Sermon by Rev. Shawn Newton.
Last weekend, Bob and I joined First Unitarian’s Jewish Awareness Group for their annual Passover Seder. As has been the case for most holidays and holy days observed over this past year, the seder took place on Zoom. Though I have attended many seders across the years, this was by far my favourite. Despite the limitations of technology and the difficulties of trying to translate a deeply embodied ritual online, the enduring message of liberation broke through yet again. And, at least for me, landed in a new and more visceral way. In the midst of a stubborn pandemic in our own time, it was empowering to recall the struggles (and plagues!) of people in the past who overcame the challenges they faced.
It is no accident in this season, as winter gives way to spring, that we humans turn to such stories of hope, for they help us to hear and respond to the call of life. This coming Sunday, we will celebrate Easter and the arrival of spring in a typically Unitarian way. And in my sermon, I will take up the question of how we might hold on to hope in these times.
See you on Sunday.
In faith and love,
Shawn
