Technology and the Feast of Pentecost

Sermon | June 5, 2022

9,000 years ago bricks were invented, and they are still around today. I have no idea how many bricks make up these walls, but I do know these bricks define this sacred space, as a place set apart. Without bricks the windows would not be held in place, and the ceiling would not vault overhead.

Good Friday

Sermon | April 15, 2022

Good evening. My name is Susan Pitchford, and I work on adult faith formation here at Epiphany. “Good” Friday? Seriously? People often want to know, why do we call this day “good”? It’s a day of tragedy, of injustice, a day of suffering and darkness and death. What’s so good about that? Well, the short

The Great Absurdity

Sermon | April 10, 2022

Today’s Palm Sunday reading always distracts me. There Jesus is with his disciples, and he asks two of them to go to a particular house, and retrieve a colt for him that has never been ridden. He knows the one he wants, even saying to his disciples, “If anyone questions you, tell them the master

Going Down and Being Lifted Up

Sermon | February 20, 2022

As many of you know I am a jogger. That is what I call it. My son says I look more like a wounded man struggling to get home; particularly when I’m going uphill. Which is why he has forbidden me from running up Prep Hill, near his school, particularly when students are coming in

Sermon Series #3 on Kingdom of God Intelligence: Trust Versus Control

Sermon | December 12, 2021

Two Sundays ago, Kelli Martin, in her sermon, talked about the necessity of facing our life. That theme was picked up at our men’s retreat last weekend by our leader, Dr. Ron David. He formed the retreat around four questions: facing God, facing ourselves, facing our neighbor, and facing the existential threats that seem to

Sermon Series #2 on Kingdom of God Intelligence: Curiosity Versus Dogmatism

Sermon | December 5, 2021

Thanksgiving dinner recently gave me cause to wonder at the unnecessary cravings that plague me, particularly around food, particularly on Thanksgiving, particularly around cheesecake, and that weird desire to eat the entire thing after having one piece. It is not a long term, high reward survival activity… But here’s the thing about cravings, they come

Sermon Series #1 on Kingdom of God Intelligence – Christ the King

Sermon | November 21, 2021

Good morning. This is the first sermon in a three-part series on uncertainty and ambiguity, and how we manage it with peaceful equanimity. Someone told me recently that they didn’t know what equanimity meant, so, if it is helpful, you can trade out equanimity for ataraxy,or maybe just calm self-assurance. Last time I preached I

We Cannot Always Live in Comfort

Sermon | November 14, 2021

I should begin by noting that today is the first time I have been invited to deliver the homily at a main service. There appears to be a paucity of preachers, so your Chancellor’s name finally came up. If any of you are newcomers, please come back next week, and things will get better. When

Ambiguity Capacity as a Kingdom of God Experience

Sermon | November 7, 2021

I’m reading a book right now called Nonsense by Jamie Holmes, and in it he makes a claim that grabbed my attention. He wrote: “As uncertainties add up in the world around us, they accelerate our desire for certainty.” When I read this, I was reminded of a sermon I preached on Easter day 2014:

Category: Kingdom of God