“If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” The synagogue at the time of Jesus was […]
Sermon Topic: Christian Life
Lenten Road Map
The 20th century radio speaker and author, Earl Nightingale, is reputed to have once said “All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.”
Being Born Again, Again
In the Name of the one, triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Consider Nicodemus. There isn’t a lot to consider. We only hear about him a few times in the New Testament. We know a little bit. He was a Pharisee. In the first century this would have made him a religious leader, […]
A Sign of Contradiction
Last week my son, who is now in his early 20’s suddenly needed to talk to me. “Is it important?” I texted. “Yes!” came the reply. The wonders of Facetime meant that we could talk quickly. “What’s up?” I said (wondering if it was about finances or his relationships). “It’s about walking on water!” he […]
Memorize John 1
Christians observe Epiphany feasts because the manifestation of God’s glory in the person of Jesus Christ commands our attention and adoration in worship. The scriptures we have heard in this observance bear the record that Jesus of Nazareth who is co-eternal with the Father, anticipated by the prophets, born of a Virgin, was revealed to […]
The urgent message of Lent demands immediate action.
Today, we hear in our Gospel reading of the journey of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry and how significant the beginning of that ministry is in Mark’s Gospel. There is an immediacy about Mark’s Gospel – the first to have been written with its, sometimes very rough and ready, Greek and its almost […]
Shiphrah and Puah
The first in a Lenten series of five sermons on Women of Faith
For this series on Women of Faith, I have plunged into Hebrew Scripture – the Old Testament – for the two women who will be our inspiration for today: Shiphrah and Puah. Shiphrah and Puah were midwives to the Hebrew women. I can picture them perfectly as members of the cast of the popular BBC […]
I, too, have to walk the same path.
Yesterday, young people and families, teachers and school communities joined people of all political persuasions and all ages in the March for our Lives, here in New York – one of over 800 marches around the world aimed to raise awareness of the awfulness of gun crime. The Bishops of the Episcopal Church issued a […]
Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Last Christmas Eve my, now, Son-in-Law proposed to my youngest daughter on his knees in an Italian Restaurant around the corner of the Rectory. It was a very special Christmas for us and spent with their newly-born Son, my […]
What to do during Advent
There is an old Anglican practice at ceremonies of Holy Baptism for young children.[1] After going through the customary back and forth—the readings of scriptures, the examination of the sponsors, prayers and the blessing of the water—there is an instruction for the priest to take the child and say to the godparents, “Name this child.” […]
