Sunday, November 12 at 11am | Bulletin
Friends,
Even before October 7th, I had picked the Joshua passage to preach on for my first sermon at St. Paul and St. Andrew. I chose the Joshua passage and shelved the project because I had school, and work, and school. Time passed and we memorialized Don Kirby. Then Gemstain Adu passed too young. Then all hell broke loose in Israel-Palestine. Amidst this whirlwind of tragedies, this weekend, we will take a break from carnage and war crimes and fear for children and grandpas, journalists and hostages, aid workers and newborns to memorialize Gemstain. We remember him, indeed with sorrow, but also with joy and laughter.
And suddenly, having to preach about impending land theft during Native American Heritage Month doesn’t seem as confounding. Preaching on the precursor to Joshua’s reign of terror doesn’t seem as depressing. Because this is also a story about inheritance and new covenant with God. It is a story about how we inherit not only land, but legacies, too, and how we choose to carry forth the memories of those who came before. Joshua made his choices in the name of Moses who couldn’t reach the Promised Land. Today we make choices in the names of our forebears, ancestors, and saints. What choices will we make in the name of Don and Gemstain?
I’ve been excited for a while to mark this milestone with my home community. I hope you will join me.
With love and anticipation,
Aurora
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