Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends! How are you doing this first Sunday in Lent? This time I ask this not as a nice segue way into my sermon – be nice to the people Ruth Anne so they’ll want to listen—but because in my experience, in the average Christian year, we seem to really
It’s Okay to Feel What You Feel
Authority and Liberation
Good morning. We have a short piece of scripture today that revolves around the word authority, and so, with the authority vested with me, that is the word that I am going to preach about today. Let’s begin by reviewing where we are: Jesus is in Galilee. He has just begun choosing his disciples. There
Fishing with Pelagius and Augustine for a Trinitarian God
Today I want to preach about the state of our nation, and while the January 20 inauguration was honorable and majestic, as it should be, I am still troubled by what happened at the US Capitol building on January 6. The memory of signs and symbols asserting that it was a Christian sanctioned movement: a
Forthtellers of the Gospel
Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends: How are you doing? Where do you land on a scale from one to five? I know we were all looking forward to this New Year and the vaccine that it promised and promises us but so far, as a parishioner recently wrote me, this new year hasn’t necessarily
Rules and Regulations
Today’s reading from Galatians got me started thinking about rules and regulations. Paul is talking about the Mosaic laws, the covenant between God and God’s people. My thoughts, however, went immediately to the law in another sense, to the framework of secular rules and regulations in which we currently live our lives. In particular, how
Joy to the World!
Good morning Christians, seekers and friends: Merry Christmas! And thank you so much for joining me in celebrating Jesus’ birth today. I have to admit to you all that Christmas morning services are some of my favorite all year, which is always odd since I was born and remain a life-long night owl, AND my
Hope in a Time of COVID
Merry Christmas. Tonight, I am going to preach about hope, the hope we experience through the birth of Jesus. It is a good time to talk of hope. We are in a moment that feels hopeful, doesn’t it? We are like that dove perched on the widow of Noah’s ark, poised, ready to flap back
Let it Be
Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends! One of the things I most appreciate about our God is that God, my creator, really loves the real “me.” God is a down-to-earth, lover of all humanity and creation kind of God, who, even though I have spent years trying to live up to my idea of what
Seeing Yourself Being Seen; Gratitude Unveiled
I was at a Commission on Ministry retreat last week, and there I heard a most interesting sermon from Karen Haig, Rector at St. Barnabas Church, on this text, and her words and bell ringing have formed this sermon in my mind. She said: “This is not a Gospel message about gratitude, primarily, but more