October 16, 2016, The Rev. Todd Foster preaching
God will create a space of safety for God’s people to pursue relationship with God and with one another. God will create a shelter which allows us to let our guard down, to be vulnerable, and thereby to discover new strengths in ourselves and new connections to those around us.
June 12, 2016, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. preaching
Here is the assumption Luke is making: every soul deeply desires freedom from the expectations of their context, whether a hedge fund manager in Manhattan, or a grandmother in Seward Park, or a shepherd in the Sudan. We all have cultural expectations set upon us, and while much of this is good and healthy, some of this can be constricting and onerous and cause us to give away our lives in favor of someone else’s expectations. And that is not Good News. Jesus came to give us Good News. He came to set us free, to liberate us, which is why he introduces us to this woman. Because she is free.
April 10, 2016, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching
For Peter, Jesus was his safety net, always there to catch him as he impetuously and impulsively flung himself off one trapeze after another. And Jesus patiently remained that net, never giving up, ever present to catch Peter in the net, to bear him up one more time. Jesus called him Peter “the rock” when things were going well and always “Simon, son of John” when he meant business, but Jesus was always there—Peter’s net that would not tear.
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.
March 13, 2016, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. preaching
This sermon is about Mary’s do-over. It is her story. But it could be my story or your story. Maybe there is a moment or an encounter or an event you’d like to do over. If so, this sermon is for you, but know this: it takes courage and humility. Those are the traits we see Mary employ.
November 1, 2015, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching
You are never the same after a Lazarus moment. It is a conversion and a resurrection of the soul. To encounter this kind of love is to be changed.
May 10, 2015, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching
When you look back on your life someday, what are the things that you will look back on with joy? Seek those things now. Do them more often.
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.”
March 30, 2015, Elizabeth Walker preaching
In tonight’s Gospel, we hear about Mary and Martha welcoming Jesus into their home after Jesus raised their brother Lazarus from the dead. It is a celebratory gathering, as you might expect, in the wake of a family member’s resurrection from death. But, as would be expected in a Gospel that kicks off Holy Week, there is an element of gravity too; Judas questions the actions of Mary, who showed ultimate respect for Jesus by washing his feet—with her hair—using expensive perfume.