Danáe M. Ashley
The Rev. Danáe Ashley is an Episcopal priest and licensed marriage and family therapist who has ministered with parishes in North Carolina, New York, Minnesota, and the Seattle area and is a therapist at Soul Spa Seattle, LLC (www.soulspaseattle.com). Danáe uses art, music, drama, poetry, and movement in counseling, spiritual direction, and creation of ritual. She has written for Working Preacher, Luther Seminary’s Faith+Lead, Sermons That Work, and other publications, as well as being a contributor to podcasts, books, and producing a play about fertility struggle. Danáe’s favorite pastimes include reading, traveling with her husband, making sure their rescue dog Cooper is living his best life, dancing with wild abandon to Celtic music, and serious karaoke.
Sermons and Bible Studies
Paying the Price of Mercy, Proper 10 (C) – 2025
[RCL] Amos 7:7-17; Psalm 82; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37 There once was a run-down coffee shop in a neighborhood that was known for being dangerous. One day, an Episcopal priest came in to get some coffee on his way to somewhere else. He sat down to wait, busying himself with the paper, not paying attention […]
Returning, Easter 2 (C) – 2025
[RCL] Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 150; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31 This sermon was inspired by the work of theologian Shelly Rambo in her book, “Resurrecting Wounds.” Once upon a time, in a small French alpine village, strange incidences occurred: People who were once dead were alive again. They made their way to their […]
Gym Bros Teach Us About Sabbath, Proper 4 (B) – 2024
[RCL] Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Psalm 81:1-10; 2 Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6 Note: During the 2024 Season after Pentecost, Sermons That Work will use Track 2 readings for sermons and Bible studies. Please consult our archives for many additional Track 1 resources from prior years. In athletic circles, you will often hear of the concept of “recovery […]
Great Affection, Pentecost (B) – 2024
[RCL] Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 Let us pray an invocation of the Holy Spirit by John Henry Newman: Come, O Holy Spirit.Come as Holy Fire and burn in us,come as Holy Wind and cleanse us within,come as Holy Light and lead us in […]
Following the Call, Epiphany 3 (B) – 2024
[RCL] Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:6-14; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20 Let’s begin with a story. Imagine this: There once was a little Scottish girl whose parents died, and she was sent to live with an aunt in England. Now, she didn’t quite fit in—Scottish girl in an English village—but her aunt cared for her, […]
Will You Follow?, 2 Christmas – 2021
[RCL] Jeremiah 31:7-14; Psalm 84 or 84:1-8; Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a; Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 or Luke 2:41-52 or Matthew 2:1-12 There is a traditional Italian story about an old woman named La Befana who was the most renowned housekeeper in her entire village. She would happily spend the day with her broom sweeping the floor, cupboards, and front […]
Extravagant Love, Monday in Holy Week – 2020
[RCL]: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11 Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain, wheat that in dark earth many days has lain; love lives again, that with the dead has been: Love is come again like wheat that springeth green. This is the first verse of hymn 204 in our […]
The Unexpected, Advent 3 (A) – December 15, 2019
[RCL]: Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:4-9 or Canticle 15; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us…” begins our collect for today. This sounds like one thing, but it means something else entirely, doesn’t it? It sounds like God is out at Hogwarts with Harry Potter, stirring […]
Fine Print, Proper 18 (C) – 2019
[RCL]: Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33 Imagine you are scrolling through your favorite social media site or looking at an article and you see an advertisement for a job. It catches your eye with its savvy fonts and colors, so you glance at it and read: Full-time, meaningful work you can […]
Trusting Jesus, Epiphany 5 (C) – 2019
From September of 2003 through April of 2005, the television show Joan of Arcadia introduced viewers to a teenage girl named Joan, but with a twist: Joan’s character is loosely based on the life of the 15th-century saint, Joan of Arc. The overarching plot showed Joan Girardi as a modern 16-year old girl who is […]
Journey Through Grief, Proper 28 (B) – 2018
In a church much like this one, a woman stays behind in the pews after the service. She is sitting at the back, off to the side, so no one notices her as they are tidying things up. Eventually, the priest comes back into the sanctuary to retrieve something and hears her crying. When the […]
Bread, Law, and Spirit, Proper 4 (B) – 2018
“During the bombing raids of World War II, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. The fortunate ones were rescued and placed in refugee camps where they received food and good care. But many of these children who had lost so much could not sleep at night. They feared waking up to find […]
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