Susanna E. Metz

Rector, St. John the Baptist Church, Battle Creek, TN, Diocese of East Tennessee (2007—present)
Assistant Professor, School of Theology, Sewanee, TN (2001—present)
Education:
B. Mus. (1972) & B.A., Theology (1980), Immaculata College, Immaculata, PA
M. Ed., Elementary Education, West Chester University, West Chester, PA (1982)
M. Div. (1996) & D. Min. (2003), School of Theology, Sewanee, TN
Ordination:
Deacon, Diocese of East Tennessee (1996)
Priest, Diocese of East Tennessee (1997)
Sermons and Bible Studies
In Yann Martel’s Wonderful Novel…, Lent 2 (B) – 2006
In Yann Martelâs wonderful novel Life of Pi, twelve-year-old Pi decides to explore a number of different religions in his native India. He has a rather remarkable reflection on a conversation he had with a Roman Catholic priest, Father Martin, about the crucifixion. Pi thinks to himself: âThat a god should put up with adversity, […]
We’ve All Heard Little Kids…, Epiphany 2 (B) – 2006
Weâve all heard little kids holler at each other, âYou ainât seen nothing yet.â For a mother, that phrase can be horrifying because it usually means the kids are doing something like hanging upside down on a tree branch they had to climb pretty high to reach in the first place or daring each other […]
We All Know…, Thanksgiving Day (A) – 2005
We all know that Scripture is made up of many different types of literature. But we donât often think of Scripture as good theater. But when you think of itâthereâs lots of opportunity for theatrical presentations in the stories of the Bible. Think back to the times you either participated in a Sunday school or […]
Several Week Ago…, Proper 9 (A) – 2005
Several weeks ago on a gray afternoon in June, tourists in Tewkesbury Abbey in England experienced something rather unusual. A pure, clear, childâs voice floated in the dim light. It reached into every corner, every chapel and chantry. No matter where you were, you could hear it. It seemed to come out of nowhere and […]
The Chapel of the Cross Is Built…, Good Friday – 2005
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built high into the side of a remote Arizona mountain. A pilgrim facing the chapel from the valley floor immediately sees the tall, narrow stone cross that literally is the building’s structural foundation. The rest of the façade is glass, giving the pilgrim who enters the chapel a […]
The Chapel of the Cross Is Built…, Good Friday – 2005
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built high into the side of a remote Arizona mountain. A pilgrim facing the chapel from the valley floor immediately sees the tall, narrow stone cross that literally is the building’s structural foundation. The rest of the façade is glass, giving the pilgrim who enters the chapel a […]
The Chapel of the Cross Is Built…, Good Friday – 2005
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built high into the side of a remote Arizona mountain. A pilgrim facing the chapel from the valley floor immediately sees the tall, narrow stone cross that literally is the building’s structural foundation. The rest of the façade is glass, giving the pilgrim who enters the chapel a […]
The Chapel of the Cross Is Built…, Good Friday – 2005
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built high into the side of a remote Arizona mountain. A pilgrim facing the chapel from the valley floor immediately sees the tall, narrow stone cross that literally is the building’s structural foundation. The rest of the façade is glass, giving the pilgrim who enters the chapel a […]
The Chapel of the Cross Is Built…, Good Friday – 2005
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built high into the side of a remote Arizona mountain. A pilgrim facing the chapel from the valley floor immediately sees the tall, narrow stone cross that literally is the building’s structural foundation. The rest of the façade is glass, giving the pilgrim who enters the chapel a […]
Take off Your Shoes, Maundy Thursday – 2005
Take off your shoes! Takeâoffâyourâshoes. No, not literallyâfiguratively. But think about what that would look like in this placeâin this holy space we worship in. All those feetâour feet. Many of us would feel oddâall dressed up, but without shoes. Others might feel freed. Little children, for example, love to take off their shoes and […]
The Reading for Today…, Lent 1 (A) – 2005
The reading for today from Matthewâs Gospel is an odd bit of Scripture, isnât it? This particular passage is full of images. Theyâre very vivid images, so vivid that we almost canât help but imagine the scene of Jesusâ conversation with the tempter. If we have very lively imaginations, we might feel the heat of […]
After Jesus Had Washed…, Good Friday – 2002
After Jesus had washed the feet of all the disciples, then Jesus turned their attention back to the table. He took bread and wine into his hands, blessed them, and shared them with these, his closest friends. “Do this in remembrance of me,” he said. We can imagine the disciples beginning to look questioningly at […]
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