Sermons

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the
city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often
have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood
under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you!" -Jesus, Luke 13

First Sunday of Lent, 2010.

Luke 4:3.  "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread."      

Luke 4:9.   ""If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here."

Matthew 27:40 "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

Isaiah 53:7.  "As a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."

One of the great joys and wonders of being a priest is the privilege of walking alongside human beings living life as it comes: Life with all its complexities, confusion, and wonder: Life with all its joys and tribulations. Lives full of mistakes and sin, but life reaching out to mean something, to have significance, to have mattered. As human beings we want our lives to mean something, to be cared about, to have value and very often we will look to a life of faith to support our search and our hope.

[Click here for this week's readings.] 

It has been a remarkable week in this community, and I want to tell you about all of the things that have happened. So, last Sunday, in her sermon, June talked about Jesus reading from the scroll of Isaiah in his own synagogue in his own hometown, and then pronouncing himself the Messiah.

Jesus reads, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me

To bring Good News to the battered down,

At St.Thomas' we've been talking a lot about baptism lately.

On the first Sunday of the New Year, during the children's time, Lindon reminded us of our baptismal promises.  He simplified them and listed them one by one,

Will you come to church?

Will you try to be good?

Will you tell people about Jesus?

Will you try to be kind to those around you?

Will you try to make the world a better place? 

I had been looking forward to preaching on one of my most favorite passages in scripture - the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. It has been about twelve years since I had the opportunity to preach on this text and the last time I did so was with about thirty second's notice as a fellow priest became ill. Needless to say it was not my best effort.

Water and fire. These two elements show up over and over again in today’s readings. In Isaiah, with beautiful, beautiful poetry about God rescuing Israel from exile, we hear:

             "And now for something completely different"

This morning's sermon is dedicated to all those who dragged themselves to Church on the Second Sunday after Christmas  but have a hard time saying the Nicene Creed.  "Hang in there, baby.  God feels your pain."     The sermon today is sponsored by Ed and Amanda Riley who bought the right to name the topic at the St. Thomas' Auction last Valentine's day.  They asked me to preach on "Monty Python".

John 1:1-18

N'ap Mache Nan Limye A Bondye

(We Are Marching in the Light of God, Haitian Creole)

            Ba ism al Ab wa al Ibn wa Roho al Kudus, Allah wahed. In nom de Dieu unique, Pere, Fils, et Saint Esprit. In the name of one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Don't you think this is a little bit insane? Just look at us. Jammed like sardines, not able to see probably, hot, noisy, rushed - but here What have you come to see? Why are you here?