Category Archives: sermon

Year B Epiphany 2: “the breaking of bread and in the prayers”

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked some about our Baptismal covenant, and as Epiphany continues, I want to dig a little deeper into those promises that we have made, and remade, and renewed. The first seems ideal for … Continue reading →

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The Baptism of Our Lord: profession and practice

Let this be quite clear to us: the killing of innocents anywhere is not a religious act, not by the definition shared by Christians, Muslims, Jews; not by anyone who understands religion as the pursuit of God, the seeking out … Continue reading →

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Hearing Voices

“And it was,” he said, “as though the heavens opened, I swear to God; the clouds at that very moment split apart like the Red Sea rising, and the sun striking through, fell warm and heavy on my back; no, … Continue reading →

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Epiphany: wise gifts

I wonder whether, in the clumsy and hurried packing of a small family with a small child, fleeing for their lives with the essentials and little more, listening over their shoulders for the alarm, the tramp of boots, the metallic … Continue reading →

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Year B Christmas 2: the flight into Egypt and beyond

This is not a story about how special, important, and indispensable Jesus was; that his family out of all the others in Bethlehem was warned to get out of town, so that he alone out of all the little boys … Continue reading →

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Christmas 2014

On Christmas Eve, we talked about miracles and the veil between heaven and earth rent by angel song and the birth of God, the love of God borne into the world by a baby. The next morning, wondering what to … Continue reading →

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Christmas Eve: love you to Bethlehem and back

There is a tradition that the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is a time for miracles. Beatrix Potter, who wrote the Peter Rabbit books, said that, it is in the old story that all the beasts can talk, … Continue reading →

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Year B Advent 4: Annunciation

The archangel had had a busy season. Nothing is heard of him for the greater part of the Bible, but now within six months he has visited Zechariah in the temple to announce the advent of John, who would become … Continue reading →

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Healing the holidays homily 2014 edition: holding out on hope

Six months before the Angel Gabriel to earth came down, as the story goes, he was hanging out in Jerusalem, visiting with Zechariah. Zechariah and Elizabeth were much older than Mary – which is not to say that the young … Continue reading →

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Annunciation and assent

Ave Accustomed to many perplexing forms of greeting from the ridiculous to the ribald, when hailed by the sublime she was only mildly bemused, hardly struck dumb at all. Maria Accustomed to the music of her name on the lips … Continue reading →

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