Sermon by Felicity Thompson, Seminarian, 5/25/2025
FINDING PEACE IN A TROUBLED WORLD - "Peace I Leave With You"
Jesus taught His disciples how to find peace in a troubled world. In today’s Gospel from John 14:23–29, Jesus speaks directly to those who love him. “Those who love me will keep my word,” he says, “and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” These words are a promise and an invitation. Jesus is saying: if you love me, live like it. Let your love be more than words—let it be action. Kindness. Presence. Service. So continue to invite the stranger.
To fulfill a seminary requirement, I recently completed Clinical Pastoral Education. I didn’t want to serve in a clinic or hospital again. Been there, done that! The Holy Spirit led me to serve in two communities: the Breakfast Program at St. Andrew's in Ann Arbor and the Food Pantry here at St. David's.
Each day of service reminded me that ministry is not always about praying and preaching. Sometimes, it's about sharing what we have by handing someone a box of pantry staples or a plate of warm and satisfying nutritious food. Listening to people’s stories. Kindness. Presence. Service. Let’s continue to invite the stranger. And when we live this way, God makes a home in us.
Kindness is more than being nice, it’s showing up, showing we care, even when it’s hard. Kindness is sitting beside a young woman shaking with fear because her boyfriend, who is neurodivergent and off his medication, is in police custody. She doesn’t know what they’re going to do to him. It’s holding her hand and staying with her in her fear, even when I don’t have the answers.
Kindness means offering comfort to someone who’s struggling, even when I feel tired or unsure. It’s putting my own worries aside to be fully present with someone in pain. It’s treating Leonora, the person the world calls a “beggar” like a queen—with respect, warmth, and dignity.
Kindness is acknowledging people who others walk past without noticing. It’s stopping, listening, and seeing the full person behind the need. One winter day, a young Michael walked into the church barefoot. His feet were red, swollen, and raw from the cold. Kindness meant finding socks and boots for him—right away—so he could walk without pain. Kindness. Presence. Service: Be kind to the stranger.
True kindness is a choice we make, again and again. It means seeing Christ in every person. Keep welcoming the stranger! It means acting with love, not just feeling it. When we live with kindness, we help heal the world, one small moment at a time.
Presence means truly being with someone—not just in the same room, but with your heart and an open mind. Presence is when I am sitting down with a guest, listening to their story, and not looking at the clock, even when I might be late for my next assignment. It’s choosing people over schedules. It’s not rushing, not judging—just being there, fully.
Presence also shows up in hard moments. One time, a guest yelled at me. My first feeling was fear and the urge to walk away. But presence meant staying calm. It meant looking at the person, not just their anger, and choosing to stay grounded and kind.
Presence is not always easy. It takes patience, courage, and love. But it’s powerful. When we stay emotionally present—when we listen, breathe, and respond with care—we offer more than help. We offer dignity. We show that someone matters.
In a world that moves fast and often turns away from pain, presence is a holy act. It is how we live our faith. Yet there are some among us who don’t feel seen. There are some among us who don’t feel heard. There are some among us who don’t feel loved. So, we need to say, with our actions: “I see you. I hear you. I will not walk away.” That’s what presence looks like. Kindness. Presence. Service. Let’s continue welcoming the stranger!
Service is love in action. It means noticing when someone is in trouble and stepping in to help. One morning, a man at the breakfast table was confused and not feeling well. Service looked like gently moving him to a safe spot, giving him juice to help nourish his body, and calmly asking others to give him space. It meant staying present until help arrived.
Service also means showing up again and again to feed our neighbors. It’s not just handing out food—it’s doing it with care, kindness, and dignity. Everyone deserves to feel respected, no matter their situation. When we serve, we are saying, “You matter.”
Service includes working for peace. At our church, that means organizing gun buyback events. These events give people a chance to turn in guns, no questions asked. It helps remove weapons from our streets and keeps our community safer. Kindness. Presence. Service. Let’s continue to protect everyone in our communities from gun violence, including the stranger.
Real service is more than one-time help. It’s a way of life. It’s being ready to listen, to act, and to care. It’s standing beside others, not above them. When we serve, we follow Jesus’ example—bringing hope, healing, and peace. Together, with open hearts and hands, we build a better, kinder world.
This Gospel passage reminds us that Jesus never leaves us alone. He sends the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Advocate. The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us remember who Jesus is when the world gets loud and confusing. The Holy Spirit is the one who teaches us how to live, even when life feels too hard. And when Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” it’s not the kind of peace we find in quiet moments alone—it’s the peace that stays with us in storms. It’s a peace that says, “God is here. You are not alone.”
My time here has not just been about learning in the classroom — after satisfying academic requirements for the diaconate, including three years of formation; a field education experience over two years during COVID, a successful collaboration with the City of Detroit, a Lutheran Church and other entities; I came to St. David’s. I was starting my first semester in seminary. I leave for the Summer preparing for my senior year at Seminary, more rooted in discipleship, more aware of what it means to serve, and more open to the ways God works through presence.
As I stand here today, at the close of this extended field education placement, I want to begin with thank you. Thank you for welcoming me and my family. Thank you for encouraging me, praying with me, walking beside me. St. David’s has been more than a learning site. You have been my community of grace. You have been the living Gospel to me.
Jesus said God would make a home in those who love and follow him. And that’s what I found here: a spiritual home. A space where the Spirit lives.
Jesus tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” I held onto that when I faced moments that were challenging. They were moments of truth. Moments that reminded me of the experiences many Black women face in ministry and in life. Some were locked out. Some were yelled at. Some were spit upon. Some were bullied. Some were interrogated. Some were not respected. Some were followed around. Some were not welcomed. Some of those moments reminded me of why I am called. I am called to see God’s face in every person—even when they can’t see it in themselves; even when they can’t see it in me. I am called to love in hard places. And I am not alone. The Holy Spirit is with me. And you continue to stand with me.
Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you.” That peace showed up for me in the form of your presence. It was in the joy of our connection with our friends in Haiti. It was writing postcards to our pen pals at Vandenberg Elementary. It was in the depth of our Bible studies. It was in giving sermons. It was in the quiet, faithful acts of worship and service. And it was in the small moments too—coffee after the 10 o’clock service, the fellowship of the pantry team on Wednesdays (when someone was missing, we all noticed, and sent a text to show we cared), the joyful noise of the ladies plarning on Wednesdays. It was in Mass in the Grass - the challenge to get through the service with the aromas coming from the masterfully manned barbecue grill. Shrove Tuesday pancakes, Lenten Fish Fries, eating through each station at last week’s Cultural Sunday. We ate together. We cleared tables. We washed dishes. We laughed. We prayed. We had church. Jesus said, “We will come to them and make our home with them.” That happens here and should keep happening here. Kindness. Presence. Service Let’s continue welcoming the stranger.
You taught me what it means to be a church that walks the talk. A church rooted in justice. A church that doesn’t just wait for people to come in but goes out to meet them. You are showing the world what it looks like when a church truly serves its community.
And this community matters. St. David’s reflects the people who live around it. That may seem simple, but it is powerful. Black and white, young and old, rooted and seeking. We are people who come from different places and bring different gifts. We don’t just say the words “all are welcome”— we live them.” Let’s keep welcoming the stranger.
This is the kind of church that gives people hope. This is the kind of church that made a home for me. This is the kind of church that reminds me of Jesus’ words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”
Because here, I’ve seen the Holy Spirit at work.
As Jesus said, the Holy Spirit is the one who reminds us of everything Jesus taught. And you reminded me, week after week, what it means to serve, to listen, to grow. You reminded me that ministry starts with presence. That peace is found in people. That church is not just a building or a title—but a family. I pray that the Spirit keeps stirring your hearts. That the work of justice, love, and welcome continues to grow.
Jesus said, “I have said these things to you before they happen, so that when they do happen, you may believe.” And I do believe. I believe in the work of the Church. I believe in the power of the Spirit. I believe in a Gospel that feeds the hungry, welcomes the stranger, and builds peace.
As I grow in my call, my family has been inspired, each of them - one by one - to reflect on their own vocation and legacy. They have witnessed firsthand what it means to serve, to advocate, and to trust in God's call. They have seen faith in action, not just as words spoken from a pulpit, but as a living testimony woven into daily life. The changes in me have encouraged changes in them—sparking conversations about justice, compassion, and responsibility to our communities. My ministry has become our ministry, and together, we are being shaped by the Spirit for the work ahead.
In today’s gospel, Jesus is teaching us how to find peace in a troubled world. May the Spirit continue to make a home among us. And may we all carry the peace of Christ—peace not like the world gives, but the kind that never leaves us. Thank you—not just for your kindness, but for your witness and if you remember let’s pray this psalm together ...
4“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over ...
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Amen