Harrowing Of Hell

Category: Hospitality

The Kingdom of God is like a Banquet

Sermon | August 28, 2016

August 28, 2016, The Rev. Todd Foster preaching

Today’s Gospel tells of when Jesus attended a dinner party hosted by a leader of the Pharisees. The guests are all concerned with status, with hierarchy. Where you sat at the table signified something about you, about your importance. It still does, doesn’t it? Formal dinners aren’t perhaps as common today as they were in first-century Palestine or in the era of Downton Abbey, but everywhere you look, there are other signifiers of worth we think about and obsess over: things like clothes, cars, neighborhoods, professions. Often our satisfaction with a paycheck depends not on whether it suffices for our needs for food, shelter, and clothing, but on how my check compares to your check.

Maundy Thursday 2016: How to Love

Sermon | March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

Jesus had an incredible way of truly seeing people, never with contempt or disdain. We see it this night, when Jesus meets the disciples’ fear with love, when he confronts Judas’ betrayal, with love. We must never forget that the opposite of love is not anger or hostility but indifference or fear. The opposite of fear is love.

Whom Are We Inviting to the Party?

Sermon | February 14, 2016

February 14, 2016, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

When you have a party, he tells them, you don’t just invite your family and wealthy friends who will return the invitation. You, invite those who are different from you, “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” to quote the text. That’s the kind of party Brigid would have thrown for sure!

Maundy Thursday 2015: Pilgrimage

Sermon | April 2, 2015

April 2, 2015, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

“Christian pilgrimage can and should be a walk with Jesus. And that is necessarily a walk in kingdom territory, under those upside-down kingdom rules. The pilgrim road is a physical peninsula of the kingdom. As the kingdom sprang up around the sandals of Jesus, so kingdom flowers can spring up around pilgrim boots.”

Friendship and Mutuality

Sermon | September 1, 2013

September 1, 2013, The Rev. Doyt Conn preaching

God is always near, this near, in fact, but people who ignore God or pretend God isn’t real, or even believe God isn’t real, can’t know friendship with God. It requires mutuality, and if there is no mutuality, it is as if God isn’t there.

Bishop’s Visit

Sermon | June 16, 2013

June 16, 2013, The Right Rev. Gregory Rickel preaching

This past Thursday we ordained five priests for the Church at St. Mark’s Cathedral. The day the Church was celebrating happened to be the day we celebrate the life of GK Chesterton. He was an amazing servant of God, who was known for his wit and candor. He has many great quotes, and I have lots of favorites, like “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors and to love our enemies. probably because they are generally the same people.”

But the one he is most famous for and is so often misquoted or paraphrased is this one: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and not tried.”

But perhaps my personal favorite quote of chesterton is one I left the new priests with Thursday night, “Let your religion be less of a theory, and more of a love affair.”

Maundy Thursday 2012

Sermon | April 5, 2012

April 5, 2012, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

On this one night of the year, we remember in our words and actions, a most dramatic and pivotal moment in scripture. The night Jesus gathered at table with his friends for a final meal and once again re-ordered the structures of power through simple, – profound acts.

Jesus had already had a final meal with his beloved friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus at their home in Bethany. Now, he is saying goodbye to his disciples – the ones who have been with him every step of the way. But, his goodbye isn’t trite or melodramatic; rather, it is deliberate and sacramental and comes from a place of deep and abiding love.

Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, a rabbi and teacher, a friend, is saying good bye through these simple (but revolutionary) acts of breaking bread and washing feet.