St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Big Rapids

08/23/2026

Dear Friends, here are the reminders from today's sermon at St Andrew's Episcopal Church in Big Rapids MI. Mother Radha Michel-Trapaga delivered the sermon today.

Please reflect with us on the topics from today's sermon, which focuses on Paul's letter to the Romans and the metaphor of the Church as the body of Christ.

The reflection explores how every individual—regardless of their background, history, or worldview—is an essential and vital member of this community. Drawing on the concept of presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, the message reminds us that our unique gifts, whether in ministry, teaching, giving, or compassion, are all equal and necessary to the functioning of the whole church. It serves as a gentle reminder of the humility and mutual respect required as we gather and grow together in faith.

Please feel free to share this text with other members of the congregation or anyone who might find comfort and inspiration in these words.

Thank you, and I wish you a blessed week ahead.

Amen.

🎶Be Thou My Vision Oh Lord of My Heart, naught be all else to me save that thou art, thou my best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping, thy presence my light!🎶

08/23/2026

Holy Eucharist

08/10/2026

Reminders from today's sermon at St Andrews Episcopal Church in Big Rapids MI! Mother Radhajyoti S. Michel-Trapaga delivered the sermon today.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

So in Matthew chapter 14, Jesus has just completed another miracle, he has fed at least 5000 people with a small amount of bread and fish, and he really needed that small bit of time alone that he was trying to get before the crowds of people followed him.

So he tells the disciples to get in the boat and sail away. The word used here is the same word that means "compelled" or "forced," so this wasn't just an invitation to get in the boat, he made them go, and then he took the time he needed alone to pray. But while the disciples were in the boat, storms come which are so fierce that they terrify the disciples, most of whom were fishermen, so they knew when storms were dangerous.

So these disciples who were fishermen were trapped in these storms so fierce that they could not calm them, and then in the early hours of the morning, Jesus comes to them walking on the water. And this terrifies them more. I would be afraid too if I were in the midst of a huge storm and a being came out to me walking on the water. So the disciples cry out that this must be a ghost, and Jesus responds, it's ok, it's just me.

The word Jesus uses there to say "it's me" in the Greek means I Am. Jesus says I Am. Over and over in the Bible we hear Jesus use this phrase. He says I am the bread of life, I am the way the truth and the life, all these things, but today walking toward the disciples on the water he just says I am. This name of God being called I Am goes back to Moses in the old testament. When Moses sees this burning bush that is on fire but is not being consumed, God says I Am. Not "I am God" or "I am" anything else, just "I Am." This is where we get the name of God as Yahweh.

So here Jesus ties the disciples back to older stories of their faith when God showed up in unexpected places. That God is the one who goes with them and shows up even in these difficult circumstances. So Peter immediately says "ok, if this is you, let me join you, let me come out and be part of this miracle with you." And Jesus says "ok Peter, come out here with me" so Peter goes out and walks to Jesus on the water. And we usually remember the next part of the story, right? Where Peter starts to sink, and we think "why did Peter sink? Did he not have enough faith?" But we skip over that for a moment, Peter did walk on the water.

Then Peter remembers where he is, and remembers the wind and the waves, and he falters for a moment and starts to sink. But I don't think it's his faith that falters, because as he sinks, he still cries out to Jesus. If it was his faith that had faltered, then why did he ask Jesus to save him? But he cries out to Jesus and Jesus reaches out his hand and saves Peter, and they return to the boat, and in response, they worship. They say "truly you are the son of God."

It is not in the midst of Jesus casting out demons or performing these big miracles that the disciples make this confession of faith. In Matthew's gospel, this is the first time the disciples make this profession of faith, and it's not out of a big showy miracle, it is out of the storm. It is the time they are surrounded by danger and death that they see the Lord, and one of them joins Jesus in this miracle and starts to sink but he cries out to the Lord and is still met with salvation. It is often the storms that teach us more about our faith than those mountaintop moments. It's the storms we remember.

Last week I served at our diocesan summer camp, and I got to try this high ropes course, and I'm not terrified of heights, but they're still scary, and I climbed up on this platform and I jumped across this bridge and I stopped to wait on this small platform and one of the students reached out to me and said "Morher Radha, would you like a hug?" And we stood there and hugged on this platform high in the sky. I'm not going to say that a high ropes course is the same as Peter walking out onto the water, but we have high schoolers do this high ropes course because it forces them to stretch their boundaries and step out in faith.

In those moments of darkness, there is always that hand that reaches out to hold us and uplift us. There is always that hand of Christ that reaches out, and it might even be through another person, but there is always a hand that reaches out.

Here in this gospel story, Jesus is preparing his disciples for what comes next. We know how this gospel story ends. We know what is coming. We know that the disciples will face even more fear and testing of their faith when Jesus is crucified. And this line the disciples say? Truly you are the son of God? It shows up one more time in Matthew's gospel, when Jesus is crucified and this Roman centurion who participated in the crucifixion looks up at Jesus on the cross and says "Truly you are the son of God."

Again, it is that storm that teaches us how great our faith in God truly is. Amen.

🎶Be Thou My Vision Oh Lord of My Heart, naught be all else to me save that thou art, thou my best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.🎶

07/26/2026

A Joint Service for the Ninth Sunday After Pentecost

Good morning and welcome to the joint summer service between St Andrews and St Mary's! Today our sermon was given by Mother Radha Michel-Trapaga.

In the name of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated in Our Gospel reading today. Jesus throws a whole bunch of parables at us. Kind of like throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks. We've got this assortment of parables about the kingdom of heaven as He tries to get His disciples and the crowds and us to figure out what it is to be in the Kingdom of heaven. What this Kingdom of heaven is that He is talking about and bringing to us here on Earth. Each of these parables is just a little bit different, but all of them share these bits of hiddenness. All of them share things that are unexpected. We have a tiny seed that grows into a great shrub and a tree. We're not going to go down the road today of what kind of plant that might have been and that mustard seeds aren't actually the smallest seeds that exist. It's a metaphor, but we've got this tiny seed that grows into something great. We've got this yeast that turns into a great loaf of bread. We have treasure in a field that is hidden and then then sought and purchased. We have a great Pearl. We have fish that are caught from the depths. One of the things that's cool about all of these parables is that each of them is going to speak differently depending on who is listening. We have agrarian parables. We have parables of commerce and the marketplace and we have parables of fishermen. Jesus is speaking to everyone who is gathered no matter where they have come from no matter who they are, no matter what kind of business or work they practice. Hopefully one of these parables will have an image that clicks for them cuz Jesus wants each and every person who is listening to be able to grasp the Kingdom of heaven. As I said in each of these, there is some thing that is unexpected. Even though we know that great things grow from a little seed, it is still miraculous to the whole in the parable of the yeast and the flower. The word there that is translated in our gospel or in our translation of the gospel text of mixed can also be translated as hidden that this woman takes yeast and hides it in a huge amount of flour. So maybe those that she's going to be serving the spread to or expecting simple unleavened bread? And instead what comes out of the oven is a great risen loaf. Have this possibility of surprise there something we don't expect to happen in each of these parables we are reminded that it does not take great things to bring about the Kingdom of heaven. The Kingdom of heaven is not dependent on you or I being mighty and powerful. The Kingdom of heaven is not dependent on us being able to access things that we things that are of power that the world normally finds. Each of these are things that are simple or things that are of Great value but are hidden. As I was reading these parables this week I thought a lot about our churches and our covenant. I thought a lot about our churches both being small congregations but that are doing mighty things. These congregations that you maybe wouldn't expect to look at and and think that all of this good might come from them. But we do. We are like that mustard seed or that yeast that threw the grace of God grows into something that is beyond us. One of those things that has grown into something that is beyond us is this very covenant this covenant as we are gathered here this morning for worship today is go is beyond the work that St. Mary's or St. Andrews can do on their own. This covenant allows us to grow like the mustard seed or to 11 the flour like the East. It allows us to come together to try something unexpected. This way of being in a covenant together is has not been the normal model of how parishes share clergy parishes have shared clergy for a very very long time and lots of different ways. But the most common is just that the each church has its own contract with the priest and the priest Works a certain number of hours in this place and then separately Works a certain number of hours in this place and the two congregations are completely separate and do their own thing. They just happen to share a person that's been the most common way of doing it, but you all decided 7 8 years ago now to try to do something different to try this model of forming a covenant together of being together in a new way and then to call a priest into that. You found that bit of pearl hiding in the fields beneath your parishes and went all in on searching for that and trying to make it work. And I think it has myself and others of our churches who were part of putting this covenant together, have multiple times consulted with churches across our diocese and even beyond about what we are doing and sharing this model and sharing the documents that we've created and the contracts. Because this is a way of being church that is new that has promise and potential. This is a way of being church that lets us come together to be more than we could be on our own. Each of us is individuals is also that mustard seed and that yeast and that Pearl. We are called by God to go out and be and do the kingdom of heaven, but we also come together in church to be more than we can be on our own to compound our efforts for justice and peace and to bring the Kingdom of heaven here on Earth. So likewise, we as St. Mary's and St. Andrews come together into a covenant and compound our ability to be the kingdom of God together to love God and to love our neighbors and all of the ways that we do that. I see God continuing to call us forward into continue to find that bit of yeast and mix it into the flour of our churches to continue to see what God can grow from us to continue to see how God can build us into something more than we could be on our own. Maybe that will look unexpected at times. Maybe that will sometimes be scary sometimes that might feel like the that final parable the fish at the end were things better that need to be sorted out are sorted out and thrown in the fire. That is. That can be a scary process, but I think that we have that built this trust. Together. We can continue to see the way that God is growing and moving in us and we can be more together and more with God than we can be on our own. Continue to find ways you're on your own as yourself to be that mustard seed to be that yeast that Pearl that grows and finds the kingdom of heaven. And then as you come together with your church and with our covenant! Let us continue to find those ways that we are yeast as one body Amen.

Everyone is welcome to receive communion. There is no one who is too old or too young, no one who has too many doubts or too few beliefs. This is the altar prepared by a loving God for all creation by the power of Jesus Christ. You, who are part of that creation, are welcome. Amen.

07/26/2026

Holy Eucharist - Joint Service in the Park

07/25/2026

Tomorrow, July 26, is our annual service and picnic in the park with our partner church! The service begins at 10 am at Westerberg Park in Reed City. Free picnic with hamburgers and hotdogs. All are welcome!

Please note: There will be no service in the building at St. Andrew’s on July 26.

07/23/2026

We are proud to have our Rector's ministry shared to our community! She has been doing amazing things and we pray that she is blessed as she continues doing God's work.

EXCLUSIVE: Read about how Cadillac priest Reverend Radha Michel-Trapaga formed an unexpected bond with Venezuelan refugee Andrés Rivas-Sanchez, who is incarcerated at the 1,800-bed North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin: https://www.cadillacnews.com/news/an-angel-sent-by-god-how-a-cadillac-priest-helped-restore-hope-for-a-north/article_8ea89af3-4863-4afe-a0a9-976ff1a42551.html

07/19/2026

Dear Friends,

Please find below the reflections and reminders from today's morning prayer service at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Big Rapids, MI. The service was officiated this morning by Jodi Gabert.

We have recently experienced challenging weather conditions, with intense heat and thick smoke from distant wildfires affecting our area. Managing daily tasks and maintaining outdoor property in this environment requires significant effort and patience.

This situation reflects the themes found in today's Gospel message regarding the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat (The Parable of the Reaper). In the parable, Jesus describes a landowner who chooses to wait patiently until the harvest to separate the weeds from his crops, rather than acting impulsively and risking the destruction of his livelihood.

While our modern society prioritizes immediacy and rapid communication, the disciples in the scripture also struggled with impatience, demanding immediate explanations for these teachings. Jesus responded with patience, encouraging reflection on the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven.

These readings serve as a reminder of the value of patience and the importance of taking time to rest, pause, and reflect amidst life's daily challenges and anxieties.

As noted in Romans 8:25: "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

With love and hope in Christ Jesus our Lord.

07/12/2026

Evensong