September 11, 2016, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. preaching
Knowledge about God increases our joy. And that, I suppose, is what Jesus will be looking for when he drops by Epiphany for church on Sunday. Does he see the joy? Are we people who see or are we people who sort? That is the question I think he would ask. And if we are the kind of people who sort, I suppose Jesus would stick around to turn us around, to better see God.
June 14, 2015, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching
Going on pilgrimage, whether it is “in place” or a journey across the globe, requires stepping outside your regular routine and intentionally meeting God in a new way—that happens serving a meal at Operation Nightwatch, walking a labyrinth, traveling to Jerusalem, just to name a few. There are limitless possibilities.
July 27, 2014, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching
Today’s gospel feels like a riddle. In twenty short verses, we have six parables within parables. It is a nesting box of metaphors and similes for the kingdom of heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, yeast, treasure, a merchant, a net, and the master of a household. Take your pick; find an image that works for you. In his book The Parables of the Kingdom, C.H. Dodd wrote: “At its simplest, a parable is a metaphor or simile, drawn from nature or the common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.” A parable is an earworm.
July 13, 2014, The Rev. Doyt Conn preaching
Today’s sermon is about gifts and how we receive them. We might think it is easy. “Yeah, thanks for the gift.” And maybe it is, but I can’t help wondering: with so much universal access to whatever we want, whenever we want it, the way we want it, have we lost sight of the blessing of how to receive a gift and the way in which gifts magnify our souls?