K Karpen: "The Uncommon Good: Overcoming Complacency" (Sermon for October 6, 2024)

God said to Noah, “This rainbow is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all the animals that are on the earth.” Genesis 9:17This Sunday, in honor of the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, we will celebrate a Blessing of the Animals during our 11am service. It's a rare Sunday when we are not joined by a furry friend or two, but we hope this week to have many!On the Sundays between now and Election Day, our theme will be 'The (Un)Common Good'. We will explore together a public theology of engaged compassion to help us overcome a culture of cynical complacency and the normalization of discord in our discourse.  Let's look to the compassion of St Francis to inspire our relationship to the animals in our lives, and our deep connection to the precious earth we share with each other and with all living creatures. And please bring your dogs, cats, goldfish, iguanas, hamsters, turtles, and anything you got! See you Sunday! K