The Surgeon General of the US, Dr. Vivek Murthy, just announced the ending of COVID-19 as a global emergency. But at the same time declared a new number one epidemic in our country today – one that affects 50 % of our population, and even higher for our kids. What is it? And how does that tie into the Gospel reading from John this Sunday? Check it out…

1. 14 May 2023 6th
Sunday in Easter Princeton, NJ
1 Deacon Jim Knipper
Just two weeks ago the World Health Organization said that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a
global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that
triggered three years of unthinkable lockdowns, divided this country, upended economies and
killed at least 7 million people worldwide.
However on the heels of this good news, our Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy just released
an 81-page document stating that the current number one epidemic in our country today is:
loneliness. Nearly half of all U.S adults report feelings of loneliness. But this epidemic is hitting
young people, ages 15 to 24, especially hard – an age group that reported a 70% drop in time
spent with friends. What is more shocking is that these statistics were compiled prior to the
COVID outbreak. Thus, that crisis simply worsened what was already present when the
shutdowns caused schools and workplaces to shut their doors - sending most Americans to
isolate at home away from relatives and friends.
In a recent interview last week Murthy said, "We now know that loneliness is a common feeling
that many people experience. It's like hunger or thirst. It's a feeling the body sends us when
something we need for survival is missing.” Research shows that Americans, who have become
less engaged with houses of worship, community organizations and even their own family
members have steadily reported an increase in feelings of loneliness. This early 2020 data
shows that Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends just before COVID,
down from 60 minutes daily nearly twenty years earlier.
One study cited in the report found that people who used social media for two hours or more
daily were more than twice as likely to report feeling socially isolated than those who were on
such apps for less than 30 minutes a day. Thus, it would seem that the technology, which was
supposed to build connections, in many cases has led us in the opposite direction. The resulting
loneliness is behind our outbreaks of suicide, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse. It is no wonder
why, so far this year, there have been 203 mass shootings – a number higher than any other
year at this point in time.
So, you may be asking yourself – what does this all have to do with today’s Gospel reading?
For today’s Gospel picks up where we left off last weekend, in the middle of John’s 14th Chapter
– which is better known as the Last Supper Discourse. And what we see in this Gospel is,
unlike all the other Gospel writers, John does not write about the actual events of the Last
Supper: of the breaking, the blessing and distribution of the bread and the passing of the cup.
Instead, he talks about connections and relationships…of being in communion versus just going
to Communion. And that the Trinity is the model for how we are to enter into relationship. For
the language of the text we heard from John is all about Trinitarian Relationship and more
importantly, our place within it. “I am in my Father, and you are in me and I in you and my
Father will give you the Spirit…who remains with you and will be in you.”
Since that Gospel was penned, over all the centuries, countless volumes have been written on
this doctrine of three beings in one God. Hindered by the use of language, we have been
relegated to using metaphors to describe the Trinity. And perhaps the best invitation we have
been given by theologians is for us to stop looking at God as a noun…and instead considered
God as a verb.

2. 14 May 2023 6th
Sunday in Easter Princeton, NJ
2 Deacon Jim Knipper
For it was in the 3rd century that the Greek fathers used the word “perichoresis” to explain the
Trinity. And the best translation of this Greek work is “dancing”. The way that the early
Christians looked at the three persons in God is that whatever is going on in God – Father, Son
and Holy Spirit – is like a dance and God is not the dancer – rather God is the dance itself. An
infinite current of love flows without ceasing, gliding from the Father to the Son and to the Spirit
and back to the Father in one timeless happening…and it is we who are invited into that flow.
You see - the flow is always there…the invitation is always present – never earned. And we are
awakened to this flow at the very beginning of our Christian life when the baptismal waters are
being poured over our head while the minister intones the Trinitarian blessing of Father, Son
and Spirit. The challenge is, just about all of us are too young to remember that. Which is why
we use water so much in our sacramental life – to remind all of us of our baptism – and of our
connection to God and each other. But more importantly we need to be reminding each other
and our children and our grandchildren that our baptism calls for us to show up and respond to
the invitation to enter the dance – to be aware that we are all part of the Trinity. But
unfortunately, somewhere along the line, many of us get hung up on the “performance-for-
reward” or the “worthiness” model of Theology...of trying to earn God’s love, when the only way
to know the ever presence of this Divine love is to fully surrender to the Flow.
It is interesting to see how the Surgeon General – a person who holds a high governmental
office, speaks with ease and dignity about love, coming to this similar conclusion. In addressing
this loneliness epidemic, he stated, “We need to foster healthy social connections…where our
sons and daughters need to know how to give and receive love.” – Or in other words – how to
enter the Trinitarian Flow.
In a recent interview Murthy did with Krista Tippett he gave four recommendations about how
best to address this latest epidemic. So, by a bit of poetic license and wisdom of John’s Gospel,
here is my tweaked version of his recommendations:
1. Each day, make some time for silence. A time when we allow the noise to settle and are
open to the flow of God’s love. This is really what Sabbath time means – time for yourself
when you are not creating, not judging…rather, just still.
2. Each day, make some time to connect with someone you care about. Perhaps it is a call
or a text or an email – or even a handwritten note! But look to rebuild healthy
connections to others.
3. Give people your full attention. We are so distracted with the technology around us, often
we are barely listening with one ear. Rather, we need to listen to each other’s voice and
to entertain being a guest in each other’s life. Show others that they matter to you.
4. Lastly, find opportunities to serve others. When we help others, we reaffirm ourselves, we
build kinship, recognizing that even small actions can be very powerful.
In short – as we continue to celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Christ – let us go forward,
each day practicing Resurrection – where instead of focusing on individualism and judgment of
others – we look for transformation of our heart and soul so that we easily enter the Divine flow
and open our eyes to the Christ-soaked world in which we live in.