Sermon for June 21, 2026: It Only Takes a Spark based upon Matthew 5:14-16

* all of the photos above are from the Pilgrim Lodge Website: www.pilgrimlodge.org/how-to-rent-pilgrim-lodge/

Matthew 5:14-16 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."

loons_at_pl.m4a
File Size:	238 kb
File Type:	m4a

Download File

---

---

     Back in May, I was helping lead the confirmation retreat at Pilgrim Lodge when the other deans and I realized we had a problem. Not a terrible one, but definitely a damp one. We knew that there was a chance of rain on Saturday, but we thought we’d planned around it for our outside activity of the day: walking the labyrinth. We put our heads together while the campers were doing another activity to rearrange the next 90 minutes of activities. We had some workaround and indoor activities that we could switch to, but I also knew that a lot of people really liked walking the labyrinth. I suggested asking them if they want to walk it a little more quickly than we’d planned and then bringing them back for closing worship. I, of course, had to walk in the rain because it was my idea.

     Who here has walked a labyrinth before? Has anyone walked the one at Pilgrim Lodge? Labyrinths have been a part of Christian practice for centuries and have been around in similar form to what we see now for 4,000 years. They are a tool for meditative practice, not a puzzle like a maze, so they only have one way into the center, and you follow that same way back out. The movement into the center of the labyrinth is a kind of full-bodied prayer. For campers at Pilgrim Lodge, this is a site where many feel closer to God and closer to nature.

     Many of the kids and adults at camp wanted to walk the labyrinth in the rain, so we set off down the trail, rain gear at the ready. I can’t easily walk the labyrinth myself. With my issues with proprioception and balance, winding around in a circle on uneven ground isn’t much fun for me. The PL Labyrinth is not flat the way that most labyrinths are. They say, “As is often with the path to God, one must navigate around obstacles.” While I do appreciate this design choice, it does mean that if I’m leading, I have to walk right through to the middle to wait on everyone else. I offered a few words to guide their walking. They made their way towards me, guided by lines of stone that once were chimneys in the cabins. In the center, we prayed together. Some walked straight out with me, and I sent them with an adult to the old dining hall to get ready for worship. I waited for everyone else to wind their way back out, around trees, over rocks, some even crawling under one large root that stretches over one part of the trail.

     This summer, the theme of Pilgrim Lodge’s programming is “It Only Takes a Spark.” I share the story of the labyrinth, because, even in the rain, it is a place where many experience the spark of the divine. Surrounded by trees and rocks, balsam and pine perfuming the air, lake sparkling in distance, people find themselves engaging with the Spirit in ways that can’t always imagine. Walking alongside stones that contained generations of campfires, a way is made clear for them. This is why they walked the labyrinth in the chilly rain that day. They knew that this dark forest is a place where God’s light shines.

Assistant Camp Director Lydia Hoffman wrote a beautiful invitation to campers and explanation of the summer's theme. I shared portions of it with the congregation during the sermon. You can access it here:  https://www.pilgrimlodge.org/2026/05/26/it-only-takes-a-spark/

     In her letter to campers, Lydia speaks about the power of the moment she calls “the flame catching.” It’s when new campers become brave enough to show their face and shine their light as Christ calls us to in our scripture for today and the guiding scripture for this summer at Pilgrim Lodge. Lydia reminds all of us as she invites us to camp: “Oh, how the world needs your light. Oh, how the world needs your spark.” Pilgrim Lodge continues to be a site of tremendous spiritual growth in the Maine Conference. In fact, our conference offices will soon be in the farmhouse there, putting so much of what connects us as a conference in one place. I am grateful for the ways that Pilgrim Lodge has supported countless campers. In a time when places of refuge can feel few and far between, it continues to be a sanctuary. In honor of Father’s Day, let us share generously with Pilgrim Lodge, adding our spark to their Holy Fire.

Donate to Pilgrim Lodge: ​www.pilgrimlodge.org/giving/

Resources consulted while writing this sermon:
About this year's Pilgrim Lodge theme: https://www.pilgrimlodge.org/2026/05/26/it-only-takes-a-spark/
The Pilgrim Lodge Labyrinth: https://www.pilgrimlodge.org/how-to-rent-pilgrim-lodge/labyrinth/
The Labyrinth Society: https://labyrinthsociety.org/labyrinths-overview/