Category: Sermons

2010 Sermons

Epiphany 4 January 31, 2010

Post author By vicar
Post date January 29, 2010

Jeremiah 1:4-10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

1 Corinthians 13:1-13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Luke 4:21-30

Â One of the wonderful things that can happen sometimes at church is that something that had grown old is made new. A reading, for instance, a prayer, a hymn, an idea â€“ that had seemingly lost its life through overuse is suddenly resurrected, given new currency. Those of us who were here last Sunday, when Canon Charles LaFond was our preacher and followed up in the afternoon with the retreat on discernment, experienced I think one of those â€œmade newâ€ moments.

It centered around what Charles said about saying â€œyesâ€ to God. You remember that he started out by talking about how epiphany â€“ this season of the Church year â€“ is like a light going on. The star in the sky that the Magi followed to the Saviorâ€™s birth â€“ a light going on. Jesus coming up out of the waters of baptism and hearing the voice of God pronounce him the Beloved â€“ a light going on. Jesus turning the water into wine at the Wedding at Cana â€“ another light. When God reveals himself, we experience it as a light going on. What had been unclear, confused, without purpose or direction â€“ suddenly the light goes on, something clicks, and we see the way forward. These are epiphanies; this is how God calls to us.

Tags Epiphany, Jeremiah, Jesus, yes to God

2010 Sermons

Epiphany 2 January 17, 2010

Post author By vicar
Post date January 17, 2010

Isaiah 62:1-5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

I Corinthians 12:1-11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 2:1-11

Â It is said that the purpose of a sermon or homily is to relate the readings from Holy Scripture to our lives and the world around us. As the theologian Karl Barth said, the preacher goes into the pulpit with the Bible in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other. My usual technique in doing this is to start with the daily newspaper, with our lives, our situations â€“ an incident, a person, a situation we all know about or can relate to. We arenâ€™t very familiar with the Bible, we donâ€™t most of us read it at home, and to start with it always seems to me to turn people off.

But St. Johnâ€™s gospel is hard to preach on that way. It doesnâ€™t have neat little parables, interesting characters, â€œmoralsâ€ or â€œmessagesâ€ that can easily be related to everyday life. St. Johnâ€™s is a mystical gospel. It was written late, by the only disciple of Jesus who did not meet a martyrâ€™s death but lived into extreme old age, reflecting and meditating and polishing his thoughts about the Lord he had known and who loved him especially. Johnâ€™s gospel is poetic, symbolic, every word heavy with meaning, often coded meaning.

Tags John's gospel, mystical, St. John, wedding at Cana

2010 Sermons

Baptism of Our Lord January 10, 2010

Post author By vicar
Post date January 10, 2010

Isaiah 43:1-7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Acts 8:14-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

A friend writes to say he has â€œlost his faith.â€ This can mean different things for different people, but for him, he explains, he â€œcan no longer believe in the doctrines of Christianity.â€ What doctrines? He doesnâ€™t say. The Incarnation, the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection? I donâ€™t want to put him on the spot by asking, nor do I want to put myself in the position of doctrinal expositor.

But it does seem odd to me. Doctrines, I think, really come last rather than first in faith. First comes a sense of wonder, the asking of questions about the meaning of life, if life has meaning. And a close second comes some sort of personal contact, experience of a person of faith that makes one want to have what they have. I suppose itâ€™s not coincidental that this friend of mine grew up as an only child, has never married, never had children, and has led a life sheltered from the ordinary interactions with other people â€“ the daily ups and downs â€“ that most of us enjoy (or suffer through).

Tags baptism, baptism of Christ, chrismation, Holy Spirit, Jesus, sacrament

2010 Sermons

The Epiphany of the Lord January 6, 2010

Post author By vicar
Post date January 8, 2010

Isaiah 60:1-6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Ephesians 3:1-12Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Matthew 2:1-12

[At Holy Cross Church, we celebrate major feasts that fall on weekdays with informal evening house Masses. A congregation of a dozen or so gathers at the vicarage. The celebrations are followed by potluck desserts.]

Increasingly these major feasts in the Church calendar â€“ All Saintsâ€™, Ascension, the Epiphany â€“ can be celebrated on the nearest Sunday. Thatâ€™s true with the Epiphany now in the Roman Catholic Church in North America, the Anglican Church of Canada, even the Church of England. The Sunday celebration allows the whole congregation to share in what are important liturgies of the Christian faith. But keeping the celebrations on weekdays does have the advantage of reminding us that the Church moves to a deeper and more ancient rhythm that the commercialized, secular world around us. We have lost a lot of the richness of a world that was oriented around the cycle of feasts and fasts, holy days with their rituals and stories.

Sometimes I come up to a Mass like the one tonight and I wonder what I can possibly find to say â€“ to say that is fresh and new for this congregation of faithful house Mass attendees, who have all heard my thoughts many times before. But then, praying with the readings, they begin to open up and reveal new depths of richness, new allusions and insights. And these major feasts also are so much more than the readings appointed for them. They gather up thematically all sorts of strands that interweave in the great matrix of the Catholic faith.

Tags Epiphany, Kingship of Christ, Magi, major feasts, natural law, science and religion

2010 Sermons

Christmas 2 January 3, 2010

Post author By vicar
Post date January 3, 2010

Jeremiah 31:7-13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Ephesians 1:3-14Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 1:1-18

Theaters in Elizabethan times, in which Shakespeare produced his plays for instance, were multi-storied affairs. The stages were like dollâ€™s houses, with two or three stories, each open to the audience. Seating for the audience was also banked in tiers, like a stadium or opera house today. The richer people sat up in the boxes; the poor people â€“ known as groundlings â€“ stood on the ground level. Shakespearean plays also tend to have stories or tiers of action: the high drama â€“ royal battles, Hamletâ€™s soliloquies â€“ took place on an upper story of the stage; but even Shakespeareâ€™s most serious plays had scenes between â€œlowlifeâ€ characters, which took place at the ground level of the stage and were designed to entertain the groundlings in the audience.

Â I thought of all this as I read again the gospel for today, which is the prologue to St. Johnâ€™s gospel. John doesnâ€™t start out with accounts of shepherds and wise men. Instead he gives us this high drama philosophy: Christ is the Logos, the Word, the structure of meaning through which God the Father created the universe. He was â€œfrom the beginningâ€ and â€œall things were made through him.â€ He â€œcame into the worldâ€ bringing life and light.

Like a Shakespeare play, however, this high drama is interwoven with a lowlife drama for the groundlings.

Tags John the Baptist, Logos, prologue, Word

Sermons

Palm Sunday April 5, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date April 5, 2009
No Comments on Palm Sunday April 5, 2009

John 12:12-16Â Â (Palm gospel)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Mark 14:1-15:47Â Â (Passion gospel)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

[At this service, the Holy Cross Youth Group acted out the gospel in dramatic form.]

The Catholic Archbishop of Chicago issued a decree. (Thatâ€™s the sort of thing Catholic Archbishops can do. In the Episcopal Church, bishops have to resort to whining.) The decree said that Palm Sunday Passion dramas could not be done in historic costumes. The reason, Cardinal Bernardin said, is that these things didnâ€™t just happen back then. Theyâ€™re happening now. Though this year weâ€™ve done the Passion drama with some suggestions of costumeâ€”if you have kids doing the drama, you have to have a sword!â€”what weâ€™ve just witnessed (and participated in) is indeed a drama about our life, not just things back then in Jerusalem 2000 years ago.

What is this drama? A French historian and philosopher named RenÃ© Girard has some very helpful insights. The crucifixion of Jesus, he says, is the supreme instance of scapegoating. And scapegoating is an ongoing dramaâ€”even the ongoing drama of human life.

Tags crucifixion, Palm Sunday, Passion, resurrection, scapegoating

Sermons

Lent 5 March 29, 2009

Jeremiah 31:31-34Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Hebrews 5:5-10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 12:20-33

Â Â

Each of us here this morning has something we must give up, surrender, sacrifice, in order that we might truly live. Itâ€™s something very precious to you, something youâ€™ve held onto fiercely in your deepest soul, for years, maybe all your life. And you donâ€™t want to let go of it. But you must, if you are to be truly free and whole and alive in Jesus Christ.

Tags cross, crucifixion, glory, God, Palm Sunday, sacrifice

Sermons

Lent 4 March 22, 2009

Numbers 21:4-9Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Ephesians 2:1-10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 3:14-21

I was more than a little surprised when Bishop Robinson said yesterday, speaking at the annual diocesan stewardship institute, that the Old Testament reading for today was exactly meant for us, at this moment of economic crisis in the world. The bronze serpent, I thought to myself? Iâ€™d been wondering how I was going to explain this bit of weirdness to my congregation.

Tags Exodus, God, promised land, trust, wilderness

Sermons Uncategorized

Lent 3 March 15, 2009

Exodus 20:1-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

1 Corinthians 1:18-25Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 2:13-22

â€œOn his first day of eighth grade at the former Holy Name Roman Catholic school in Washington, DC, last fall, Jeffrey Stone bowed his head, clasped his hands and began to recite the Lordâ€™s Prayer. Within seconds, his teacher chided him: â€˜We donâ€™t do that anymore.â€™â€*

Holy Name, like six other financially troubled schools in our Nationâ€™s capitol, was turned into a charter school over the summer last year.

Tags Exodus, Jesus, Law, Moses, parenting, Ten Commandments

Sermons Uncategorized

Lent 2 March 8, 2009

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Romans 4:13-25Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Mark 8:31-38

When I moved here to start as vicar, going on twelve years ago, I was new to email. (Sounds impossible to believe! Now email is being eclipsed by Facebook and Twitter.) I picked as my email address holyx, for Holy Cross. I didnâ€™t realize that I could have used a plus sign instead of the x and had an address that avoided negative connotations.

Anyway, itâ€™s occurred to me sometimes that X is an interesting take on the Cross. (Actually, the crosses used in crucifixion apparently werenâ€™t like the Latin crosses weâ€™re used to seeing. They were tau or T-shaped. And some crosses were actually X shaped, the victimâ€™s hands and legs stretched out more painfully.) But the thing about X and the Cross is that â€œX marks the spot,â€ X is the intersection of space and time, X is the cross-hairs in a gun sight. And all of that is true of the Cross of Christ, the Holy Cross, the namesake of this church.

Tags cross, grace