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
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, Pentecost 24 (A) – November 15, 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. […]
How Is God Calling Us?, Proper 21 (A) – 2017
In March of 1979, a nonprofit organization by the name of the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network was launched. It is better-known by its acronym: C-SPAN. The organization’s mission is to […]
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!, Easter Day (A) – 2017
We, the faithful in Christ, gather this morning, not just with our friends and families, but also with Christians around the world and across time, joyfully proclaiming what is perhaps […]
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