Sermon

The Rev. Noah Van Niel

March 11^th, 2018

St. John the Evangelist

Lent IV (B): Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3; 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21

I don’t have any tattoos, in case you were wondering. I don’t have anything against them, I just never really understood the urge to get one. Plus I’m afraid it would hurt too much—I’m sort of a wimp about those kind of things. But the one tattoo I do understand and probably the only circumstance where I might consider getting one would be if I made the Olympics. There’s a tradition among Olympians, whether they medal or not, to get a tattoo of the five Olympic rings. It’s a marker of all the hard work, sacrifices and incredible achievement of being one of the best in the world at their sport. That’s a tattoo I understand. And perhaps that is something of the motivation for other people when they get their tattoos: that, after having had an intense, powerful experience—whether it’s an epic adventure with your friends, or an incredible accomplishment, or a memory of a lost loved one—there is a desire to etch it into your body so you can be sure to carry something of that experience with you wherever you go. Continue reading →