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.
Sermons
We offer a large archive of sermons, as well as a new sermon every week.
Bible Study
Weekly Bible studies produced by our seminarians.
Bulletins
Our weekly inserts provide information about the Episcopal Church.
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Upcoming Sermons
Pearls and Grit, Easter 7 (B) – May 16, 2021
RCL: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19 Everybody knows that oysters sometimes make pearls; that little tidbit has been used to illustrate many a point. But you may have heard that old truth said in a new way a while back, a way that gives it more power. It seems pearls…
After This, Ascension Day (B) – May 13, 2021
RCL: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47 or Psalm 93; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53 “Who are we going to be after this?” Let us imagine the disciples, gazing up into heaven, witnessing yet another miracle, and wondering that exact thing — the same thing that we now wonder about the end of the pandemic. They, like we,…
Abide in Love, Easter 6 (B) – May 9, 2021
RCL: Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I…
How to Love, Easter 5 (B) – May 2, 2021
RCL: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:24-30; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Let us pray: God of mercy and grace, walk with us. As we celebrate the resurrection of your Son, Jesus, heal our hearts, guide our minds, and lead us to a place of restoration. May we seek spiritual renewal, may our hearts and minds serve…
To Be a Sheep, Easter 4 (B) – April 25, 2021
RCL: Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18 Every year, regardless of the lectionary cycle, we are invited to live in a rich, metaphorical world. A world where there are a whole slew of sheep and one, good, sacrificial Shepherd. It can be a funny world to live in, since not many of…
Legacy, Easter 3 (B) – April 18, 2021
RCL: Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. “What legacy do you want to leave behind?” This question is often asked by reporters when interviewing individuals who have played a pivotal role in society. Think of an…
Upcoming Bible Studies
Bible Study: Easter 7 (B) – May 16, 2021
RCL: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19 Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 Where violence seeks to end life, God seeks to bring new life. The invitation in this Easter season is to pay attention to the little buds of new life all around us. They are there, if only we take the time…
Bible Study: Easter 6 (B) – May 9, 2021
RCL: Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17 Acts 10:44-48 This lesson from Acts concludes the story of Peter and Cornelius. Cornelius, a devout centurion living in Caesarea, was bidden by God to find Peter in Joppa. He sends people to find Peter and return. Peter was residing with Simon the tanner. It…
Bible Study: Easter 5 (B) – May 2, 2021
RCL: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:24-30; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Acts 8:26-40 There are two key points to note in this passage from Acts. The first centers on the Ethiopian eunuch. This is a marginalized person; not only is he a stranger on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, but he is also a eunuch,…
Bible Study: Easter 4 (B) – April 25, 2021
RCL: Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18 Acts 4:5-12 This is a dangerous moment for Peter and John, having just been arrested after the healing of the crippled man at the Temple and their teaching about Jesus’ resurrection. Peter’s courage in the face of interrogation before the gathered court is striking; he…
Bible Study: Easter 3 (B) – April 18, 2021
RCL: Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48 Acts 3:12-19 Today’s passage from Acts is a tricky text that has contributed to Christianity’s unfortunate anti-Jewish and antisemitic history of violence. From the crusades to the Holocaust to today’s rise of neo-Nazism, misunderstandings of passages such as this one from Acts have led to…
Bible Study: Easter 2 (B) – April 11, 2021
RCL: Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31 Acts 4:32-35 Several years ago, I was in a church where the preacher decided to conduct an experiment. He told the congregation that he was taking up an offering for those who needed it. And with no other explanation, the offering plates were passed, and…
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