Tag: God

2011 Sermons

Epiphany 8 February 27, 2011

Post author By vicar
Post date February 27, 2011

Isaiah 49:8-16aÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 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 6:24-34Â 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 Â Â Â Â Â

I do the grocery shopping in our household, and that requires me about once a month to go into Petco to buy cat food and litter. The cat food and litter department requires me to walk past the birds and small rodents in their glassed cages: parakeets, canaries, parrots, mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets. Theyâ€™re all there each time I walk past them, doing their caged animal things: eating, sleeping, running on treadmills, hopping about, looking out at me as I look in at them. Thereâ€™s something very sad about them: all these creatures have been bred and raised in captivity. Theyâ€™ve never known anything other than the lives theyâ€™re living, safe but confined, in those glass cages. And I think what does that say about me? About all of us?

Tags come and see, God, masters, Petco, wealth

2010 Sermons

Easter 7 May 16, 2010

Acts 16:16-34Â 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 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-171, 20-21Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 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 17:20-26

â€œI just had a general question for you,â€ said the email I got last week. â€œIs it possible to not believe in God, but to believe in Jesus Christ andÂ in good vs. evil?â€

What a wonderful question â€“ and always good to get questions from people, especially ones like this that go right to the heart of things. And a specially wonderful question for this Sunday, which I like to think of as â€œGod has gone awayâ€ Sunday. This is the Sunday in the Christian year between the Ascension, last Thursday, and Pentecost, next Sunday. The Ascension celebrates Jesus going up to heaven after the resurrection, to â€œsit at the right hand of God,â€ as the Creeds put it. Pentecost celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit of God to be with us here on earth. So, in between, God has in a sense gone away.

Tags Ascension, believing, belonging, doubt, God, Jesus, Pentecost

2010 Sermons

Lent 3 March 7, 2010

Post author By vicar
Post date March 7, 2010

Exodus 3:1-15Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 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 10:1-13Â 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 Â

Luke 13:1-9

“We dance round in a ring and suppose, But the secret sits in the center and knows.” â€“ Robert Frost

Â Iâ€™ve been thinking during my Lenten prayers about how much time I spend on Church and how little time I spend on God. How much time, to use Robert Frostâ€™s marvelous image, I spend dancing round in a ring and how little I spend trying to sit with the secret in the center which is God.

If I made a pie chart, God would be just a little tiny sliver. Of course, Church is my job. But I expect itâ€™s the same for you: that sometimes it seems as though for all the Church stuff â€“ the meetings, the planning, the projects, even the liturgy each Sunday â€“ God gets lost. And though God needs Church â€“ Jesus called together disciples in order to spread the Gospel â€“ Church is nothing except as it helps us relate to God. So letâ€™s this morning spend a little time sitting with God, because thatâ€™s what the readings are all about.

Tags burning bush, God, idolatry, YHWH

Uncategorized

Trinity Sunday June 7, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date June 7, 2009

Romans 8:12-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Â John 3:1-17Â 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 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you

calling in the night. â€“Daniel L. Schutte

All of us, all human beings, have heard that call in the night. The call of something or Someone beyond ourselves, greater than ourselves. A Greater-Than that offers the hope of meaning to our lives here on earth, our struggles, our joys and sufferings.

Imagine two groups of scientists. The one searches the farthest reaches of the universe with powerful telescopes, offering data on what they see, further annotations in technical treatises, passed on to other experts who may be interested. The other group of scientists are standing around the rim of a huge crater in the surface of the earth, or perhaps in a submarine inspecting a deep concavity under the ocean. They are trying to work out what happened, what force, what dimensions and at what speed caused this impact, and what its consequences have been or are or will be for life on our planet.

I owe this analogy of the two groups of scientists to the Catholic theologian James Alison,* who says that it is the second group of scientists, those looking at the crater, who are most like us when we think about God.

Tags doctrine, God, Jesus, Trinity

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