Sermons

Trinity Sunday Celebrates…, Trinity Sunday (C) – 2001

Trinity Sunday celebrates the union for all time of God and God’s people. It is the day when the fullness of God’s presence in all aspects of the life of God’s people is recognized and lifted up. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Christianity, the relationship is expressed very simply and directly–like a neatly wrapped…

Read More Trinity Sunday Celebrates…, Trinity Sunday (C) – 2001
One Traditional Analogy…, Day of Pentecost (C) – 2001

One traditional analogy for worship in the Episcopal Church is that of a symphony orchestra. The members of the congregation are the players in the orchestra, with many different instruments represented among them. The score is the Prayer Book, and the conductor is the celebrant or officiant, who leads and helps tie everything together. And…

Read More One Traditional Analogy…, Day of Pentecost (C) – 2001
Pray Without Ceasing, Easter 7 (C) – 2001

Saint Paul calls us to be those people who pray without ceasing. The world is a scary place. All three of the lessons we have chosen to read today attest to that fact! In the first lesson (Samuel), the people realize that they have gone against God’s will by asking for a king. But everyone…

Read More Pray Without Ceasing, Easter 7 (C) – 2001
During These Great 50 Days…, Easter 6 (C) – 2001

During these Great 50 Days of Easter we reflect on what it means to be people who live their lives shaped and formed by the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Collect for the day calls us to love Jesus so fully that we might obtain his promises to us, which will…

Read More During These Great 50 Days…, Easter 6 (C) – 2001
Obtaining God’s Promises Through Our Love, Easter 6 (C) – 2001

The Book of Acts tells the story of the cripple from Lystra, a man crippled at birth. Most of society ignored him — he was a beggar, after all. He would sit all day in his invisibility and watch people pass by. But there was one who truly saw him. The Apostle Paul recognized him…

Read More Obtaining God’s Promises Through Our Love, Easter 6 (C) – 2001
Love You Forever Begins…, Easter 5 (C) – 2001

[The first part of this sermon talks about Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch, a celebrated author of children’s books. This is one of those books that appeals to adults as well as children. If the preacher has this book available, it might be helpful to read it (it is short) before going on to…

Read More Love You Forever Begins…, Easter 5 (C) – 2001
This Is the Fourth…, Easter 4 (C) – 2001

This is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the middle Sunday of the season. And, on this middle Sunday, we find the Gospel reading asking what sounds like a rather curious question for this time in the church year. Consider where we are in the year as we observe it in our church rituals and emphases….

Read More This Is the Fourth…, Easter 4 (C) – 2001
In Our Collect…, Easter 3 (C) – 2001

In our Collect for this Third Sunday of Easter, we read, “Open the eyes of our faith that we may behold him in all his redeeming work.” This is what is happening in today’s Gospel. Peter and a group of other disciples once again have an experience of the resurrected Jesus. Once again the eyes…

Read More In Our Collect…, Easter 3 (C) – 2001
The Holy Spirit Guides Disciples Both Old and New, Easter 2 (C) – 2001

John tells us of a very special meeting between Jesus and ten of his disciples. Let’s go back for a few days so we can better understand what John has to tell us. Jesus and his twelve disciples had gathered for, what we think was the Passover meal, on Thursday (Maundy Thursday) in fellowship –…

Read More The Holy Spirit Guides Disciples Both Old and New, Easter 2 (C) – 2001
God Shows No Partiality, Easter Day (C) – 2001

On this Easter Sunday, it is a good thing to turn to that rather neglected book in the canon, the Acts of the Apostles. It is full of wonderful stories, intimate and touching stories of a great variety of people. St. Peter dominates the first part of the book and St. Paul the second half….

Read More God Shows No Partiality, Easter Day (C) – 2001
Darkness Has Fallen on the Earth…, Great Vigil of Easter (C) – 2001

Darkness has fallen on the earth. Jesus, the healer, the teacher, the one proclaimed “God’s beloved Son” is dead. His followers have run away. Courageous women watch from the distance and know that all hope has been extinguished. From now on they will be living only with the memory of his love and his words….

Read More Darkness Has Fallen on the Earth…, Great Vigil of Easter (C) – 2001
But He Was Wounded…, Good Friday – 2001

But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole. It’s pretty lofty, this writing from Isaiah. So, too, is the long discussion of sacrifice from the letter to the Hebrews that we read every Good Friday. By reading these passages we are encouraged to believe…

Read More But He Was Wounded…, Good Friday – 2001