“Crucify, crucify him.” A good deal of clarity comes with the passion of Christ. In the course of the gospel narratives, there is a certain amount of dramatic tension, with questions unanswered, results yet to be revealed. Reading through the stories of Jesus’ life before tonight, we might have asked: what will the scribes and […]
Sermon Topic: God's Love
In the Meantime
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who is, and who was, and who is to come. Amen. Today’s special Procession takes us all the way through the Advent season, covering all its themes, in a single service. You could call it a Catechism, an Outline […]
Mandate Thursday
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Amen. The Solemn Liturgy of Maundy Thursday presents the drama of Christ’s last night with his disciples before his death. It contains three acts followed by a prelude to Good Friday. The tone of the liturgy suffuses glory into solemn […]
Penitence
In the Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. I’m trying not to take it personally that I’ve been assigned the Sunday when we talk about penitence. But I can’t help but wonder: is it because I’m seen as especially familiar with repentance? Or more pointedly: that I should be especially familiar with […]
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 […]
The Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead
Today we are at the exact middle of our sermon series on the creed: the 8th out of 15 sermons. It seems fitting to pause to acknowledge the gratitude that all of us clergy have for the many positive responses to this series, from choir boys (who do indeed listen to sermons!) and gentlemen of […]
He Descended into Hell
In the Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. “He descended into hell.” We have to proceed with extreme caution when we dare to speak of divine things, and with all the more fear and trembling when we delve into mysteries about things like places of the dead, “that undiscovered country,” as Hamlet […]
The Trinity is our Story
I have something to say to you, in the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I have said before in one of my Sunday classes what I now say here from this pulpit, that if anyone should harbor any doubts about our rector’s sense of humor, that person would need only to consider […]
Love We Can Hardly Bear to See
The juxtaposition of the famous love chapter of the Bible (1 Corinthians 13) and what is known in the world as Valentine’s Day is a preacher’s dream. On top of that, we have the equally fertile juxtaposition in the Prayer Book lectionary today, 1 Corinthians 13 alongside the glowing of the face—Moses’ and Jesus’. Let’s […]
