The Sunday Sermon: “What Then Should We Do?

Advent 3/Year C Zephaniah 3:14-20 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 I think as any preacher will tell you, there is the sermon we prepare and the one we end up preaching, and they’re not always the same.  I had started this one several days ago and the story in it revolves around some young people who … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Cornerstones

It is the final, great Day – the Day of the Stewardship In-gathering, not the end of time exactly but the finale to the annual pledge campaign. Maybe, for some of you view, like the early Christians and the parousia, it is the day for which you have been waiting and longing. The theme of … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: You say that I am King

Christ the King/Year B Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Revelation 1:4b-8 John 18:33-37 It has been really fun watching the progress of the organ restoration. The work being done is incredible and I can’t wait for the debut of this almost new instrument. But one of the unanticipated side effects of watching the restoration is how it … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Loose the Bonds

All Saints’ Day/Year B Isaiah 25:6-9 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 Following the tragic explosion of the space craft Challenger on January 28, 1986, in a speech to the nation, President Ronald Reagan, talking about those who had lost their lives, closed with the words, “We will never forget them this morning as they prepared for … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: How we see

    Proper 25/Year B                                 Jeremiah 31:7-9                                 Hebrews 7:23-28                                 Mark 46-52 “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”― Antoine de … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Lessons Continually Learned

Proper 23/Year B Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31 I recently told my story at our Spiritual Autobiography class, and I was reminded of the adage, which I cannot remember the exact words of, but it’s something like, “the past isn’t.” Meaning, obviously things happen to us prior to the present moment, but as … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: In praise of All Creatures

The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle blesses a beloved pet Sit! Loving and losing a pet Brandie had nine precious lives and she used up every one of them. She was not a cat. Brandie was a little wire-haired terrier who came into my life ten years ago. She had lived with a friend of mine … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Full Incarnation

Proper 15/Year B Proverbs 9:1-6 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58 In a liturgical church such as ours where mass is celebrated daily, it is easy to forget how offensive Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel reading would have been to the Jewish authorities he was talking to.  In the course of the mass we are used to … READ MORE…