Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew & Matthew (SsAM)

Seeking to know and love God in every person, here, now.

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Palm Sunday is a Time of Hope by Mary Lou Edgar

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 and culminating with the Crucifixion. It is like a monumental roller coaster ride. This Holy Week will be very different for me and my family as our daughter has been very ill. Three weeks ago, we were told there was a chance she might not survive, and now – thanks to all our prayers and good doctors — she is healing slowly. We have come to understand roller coaster rides.

Honestly, it has only been in the last few years that observing Holy Week became important to me. For many years, I would see people being very reverent and it just didn’t compute for me. But I hung in there. As with so many things, I was distant; my false self was playing a role that was appropriate to the experience. I knew there was more to this than I was experiencing. The change in me began as I started to think seriously about the Eucharist. Struggling to understand this concept took me to the Last Supper and I was hooked. I continued until I got to the Resurrection. As I read the events of the life of Jesus from a more involved perspective – how he was betrayed, tortured, and ultimately crucified – I began to feel differently. Now each year when I listen to the stories of Holy Week, I find myself becoming overwhelmed.

Seeing Jesus as a human being who suffered all this for each of us was unsettling. Over a period of time, I began to think of Jesus doing this for me as well as for my entire family. With great humility, Jesus suffered and died for each of us. He died for people I didn’t like, he died for people I had judged to be inferior in some way, and he died for all those who did not have the advantages that I did. When he rose from the dead, he showed us – in a way we could understand – that death has no power over us. He showed us that love was what was needed and his love for us was incredibly evident during that entire week.

This year Holy Week is more important to me than ever.

When Lent began, I had all sorts of great ideas. Then, halfway through, my daughter became ill. Initially, I blamed myself. Even though she is an adult, I felt like I had control over this. One thing I have learned from my journey with Jesus is that I have no control. I would pray with her each day reminding her of how strong she is and asking God to give us the courage to accept His will. As days passed, I thought more and more about Holy Week. God watched His son suffer and die because He loved us. For the first time in my life, I felt a real connection to God. I thought about all the people that I have not had patience with and yet, they were loved. I thought of all those God loves and how our world is in such a precarious position. How hard that must be! We are His children and I know how I was feeling about my child.

What this did was give me great hope. Hope for my daughter to recover and also for there to be recovery in our world. I believe that the death of Jesus offers us hope because death cannot destroy what already belongs to God. All this does not make it easy for us to watch people to die in pointless wars, it does not make it easy for us to accept the negative things that happen in our lives. But because Jesus Christ came to Earth and lived like one of us, He gave us hope. Every year we have the opportunity to relive this experience and realize the gift we have been given. No matter what, this is a time for hope.

For you are my hope O Lord God, my confidence since I was young” Psalm 71:5

_____________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mary Lou Edgar, MSS, is a clinical social worker who founded A Better Chance for Our Children, an adoption and foster care agency that works to find permanent homes for children in the foster care system.  Mary Lou was the Executive Director of ABCFOC, but she is now retired.  She graduated from Neuman University and Bryn Mawr School of Social Work and Social Research. She and her husband joined SsAM in 2021.

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NEWS

Worship with us this Sunday!

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Reflection – May We All Be One

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 … [Read More...]

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 … [Read More...]

Scholarships Available for SsAM Members

Deadline: July 15, 2022 The Community Advocacy Committee is again sponsoring scholarships for students entering college in the fall of 2022 … [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 … [Read More...]

Dr. Joseph E. Johnson Recognized by City of Wilmington, Delaware

Highlands Elementary School has been re-named for Joe Johnson. Highlands Elementary School was re-dedicated and re-named for Joseph E. … [Read More...]

Music Concerts in Wilmington, Delaware

Postponed: Music of America Concert by Delaware Choral Arts Due to illness, the DCA concert scheduled for May 29 has been postponed. The … [Read More...]

2022 Walk to End Epilepsy

Run with Team Johannes on June 4, 2022 at Glasgow Park. Valerie Chow shared the following: What is epilepsy? Is it contagious? What … [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 … [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 … [Read More...]

Support For Ukraine

Episcopal Migration Ministries Episcopal Migration Ministries welcomes refugees, educates communities, and mobilizes congregations to … [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 … [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 … [Read More...]

See all the News & Upcoming Events posts

Worship Services

We will be delighted if you worship with us in-person or via video on Sundays at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Click here to learn more!

Visit Us

719 N. Shipley Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
with free parking weekends and evenings next to the church at 713 N. Shipley Street. Click here to learn more about parking and directions.
Office Hours
Monday – Thursday, 9:00 to 4:30
Friday, 9:00 to 1:00

OUR MISSION

To be an inclusive Christian community which worships God, follows Christ in all aspects of our lives, and serves the Greater Wilmington area through actions and ministries which promote peace, justice, reconciliation and empowerment for all people.

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PHONE: 302 656-6628

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Are You New to SsAM?

If you are new to SsAM, please click here to see the Welcome to SsAM booklet in PDF format. The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew is a dynamic and diverse congregation in downtown Wilmington, Delaware.

Our Vision

The Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew seeks to be a dynamic, spiritual center that is active in the pursuit of peace and justice in the community and a place where all God’s people are honored.

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