John 18:33-37 This day is a peculiar one in the church calendar. Depending on who you ask, this day is Proper 29, or the 27th Sunday after Pentecost, or Christ the King, or Reign of Christ Sunday. Technically, Christ the King is not a major feast in the Episcopal Church. It is not listed inContinue reading “The Truth Reigns”
Tag Archives: faith
Death Made Beautiful
Luke 24:36b-48 One of my favorite Easter traditions from my childhood was the flowering of the cross. On Easter Sunday, all the children were given flowers in a beautiful rainbow of colors, and at the start of the service we processed with our flowers toward a cross that had been riddled with holes. One byContinue reading “Death Made Beautiful”
Crying in Church
1 Samuel 1:4-20 & 1 Samuel 2:1-10 As you may have noticed, I am not a particularly stoic person. When we sing a particular hymn, or read the words of a particular psalm, or even at times when I am preaching or teaching or sitting with folks going through something hard, tears come to myContinue reading “Crying in Church”
Faith at the Margins
Mark 12:38-44 As a person who walks around wearing long robes and prays long prayers in public on a regular basis, I find myself thinking often of this teaching of Jesus. I do like my long robes most of the time, and I appreciate being greeted with respect, and I do think I have oneContinue reading “Faith at the Margins”
Happy Are We
Psalm 146 To view a recording of this sermon, click here “Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, for there is no help in them. When they breathe their last, they return to earth, and in that day their thoughts perish.” For generations, the people of God have prayed thisContinue reading “Happy Are We”
Serve Boldly
Mark 10:35-45 Right on the heels of the rich young man’s challenge to let go of all the possessions and privileges that have shaped his life, we encounter two more young men about to learn a hard lesson from Jesus. When picturing the scene, I find it helpful to remember that many of Jesus’s disciplesContinue reading “Serve Boldly”
Freedom in Christ is Free
Mark 10:17-31 “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The person who asks this question is known as the rich young man, or the rich young ruler. He has the sociocultural trifecta- wealth, youth, and status. He has many possessions, Mark tells us. He also seems to have a fourth important factor-Continue reading “Freedom in Christ is Free”
Welcoming the Child
Mark 9:30-37 One of the best sermons I’ve ever heard preached came from the mouth of a 3 year old. It was in seminary, in the school chapel, on a Thursday night. Normally, that chapel was a pretty intense and intimidating place. It was where we learned to do the dance of liturgy to theContinue reading “Welcoming the Child”
Who will save us?
Mark 8:27-38 Who do people say that Jesus is? A savior, a prophet, a healer, a friend, a sacrificial lamb, a judge, a Messiah, a wisdom teacher, a radical, a revolutionary, a Palestinian Jew, the Son of God, just a really good dude with some good ideas—the list goes on. I’ve even heard questionably earnestContinue reading “Who will save us?”
Being Human, and Being Better at it
Mark 7:24-37 The reality of the incarnation is one of the greatest scandals of history. Not the fact that God came to earth, plenty of deities have done that in mythology from all over the world. Not the fact that a human woman gave birth to a somehow more-than-human child, since of course the mythsContinue reading “Being Human, and Being Better at it”
Mother A Writes 