Tag Archives: Jesus

Year B, Proper 9: Hometown preaching

July7/8th, 2012, St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Elyria, Ohio One summer, my son wanted to buy me a gift. All through our vacation, whenever there was a gift shop or stall, he asked to buy me something, and I kept saying … Continue reading →

Posted in sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Healthcare and healing

It is tempting, as many have observed, to link this Sunday’s readings to this Thursday’s Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Politics from the pulpit are tricky. The need to be prophetic and the need to … Continue reading →

Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon preparation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Year B, Proper 7: “To thine own (God-given) self be true”

St Andrew’s, Elyria, OH; Saturday June 23rd 2012/Sunday June 24th 2012 David and Goliath. It’s one of the stories that we grew up with; one of the dramatic biblical episodes that makes it into all the children’s illustrated Bibles; the … Continue reading →

Posted in sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Year B Proper 6: Through God’s eyes

A Saturday night homily for St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Elyria, OH. Come see us some time! How would you describe Jesus to someone who had no idea who this man was or what he meant to the world? Where would … Continue reading →

Posted in sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

Earlier this week I posted “Unforgivable,” a meditation on how we read and receive the threat of unforgivable sin as presented in this week’s gospel. I shied away from defining the unpardonable; blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. I maintain that … Continue reading →

Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon preparation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(no) Walking on the water

We are frequently offered an image of a Jesus who flouted lesser regulations; a transgressor of boundaries; a rebel. Is the story of the walk across the water an example of this?

Posted in lectionary reflection | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The birthday of the Book of Common Prayer

This is an edited version of a sermon celebrating the anniversary of the first English Book of Common Prayer. The anniversary falls on June 9th, but it “is properly celebrated on a weekday following Pentecost,” (Lesser Feasts and Fasts) and my calendar … Continue reading →

Posted in sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Postponing Pentecost reflections

“How can they be drunk?” asks Peter, in all innocence. “It’s only nine o’clock in the morning!” And every time, I have to smile, or smirk, or weep at his innocence, or naïveté. As in the rest of the gospel … Continue reading →

Posted in holy days, lectionary reflection, sermon preparation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

God’s right-hand wo/men

Or, Eternity: the Sunday Update! Parts of this morning’s sermon for St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Elyria, are already covered in the previous post (TGIF and Eternity), so I won’t repeat those parts here, but here’s where eternity ended up (so … Continue reading →

Posted in sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Diolch, Dillwyn

One day, I ran into the vicar somewhere between the church and the vicarage. I would have been around fifteen or sixteen, I suppose – there’s a lot I don’t remember about that time. Over the past few months (I … Continue reading →

Posted in story | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments