Fasting and Lent

Sermon | February 5, 2023

Lent begins in a little over two weeks. When one hears the word “Lent”, one often associates it with “fasting.” Perhaps you are thinking, as I have in the past, that you’ll give up alcohol, or chocolate, or your daily triple venti mocha with whipped cream for 40 days…and you’re done. But in today’s lesson

We are Beatitude People

Sermon | January 29, 2023

Good morning, Epiphany. It is delightful to have you together at one service. We gather as one body because it’s our annual meeting, and all members are encouraged to be present to vote for the Vestry, and to hear what has happened this past year, and where we are headed. So, thank you for being

Let Us Walk Humbly With Our God

Sermon | January 15, 2023

Let us pray: In the name of the one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. In the passage from Exodus, the Lord said to Moses, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I

Our Story of Water (Why God and Water are Inextricably Linked)

Sermon | January 8, 2023

Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. For me it is a celebration that gives me cause to wonder: Why water? Why do we douse people’s heads with water? Why is water the symbol at the center of our faith; the sign of Baptism, one of the two core sacraments in Christianity? This morning I

Baptism – The Nature of the Soul as a Person’s Identity

Sermon | November 6, 2022

Today is All Saints’ Day, and it is a big day, because today is the day I get to introduce you to Ms. Ira Rose, Mr. Wes Eap, and Mr. Nasir David Mercy. They are the ones we are baptizing. And by this baptism we are saying they belong to this community and that we

Zaccheus and Unblocking our Souls

Sermon | October 30, 2022

Good morning, Epiphany. Today we meet Zacchaeus climbing the Sycamore tree. Some of you have seen that tree with me in Jericho. Very cool, the actual tree. Most of you know this story of Zacchaeus. It goes like this: Zacchaeus was a wee little man And a wee little man was he He climbed up

Stewardship 2022

Sermon | October 16, 2022

Good morning, Christians, Seekers and Friends – I always liked that greeting which The Rev. Ruth Ann Garcia used for all her sermons. It expands a little on Fr. Doyt’s emphasis on making sure people who encounter Epiphany Parish know that “wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you have a place at Epiphany.” This

Annual Appeal: L.O.V.E. (Living Our Values at Epiphany)

Sermon | October 9, 2022

Good morning, Epiphany. Have you seen the L. O. V. E. mural painted on the side of the ocean container in the parking lot? It is becoming iconic in the neighborhood. More than once I’ve seen people posing for photos in front of it. It was even featured in a tick tock video. The message

Reading the Bible

Sermon | October 2, 2022

This is a sermon about how reading the Bible is a way of caring for the soul, which is disheartening, given today’s Gospel. It’s a jumbled mess. Here is what happens: The disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith, and he replies: “Well, if your faith is the size of a mustard seed you can

Category: Spiritual Formation