Christ Episcopal Church

About Christ Episcopal Church

An Anglican Church Growing In Faith ~ Serving Our Neighbors ~ Creating Community

Publisher

The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Apr 2025

Latest episode

28 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

36 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Jun 2026

   “Allow Our Souls To Catch Up”

   June 28, 2026: May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen. Ahhh, the summer is here, and vacations are hopefully in full swing. We all need time to rest, renew, reflect, because when we are exhausted, we can start to loose our way. It would seem Abraham, in the story from Genesis, could have used a trip to the Jersey shore, or at least a long nap in a hammock, because this guy is hearing some strange voices in his head. We are told that God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, the one he had been promised would be the beginning of many descendants, the son he and his wife Sarah had waited so very long to bring into being. Abraham doesn’t question what he is asked to do, but instead brings the unsuspecting Isaac up the mountain on a hike. Isaac, for his part, is saying “Hey Dad…I know you want to offer a sacrifice to God up there, I’ve got the wood for it, but like…where’s the sacrifice?” When his dad replied “Don’t worry, be happy, God will provide,” that’s about when we would hear sinister music playing in the background if this were some sort of movie. Anyway, they get up there, and Abraham says “hop up on that pile of wood there Isaac,” and takes out his knife. Now given Abraham’s history of getting it wrong – a lot – I can imagine God sitting there in a big heavenly recliner, you know, flipping through the infinite channels of human existence, and all of a sudden going “What the hell is that idiot doing now!” So God sends an Angel – Stat! – who grabs Abraham’s arm, and stops him from doing something really stupid. Abraham then finds a ram caught in a thicket and sacrifices that instead, which isn’t really fair to the ram either. I am guessing Isaac had a falling out with dad and decided it was time to find another place to live. Of course, taken literally – this is a very disturbing tale, which, as I have said before, I believe led to the invention of psychotherapy, given what it likely did to poor Isaac and his mom. It is often taught that this was some sort of test of Abraham’s faith because the text says that is what happened. I have to wonder if Abraham wrote that part himself – kidding, of course. Yet, if we read it with a discerning heart, we can come to understand one possible lesson the text can teach us today. Sometimes the voice we hear isn’t from God. How many times have we seen folks claim to be speaking on behalf of God, or doing the work of Jesus, while they hold up signs that say God hates gays, or stop women from leadership in the church, synagogue, or mosque, or says that God wants the US to be a white Chistian Nation, or God supports the institution of slavery because there were slaves in the bible? So many children of God have been sacrificed in blind obedience to the God of our own hate and bigotry – the God we fashioned in our image, rather than the other way around – and we, the followers of Jesus, have been complicit, even downright responsible. Specifically, on this LGBTQ+ Sunday, may we be reminded of the pain and suffering the church through the centuries has inflicted on those who love differently, or who see the world as more fluid and non-binary. Oh, the altars we, a people called to follow Jesus, have built listening to the voice of a God of our own making – with knives of doctrine and dogma the church provided to others to use against the vulnerable. Just this past week, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttegieg and his husband Chasten were victims of this very type of hate. Someone anonymously reported that they were a danger to their two children. Child Protective Services were then forced to separate them from the two four year olds from their dads to interview them. To be clear, CPS was doing what they had to do – they don’t get to decide which reports they will respond to and which they will not. News reports focused on this false report as being a politically hateful act of partisanship. However, no one can be foolish enough to believe that if Pete and Chasten were Pete and Mary that the partisanship would have taken the form of calling CPS. This was rooted in bigotry, and faith traditions, particularly Christianity, have had the biggest influence on spreading this hate in the secular world. Now some may argue that they stand against marriage equality, and other LGBTQ+ rights, it is a form of love because they were saving people who have “strayed” from the path of righteousness. Well, first of all – who the hell are they to judge, and secondly, our conduct as follower of Christ is a lot like the legal principal that was used to govern the voting rights act…until recently anyway. That principal held that the law doesn’t care about our intention. The law is concerned about how the act impacts others. Sadly, with this Supreme Court, that seems to have been tossed in the trash heap of history, but we answer to a higher calling, so we absolutely can not ignore the impact of our actions. Now, to see this play out, take a look again at the case of Abraham. He may have thought God told him to do this, but if he had just thought about who God is, and the impact this would have on his son and his wife, he would know that was not possible. Oh sure, the bible tries to clean it up a bit for this patriarch, but we all know that God would not ask that of us. And, not for nuthin’, Abraham had a track record of thinking he was doing the right thing by God and messing it up pretty badly. You would think he would have realized that by now having tried to pawn off his wife as his sister to save his hide, conscripted Hagar into sexual slavery because he didn’t think God was moving fast enough on the loads of descendants promise, and then, as we heard last Sunday, sending her and their young son out into a sure death to avoid annoying his wife. Thankfully, God interceded then too. Abraham sure kept God very busy. So, what about us? How do we avoid the same mistake? How do we know if we are listening to God, or if we are listening to a God of our own making? Well, one way is to read the gospel we heard today and ask ourselves a simple question – is what we think God is asking us to do like offering a cup of cold water to a child of God? Or is it more like drinking it ourselves, wastefully pouring it out, or throwing it in that child’s face? The thing is, throughout his ministry, Jesus was very clear about what God wants from us. You must see and hear the voices of the oppressed – go to them, be a healing presence for them, and welcome them as you would him. And to make that point, he says in the passage we heard today, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me…and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” Think about that – Jesus uses the word welcome or receive 6 times! 6 times! Clearly this is important. Clearly Jesus wants us to welcome everyone as we would him. But there is more to his message that gets lost to us because we are not living in 1st century Judea or under the Roman Empire. Jesus chooses a cup of cold water to a little child as a way of describing what we should do. There are some important things to note about this. First, water was (and still is) required for life. In those days, you couldn’t just turn on the tap or pop into a WaWa to grab a bottle of it. If you weren’t living by a body of water, you had work to do to get it – digging a well, and then hauling it up from the ground. Without it, you died – as we saw in the story last week as Hagar feared her son would, until God provided a fountain in the desert. That is why Jesus describes himself in the Gospel of John as the living water. Secondly, in Jesus’ time, children were not showered with attention by the adults around them. Until they grew, they had the same status as slaves – which meant they were to be ignored for the most part. So the setting here is important. Jesus is telling his disciples, telling us, that it is the “little ones” – the vulnerable of our world, the ones we have pushed to the margins – it is they that thirst the most for what is given so plentifully to others – respect, love, and welcome. Jesus calls all who follow him to be his water of life to those who are dying from thirst on the altar of our neglect, our hate, our selfishness, and our indifference. And so, understanding what Jesus asks of us, perhaps the larger church would do well to reflect on its role in persecuting people who love and live differently, especially in this Pride month. We have come a long way, to be sure, but there is still much more work to do to atone for our sins against LGBTQ+ people, to ensure they are fully welcomed, and to stand beside them in their fight for full equality. Yet even knowing this, we sometimes can be left wondering how we can possibly make a difference with so much injustice swirling all around us every single moment of every single day. It just seems like an impossible task. But Jesus didn’t suggest his disciples raise millions, or overturn the Roman empire. He uses this simple act – a cup of water – the very thing of life – as an act of welcoming him – an example of what we can do. In other words, the smallest acts of compassion, empathy, love, and grace matter and are enough, if it is all we are able to do. We don’t have to wear capes and jump tall buildings. We don’t have to lead lives that are pure and pious. We just have to have eyes to see the vulnerable, hearts to hear where God is calling us, and a desire to welcome Jesus who thirsts. This we can do. This we have been doing here, to be sure. And yet there are times when even that seems too much for our weary soul. I know many of you have been active in justice mission and ministry in Christ’s name for years. You know that it is the life we are called to, the direction that God’s voice will lead us if we listen. But in these insane days of our nation, this work has been non-stop, often overwhelming, and seemingly without end. It is no wonder that so many of us are exhausted and in need of rest. When we are worn to the bone, or see the enormity of the injustice everywhere and all the time, we can become discouraged, despairing, and feel a bit lost ourselves. That type of exhaustion will always lead to a place where God’s voice will be hard for us to hear. There is a story I shared with you’all several years ago and perhaps we need to hear it again: An explorer in Africa, anxious to press ahead with his journey, paid his porters for a series of forced marches. But almost within reach of their destination, they set down their bundles and refused to budge. No amount of extra payment would convince them otherwise. They said they had to wait for their souls to catch up. They had to wait for their souls to catch up. God needs you to listen, Jesus needs you for mission, and the Holy Spirit needs you to join her in the world…but we can’t do any of that until we let our souls catch up. So how do we find that rest we so often need, especially if we don’t get much vacation time? Well, the first thing is to take what we do have and set boundaries to ensure it is truly kept. Now, this is not easy to do in our 7×24 work lives caused by the prevalence of devices that keep everyone connected all of the time. These days getting some downtime is as filled with as many dependencies and setbacks as any large scale project plan. Even if we have time off, our personal schedules can sometimes look like the battle plans for D-Day. But, if we really think about it, companies, families, community groups, even churches – they would all survive time without us if we got hit by a bus, right? They would figure it out. So, we can do this, but it will take diligence. We will need to set boundaries that guard our time off – weekends, vacations, personal days, whatever it may be, remembering that this isn’t selfishness. It’s like the instruction flight attendants give you about putting your oxygen mask on before helping others – You cannot serve others if you are depleted yourself. And there is another way to allow your soul to catch up – come here. Come here to be nourished. You know, it is the one time when, because it is a religious practice, legally a business cannot stop you, which means that unless you are on-call for something or someone, you get two hours of respite. Here you are welcomed with the living water of Christ. Here you are nourished in community and in Him. Here you are given time to listen, really listen – with phone, tablet, computer – all of it – off. So, in the days ahead, with so many children of God in need of even the smallest cup of cold water to quench their thirst, allow time to see that child within yourself – and come to this table alongside your parish family to let your souls catch up. Because I can assure you that the lives you will change in the world, and you will, it all starts with the one that is changed here first. Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/christ-episcopal-church/id1048509110) https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sermon-June-28-2026-1.m4a (https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sermon-June-28-2026-1.m4a) The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge June 28, 2026 Fifth Sunday After Pentecost 1st Reading – Genesis 22:1-14 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/Aprop8_RCL.html#ot1) Psalm 13 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/Aprop8_RCL.html#ps1) 2nd Reading – Romans 6:12-23 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/Aprop8_RCL.html#nt1) Gospel – Matthew 10:40-42 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/Aprop8_RCL.html#gsp1)

2. 

   8 Jun 2026

   “Go And Learn What This Means”

   June 7, 2026: May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen. Sometimes the life of a priest is about prayer, worship, pastoral care, and all the other things many people think about when they wonder what clergy do. Often it is also about boilers, budgets, broken pipes, roof leaks, personnel issues, or paperwork. But once in awhile, it offers a special little gift to this priest – the joy of children in our Nursery School on the day of graduation. This past Friday, my dog Lexi and I participated again in our preschool graduation ceremony, bidding farewell this year to 11 children heading off to Kindergarten, including Sophia Reynolds. Professor Lexi, in her cap and gown, not only leads the procession, but offered up a few words of advice to the graduates: “do not be afraid to snag the treats and be sure to take time for belly rubs.” She then helped to clean up the floor of all the cake and icing that happened to fall. Thankfully, I stopped a child from sliding her a whole cookie. So, while following the call of Christ into ordination isn’t always what one expects, it is always filled with far more joy than we could ever imagine. Call is like that – it begins with a willingness to enter into the unknown. And, these kids are leaving behind the teachers and friends they have come to know so well to begin a new adventure too. Based on the test scores our students achieve when they graduate, I know they are, as they sang in their song “Ready to go!” Today we hear about some other call stories – the one of Abram and Sarai in Genesis, that of Matthew in the gospel, and perhaps some others that will emerge for us as we do a deeper dive. And today, I want to focus on the passage from the 9th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. In the first part of the text we just heard, Matthew is sitting in the tax booth when Jesus walks by and says “Follow me.” While the text doesn’t say it, tax collectors in those days were not the beleaguered public servants of our day. They were ones who collected the taxes due to the emperor– and then some – lining their own pockets. So, as you can imagine, they aren’t particularly well liked in the community. Was Matthew one of those crooked types who got rich off the backs of others? The text doesn’t say. Yet when Jesus invites him, he leaves that booth and becomes a disciple. Apparently, so did a few other tax collectors, as the text tells us. What must that have been like for them? They would lose all their income. They did not really know what lay ahead for them – neither, for that matter, did any other follower of Jesus. I mean, imagine if Jesus just walked into some CEO’s office, said “follow me,” and they got up – leaving laptop and everything else behind, and walked out the door with him? That sounds crazy, right? Well, that is what Matthew did. But there is more going on here, because people like Matthew were understandably considered traitors of the people. Imagine if that CEO had been in charge of a pharmaceutical company that profited off the opioid addiction and death of millions. Jesus, what are you thinking? Well, that is what Jesus did. But wait, there’s still more… Matthew and others like him – tax collectors, other pharma CEO types, and the like, end up having dinner with Jesus too. And – here’s what we sometimes miss – this isn’t in some town far away where Jesus is traveling. This is in his hometown, in his own home. The opening of the chapter begins in this way: “…and after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town.” This Matthew may have been the very guy who ripped off Jesus and his family through the years – who profited on the backs of his friends and relatives in town. It kinda puts the next part in perspective. The local religious leaders were not happy about this and question Jesus about it (I have to wonder if there were more than just those Pharisees who thought that way too). And to them Jesus says “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Now, this is where it pays to actually read the text, not just hear it. When he says “Go and learn what this means,” he isn’t referring to what he just said – that bit about “Those who are well have no need of a physician…”. He is referring to what he is about to say: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” One thing I have to note here before I continue is that this is not Jesus condemning Judaism as a faith. In today’s context, he would say the same thing to many, many, Christian leaders, to be sure. That absurd antisemitic reading of the passage aside, a better translation might be this: “I desire mercy, not purity,” which makes the next part more understandable: “For I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners.” And folks, that’s a good thing for us all. Because if Jesus didn’t eat with sinners, he’d be eating alone! The same is true for all of us. If folks are looking for perfect people, they better look elsewhere, because they sure as heck won’t find them in a church. And the truth is – they won’t find them anywhere else either. God didn’t create perfect people, but God become incarnate to dwell among us that we might come to know that perfection isn’t what God desires of us. We aren’t meant to be perfect – we are meant to love – radically and unconditionally. And that leads us to the rest of the story, because that type of love is what Jesus was offering in that moment, and it opened doors even he did not expect. As he walked along, a temple leader came begging him to revive his daughter who had just died. With the same words that were used for Matthew, Jesus got up and followed him. As he walked along, “a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak.” She did this because, as the text says, she believed that just by touching something that touched him, she would be made well. And – she was. But more than that, Jesus turned to her, looked at her, and affirmed her. There is a lot packed into these twin stories, but one thing that needs to be understood is that these two people are different in more than just their gender and situation. The man had agency to come right up to Jesus, the woman did not. A woman in that time and culture who was bleeding was considered impure. She would have been kept out of the temple those 12 long years, and most likely pushed to the margins of society. It was a brave thing for her to do – going into a group of people on the chance of touching even just the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. Bravery born of desperation – for inclusion, for grace, for mercy, for love – but maybe she also heard about the radical welcome Jesus had given to Matthew and the others in his own home. Perhaps we can hold these two stories – of Matthew and this woman – in our hearts and minds in these difficult days. Let’s give her a name though, she deserves one. Let’s call her Leah, a Hebrew name which can mean weary or grieved, for she was certainly that, not only from her physical ailments, but by the marginalization it brought her. Matthew and Leah are two different call stories – both are the story of the church today. Matthew is all of us – flawed people, who have erred along the way, hurt others intentionally or not, and perhaps have been deeply hurt ourselves. Jesus called to us and we followed. Jesus welcomes us to this table, and we eat. Leah is called to Jesus too, for healing and for love, but approaching him seemed dangerous – the doors of the church have not always felt like a welcome place for her. She is the trans teen, the gay man, the addicted executive, the immigrant or refugee, the homeless woman, the elderly WWII vet with PTSD, the child with autism who is louder than some think they should be, the lonely, the infirm, the lost, and the last of our society. They are in our hometown too, as Leah and Matthew were in Jesus’, yet sometimes it is hardest to see clearly what is too familiar to us; or, even more likely, they have been pushed into the shadows so we don’t see them at all. As for their call and ours, Matthew certainly was not worthy of the call of Jesus – none of us are. That’s when we need to remember this quote by the late and great Bishop Barbara Harris: “God doesn’t call those who are worthy. God makes worthy those whom God has called.” And like Leah, our healing by Christ, here at this table, will give us all that we need to lead the life he calls us into when we leave these doors. Which is a good thing, because Jesus is saying to each of us today the very thing he said to Matthew: “Follow me.” He is turning to affirm our desire for grace and love as he did with Leah that we may be healed and live into our lives as his followers. And, when Jesus calls us – it isn’t into a life of safety, but of dangerously prophetic witness. When Jesus calls us – it isn’t into a life of ease, but of discomfort with injustice. When Jesus calls us – it isn’t into a life of purity, but of unconditional love born of redemptive grace. When we answer the call of Jesus to follow him, it means we leave from here – from this table – to seek him out in the world. In this very gospel, he told us where he could be found – and it was in all those society and the church has for so long cast aside. We must, as Jesus did, search to find the Matthews yearning for a new path. We must turn toward the marginalized who seek healing and affirm them with love as he did with Leah. Today that means we hear the cries of those in concentration camps like Delaney Hall, and call for their immediate release. It also means we see the Matthew there too. I remember standing just about 15’ from the federal agents outside of that horrific facility and looking directly at each one of them. This was in the hours before that close contact was cut off. I prayed for a turning of their hearts, and for a change in the nation toward compassion and mercy. Perhaps these agents believed in what they were doing. Perhaps they were in need of the signing bonuses our government was offering to enlist them. Just like with Matthew, we will never know. Just like with Matthew, I will pray that they hear the call of Christ toward a change in life. And inside the cells we will find Jesus, from where we will hear him call to us to follow him. For it is Christ himself who is given rotted and infested food. It is Christ himself who is, like Leah, in need of medical care and suffering for so long. He is reaching out from those cells in the hope that we will see him and hear his call to offer love and grace to the suffering inside. And we will answer that call and stand in solidarity with them, their families, and against our nation’s hateful and oppressive acts. We will stand too with LGBTQ+ people in this Pride Month, that they may know deep within that we see them, we affirm them, we love them, and we welcome them. We will stand with people of color across our nation whose voice is being eradicated by new Jim Crow voting maps. This after fighting and dying through decades upon decades for the rights our nation’s highest court has now stripped away from them, and whose history of oppression our nation’s leaders want to eradicate. We will not allow them to be pushed aside so that white people can feel more comfortable. We will not stand by while they are stripped of their voice. We will stand with women and listen to them as much as we have listened to powerful men. We will hear their stories of being victimized, assaulted, abused. We will not allow convenience or political expediency to privilege men’s voices over theirs. We will turn to them, affirm them, and offer grace to them. And when others, particularly the ones who seek to align Jesus and our country with power and wealth and whiteness – the so-called Christian Nationalists – come to us denouncing what we are doing, we will say: “Go and learn what this means, ‘Jesus desires mercy, not sacrifice.’ For Jesus wants us to welcome the immigrant, love the oppressed, and heal the brokenhearted. What part of that did you not understand? We will say, “Go and learn what this means… For Jesus came to call not the righteous but sinners,” and you, my brother or sister, might want to consider which of those two categories you find yourselves in right now, as we pray deeply for you. We will say, this is what it means to follow Jesus! This is our faith, our baptism, our call, our life! And we are ready to go! Come and follow him with us – it is not too late. It never is. Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/christ-episcopal-church/id1048509110) https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sermon-June-7-2026-1.m4a (https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sermon-June-7-2026-1.m4a) The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge June 7, 2026 The Second Sunday After Pentecost – Year A/Track 1 1st Reading – Genesis 12:1-9 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp5_RCL.html#ot1) Psalm 33:1-12 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp5_RCL.html#ps1) 2nd Reading – Romans 4:13-25 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp5_RCL.html#nt1) Gospel – Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp5_RCL.html#gsp1)

3. 

   31 May 2026

   “Let There Be Light!”

   May 31, 2026 – Trinity Sunday – May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen. Good morning, and welcome to Trinity Sunday, when priests usually pass off the sermon to unsuspecting seminarians or assisting clergy. Kidding. Sort of. This is one of the Church’s principal feast days, and the only one that celebrates a doctrine, rather than an event or a person. The doctrine itself is the work of the earliest Christian theologians, who were trying to find a way to understand the nature of God, Christ, and Holy Spirit. Each being part of our scriptures, but their relationship to one another was not in our sacred texts. The Trinity, as a construct, came later. And this mystery of 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 can often end up leading even well intentioned people of faith down a theological rabbit hole. So, that’s why I am not going to preach about it, other than to say this: The doctrine of the Trinity is not a complete description of God, because that is impossible. The doctrine of the Trinity is a way of describing relationship – the relationship of God, Christ, and Holy Spirit – yes. But, it is also a way to understand ourselves – the ones made in God’s image. “The Trinity is a statement of how God relates, not how God is. Or perhaps how anyone relates is indeed how one is.”[1] (applewebdata://02506FDC-3B2A-4A89-892B-2D78D4056C26#_ftn1) And when it comes to God, the relationship – God, Christ, Spirit, and us, is an eternal and unconditional dance of love. And if there is one thing we all need now is an eternal and unconditional relationship of love – God’s love for us, our love for God, and loving our neighbor. So, with all that in mind, let’s look at the passage from Genesis that we heard today, because there is a lot there that will feed us as we move along in these difficult days. Now, there are two creation stories in the bible – three if one were to count the Revelation to John as a creation story of sorts. Many, if asked how humanity was created, would say Adam from clay and Eve from Adam’s rib. But that is found in the second chapter of Genesis, not the story we get here – the one given primacy in the scriptures. Why two? Well, why four gospels? On Genesis, scholars believe they came from two different cultural traditions and were kept together so as not to lose either. The differences are more than just the introduction of humanity, and a full description of them is really too much to get into today, but suffice it to say that Genesis 1 offers a cosmic God, and Genesis 2 a personal one. Genesis 1 moves from dark chaos to order to sabbath. Genesis 2 from dry land to water everywhere. Which is right? A rabbi of these Jewish texts would say “they both are.” Which is why these are not meant to be read literally, but faithfully. The story we hear in those first 35 verses of our bible begins this way (using the NRSVU translation): “When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness [God]called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” It goes on like this, each day God creating something – heavens & earth, sun, moon, and stars, coffee and fast food, etc. And then there was the 6th day when God created all the animals of the air, the sea, and those that dwell on the earth, and also humans! Yup, that’s right, we were created on the same day as all the other animals. That was a very long 6th day to be sure for God. Oh, and the text also says that both humans and animals were meant to be vegetarians. Missed that part? Well, it’s right here: “God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” I suspect nobody asked the plant life how it felt about all that. I once pointed that out to a friend from Texas who loves her BBQ and she was like “WHAAAATTTT???? NO!” Don’t worry though, that all went by the scriptural wayside later. Anyway, then God declared all that was made on that 6th day good. God didn’t say “Love those animals we created, but the humans – well, they are just awesome!” Nope. Just the same divine thumbs up at the end of a long day for all of it. That outta humble us a bit. And, as we point out in the diocesan Anti-Sexism training, God said “Let us make humankind in our image – male and female.” Of course – there is that bit about God saying “Let us” and “our,” making it clear that God is the ultimate non-binary being. But something the church and the world so frequently ignores is that the image of God is equally in women as in men. So – lots to consider in this one creation story. Of course, as noted earlier, we should read this passage, and our entire bible, not literally, but with a focus on the context in which it was written, and draw from all of it the meaning God has for us – the truth found within and between the lines of text. With that in mind, let’s think about what it is telling us today. Why do we need to hear it now? You know, with all the cold and rain we have had coming into the past week, it has sort of felt like we might never know the warmth of sunlight again. Some of you feel, or know people who do, this type of darkness from the grief, pain, or fear you face personally. And of course, for all of us, there is also the darkness of the world that we feel and see and hear all around us. We all know about the violence of war in Iran and Ukraine and other places. We know too about the violence in our schools, places of worship, and in the streets. We know the violence of government agents against citizens and non-citizens alike, and those who protest on their behalf. But most of us will never know what it is like to be tossed into one of these concentration camps our government runs. Specifically, reports out of Delaney Hall in Newark, just a few miles from this parish, describe what these inmates are living through there – rotted or infested food, unsanitary conditions, pregnancy, cancer, and other medical conditions left untreated, and physical beatings. In some prisons across our country with similar conditions, suicides are on the rise. In a recent study, it was found that 73% of those imprisoned by ICE and CBP have committed no crime, and even if they did, we believe in this country that people should be treated humanely. And,100% of those picked up by ICE & CBP have not received due process of law that is owed to every single person – citizen or not – within the borders of our country by the 5th and 14th amendments of our Constitution. The horrible conditions have led some in Delaney Hall to go on a hunger strike. Protestors, including faith leaders, have been supporting their families outside and speaking on their behalf. Government leaders have tried to gain their rightful access to the facility to inspect it and speak to the prisoners, and they most were not only denied, but in some cases they have been pushed, pepper sprayed, or arrested. What is happening in our country now has created a chaos as dark as an abyss. And so, as I stood in protest with other faith leaders at Delaney Hall this past Friday, looking into the eyes of Federal agents, or gazing up at the prison windows, I thought about this text – and there I found hope. Remember – darkness and chaos covered the earth, the Holy Spirit – the breath of God – moved over the waters. And into this, God decided to first create light. Was it to see everything better as God continued to create? I doubt that. The thing is, scientists know that light plays an important role in sustaining life. And we all know, that light, even the hope of it, can sustain us in times of deep darkness – the thought of it can keep us going, even when we are unable to see it. We hear that in the iconic poem found scratched into the wall of a cellar where Jews were hidden in Cologne, Germany, which read: “I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I do not feel it. I believe in God even when God is silent.” Imagine the darkness that surrounded the person who etched that into the stone – fear, violence, hatred of others, war, loss of loved ones. The sun was not shining into that cellar, but its promise was a lifeline of hope in a time when love could not be felt. And it was that knowledge, deep within whomever wrote it, that is a sign that God was not silent at all, but present in that very place in that very moment, with one who felt so alone, so afraid, so unloved. This is why God chose to make light the first act of creation – because God knew that without light, with darkness ever present, life would quickly wither into nothingness. So, if all of that is true, why then did God not make everything full of light? I mean, even with the understanding that these stories were not meant to be taken literally, this version does beg the question – why did God keep the darkness alongside the light, and called it all good! Maybe part of the answer is found in what God did on the 4th day – creating the stuff in the sky we see at night – the stars and the moon. A reminder that darkness is never fully in control. Perhaps it is also so that we can better understand the nature of light itself, and what that gives to us. If you light a candle, or flip on a switch, in a dark room, the light enters, and the darkness instantly vanishes. They cannot coexist in the same space; light always wins by displacement. In a one to one matchup – light always overcomes darkness. Every.Single.Time. But maybe the biggest reason of all is because God is at work in the darkness too. Remember, God wasn’t absent in the void before the light – God’s breathe – the Holy Spirit – moved across the deep. Think about a photographer’s darkroom. For the photos to be properly developed, only a safe light – not visible to the film – can be present. The darkroom isn’t a place of destruction or absence of the good. It is a place of creativity and development. The newly created work will emerge into the light when it is ready. In the same way, God is not absent in the darkness of our lives. God is at work then too, doing perhaps the deepest development work in our lives at that very time when we feel so lost, alone, afraid, or abandoned. And like the way we feel when we gaze upon the stars and the moon on a clear night, or a campfire in the evening, the mixture of light and dark can inspire and even entrance us. Just last night many of us experienced a transcendent moment in this very church as we sat in darkness, surrounded by hundreds of candles while a string trio beautifully played the music of Coldplay. It was amazing and inspiring.. The thing is – God knew that the chaos that existed before would always be – would always linger. The humanity God would create would encounter darkness – some of its own making, some of the world. That is why God didn’t eliminate the darkness, because God was at work there too. God then created light, that we would know that darkness doesn’t have the last word – the dawn always comes, the sun shines after the storm, and darkness is unable to exist in the presence of light. That is also why the light of God – Christ – came into the world. To breathe life into our very souls that we may transcend the chaos swirling around us. To show us that even hate and violence wrought down by the powerful like the Roman Empire cannot defeat God’s love. To show us the power of light – his light – to overcome even the most insidious darkness. And as followers of Christ, we are the children of light. We are a part of that never ending act of creation whenever we love and serve in his name. Whenever we speak for the voiceless. Whenever we stand against injustice. Whenever we love unconditionally those others have cast aside. We bring light into the shadows, and the darkness will never overcome us, for it can never withstand light – the light of God’s love and grace most of all. And at the end of our own six days of creative action in the world in partnership with God, we will also take our sabbath rest – right here at this table, and in this community. Here we will receive respite from our labors, and strength to meet the journey ahead in the nourishment of Christ’s great love. And finally, at the end of all our days, at the end of our witness of light in the abyss of humanity’s evil, we will take our final sabbath rest in the communion of Saints. And God will look at all that we have done, and declare it very good. Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/christ-episcopal-church/id1048509110) https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Sermon-May-31-2026.m4a (https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Sermon-May-31-2026.m4a) [1] (applewebdata://02506FDC-3B2A-4A89-892B-2D78D4056C26#_ftnref1) Bob Eldan. http://preachingtip.com/archives-year-b/pentecost-year-b/trinity-sunday-year-b/ The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge May 31, 2026 Trinity Sunday 1st Reading – Genesis 1:1-2:4a (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/ATrinity_RCL.html#ot1) Psalm 8 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/ATrinity_RCL.html#ps1) 2nd Reading – 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/ATrinity_RCL.html#nt1) Gospel – Matthew 28:16-20 (http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/ATrinity_RCL.html#gsp1)

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