Good morning, my younger Emmanuel friends! I miss seeing you on Sunday mornings in church. That’s why it makes Chuck and I both so happy to be able to share with you here each week. Technology is an amazing thing. Technology creates this new and surprising holy place for us to be together. This is a picture of me talking to you from my kitchen!

Holy places, are all the places where we experience the love of God, the love of our family and friends, and feel a connection to something so much BIGGER than ourselves.

For hundreds of years, people of faith have built buildings of all kinds and sizes. Little chapels, neighborhood churches and grand cathedrals.

The National Cathedral is just across the river in Washington, D.C.! Here is a beautiful picture of it. Maybe your parents can take you there to visit sometime.

Emmanuel is a neighborhood church. We miss being together on Russell Road.

But the very first Christians, two thousand years ago, did not worship in churches made of wood or bricks; they worshiped at home. On Sundays, when they gathered for dinner, one of the grownups would read from the Bible and lead some prayers, and say some blessings over their food and drink, and then they shared their meal with everyone who came. Including unexpected guests and the poor.

Since, the virus came we too have been worshiping at home. We are 21st century early Christians – with the help of computers! So, your kitchen, backyard, dining room, or porch are just as holy as any church. Just as holy as any grand cathedral!

And now, the Bishop (who is in charge of all the Episcopal churches in our community) has told us we can worship together outside — masked and socially distanced and safe. We are doing that on the campus of the seminary in a special place called the Chapel Garden. It is another holy place.

But it does not matter where we pray. God hears our prayers and praises wherever we are. The Lord’s blessings shower down upon us anywhere and everywhere! God always know exactly we are and loves us wherever that may be!

I hope to see you at Zoom Coffee Hour. If you come, I would love to hear about all of the holy places where you have been!

Blessings, Joani

Spirituality The Episcopal Church Children's Homily Clergy Ordinary Time Podcast The Rev. Joan L. Peacock