I was starting down a different path for this piece. And then the news of the school shooting in Texas hit and on the heels of the horror in Buffalo. Tuesday was the 199th mass shooting THIS YEAR, 2022, 27 of which were at schools. In 2021 there were 693, six-hundred ninety-three, mass shootings in READ MORE »
Adult Education
Meditations and teachings plus upcoming Adult Education opportunities at SsAM — the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew in downtown Wilmington, Delaware.
First Friday Walks for Justice and Peace in Wilmington, Delaware
First Fridays at 5:30 p.m. starting in the SsAM parking lot These walks are a public display of our belief that society needs to be more just in terms of race, sex, economics, and more. We begin at the SsAM parking lot and then walk to Rodney Square. These walk sbegan in response to READ MORE »
SsAM Presents: Upcoming Events
Here is a list of upcoming events at SsAM or recommended by our church. Worship This Sunday You are invited to praise God with us in-person and via video this Sunday. Click here to learn more. We worship at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. The latter service is broadcast live and is available afterwards on-demand, to READ MORE »
Johannes Chow wins Earth Day recognition
Johannes Chow, a 12-year-old seventh grader at Brandywine Springs School in Wilmington, was recognized for the video “We Have Only One World”. DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin recognized student winners from throughout the state who won this year’s Earth Day video contest hosted by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The contest READ MORE »
Reflection – We All Deserve A Chance
by Mary Lou Edgar. Many of you know that I worked in adoption and foster care for my entire career. May is Foster Care Month and I thought I would share how my work relates to my spiritual life. I knew I wanted to adopt children when I was very young. I thought about it READ MORE »
Reflection: Pursue What You Love
When jazz pianist Rich Harney became a Christian, he was told he had to give up playing the devil’s music. He loved that music but he loved Jesus more. What was he to do? What he did was to leave that fundamentalist church, become an Episcopalian, and play jazz for many decades. Love finds a READ MORE »
National Issues and the Episcopal Church
Women’s Health May 7, 2022 — Since 1967, The Episcopal Church has maintained its “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions [about the termination of pregnancy] and to act upon them.” In light of the READ MORE »
Reflection – Listen to the Word Proclaimed
Imagine yourself at the theater, you’ve settled into your seat, ready for the curtain to open. You have your script of the play open and ready to follow as the curtain reveals the actors, and the dialogue begins. The lines on page one move quickly and as the actors are speaking, there’s an uneven rustling READ MORE »
Reflection – Easter Resolutions and Real Change
Reflection for the Third Sunday of Easter, May 1, 2022 by Mary Lou Edgar. “Just after daybreak Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” –John 21:4 Can I Change? Easter is such an emotional time. Lent has ended, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, and I get READ MORE »
Reflection: Sent Forth In Peace
This Sunday, if you hear the words of John 20:19-31 spoken aloud, please pay attention to these two sentences: Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” At the time, Jesus was speaking to his disciples, frightened men who had barred the door and locked themselves in a room. READ MORE »
Easter Reflection: Are You THERE?
By this time, a while ago, I’d be elbow deep in fake grass, bags of jelly beans, and cleaning out last year’s Easter baskets. The kids, and later grandkids, would be dyeing eggs of chickens as I kept the eggs and bunnies of chocolate well hidden. As a kid, and later as an adult with READ MORE »
What Is Holy Week All About?
Holy Week starts with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday. Here are brief descriptions of why each day is significant and how we, as a church, recognize their significance. Palm Sunday, when palms are distributed, is dominated by two liturgical events: the re-enactment of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the reading of the Passion READ MORE »
Reflection – Palm Sunday Is A Time For Hope
Reflection for Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022 by Mary Lou Edgar. I have always seen Palm Sunday as somewhat of a mixed bag. We have the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem and people laying palms in the street and welcoming him. Then we have the story of the Passion beginning with the Last Supper READ MORE »
Reflection: The Return of the Prodigal Son
Reflection for Sunday, March 6, 2022 by Mary Lou Edgar for the 4th Sunday in Lent. Recently I read The Return of the Prodigal Son by Father Henri J.M. Nouwen. I have always admired Henri Nouwen, and I love the parable, so I jumped right into this book. The book is based on Father Nouwen’s READ MORE »
Reflection: Where Are You in Your Lenten Observations?
We are now at the third Sunday in Lent, halfway through the Lenten season, with Holy Week and Easter less than a month away. A mid-point in any activity is always an opportunity for review of the current moment and the chance to look ahead for course corrections. Where are you in your Lent? For READ MORE »
Reflection: Seek God’s Face
A reflection on Psalm 27 by Danny N. Schweers on March 13, 2022. Readings: Genesis 15:1-12,17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35 Fear and anxiety are signs of separation. When we are full of God’s Spirit, we do not fear what will happen, we wonder what will happen. We live in expectation. Full of God’s READ MORE »
Observe A Holy Season Of Lent
How to Observe A Holy Lent I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our READ MORE »
Results of Bishop Brown’s Vitality Workshop
Pursue Vitality, Not Growth A summary of Bishop Brown’s “Congregational Growth and Vitality Workshop” of 2022 by Danny Schweers. As we look to the future of our church, let us think about how we can encourage vitality and liveliness in our church rather than growth in numbers. If we want our church to thrive, we READ MORE »
The Season of Lent: What To Do?
Reflection for Sunday, March 6, 2022 by Mary Lou Edgar for the 1st Sunday in Lent, Year C Jellybeans Lent has always held a special place in my heart. For one thing, as a child, I would spend days trying to decide what to “give up” and always return to the same thing – jellybeans. READ MORE »
Reflection: Newness Of Life
“Newness of Life” reflection for February 27, 2022 by Christina Brennan Lee for the 8th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C. “Newness of Life” — Have you ever noticed those three words in prayers from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP)? I wouldn’t have recognized them by themselves yet I have used them countless times READ MORE »