Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop's Easter Vigil Sermon, Christ Church, Binghamton, NY
What are you most afraid of? What wakes you up in the middle of the night? For some here tonight it’s probably about where the next paycheck will come from. I have one friend who’s just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and another whose son is in jail for statutory rape. For almost all of […]
Easter Message 2010 – Alleluia! Keep practicing that joyful shout. Alleluia!
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. (Isa 9:2; Matt 4:16) The Diocese of Haiti has observed Lent in a very different way this year. When Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin and I spoke just before Ash Wednesday, we talked about how this year would be different. He noted that the people […]
Palm Sunday at Trinity Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska
Bishop Burnett and I gathered with the House of Bishops last week in Texas. We spent most of last Sunday in sabbath rest. One of the recreational offerings was horseback riding. A number of bishops did go for a trail ride – a very sedate ride, with gentle and slow-walking horses and not much excitement. […]
Presiding Bishop renews Episcopal Church commitment and urges reform on 30th Anniversary of Refugee Act
In 1980, the United States Congress passed the Refugee Act, a comprehensive bill answering a national desire to receive persons fleeing persecution in many regions of the world. The Episcopal Church has extended a compassionate welcome to forcibly uprooted persons arriving on our shores since World War II. We have been eager partners in the […]
Go Forth For God – The Presiding Bishop's Sermon for New Jersey Diocesan Convention
The Episcopal Church is growing – in a few places. In the last year, four United States dioceses grew both in average worship attendance and baptized membership: Navajoland, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Alabama. Most of our overseas dioceses are growing numerically. The rest are shrinking, either slightly or precipitously. There are lots of reasons why […]
Presiding Bishop's Sermon for African-American History Month
We’re here tonight to celebrate the contributions of African-Americans, and most often in this context we hear about both well-known and little-known African Americans and their gifts, history, and contributions within the United States. I want to stretch us a bit by thinking about how African-American members of this Church have spread the gospel beyond […]
Presiding Bishop's Sermon for Lexington's Diocesan Convention
What’s your image of the kingdom of heaven? What would the world look like if everything were healed and reconciled? Where would you start? Stop the wars. Cure the disease that’s killing your friend. Make sure that the kids around here grow up with plenty of adults who care about them, and schools that nurture […]
Presiding Bishop's Sermon for Executive Council, All Saints, Omaha, Nebraska
When was the last time you met the devil? Or is that just an ancient metaphor, one that doesn’t really apply to us in the 21st century? The bizarre images we have of the devil, the Halloween costume images with horns and a tail, come from medieval paintings that tried to make sense out of […]
Sermon at St. Paul’s, Charlottesville, VA
What does [profit/prophet] mean to you? What you used to get when you sold your house? Somebody who says the world is going to end on June 23rd, 2025? The forecaster who told us several days ago that all this snow was coming? Those two words that sound alike mean quite different things, but there […]
Presiding Bishop's Sermon at the Investiture of the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston
When was the last time you heard a line like this? “Drive on over here and get a feast for free! Free food and drink, right here! Nothing but the best for you! The banquet’s right here!” Most of us would probably scream “infomercial” and change the channel. And most of us would probably opt […]