Church of the MediatorMarch 27, 2022 – Lent IV This is Laetare Sunday – it comes from the Introit, or entrance, of the Latin Mass which invites us to rejoice. “Rejoice O Jerusalem.” This mid-point in our Lenten observance invites us to step back, take a deep breath and relax for a moment – the most difficult days […]
Troubled Times (From 2022) Happy Easter! This is the Sunday before Ascension Day. The Ascension is a day that is easy to ignore. It takes place on a Thursday (a lot of Episcopal congregations have their mid-week service on Wednesday). When I was a student at Nashotah House, Ascension Day was celebrated with great […]
Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice (From May 8, 2022) Happy Easter! Today is “Good Shepherd Sunday. Every year on this fourth Sunday of Easter we hear Jesus’ description of himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. The story is told in A Treasury of Jewish Folklore: Stories, Traditions, […]
Believing is Seeing (From April 24, 2022) Happy Easter! Today we encounter two resurrection appearances that are often combined into a single incident. The first appearance occurs on the evening of Easter day. The disciples are huddled together in fear of the Roman and religious authorities – after all, their leader was executed for […]
“Christ is risen, alleluia! He is risen indeed, alleluia!” (From April 17, 2022) Happy Easter! Today, we begin a fifty-day celebration of Jesus’ resurrection – the Queen of Feasts. Seven short weeks that will carry us from an empty tomb to the rushing mighty wind of Pentecost. This is the heart of our life […]
Seeking What We Already Have Our Lenten journey this Sunday picks up the story of Jesus at a dinner party at the home of Martha and Mary in Bethany – a village just a few miles southeast of Jerusalem (this will become Jesus’ home base during Holy Week). Their brother, Lazarus (whom Jesus had […]
Be Patient – God’s Still at Work At the heart of this morning’s Gospel Jesus tells a parable about a conversation between a landowner and his gardener and a certain fig tree that after three years in the orchard had not produced any figs. The landowner expresses his displeasure with the situation and demands […]
Holding and Being Held Today is the second Sunday in Lent, and we continue our way to the Cross. It is true that the tone of Lent is introspective — that is, it encourages us to look within our history, consider our worship life, and examine our inner state: our sins and shortcomings, what […]
A Mystery First of all, I want to thank everyone for your prayers and support these past several weeks. I especially want to thank Mother Diane Reeves for filling in on the past two Sundays – I needed the break. This morning our Epistle reading continues to explore St. Paul’s understanding of the […]
Our Calling This is the sermon that Father George would have preached on January 30. He was unable to be at the service. In place of a regular service we had a Morning Prayer service. Today we pick up the theme of calling, or vocation, and we will be spending the next couple of Sundays […]