For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.
Lectionary Calendar
Find this Sunday’s readings and more observances of the church year.
Sermons
We offer a large archive of sermons, as well as a new sermon every week.
Bible Studies
Our weekly Bible studies are produced by our very own Episcopalian seminarians.
Bulletin Inserts
Weekly inserts teach about the theology, history, and people of The Episcopal Church.
Upcoming Sermons
Watching, Pentecost 12 (C) – August 28, 2022
[RCL] Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1, 10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 There is watching going on in the gospel lesson today. Jesus was invited to eat at the house of the leader of the Pharisees, and the Pharisees were watching him. Jesus was watching them back and noticed that the guests were scrambling to…
Set Free by the Holy God, Pentecost 11 (C) – August 21, 2022
[RCL] Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 Three mountains stand within our scripture reading—Sinai, Zion, and Calvary—and on these mountains of God, we learn how we can find healing and wholeness. Only Zion is named in the reading, but all three of these mountains overshadow the words in Hebrews. While these are real…
The Cost of True Peace, Pentecost 10 (C) – August 14, 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56 “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth?” Jesus asks and then answers, “No, I tell you, but rather division!” The cost of following Jesus comes into focus as Jesus, the Prince of Peace, says, “From now on five in…
By Faith, Pentecost 9 (C) – August 7, 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40 By faith… by faith… by faith… These words pulse through today’s epistle like a heartbeat, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub. (It also works in Greek, the language the letter was originally written in—a single, two-syllable word we translate “by faith.” It sounds like pist-ay). “By faith our ancestors…
Listen to Him!, Transfiguration – August 6, 2022
[RCL] Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99 or 99:5-9; 2 Peter 1:13-21; Luke 9:28-36 [God] spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them. O Lord our God, you answered them indeed (Psalm 99). Amen. The setting of today’s reading from Luke, the Transfiguration, is visually balanced, the…
Obituary for a Fool, Pentecost 8 (C) – July 31, 2022
[RCL] Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21 Obituaries are about the life, not the death. The death is the occasion, but it’s usually reported in just one sentence, maybe with a detail—a disease, a condition, a struggle, an accident – and an age. We appraise: so young; a long life; so sudden;…
Upcoming Bible Studies
Bible Study: Pentecost 15 (C) – September 18, 2022
[RCL] Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13 Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 Here in the eighth chapter of Jeremiah, we hear directly from God’s voice, as God laments the waywardness of God’s chosen people. Watching as the people of Israel worship idols and turn away from their relationship with the Divine, God cries, “Grief is…
Bible Study: Pentecost 14 (C) – September 11, 2022
[RCL] Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 There is no way to read this passage from Jeremiah and not compare it in some way to all the news that we hear each day from around the globe. It does indeed seem that there is a hot wind blowing…
Bible Study: Pentecost 13 (C) – September 4, 2022
[RCL] Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33 Jeremiah 18:1-11 In this passage, the word potter in Hebrew is yoser. The verbal form of this Hebrew word is also used in the second creation story (Gen 2:7 and 19) referring to God forming humans and forming animals. Jeremiah is using the image of…
Bible Study: Pentecost 12 (C) – August 28, 2022
[RCL] Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1, 10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 Jeremiah 2:4-13 In the second chapter of Jeremiah, God is laying out a case against the people of Jerusalem for straying and turning to other gods. What stands out to me in this passage, however, is how God is upset with them for…
Bible Study: Pentecost 11 (C) – August 21, 2022
[RCL] Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 Jeremiah 1:4-10 HELP WANTED: Seeking prophet in Jerusalem. No previous experience necessary. Children may also apply. There is no pay. You will be required to proclaim things that your audience does not want to hear – mostly things admonishing them to change their bad behavior. It…
Bible Study: Pentecost 10 (C) – August 14, 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80: 1-2, 8-18; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56 Isaiah 5:1-7 Chapter five concludes the introductory section of the Book of Isaiah. While previous chapters have been hopeful, chapter five is one of indictment and judgment. The primary verdict is that God’s people have acted unjustly; they have not acted in accordance with…
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