Amy Richter
The Rev. Dr. Amy Richter is an Episcopal priest, currently living in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. She is the author and editor of several books, including Common Prayer: Reflections on Episcopal Worship and Saving Words: 20 Redemptive Words Worth Rescuing, published by Cascade.
Sermons and Bible Studies
Our Faith Inside the Boat, Proper 14 (A) – 2014
Sometimes today’s gospel lesson is interpreted along the lines of the title of a book by John Ortberg, “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get out of the Boat.” The interpretation goes like this: Peter had the right idea when he got out of the boat, quite literally stepping out in […]
What Audience?, Ash Wednesday – 2014
Today’s gospel text almost comes as a relief: Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them. It’s a relief because we can be fairly reluctant to show signs of piety before others, especially when we’re outside of our worship service. If you want to get strange looks, read your […]
Expecting the Unexpected Messiah, Advent 3 (A) – 2013
What happens when our expectations don’t get met? How about when it’s our expectations about God that don’t get met? A few years ago, Steve Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, voiced his surprise on Twitter when things didn’t turn out the way he hoped during a football game. After Johnson dropped a […]
It Is Finished, Good Friday – 2013
“It is finished.” Many said words like those that day. Pilate pushed himself up from the judgment bench and sighed, “Jesus is finished, another political troublemaker out of the way.” The religious leaders looked at one another and said in hushed tones, “Jesus is finished. No more offense from him.” The soldiers as they turned […]
This One Thing, Proper 11 (C) – 2013
Just when we think we have the formula all worked out, the path to success all laid out, the one easy answer for earning us an A-plus for discipleship, Jesus goes and throws a wrench into the works. Last week we heard the story of the Good Samaritan, where the point was: Go and do. […]
Throwing Off the Cloak, Proper 25 (B) – 2012
“Throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.” In today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark, we may imagine the cloak was given to Bartimaeus by his mother. Giving him the cloak was one thing she could do for her son, for whom she always felt a mix of grief and pity, […]
Speaking With Strangers, Day of Pentecost (B) – 2012
As a child, were you ever warned not to speak to strangers? This warning can be very helpful, and keeping our children safe is so important. Today, though, we hear that Pentecost is about when it is really good to speak with strangers. That first Pentecost happened in the city of Jerusalem, but today’s story […]
What Would We Say?, Christmas Eve – 2011
Part of the wonder of this night is the possibility of the meeting of worlds, the coming together of time. We sing, “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Though we live so long after those events in Bethlehem, tonight we find ourselves at the manger. In our mind’s […]
Today’s Gospel Lesson…, Proper 18 (A) – 2011
Today’s gospel lesson is part of Jesus’ teaching about our life together in community, how it is that we are to live and love within the Christian community, especially when things go wrong. And because we are talking about human beings living in community, we can be fairly sure that things will go wrong. Our […]
It Didn’t Help…, Proper 9 (A) – 2011
“Come to me, all you that are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” It didn’t help that […]
How Blessed Is This Night…, Great Vigil of Easter (A) – 2011
“How blessed is this night, when earth and heaven are joined and we are reconciled to God.” These are the words of the church, sung in the Exsultet with which the Easter Vigil begins. How blessed is this night. This is the night when we tell again the great stories of our faith, ancient words […]
The Church Makes Many…, Epiphany 6 (A) – 2011
The Church makes many claims about God – about who God is and what God does and what God is like. We make big claims, and the biggest of all, the one that is at the core of all our claims is that God is love. Above all else, God is love. We sing songs […]
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