Voter" and sticker on the table at the entrance of the See House and mail it to Interfaith Power & Light.

2 Easter Sermon - EASTER HOPE

EASTER HOPE

April 19, 2020

• Acts 2:14a,22-32

• 1 Peter 1:3-9

• John 20:19-31

• Psalm 16

We gather again on Zoom today, to worship and be with one another… on this 2nd Sunday of Easter, only one week in, to the Great 50 days of the Easter season.

Last Sunday, on Easter Day, we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that was only the beginning. The beginning of what I called, “Easter Hope”, in my sermon last week.

Let me explain a bit more, about what I mean by that, this week…as we continue in our season of Easter

This past week, the daily scripture readings in this first week of Easter… gave us a glimpse, into the encounters of Jesus and his closest followers, in the early days following His Resurrection…

Most of the encounters with Jesus in the scriptures this past week, highlighted similar elements in each of the gospel stories…there were grieving disciples who were just trying to make sense of what had just happened, they were just plodding along, trying to get back to some normalcy in their lives and in the midst of trying to just keep on living, after the death of Jesus, he takes them completely off guard, and surprises them, by not only showing up, wherever they were, but he showed up in the flesh, he spoke to them, and invited them to look at his hands and feet, to touch him and see…

He broke bread, blessed bread and shared it with them, he sat down and ate with them,  he showed up on the beach, and invited the fisherman to come ashore and have breakfast with him,  he comforted them, and assured them…that it was indeed Him…he had risen...and they were witness to that…and they believed…and they went to tell others…

And in today’s gospel reading, we have yet another story, of the disciples’ encounter with Jesus… they run to tell Thomas, who wasn’t with them at the time, that they had seen the Lord…Thomas didn’t believe them at first…When Jesus shows up again, and stands among them, Thomas, finally has his own encounter with Jesus…a moment, that makes his heart skip a beat…and he exclaims, “My Lord, and my God!”

Yes…they all had their moments of seeing Jesus and they believed…but I don’t think it was just what they saw, that made them believe… there had to be something more… How could it really be Jesus, standing among them right now…for they all knew that Jesus died, they were witness to his death on the cross….how could a dead person, be alive again…walking and talking and eating with them…

Perhaps, it was their underlying faith, a hope, planted deep in their hearts by the love of God, that was coming to life in them, through the breath of Jesus pouring out the Holy Spirit upon them… a seed planted in death…that was now bursting forth as a new creation, a new life, a new faith, a new hope…

An Easter Hope.

How could this be?

God. Love. God’s love. God’s love and compassion, for all of humanity.

And By God’s great mercy, God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

A living hope…an Easter Hope...that walks with us, even now…and especially now.

Even now, as we walk in the shadow of death, and suffering, and illness, and in the midst of all the uncertainties that mark our daily lives now, in this season of the COVID-19 pandemic… We are witnesses now, in this time and in this place, to a living hope…an Easter Hope…an Easter joy….that spreads among God’s people…when we share this hope and moments of joy with one another…in our daily encounters with one another… whether we gather online for worship services, or through phone calls, letters, emails, make masks, deliver meals, walk past each other at the store, or on the sidewalk, from a distance…but with a loving glance and an assuring smile…

Some days, we are going to be the ones feeling left behind, and out of energy or any idea of how we will get through the day…And it will be, because of the actions and outpouring of love, from our neighbors, and family and friends…that we will get through it, together…It will be you and I together, at different times, who will be the ones to lift up that beacon of hope for others to grasp hold of, even when they can’t quite see it yet…or even dare to believe it…

That’s how hope continues to live, and thrive among us…because we share our personal witness to where, when, and how, we have seen the love of God, the hope of God, and the joy of seeing how God is at work in the world among us now….especially now…

Take heart…God knows our weariness…God understands our moments of unbelief.

God loves each, and every one of us. God cares for each, and every one of us.

And By God’s great mercy, God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

A living hope…an Easter Hope...that calls us to walk by faith…knowing that we have a savior who walks with us….in death..and in life…

Be on the lookout this week, for signs of Easter Hope…and when you see them...believe…..believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

And then, Go! Go and tell the others…share your Easter Hope and your Easter joy, so that others may share in that Easter hope and that Easter joy, too!

Let us commit ourselves to walk together, with faith and with hope…an Easter Hope!

Instrumental Hymn after sermon:  1982 Hymnal #209 We walk by faith, and not by sight

Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

****IMAGE INFO:

© Paul Oman/Drawn to the Word 2020. All Rights Reserved.

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St Peter's Worship Services

In person worship services at St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church have been suspended until further notice.
Online services through Zoom, are being held on Sundays at 10am and Wednesdays at Noon.
For questions or for more information on how to join the Zoom services, email the church at stpetersbytheseak@gmail.com.
The church and the See House are closed until further notice.