Through the Aisles…, Proper 14 (B) – 2003
Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from […]
The Spirit: That We Might Live No Longer For Ourselves, Easter 5 (B) – 2003
Consider a nurseryman. He propagates and raises ground covers. His hands work steadily, day in and day out, creating and co-creating new life for the world. He sits at a bench to do his work. In the still, humid heat of the summer he puts his bench out of doors in a particular spot where, […]
IN THE SHADOW OF WAR
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We, your bishops, write to you in perilous times. We do not know what the next days will bring. War and the threat of war make many afraid for the welfare of all that they love, and all those whom they hold dear. Such fear gnaws at the edges […]
In The Shadow of War: A Pastoral Letter
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We, your bishops, write to you in perilous times. We do not know what the next days will bring. War and the threat of war make many afraid for the welfare of all that they love, and all those whom they hold dear. Such fear gnaws at the edges […]
A sermon from the National Cathedral on the 5th Anniversary of the Presiding Bishop's Investiture
Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold Presiding Bishop and Primate The Episcopal Church, USA January 12, 2003 Five years ago, on the morning of January 10, 1998, I stood in this pulpit. It was a Saturday, and the day before we observed â as we do this […]
In the Campaigns Waged…, Proper 21 (A) – 2002
Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! [Ezekiel 18:31 – NRSV] In the campaigns waged around the Bible, and its role, or lack of it, in the public schools, one of the laments is often that we have forgotten […]
A Commemoration of September 11, Various Occasions – 2002
[Note to the reader: This sermon is designed to accompany a service of remembrance. It could follow the reading of the Great Litany from the Book of Common Prayer, or the Gospel lesson.] Suggested Proper for Peace, lessons on page 930, Book of Common Prayer Collect: Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the […]
Paul’s Twelfth Chapter…, Proper 17 (A) – 2002
Paul’s twelfth chapter in the letter to the church in Rome and the sixteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, both seek to open to us the mysteries of a life lived with God. Herein lies the heart of the good news. Characteristically, it is good news that sounds like bad news before we find a way […]
There Was Once a Time…, Proper 9 (A) – 2002
There was once a time when any of us going to a service of Holy Communion in an Episcopal Church might hear some of Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel. “Come to me all who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Or, in a slightly older form of the English […]
What An Exciting Thing It Is…, Trinity Sunday (A) – 2002
Trinity Sunday — what an amazing thing it is to celebrate a doctrine of the church with its own Sunday in the church year! There are designated Sundays for a couple of Christianity’s central doctrines — the Incarnation and the Resurrection — but these are directly related to the life of Jesus. The doctrine of […]
Listen with Our Hearts, Palm Sunday (A) – 2002
[A note: The Prayer Book rubrics (BCP, p. 273) say that if the Liturgy of the Palms precedes the service, the Creed and Confession “may be omitted at this service.” One effective way of approaching this liturgy might be to preach before the reading of The Passion on Palm Sunday-first of all, as a way […]
Some Years Ago…, Epiphany 3 (A) – 2002
Some years ago, on an Indian reservation, there lived a man named White Plume, who was a deacon in the Episcopal Church. He was called to this “special ministry of servanthood” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 543) sometime during the early 1900’s and he remained a perpetual deacon. His ministry was spent serving his people […]
A Witness for the Lamb of God, Epiphany 2 (A) – 2002
Last Sunday we commemorated the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We heard from St. Matthew’s Gospel how John the Baptist saw God’s Spirit alight upon Jesus, and a voice from heaven identify him as “my Son, the Beloved.” Today our lesson comes from the Gospel of St. John and the scenario of Christ’s baptism […]
The Stewardship of God’s Grace, Feast of the Epiphany – 2002
Like Isaiah before us, we have been visited with visions of darkness covering the earth, and thick darkness covering the peoples. We have seen the darkness that pervades what we now call Ground Zero. We have seen the smoldering darkness at the Pentagon. We have looked into a crater of darkness in Pennsylvania. We have […]
Increase Our Faith…, Proper 22 (C) – 2001
“Increase our faith!” the disciples say to Jesus in this morning’s Gospel. Jesus replies with the parable of the mustard seed (Luke 17:6). A little faith can have a huge impact. These are encouraging words to people in small congregations, small religious communities around the world, because small numbers of faithful people can make a […]
This Is the Time of Year…, Proper 20 (C) – 2001
This is the time of the year when congregations begin to think about the annual stewardship Sunday, or, as one colleague calls it, “The Fall Begathon!” In most congregations, this season is dreaded by the leadership-but someone has to do it. If everything goes well, the budget is met by pledges and promises, and if […]
A Sure Foundation
September 1st, 2001 The baptismal covenant grounds us in faith before sending us out. During August, Phoebe and I enjoyed several weeks in New Hampshire, where most of my childhood summers were spent visiting my grandmother. Some years ago we bought a small house of our own, which sustains and refreshes us as a point […]
We’ve All Probably Heard…, Proper 12 (C) – 2001
“What’s in a name?” We’ve all probably heard that phrase used many times. Or maybe we’ve heard, “Who’s your family?” In other words, where do you come from and who do you belong to? In the city of Philadelphia, if you ask Roman Catholics where they’re from, 90% of the time the answer you get […]
On Baptism
May 1st, 2001 On January 1, 1938 I was baptized in a private ceremony in my grandmother’s house by the then Rector of All Saints Church, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The date was chosen, not because it was the feast of what was called the Circumcision, now known more discreetly as the Holy Name, but because it […]
In Today’s Reading…, Palm Sunday (C) – 2001
In today’s reading from Isaiah, God is called Lord and Savior, “to whom every knee shall bow” (Isaiah 45:23). In the Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul applies these attributes to Jesus. The Passion story from St. Luke affirms both the saving power of Jesus and his Kingship, his Lordship over all. What does it […]