Why do we celebrate the anniversary of the Dedication of a Church? Because, in the words of Bishop Michael Curry, “we are called to become the Beloved Community whose way of life is the way of Jesus and his way of love.” [1] In my weekly message that went out with our newsletter yesterday, I talked […]
Sermon Topic: Annual Appeal
‘The Way of Jesus – the Way of Love.’
From our Old Testament Lesson: David prayed to the Lord, “who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.” Why do we celebrate the anniversary of the Dedication of a Church? Because, […]
We shall rest and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall love and we shall praise, in the end that is no end.
(St. Augustine)
From the Letter to the Hebrews, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Saint Thomas has an international reputation; a year ago, the Mayor of New York issued a proclamation about our Church’s bicentennial; next month, the BBC is going to broadcast not one but two services that […]
Annual Appeal 2024 Sermon for Evensong
In our Strategic Plan of 2019, we shared a vision: To become more Christ-like in everything that we do, making a difference to midtown Manhattan by being a vibrant community of faith where all can feel at home. Our beautiful building and musical tradition help us to reach out as a beacon of hope. Fr. […]
Annual Appeal 2024
In our Strategic Plan of 2019, we shared a vision: To become more Christ-like in everything that we do, making a difference to midtown Manhattan by being a vibrant community of faith where all can feel at home. Our beautiful building and musical tradition help us to reach out as a beacon of hope. If […]
Sermon for Evensong on the Feast of Dedication
May I speak in the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Climbing up into the pulpit, I feel a little bit like Zacchaeus. But although I’m looking out at all of you, both here, and on the livestream, when Zacchaeus climbed the tree, he only had eyes for one person – […]
Sermon for Saint Thomas Feast of Dedication
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN. A little sign. A big and exciting challenge. How many times have you walked up that grand set of steps from Fifth Avenue? Was the first time this morning or was it the 50th time? There’s a small sign […]
Belonging and Trust
An angel appears in a cloud of incense to a man and says to him, “Because you have lived a good and virtuous life, I can offer you a gift: you can be the most handsome man in the world, or you can have infinite wisdom, or you can have limitless wealth.” Reflecting, the man […]
“The good we do lives on in others, and it is one of the most important things that does.”
Words of the late Rabbi Lord Johnathan Sacks who died a couple of weeks ago. He had been Chief Rabbi in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations for 22 years and a source of inspiration for many. “The good we do lives on in others, and it is one of the most important […]
That Time of the Year
It happens like clockwork. Like the dawn chorus of birds singing their hearts out in the mornings in springtime. Like the leaves changing color and drifting down to the ground in the fall. Like the sunset at the end of each and every day. Around this time of the year, sometime between September and November, […]