Sermons

“This is a mountaintop experiencebut not the kind about which personswrite glowingly of sunrises,soft breezes,warm friends,music,and quiet time.On this mountain the subject is death,and the frightening presence of Godreduces those present to silence.”That’s how Fred Craddockwraps up his commentaryon this gospel passage from Luke.The gospel text todaytakes place about a weekafter Peter says that Jesus […]

O Lord,you have taught us that without lovewhatever we do is worth nothing.Without love,whatever we do is worth nothing.That’s the full circleof the text we hear from Luke todayand it ties in nicelywith the psalm too.Last week we heardLuke’s version of the beatitudeswhich aren’t just about hungering and thirstingfor righteousness sakebut about the hungry and

As a cradle Episcopalian, I am deeply uncomfortable with binary choices. To me, God is mystery and wonder – Kind of like a multiverse that I’ll never totally grasp. So today’s readings are kinda uncomfortable for me -they’re full of binary comparisons. Dead or not dead? Raised or not raised? Rich or poor? Happy or

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, *according to thy word;For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, *which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, *and to be the glory of thy people Israel. Despite Cranmer’s expectationthat worship be in the common language –I

From the Common English Bible,“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because the Lord has anointed me.He has sent me to preach good news to the poor,to proclaim release to the prisonersand recovery of sight to the blind,to liberate the oppressed,and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”This passage was appointed for this Sundayin

Dr. King said,“The arc of the moral universe is long,but it bends toward justice.”Y’all are familiar with that quote?When we take it out of its context –a Baptist minster doing worknot necessarily expectingto see the culmination –we may as well saywater just turns into winewhen you run out of wine. This passage from Johnthat we

In the name of God,in whom we live,and move,and have our being. Amen.My husband Brandon and Ihave been watching the showSomebody, Somewhereon Max.We watched an episode this weekwhere a gay man who has been religiousis talking to another who still is.The one still involved in the churchsays, “Church is where you gowhen you’re confused.”They’re in

“Adolescence” sermon by J. Hugh Magers from January 4, 1998 This Gospel lesson is the one window we have into Jesus’ life in early adolescence. But we really can’t appropriately use the term adolescence in this context. Entrance into adulthood was pegged at the 12th year in that culture. So the visit to the Temple