February 10, 2012, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching
And here is the revelation. It is what Paul is so excited about; it is what he now knows for certain– that we can never fall out of relationship with Christ. It is a lesson that he and we may have to learn over and over again throughout life. It is true, we never fall out with Christ.
February 10, 2013, The Rev Kate Wesch preaching
Today, evensong, or “evening song,” is said or sung daily at many cathedrals. Essentially, it thanks God for the day just past and asks God’s protection during the coming night. It is a quiet, reflective set of prayers, songs, and psalms, asking the worshiper to be still in spirit. In its full expression, the choir sings much of the service on behalf of the congregation.
February 3, 2013, The Rev Kate Wesch preaching.
Simeon and Anna have a lot of wisdom and they can teach us. I know their lives couldn’t have been simple or easy and yet, there they were day in and day out, praying and waiting. A little head cold comes along, a little adversity, trials, and stress, and I fall apart. As author Lauren Winner puts it and I agree, “I wish I had the eyes and faith that Simeon had, the eyes and faith to recognize God’s redemption in unlikely bodies. I wish I had the eyes to see God’s redeeming work in the world around me, and the faith to proclaim it. How can I become a person who can recognize God’s unfolding redemption, and respond with Simeon’s words?”
January 27, 2013, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching
What I’d like to do now is share some kingdom of God patterns that I have seen emerge at Epiphany over the past few years and reflect on how these patterns give us a road map for how church is meant to work. The three examples I’m going to give mirror the three words we used to frame our parish conversations: worship, formation and community.
January 20, 2013 The Rev Kate Wesch preaching
It was late and we were both tired, but I knew we might be there for hours, so on the way out the door I grabbed a book. I was reading Anne Lamott’s new book, a slim volume, called, “Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers.” In her typical style of lengthy run-on sentences filled with self-deprecating humor, raw honest emotion, and startling insight, Lamott focuses in on these three repeating themes of prayer: Help, Thanks, Wow.
January 13, 2013, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching
And the voice of the Lord breaks forth from the heaven and comes down in the form of a dove and lands on Jesus in the river Jordan. And these words are heard from the voice of God, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” As the voice of the Lord alights on Jesus as he comes up out of the water and enters into prayer, it makes me wonder about the baptism of our Lord, how he got there and what it means to us.
January 6, 2013, The Rev Doyt Conn preaching
We had a “name it and claim it” Christmas this year. I wanted a watch. I named it and low in behold, Christmas morning I claimed it. Kristin wanted a stethoscope. She named it and claimed it Christmas day. Margaret wanted an iPhone. She was more careful and circumspect, but she named it and claimed it. And Desmond was less circumspect. He wanted an iTouch, and he named it, and he named it again. And you guessed it, he claimed it Christmas morning.
December 25, 2012 The Rev Doyt Conn preaching
Merry Christmas. It seems we are the group that got up and got our presents opened this morning and now are ready for church. This is a nice service; small and quiet, as we gather here to consider the child born in the manger who changed our world
December 24, 2012 The Rev Kate Wesch preaching
Merry Christmas! Tonight, at this darkest time of year, we pierce the night with millions of pinpoints of light – with candles in church and on table where families gather, with light on our Christmas trees and front porches, and lawns lit up in colorful array. We wrap ourselves in the darkness like a blanket and gaze steadily out at the light on the horizon, knowing that spring must come. Christmas is about that hope, the longing for light.