Purpose Archives - Epiphany Seattle

The Good News

Sermon | October 17, 2021

Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends! I have been thinking this week about that old question, “What do you want to hear first… the GOOD news or the BAD news?” We’ve probably all heard this question in one context or another. Do you have a personal preference? Good news first; then bad news? Or is

Hard Things Lead to the Best Things

Sermon | October 10, 2021

Good morning. I wish I’d gotten off another plane this week, so I could rewrite my sermon and avoid Jesus’ comment about how hard it is for those who have wealth to get into the Kingdom of God. Not a top 10 favorite on an annual appeal Sunday, particularly in Seattle, where stock portfolios and

Feast of the Virgin Mary

Sermon | August 15, 2021

I’ve had Mary on my mind recently. I’ve been reading a book by Hans Urs von Balthazar titled Prayer. He was a Swiss theologian, who trained as a Jesuit priest, but left the order to be a more active in the world, and yet, also continuing to be a person who lived a life of

GOAT and Sheep of the Good Shepherd

Sermon | August 1, 2021

Good morning Christians, Seekers, and Friends! It probably isn’t surprising to hear me say that I am not exactly a sports enthusiast. I think I may love enough of the standard PNW pursuits to allow me regional citizenship – I like to walk, swim, hike, and bike – all good Seattle activities, right? And as

Pentecost: A Common Language

Sermon | May 23, 2021

I’m just gonna say it because I know everyone is thinking it: The whole argument that “We’re not drunk” is not a good argument in favor of the presence of the Holy Spirit, particularly if the reason for not being drunk is that it’s 9 o’clock in the morning. It is as if Peter is

Luck in the Kingdom of God: Barsabbas and Matthias

Sermon | May 16, 2021

So, there they are, Peter and 10 others sitting in Jerusalem waiting for the Holy Spirit to come upon them as Jesus had promised. A few days before they had witnessed the Ascension. There they stood on the top of the Mount of Olives as Jesus materialized into heaven; as his physical being became the

Moral Blindness and Immanuel Kant

Sermon | April 18, 2021

We find ourselves today with Peter and John at Solomon’s portico at the Temple in Jerusalem. They are surrounded by throngs of people who are stunned by their capacity to heal a man crippled from birth. Peter says to the crowd: “This healing was not done in our names, but the name of Jesus… You

Our Collective Calling in Jesus

Sermon | January 3, 2021

I am Kelli Martin, and I have been a parishioner at Epiphany for over 2 years. A group of us at Epiphany were talking recently about today’s Scripture: we talked about how a child getting lost during the time of Jesus’ childhood would not have been alarming at first. Parents wouldn’t go from 0-100 in

Category: Purpose