Katerina Katsarka Whitley
Katerina Whitley, a native of Thessaloniki, Greece is a long-term writer for these pages. She worked as diocesan editor in the Diocese of East Carolina and as the PR & Communication associate for the then Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief during Bishop Edmond Browning’s tenure. She is the author of seven books in circulation and an active public speaker and performer. She lives in Boone, N.C. where she teaches at Appalachian State University.
Sermons and Bible Studies
Remember His Words, The Great Vigil of Easter (C) – April 19, 2025
[RCL] Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Psalm 114; Romans 6:3-11; Luke 24:1-12 Dive deeper into the journey of Holy Week and Easter with this year’s compilation of sermons. Perfect for congregational use, small groups, or personal reflection, each sermon includes two prompts to spark meaningful discussion and exploration. Access this resource at sermonsthatwork.org. The Great Vigil of […]
Behold, I Am Making All Things New, All Saints’ Day (B), tr. – November 3, 2024
[RCL] Wisdom 3:1-9 or Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44 “Death, be not proud,” John Donne admonishes, and St. Paul cries, “O death where is thy victory, O death where is thy sting?” The poet John Donne had been hit by death repeatedly. His wife died young, as did five of his twelve […]
The Identity of the Slain, Good Friday – March 29, 2024
[RCL] Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42 After listening to the achingly beautiful words of Second Isaiah, to the despair of Psalm 22, and the mournful solemnity of St. John’s remembrance of the saddest night in Jesus’ and his disciples’ lives, we wonder: What more can a sermon add? […]
Glory and Theophany, Last Sunday in Epiphany (A) – 2023
[RCL] Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2 or Psalm 99; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 On this last Sunday of the Epiphany season, we are struck by glimpses of glory emanating from two occasions of theophany found in today’s lectionary. As with the heat and light of the sun, we know its effects, but we can’t get […]
He Has Told You, O Mortal, What Is Good, Epiphany 4 (A) – 2023
[RCL] Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 15; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12 “O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!” Micah’s lament, placed in the mouth of God by the visionary prophet, echoes through the eons of humanity’s infidelity. The question is asked of every generation because we […]
The Man of Sorrows, Palm Sunday (C) – 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 23:1-49 There are times when the enormity of the Passion Story, in all its stark simplicity, pushes us to our knees and breaks our hearts anew. Yes, we do read portions of this drama whenever we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, but hearing it whole, from the somber […]
Hunger for the Word, Lent 1 (C) – 2022
[RCL] Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13 What strikes the reader and listener of the lectionary this morning is the eternal echo of God’s Word in Scripture. We hear it in the phrase “forty days and nights,” a familiar set of numbers found both in the Hebrew Scriptures and here in the […]
Keeping a Sacred Vigil, The Great Vigil of Easter (B) – 2021
RCL: Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Psalm 114; Romans 6:3-11; Mark 16:1-8 Throughout countless centuries, human beings have kept vigil for those they have lost or for causes that demand their awe and respect. From the deepest and most ancient memories of the human race come traditions related to death and dying and rituals that denote an […]
The Most Difficult Path to Follow, Lent 2 (B) – 2021
[RCL] Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:22-30; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38 Imagine the scene. You are one of the group of Galileans who have been singled out to follow the most compelling teacher ever to walk the stony hills of your land. You have been with your beloved leader, the one you call Master or Rabbi, […]
Building Up the Church, Epiphany 4 (B) – 2021
[RCL] Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28 This sermon, written by Katerina Whitley, originally ran January 31, 2015. The gospel, on this fourth Sunday in the season of Epiphany, plunges us into the acts and words of one who speaks with authority. The light of Epiphany shines today on the character of […]
Born to Be King, Christ the King (A) – 2020
[RCL] Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 100; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46 It would be more appropriate to call this gloriously named Sunday “Christ the Shepherd Sunday” rather than Christ the King. The Old Testament lesson certainly gives us that impression, staying with the shepherd metaphor in vivid and dramatic language, focusing on God as the Great […]
Clinging to the Light, The Transfiguration – 2020
[RCL]: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99 or 99:5-9; 2 Peter 1:13-21; Luke 9:28-36 Transfiguration! Metamorphosis. We recognize metamorphosis, the Greek word that means to change shape or to move from having one image to another, because of the process most of us encountered in school—the marvelous metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. The word with […]
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