Michaelmas in the Aftermath of a Hurricane

A sermon I had to rewrite because of Hurricane Helene 2024

Last year, I was on the preaching rotation to preach on Michaelmas. I wrote my sermon, was ready to go, and then Hurricane Helene hit. Initially, it looked like we would still gather for worship that Sunday, so I quickly rewrote my sermon in light of the aftermath and destruction that surrounded us from the hurricane. A key change was that I decided to draw on the Compline liturgy and this beautiful collect:

“Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.”

What follows below is the final version of the sermon. I never got to preach it, though. As the church leadership began to reach out to our people, they quickly realized that many of our people were still trapped in their neighbourhoods because of downed trees, flooding, and lack of power. Behold, the sermon that was never preached:

Hurricane Helene, 2024. That’s our house behind the downed trees. We are grateful that the trees fell along the house and not on top of the house.