The Funeral Homily
After more than 20 deaths at St. Mark's in the last year, I decided to share with the wider parish some of things I often say at funerals. This is the Sunday of our annual meeting, so it felt appropriate to sidestep the appointed readings and address the pastoral issue of our collective grief.
I am of Paul
This sermon is about the danger of fundamentalism, but it’s going to take me a few minutes to get there. I need to start like this: something’s going on in the Church in Corinth. We don’t know exactly what because we only have Paul’s side of the story. But we know that within a few years of its founding, fractures have appeared between the church’s members.
The Intention of Giving Thanks
The act of thanksgiving is an important spiritual discipline for our lives of faith.
Intro to Baptism
An intro to baptismal theology, with special attention to the truth that baptism is an affirmation and celebration of a state of being that already exists, marking the moment of our participation in the reality of God's movement in the world.
26-Foot U-Hall
A sermon about emptying ourselves of all the spiritual junk inside us to allow more room for God to fill.
O Magnum Mysterium
A Christmas Eve sermon about the Word becoming flesh and living among us.
Joseph’s Letter
A first person sermon in which Joseph tells his father about changing his mind and discerning the choice between two right decisions.
NIMBY and the Reign of Christ
The Greater New London Clergy Association decided to all preach this Sunday on the housing crisis in southeastern CT. Melding this topic with Reign of Christ Sunday brought me to the NIMBY principle, which often runs counter to the Kingdom of God.
Pretenders
Jesus warns us not to be taken in by those pretending to be him Here s a sermon about how to tell the difference.
The Uncommon Lives of Saints
A sermon about the saints and how their uncommon devotion can inspire us to bear the light of God's presence in our lives.
Intercession
In part four of my Accidental Sermon Series About Prayer, we're talking about intercessory prayer – what is it and why it's important for our lives of faith.
Calling To You
We never initiate a prayer to God. We only respond to God's invitations. Here's a sermon about prayer, using a wonderful scene from C.S. Lewis's The Silver Chair as a backdrop.
See All the Gifts
A framework for thanksgiving, plus an interactive song about giving thanks to God.
Mustard Seed Faith
Faith is not a quantity or a statistic, but the energy that propels our walks with God.
In Whom I Put My Trust
What does it mean to put our trust in God? That's the question we're grappling with in today's sermon.
Your Neighbor’s Cloak
A confusing story from the Gospel opens up a discussion about debt and unjust financial practices.
Gone Astray
I wonder when in your life you have felt the strong arms of the Shepherd lift you out of the pit you have dug for yourself? What pits are you in right now? What about your life has narrowed without your notice? And what would it look like to collapse into the arms of the…