Category: Holy Spirit

May 19, 2013, The Rev. Doyt Conn preaching

The story we hear in the book of Acts today is one we hear every Pentecost. It is the story of the arrival of the Holy Spirit in a manner that changes all people, including Parthians, Medes and Elamites, as well as people from Mesopotamia, Pontus, and Pamphylia; but also Greeks and Palestinians, Russians and people from Georgia, Romania and Kazakhstan, and maybe, just maybe, people from a little parish in Seattle called Epiphany.

You may recall that 19 of us just returned from pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our time there coincided with the Eastern Orthodox Holy Week. Jerusalem was packed with people from all over the world, on a journey to see the Holy Fire come out of the tomb from which Jesus rose victorious.

May 12, 2013, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching

I am back from the Holy Land as you can see. It is good to be home! The last time you saw me I was standing here with other pilgrims being commissioned by you for this sacred journey. I am happy to report that I have returned with all 18… which means I’m still a 100% on bringing pilgrims back from the Holy Land. That’s pretty good; actually that is sort of the bare minimum. Israel, as any of our pilgrims will tell you, is a safe and fascinating place. The real blessing is that they didn’t ditch me there.

April 22nd, 2012, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

Acts 3:12-19, Luke 24:26b-48
In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seven years ago, I was on the way to the funeral of someone
who had served as a mentor and spiritual guide for me over the years.
His death was sudden, tragic, and inexplicable.
In my close community of friends, we were in total shock.
For several days, we had been sitting in stunned silence,
tears rolling down our cheeks, and wondering why.

April 7th, 2012, Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

In the name of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
On this most holy night, we gather in vigil and prayer, in darkness and with light, for this is a pivotal moment. Right now, we stand in a liminal space – on a precipice between death and resurrection. It isn’t Easter yet, but Lent has drawn to a close.