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This morning we celebrate The Feast of The Epiphany.
We happen to be celebrating The Epiphany on the Sunday that is also The Baptism of the Lord: when we remember the baptism of Jesus by water and the Holy Spirit in the river Jorden. This morning we mingle holy water and stardust. On this second Sunday of Advent we remember the gift of Peace we have with and in Christ.
Peace is part of the mystery of Christmas. And Advent is the season we prepare our hearts to welcome the mystery of Christmas. We are preparing our hearts for the Prince of Peace. A baby born to Mary and Joseph who will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7). There is a way many of us teach the mystery of Christmas to children using Godly Play. And it is told this way: The King who was coming is still coming. This is full of mystery. That is why this time of Advent is so important. Sometimes people can walk right through a mystery and not even know it is there. People become busy. It is a good and joyful thing to be with you here, this morning, on the First Sunday of Advent.
Advent is the beginning-- Advent marks the arrival of a new liturgical year-- We change liturgical colors from the green of Ordinary time and the white of Christ the King to the Blue of Advent-- Blue is the color of getting ready--- It is the color of the sky just before dawn[1] This is Holy Trinity Sunday--the first Sunday after Pentecost in the church year--Trinity Sunday is a Feast Day to name, celebrate, and remember the mystery of the Holy Trinity:
The Creator, The Redeemer and The Sustainer. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Three mysteries: one in three and three in one. each a unique representation of the holy: separate, but whole. Holy and Undivided. Eternally bound together in relationship. The Holy Trinity is one of the most accessible and recognizable symbols of the Christian faith. Good Morning.
Happy Second Sunday of Easter. Today’s gospel is one of my favorite stories of the entire church year. I love Thomas. Poor, sweet, holy, Doubting Thomas. I am so glad that Doubt is a part of our Easter story. And I love that this story of doubt is the first Sunday Gospel lesson we hear after Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday, we were singing out with confidence: Death is No More! Christ is Risen Indeed! But the earliest disciples greeted the empty tomb quite differently. Holy Thursday.
The first night of the Triduum--the three Holy Days of the church year that make up one liturgy -- beginning tonight and ending with the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. There will be no dismissal from tonight’s liturgy--we are not sent out to love and serve the Lord-- not yet--instead we move together, as one body in Christ, the world over from a last supper with friends to a table stripped bare of its bread and wine, its candles and linens-- from the intimacy of Jesus bending down to wash the feet of his beloveds, and asking them (and us) to do the same, to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus suffers in agony, alone--forsaken. We won’t be sent out into the world rejoicing in the spirit--not tonight and not tomorrow-- we’ll carry on from the garden to the cross to the tomb-- and then we wait-- So, the Arizona Legislature has us squabbling over vouchers. Again. The system is working exactly as designed: Dividing parents like me, and teachers, and community leaders, one against the other on the issue of vouchers.
This morning, four days after the violent and deadly siege of The United States Capitol, we celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan by his cousin, John the Baptist.
The siege was led by our fellow Americans who acted at the direction of the President of the United States. I prayed with this Gospel passage while the details of Wednesday’s attack unfolded in real time. The image of Jesus plunging down into the waters of the Jordan River and emerging into the light of day juxtaposed against confederate flags waving in the Rotunda of the Capitol. God’s voice in the Gospel proclaiming “You Are My Beloved, With Whom I am Well Pleased” Clashing with the sounds of an angry mob. The dissonance between the Gospel and the current state of our democratic life together overwhelms. What does it even mean to be a baptized Christian in America today? As we listen to the story of the wise and unwise—patient and impatient—prepared and unprepared bridesmaids, I think it’s helpful to place these readings in the context of our liturgical calendar.
Believe it or not, we are only two Sundays away from Christ the King Sunday—the last Sunday of the liturgical year-- It is a celebration of the true identity and nature of Christ as one who will lead all of humanity to seek the “peace of Christ” in the “Kingdom of Christ.” Christ the King Sunday celebrates the long-awaited return of Jesus: The Christ— Our hope. Our peace. Our light. And our redeemer. Christ the King Sunday is the end of our liturgical year and the very next Sunday is the beginning of a new liturgical year: Advent. Below, a sermon preached on June 20th, 2015 in the wake of the Charleston AME church massacre. The call on white Christians to respond to violence rooted in white supremacy and systemic racism remains urgent and necessary. We cannot be silent. We cannot look away. To respond to white supremacy and systemic racism is required of Christian discipleship. Take heart friends, and be of good courage. As St. Paul advises, we are called to respond to chaos and fear with genuine love, truthful speech and endurance. Show Up. Speak Truth. Amplify the voices, stories, and experiences of Black Vocies. Be a co-conspirator for racial reconiliation and justice.
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My Sermons (and other thoughts)sermons preached and a sprinkling of other writings Archives
August 2024
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