An Episcopal Priest's Sermons, Prayers, and Reflections on Life, Becoming Human, and Discovering Our Divinity
Photo by Joseph Chan on Unsplash Do not be alarmed. That’s the first thing I have to say about today’s gospel (Mark 13:1-8). And it’s the same thing Jesus told the disciples. “Do not be alarmed.” Do not be disturbed…
Read More Do Not Be Alarmed – A Sermon On Mark 13:1-8
Today’s gospel, like all apocalyptic literature, takes us to those threshold moments that leave us wondering whether things are falling apart or falling into place. By now most of you know me well enough to know that my answer to that is, “Yes. Yes, they are.” I’m betting every one of you could tell a story about a threshold time in your life. I wonder what that threshold is for you today.
The First Sunday in Advent, Year A - Matthew 24:36-44 Starry Night on the Rhone by Vincent van Gogh: Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons “But about that day and hour no one knows,” Jesus says. I hear those words and can’t…
Read More Advent Possibilites – A Sermon On Matthew 24:36-44
“We didn't do it that way when we were kids.” “This isn't the America I remember. It's not like it used to be.” “The world is a different place these days. It's changed.” “This isn't the church I grew up in. I don't know what happened to that church.” “Back in my day….” “This isn't the life I planned and worked for.” You could add your own version. There's a thousand variations on this theme. They all seem to me to have a common thread or question running through them. Here's the question: What is going on in our world today? What's happening?
One day the great buildings and structures of our life will fall. The very things that we often trust and rely upon to give identity, meaning, purpose, and security will crumble. This is not a prediction of the future or…
Read More When Everything Falls Apart
The collect and readings for the First Sunday in Advent, Year B, may be found here. The following sermon focuses on Mark 13:24-37. “In those days….” So begins our entry into the Season of Advent. It sounds ominous and it…
Read More “In Those Days….” – A Sermon on Mark 13:24-37, Advent 1B
The collect and readings for yesterday may be found here. The appointed gospel is Mark 13:1-8: As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2Then…
Read More Apocalypse – When the Temple Falls
Interrupting the Silence 