As I worked on this sermon, especially in the context of this being Flower Communion Sunday as well as Father’s Day, it took a somewhat different turn from how it began. I’ll reflect on the significant gifts we can gain from adversity. The nature of the adversity we encounter varies, but adversity finds all of us eventually. We’ll look at what researchers have discovered about growth through and beyond adversity, and the role of community in that. It’s a sermon that starts with my father and ends with our beloved community.