A man arrived at the pearly gates and was greeted by St. Peter. St. Peter began giving the man a tour of heaven, and the man was amazed by all the spectacular mansions. They passed one exquisite palace after another, each more magnificent than the last, all with beautiful lawns and gardens. Finally, they arrived […]
Sermon Topic: God the Son
Let the Freedom Ring
I am honored to preach on this Sunday dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. I was born and raised in Korea and came to the United States in my thirties. All my education and early work experience were in Korea, a country that takes pride in its ethnic homogeneity. While Korea has […]
‘Building the Bonds of Attachment’
When our children were very young, before they went to bed on Christmas Eve, they would put out some traditional treats for Santa by the fireplace – a glass of sherry and a mince pie, and a carrot for the reindeer – just as I had done back in the 1960s. Then, during the night […]
A Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, 2023
A wealthy man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by Saint Peter who led him down the streets of gold. They passed mansion after mansion until they came to the very end of the street. Saint Peter stopped the rich man in front of a little shack. “This belongs […]
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us.
Last Sunday, Father Spencer spoke movingly and poignantly about the struggle that he, and many of us, have experienced during this period of lockdown, and how it simply doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. A few days later, preaching at the Saturday monthly requiem, Fr. Spencer with that same honesty, shared how as […]
A Lonely Place
It’s officially been 2020 for 15 years now. Or it feels that way anyway. And friends, I don’t know about you but I’m not doing so well in this pandemic. I can pretend, I can put on a good face. But I’m not at one hundred percent. The isolation from friends and family, the distance […]
Gardening Without Weeding
What does it take for the works God to take root and grow? Is it seeing God appear right in front of you? Is it hearing the very words of God from on high? Is it getting knocked off your horse and blinded by shock and pain? This question occupied Jesus’ teaching in a lot […]
Jesus Wept
At the beginning of her recent book, ‘Late Migrations – A natural history of love and loss,’ Margaret Renkl reflects on the death of her maternal grandmother and how her grandfather passed away just a month later. She uses this most beautiful phrase, “the shadow side of love is always loss, and grief is only […]
Meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ
The First Word The Reverend Joel C. Daniels ”Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It is a common practice in many Christian communities to gather on Good Friday and hear and reflect on the last seven words of Christ as they are recorded in the Gospels. From that most terrible but […]
Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Dead, and Buried
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen. This is the sixth sermon in our series on the Apostles’ Creed, as we take it phrase by phrase. The Apostles’ Creed, which is the creed of Holy Baptism in Western Christianity, is used at Morning and Evening Prayer […]
