Sermons

Today’s passageis not about Mary.We hear prophecy in Isaiahand we hear its fulfilment in Matthew.The young woman, the virgin,shall conceive and bear a son.They shall call or name himEmmanuel:God is with us.Pay attention to the rest of our music today.All of it,from the procession onwardis really helping us focuswhere today’s gospel text is.As usual, it’s […]

It’s hard to wait.It’s always been difficult for us,us whose lives are like the grass,to wait –especially to wait for the Lord.Throughout Scripturewe have stories of peoplewho got impatient.In frustrationMoses strikes a rock twiceinstead of speaking to itbecause he’s grown impatientwith God and the Israelites.Abraham doesn’t wait for Godand has a child with Hagar.Sarah laughs

The end is the beginning.As John is out in the wilderness,dressed, eating, and living as a wild manpeople flocking to him.Matthew tells us that the people of Jerusalemand all the people of Judeaare going out to him.John the Baptizer isn’t addressing thosewhom Paul describes to Timothyas having itchy ears.He’s not telling themwhat they want to

The end is the beginning.That’s what our texts today,our texts all season,are about.Advent doesn’t mean“Countdown.”It means beginning,as in the beginningof God’s reign made manifest.Jesus has been talking to the disciplesa lot more explicitlyabout the end of daysjust before this passage we hearfrom Matthew 24.Jesus talks now abouthow no one knows the day nor the hourthat

Good morning.  Today we are observing Alcohol and Drug Awareness Sunday and I am here to share the story of Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church, my own journey as an addictions counselor, and some thoughts about the relationship of recovery programs to how we operate in the church.  After we married, Dawn and I

“Some Gen Xers —whose life experiencesleft them so cynicalas to border on nihilistic —approached Jesus and asked him,‘Jesus,do you ever think about your ghost clothes?’”Before he could fix his face,it went on a journey that conveyed“What in all of God’s green earthare you talking about?”Dustin replied,“You know —how whatever you’re wearing when you dieis what

Alleluia! Christ is risen!Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! I love All Saints’ Sunday,maybe especially because we usuallyhave some All Souls,or All Faithful Departedmixed in.In our chapelat the liturgical “West” end of the church –though it’s actually the north –we are remembering thosewho have gone before us.In remembering and acknowledging their deathswe celebrate that Christ is

“He will not show partiality to the poor;but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan,or the widow when she pours out her complaint.”When?That’s a question I hearfrom those outside the faith.Or in another way,how can you say death has been defeatedwhen people die

Divine Persistence I want to begin with a story about our daughter. It’s also a confession of sorts by me. When Madeline was a toddler, each night I’d return home from work and hastily greet her and my husband. Then, I’d rush off to find my computer and immediately start working again. Because we kept