Rev. Dr. David McAllister-Wilson's Sermon: Bridging the Space Between Cosmic Wonder and Human Misery

Yesterday I went to my first worship service at Wesley Theological Seminary; every Tuesday at 11:00, the Seminary has a worship service, which the community calls Chapel (as in "See you at Chapel today").  Does every Tuesday service include communion?  I'll let you know.  

Yesterday's service was fairly traditional in terms of format:  singing, Bible readings, sermon, more singing, communion, more singing--with prayer throughout.  The sermon impressed me, and I'm not easily impressed.

The president of the seminary, Rev. Dr. David McAllister-Wilson, gave the sermon after we heard the gospel reading from Matthew 6: 25-33, the passage about not worrying about how we'll eat or clothe ourselves.  He talked about the times that he's overwhelmed by the planet's misery, and one way he copes:  by looking at images of the universe, like this one from the James Webb telescope:

He read the part of Psalm 19 that talks about the days talking to each other, in language without words.  I took note of that, because it's a passage that has been speaking to me since I read it earlier in the week and started a sketch.

Rev. Dr. McAllister-Wilson noted his place of privilege that allows him to consider the universe and that most of the world doesn't have this privilege.  He talked about our seminary journey--what is the purpose of seminary studies?  How does it prepare us to talk to people in despair?  How does it prepare us to bear witness to the splendor of the universe in the face of pain?

He talked about Vincent Van Gogh and one of his famous works, which is interesting comparing it to the Webb telescope image above:

He then talked about the other side of Van Gogh's work, using this image to ground his discussion.

We will be effective ministers as we navigate/speak to/bridge the distance between these 2 Van Gogh paintings that summarize so much of existence (cosmic awe/wonder and sorrows of life).