An Episcopal Priest's Sermons, Prayers, and Reflections on Life, Becoming Human, and Discovering Our Divinity
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,” Jesus says in today’s gospel (Matthew 4:12-23) How’s that working for you? Who here has repented today? Anyone? No? Okay, well it’s still early, not even lunch time yet. Did anyone…
Read More Rethinking Repentance – A Sermon On Matthew 4:12-23
If you were to imagine your life as whole and complete what would that look like and mean for you today? What qualities or characteristics would describe that kind of life? And what keeps that from happening? What is missing…
Read More Searching For Wholeness And Completeness – A Sermon On Luke 15:1-10
I suspect we’ve all seen before and after pictures; before and after the diet or workout plan, before and after a re-model, before and after a particular event or experience. If you looked at my before St. Philip's pictures you'd…
Read More Changing The Picture of Life – A Sermon On Luke 13:10-17
“By faith Abraham … set out [for a place], not knowing where he was going.” How’s your faith these days? I ask that question because there are events, times, and seasons in each of our lives when everything we thought…
Read More If That’s What Faith Is Like … – A Sermon On Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Photo by Ahna Ziegler on Unsplash Most weeks as I am preparing my sermon at some point I call a retired priest who, for almost thirty years, has been my spiritual director, mentor, and one of my two best friends. We talk about…
Read More Pulling Back The Husks On My Life – An Ash Wednesday Sermon On Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Photo by OC Gonzalez on Unsplash Where to begin? What to say? He was a good man, a crazy friend, a character, an operator, an entrepreneur. He was a story teller, funny, gregarious, outgoing, and mischievous. He was a rancher, a pilot, an…
Read More God Wastes Nothing Of Our Lives – A Funeral Sermon On Romans 8:14-19, 34-35, 37-39
Photo by Alexandros Chatzidimos from Pexels A friend of mine often says, “Sometimes the good news is bad news before it is good news.” That sure fits today’s gospel (Mark 9:38-50). Today’s gospel tells us that the prognosis is good…
Read More Jesus’ Prescription For Healing And Wholeness – A Sermon On Mark 9:38-50
“Come and see” is what Jesus said to the two disciples of John the Baptist who asked him, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” (John 1:35-39) Jesus responds to their question but he does not answer it. Instead of an answer…
“But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about [his teaching], said to them, ‘Does this offend you?’” Let’s start there. Who’s offended by today’s gospel (John 6:56-69)? Raise your hand if you are. Anyone? No one? When was…
Read More When The Gospel Gets Flesh And Blood Real – A Sermon On John 6:56-69
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash Several years ago my mom and dad went to a reunion of some of their military friends. It was a gathering of the old soldiers and their wives. The men had served together in…
Read More Is There Life Within You? – A Sermon On John 6:51-58
Interrupting the Silence 