Harrowing Of Hell

Category: Human Identity & Purpose

King Frank and Character Formation

Sermon | September 9, 2012

September 9, 2012, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching

I met a man this summer named Frank. He was a king and a London Cabbie and the year was 1900. It was the year that Frank’s life took an abrupt turn, beginning one day when his cab was hailed by a man and a strange woman, who requested he drive them to several places in London. One was a restaurant, the other a jewelry store, both of which the lady robbed. At some point, she hijacked the cab itself, ousting Frank. By this time, several policemen and storeowners were in angry pursuit. Frank joined them, trying to save his anxious horse, Strawberry.

Jumping Off Point

Sermon | June 19, 2012

June 17, 2012, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching

Let me reread for you the text I want to consider this morning. It comes from Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians; the second part of verse 11 in chapter 5, it reads: “we ourselves are well known by God, and I hope that we are also well acquainted with our own conscience.”

Thomas Merton writes,

“You cannot tell me who I am and I cannot tell you who you are. But if you do not know your own identity you probably don’t have one.” (para: p> xii No Man Is An Island) I would further add: if there is no one to hear the rumination of our conscience, are we even conscious at all?

Desmond Tutu says it like this: “A person is not a person without other people.”

Trinity Sunday

Sermon | June 5, 2012

June 3, 2012, The Rev Kate Wesch preaching

At my house, we’ve been reading a lot of Curious George books lately. You know, the children’s series about George the monkey and his friend, the man with the yellow hat. My one and a half year old daughter loves them. Her current favorite is entitled, “Happy Easter, Curious George.”

Pentecost and Baptism

Sermon | May 27, 2012

May 27, 2012, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching

Catholic Church and the Girl Scouts. And given the speed at which the church moves I don’t imagine this is going to change any time soon.

But turning on a dime has never been one of the churches strong points, and this reality is highlighted, I think, by the language used in the Baptism service we are participating in today.

Spiritual and Religious

Sermon | May 23, 2012

May 20, 2012, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching

There is a bit of controversy going on over the Girl Scouts. It seems the Roman Catholic Church is concerned that they are undermining the morality and decency of America. Now I’ve known a few Girl Scouts and still, but even so, I was stunned when I heard the Roman Church chose the Girl Scouts as a target of investigation. Really? Who thought that was a good idea? They might as well be investigating nuns…

As I watch this ridiculous folly unfold I wonder what all of our non-religious friends are saying about this event. Probably something like, “this is why I consider myself spiritual, but not religious.” In the shadow of the Roman Church’s misguided display, I can understand why someone would want to duck behind this culturally popular moniker: I’m spiritual not religious.

Ruth and Pentecost

Sermon | May 13, 2012

May 13, 2012, Charissa Jones preaching

Today we dive into the Old Testament. In our current age we often wrestle with questions about the scientific and historical accuracy of the Old Testament, and wonder therefore, whether it is more than just an interesting anthropological document belonging to a people from a long distant time. Yet the Old Testament itself wrestles with core questions that still grip us today. At the heart of the Hebrew narratives, declares Robert Alter, we find two recurring tensions.

First: a tension between the divine promises made to Abraham, Moses and the prophets – and the seeming impossibility of fulfillment, amidst the disorderly character of events that unfold. The second is related: it is a tension between God’s will and human freedom. Old Testament narratives repeatedly draw us into the question, “How do we trust in the promises of God when the divine plan appears to be in the hands of people with an unruly nature – in the midst of circumstances that feel most unpromising?”

Hope and a Salamander

Sermon | April 29, 2012

April 29th, 2012, Rev. Doyt Conn preaching

We have a salamander in the basement. There is some debate as to his name. I call him Slinky. My son calls him Sandy. My daughter, the driving force for our possessing a salamander in the first place, has yet to commit to a name.

Coming to Believe, Without Seeing

Sermon | April 15, 2012

April 15th, 2012, Charissa Jones preaching

I remember coming to Epiphany Parish for the first time three years ago on the Sunday after Easter; the Sunday where everyone, correctly, predicts a dramatic drop in attendance from the week before. It’s not the day most people enter a new church and consider whether they want to become an Episcopalian.

Hearing Thunder

Sermon | March 25, 2012

March 25, 2012, The Rev. Doyt Conn preaching

I was in Haiti a while back, and I remember being awaken in the middle of the night by gunshots… many, many gunshots, as if a coup had broken out. I lay perfectly still in bed. Eventually they stopped. But my eyes didn’t close the rest of the night.The next morning I asked my hosts, “What happened?”“Oh,” they replied, “Brazil beat Argentina in the semi-finals of the World Cup. We love Brazilian soccer in Haiti!”

Everyone heard the shots, not everyone heard them the same way. That is the same in the Gospel we hear today. Everyone heard the thunder, not everyone heard it the same way.