In today’s reading from Hebrew Scriptures, we hear of young Samuel, apprentice to Eli, the priest at Shiloh.  We’re told that “the word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.”  That’s the way it felt in mid-March 2020.  Covid-19 had caused us to shut the doors of St. John’s Church.  We no longer gathered together for worship on Sunday mornings to hear the word of the Lord.  And while Covid continued to spread and the death toll to rise, the vision for our future as a vibrant Church community was unclear.

​As things we had taken for granted ceased – everyday interactions, children in schools, hugs – we felt uncertain about how to proceed.  Like Samuel and Eli, we weren’t sure how to interpret our new circumstances.  But we knew that more than ever we needed one another to faithfully hear and follow the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.  St. John’s Church since mid-March 2020 can be characterized as a community saying, “Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening.”

​​This sermon serves as my priest’s report for St. John’s Annual Meeting which will occur immediately following this worship service.  Given the year that 2020 was, it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear from me that all that was accomplished was survival.  Surviving a pandemic is no small achievement.  That, however, does not begin to describe St. John’s in 2020.  Thanks to God’s working through us, we have much to celebrate today.