Is it About Love?

Sermon | April 3, 2022

In today’s Gospel, Mary is chastised for wasting expensive perfume when the proceeds from selling it could have been used instead to help the poor. It is probably a familiar passage, or at least it is to me, and one that always puzzled me. The question with which Mary is berated—why not sell it and

Only God Can Save the World

Sermon | March 27, 2022

Let me be a little Lenten apocalyptic today; I say with a smile…. Because I love you. Our guide in the Holy Land, Iyad, always said that to us… “Remember, I love you,” and then he’d take us up a hill or something. Love is the theme of the sermon, incidentally. We’ll get to that

Love is in Control

Sermon | March 20, 2022

Good morning. My name is Susan Pitchford, and I work on adult faith formation here at Epiphany. This morning I want to talk about control. Control, and how little of it we actually have. “Was he a smoker?” “Had she been drinking?” “What were they doing out at that hour?” Those are the kinds of

The Importance of Context

Sermon | January 2, 2022

There is no shortage of darkness in the news: natural disasters, the pandemic, crime, homelessness. In many ways, this is nothing new. There are many dark things in the Bible – the flood, the plagues of Egypt, the suffering and death of Christ upon the Cross. But at Christmastime, we are surrounded by expressions of

Face Your Life With Facts of Love

Sermon | November 28, 2021

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. For us Christians, it’s the start of our New Year, the start of the liturgical calendar. We Christians are taught that during Advent we anticipate the birth of Jesus. And we anticipate Jesus’ return. Advent is all about joy. Quietly anticipating the joy of Jesus. The joy that

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:

What is Ruth All About?

Sermon | October 31, 2021

We heard, in today’s Old Testament lesson, the beginning of the Book of Ruth. The scene was set, the characters were introduced; the three women in the story lost their husbands; Naomi pleaded with her two daughters-in-law to stay in Moab and find themselves new husbands in their own country while she returned to the

Battle for Christianity – Annual Appeal

Sermon | October 3, 2021

I am so glad to be here with you today. I just returned from a board meeting for the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes in Atlanta, and then flew to Essex Connecticut where I preached at Kate Wesch’s installation as Rector at Saint John’s Church. Incidentally, Kate is doing very well, as is her family,

Peanut Butter and Jesus

Sermon | September 26, 2021

Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends! Good to see you this morning! And thanks so much for joining us in worship whether you are here in the Church or watching us online! Now I know it is rather early to talk about this – especially on a Sunday before brunch, but I am going to

Category: Relationship is Primary