Matthew 2:1-12 When I was a teenager, I was cast one year as one of the three wise men along with two of my classmates. We had all aged out of being sheep and shepherds and angels, and we weren’t quite old enough yet to play Mary or Joseph or the angel Gabriel, although byContinue reading “For All People”
Tag Archives: christianity
The Doubting Prophet
Matthew 11:2-11 John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb in recognition of the miracle Mary carried. John the Baptist left behind his comfortable birthright for a short life of locusts and wild honey and persecution. John the Baptist was the voice crying out in the wilderness even when his voice grew hoarse and theContinue reading “The Doubting Prophet”
Wake Up!
This sermon was given at St Peter Baptist Church in Clifford, VA, by invitation of their board of deacons. The people of St Mark’s Episcopal Church worship with the people of St Peter four times a year as we have done for over a decade. “You know what time it is, how it is nowContinue reading “Wake Up!”
Happy New Year
Luke 23:33-43 I was reminded by a mentor from my fellowship this week that today is the New Year’s Eve of the church calendar, a threshold between the year behind us and the new year ahead of us. This is the last Sunday of Year C, and next week on Advent 1 we begin theContinue reading “Happy New Year”
Say Yes
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 This sermon references a project by Nikalie Monroe (@nikalie.monroe). Nikalie’s project is controversial, and there are important nuances that are sometimes missing from the conversation when it is happening separately in silos of “church people” and “unchurched people”. I find Anne Helen Petersen’s article for her newsletter Culture Study to be aContinue reading “Say Yes”
What Resurrection Feels Like
Luke 20:27-38 As I return to you from the holy and devastating work of mourning a young person gone too soon, I’m clinging to the promise of the resurrection like a life raft far from shore. I have said before that I have no choice but to believe in the resurrection of the dead, becauseContinue reading “What Resurrection Feels Like”
We are All Saints
This sermon was given on the observance of the feast of All Saints (transferred) and on the occasion of the baptism of an adult. The readings of the day can be found here, but the content of this sermon focuses on the occasion itself. I recently heard a friend and colleague recounting her memory ofContinue reading “We are All Saints”
Let us pray
Luke 17:11-19 I am indebted this week to Mary Karr and Anne Lamott, both of whom have done much to shape my own prayer life. The essay by Mary Karr that is referenced here is “Facing Altars: Poetry and Prayer” found in the journal Poetry. Anne Lamott’s book Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential PrayersContinue reading “Let us pray”
A Life of Getting Ready
Luke 12:32-40 I am always overtaken at this time of year by a deep sense of nostalgia for the back-to-school excitement. I remember fondly the aisles of fresh pencils and bright pens and folders and notebooks in every color under the sun. I loved the feeling of finding the perfect backpack and opening a brand-newContinue reading “A Life of Getting Ready”
An Unwanted Savior
Luke 10:25-37 The parable of the Good Samaritan looms large in the Christian imagination. The role of the “good Samaritan” is embedded in our cultural vernacular and enshrined in our legal codes. College students attend trainings when they arrive on their campuses in which they are encouraged to be a good Samaritan, an active bystanderContinue reading “An Unwanted Savior”
Mother A Writes 