This sermon was delivered for the Feast of the Holy Name, Jan. 1, 2020, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Enid, Oklahoma. Today we remember the Feast of The Holy Name, known in other traditions as the Feast of the Circumcision. This feast day recalls the bris for Jesus – the traditional Jewish ceremony in which … Continue reading The Holy Name that Saves
Jesus
Good Friday calls us to walk in love, humility, sacrifice
In a society that increasingly calls us to worldly power, to the temptations of empire and enterprise, today — Good Friday — calls us back to The Way, to the path of humility, peace and self-sacrificial love. We know today as the day of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. But, it also is the capstone of Christ’s … Continue reading Good Friday calls us to walk in love, humility, sacrifice
Which wolf will you feed?
This sermon was delivered at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Enid, Okla., Sunday, July 29, 2018. In reading this week’s lessons my mind was drawn back to a parable – not a biblical parable, but one I think is relevant nonetheless. It’s often, possibly incorrectly, attributed as a Native American story, commonly known as the … Continue reading Which wolf will you feed?
A prayer for oneness
All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be … Continue reading A prayer for oneness
Asking in the name of salvation
Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. John 16:20, 23b Jesus has just told the disciples he'll … Continue reading Asking in the name of salvation
Align off the true cornerstone
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Psalm 118:22-24 When a mason constructs a foundation, the first and most important stone is the cornerstone. The placement, elevation and orientation of this stone … Continue reading Align off the true cornerstone
Two thoughts…
Two thoughts and a prayer for today: 1. Jesus was an Arab, a Palestinian and a Jew. 2. If we're to follow Christ we must love our neighbor as God loves us; we must see Christ in all people; we must see the infinite worth of every human life as the image of God. Prayer: … Continue reading Two thoughts…
Ascension: bringing the Incarnation full-circle
Thursday was Ascension Day, one of the most important and yet least celebrated events in the broader Church calendar. We’ve just had Easter — the celebration of our Lord’s bodily Resurrection. The grave and sin were conquered. Then, we had 40 days to walk with the risen Lord through the Easter season, until the Gospel … Continue reading Ascension: bringing the Incarnation full-circle
Finding our identity in Christ
This post originally was delivered as a sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Enid, Okla., Sunday, 15 April, 2018. Readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary Year B. Mr. Ralph Alsman, of Brookville, Ind., was by most standards an unremarkable man. The 25 year-old man led a fairly normal … Continue reading Finding our identity in Christ
Stephen Ministry: Expanding the church’s reach
ENID, Okla. — “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” That verse, Galatians 6:2, describes the Stephen Ministries mission to organize and train lay ministers to “provide one-to-one Christian care to hurting people in and around the congregation,” the group’s website states. Stephen Ministries is a group … Continue reading Stephen Ministry: Expanding the church’s reach
Focusing on our common bonds in Christ
Christians have worked for 500 years to break up and diminish the Body of Christ. From the wars of Reformation and Counter-Reformation to centuries of hatred, persecution and misunderstanding between our various (and many) denominations, Christianity over the last half-millennium has struggled to be a cohesive faith with a unified message. We’ve made great strides … Continue reading Focusing on our common bonds in Christ
Our call, beyond the tomb
He is risen. Those three simple words tell us the meaning of Easter. Christ was crucified. Christ is risen. After suffering death on the cross and descending to the dead, Jesus conquered death, rose again and forever opened the door for us to follow him out of the grave. The first evangelism of Christ’s resurrection … Continue reading Our call, beyond the tomb
Co-opting Christ
The role of religion in American politics is nothing new, nor is its history confined to one party. Clergy have played active roles in numerous political movements of the “left,” perhaps most famously in the Civil Rights movement championed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And, there have been no shortage of outlets … Continue reading Co-opting Christ
Good Friday: A time to walk with Christ
The day has come. Good Friday. The day our Lord was crucified. We tend to skip quickly over this part of the story, because we know the end of the story. And that end is beautiful. We rush to see the empty tomb, and to revel in Easter. That is wonderful. But, we’re not there … Continue reading Good Friday: A time to walk with Christ
Searching our hearts for Jonah
Wednesday in the First Week of Lent "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" Jonah’s warning to the Ninevites – after his unsuccessful attempt to run from God, and his three-day encounter with a rather large fish – rings as true to us today as it did some 2,800 years ago. There’s some obvious … Continue reading Searching our hearts for Jonah
