Marshall A. Jolly
The Rev. Dr. Marshall Jolly is the 26th Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Morganton, North Carolina (Diocese of Western North Carolina). In the wider church and community, he serves in a variety of leadership roles on various and sundry boards, commissions, committees, foundations, and task forces. He is currently diving into the 1,000+ pages of Blue Book reports in preparation for his work as a deputy to the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church. Marshall and his wife Elizabeth make their home in the Rectory, where they strive to meet every whim and desire of their two-year-old Himalayan cat, Hambrick.
Sermons and Bible Studies
Questions and Answers, Proper 21 (A) – 2023
[RCL] Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32 Someone with a lot of time on their hands once estimated that during his ministry, Jesus asked 307 questions, was […]
Followers, Transfiguration (A) – 2023
[RCL] Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99 or 99:5-9; 2 Peter 1:13-21; Luke 9:28-36 Many a faithful summer church attendee might be surprised to arrive to worship today, supposing that the green […]
Apocalypse!, Proper 28 (C) – 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 65:17-25; Canticle 9; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19 In just a couple of weeks, we will send the Gospel of Luke to the barn and saddle up the […]
Walking Toward the Cross, Lent 5 (C) – 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8 Despite the run-of-the-mill way that John narrates this dinner party with Jesus, there is a kind of shocking absurdity to it […]
Fear, Lent 4 (B) – 2021
[RCL] Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 There is no more familiar passage in all of Scripture than John 3:16. It has been emblazoned on billboards and […]
Beginnings, Epiphany 1 (B) – 2021
[RCL] Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11 Each of the four Gospels begins in their own unique manner. Matthew, for example, embarks from the very first verse on […]
Truth and Lies, Proper 28 (A) – 2020
[RCL] Zephaniah 1:7,12-18; Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30 It may be that the most important and consequential question ever uttered in the history of humanity was […]
Nicodemus, Lent 2 (A) – March 8, 2020
[RCL]: Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17 There is a trend among preachers, particularly lectionary preachers, to try and find that elusive “fresh perspective” or “new insight” […]
Shrewdness, Proper 20 (C) – 2019
[RCL]: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13 Every now and then, we come upon a passage of Scripture that is especially challenging to preach on. Sometimes, the […]
Suffering and Punishment, Lent 3 (C) – 2019
Odds are that a quick scan of the commentaries and preaching resources written on Luke, chapter 13, would produce a common refrain: “Be careful with this passage!” The warning is […]
Where Are You?, Proper 5 (B) – 2018
It’s a familiar scene: parents and grandparents lingering in conversation on the steps of the parish hall after coffee hour, as their children and grandchildren make the most of the […]
More Than Fixing, Lent 2 (B) – 2018
Blessed Saint Peter: author of Scripture, first Pope, chief Apostle, teacher and defender of the faith, pillar of the Early Church, purported benefactor of the Gospel of Mark, and martyr. […]
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