"Our lectionary readings for today are full of people in desperate situations." The sermon started out with this sentence but could also be applied to St. Peter’s today.
We were desperate to meet after finding there was no power in the sanctuary yesterday. A tree limb from an adjoining property (above) fell on St. Peter’s electrical line after a vicious storm on Friday night causing only "partial service" at St. Peter’s as Roger termed it. It was not enough to run the organ, lights, HVAC.
Fortunately, the Parish House is on a separate line and had full power. We carried over the supplies of worship – hymnals, Book of Comon Prayer, communion items – an hour before the service.
The choir sat in the corner of a hall and Brad played an older model electric piano running on batteries. (Fortunately they held!).
We sat more than we do since we were in a tight ship – 34 people in attendance. At the end of the service, Mike Newman led us in a rousing version of the "Star Spangled Banner." The bulletin is here.
The key takeway from today’s service was the answer to the question "How do we handle desperate situations ?" The answer is of course keeping the faith. "What is faith, and is faith something we can truly have in this era of skepticism?" The answer was an acrostic based on "Faith".
F – pray fervently A – pray audaciously I – pray intimately T – pray truthfully H – pray humbly. "Fervent, audacious, intimate, truthful, humble prayer—this kind of prayer is faithful prayer"
"Next time you find yourselves in a desperate situation, I would encourage you to remember Jairus, and woman with the hemorrhage, and the writer of Lamentations, and to engage in faithful prayer to our God, who does not delight in the death of the living. Pray to God who does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone. Pray to God knowing that God longs to heal us, and to bring us into everlasting life, beginning here and now. "