Posts in this category are posts which I have migrated from my old blog, “The Liturgical Theology,” on the Patheos Evangelical Channel.
In Jesus Christ you are not a lost cause! You are not damaged beyond Jesus’ ability to repair! Yes, through our sins and wickedness, we are broken beyond our own repair, but Jesus is the one who makes all things news, reconciling us to himself, restoring us to the Father. The Good News is that Jesus “wastes his time on you” because you are beloved by God. Continue reading Sermon: It-is-Well Hallelujah
At its core, every wager is an act of faith. Every bet asks the same question: What, or whom, can I trust with my future?
Christ followers are called to trust in something stronger.
Something steadfast.
Something surer.
Our passages show us that the safest, surest bet is not a sports team, player, statistic, political party, stock, or a man-made work. Instead, our readings demonstrate what it looks like to train for the Kingdom by gamblin’ on heaven. In fact, these passages show us the false bet, the better bet, and the sure bet. Continue reading Sermon: Gamblin’ on Heaven
I have worshipped in parishes in the almost forty years of my life, I have become increasingly aware that the wonders of our hymnal (TEC 1982) include a surprising lack of options for certain days of the year or biblical themes. The Transfiguration is one such story. Occurring twice in the lectionary with its own feast day and Last Epiphany, the hymnal has a rather thin set of offerings to commemorate this incredible hinge moment as Galilean ministry becomes Jerusalemite mission. Continue reading Hymn: Upon the Height of Tabor’s Mount
Jesus said that we will be filled with the living water, that eternal life will gush forth in us. This water will leave us fully satisfied, satiated, and quenched. But we are creatures who get parched very easily and we need a steady diet of living water. From what pools are you drinking? Too many of us drink from the pools of popularity, the pursuit of wealth and happiness, alcohol, sex, grumbling, or narcissism. To all who are thirsty: Jesus offers himself, he invites us to be satisfied in him. He will not run dry. Continue reading Little House and Living Water
Three persons are present in creation: God the Father is obvious. The Spirit is there, too, brooding and hovering over the deep like a mother bird over her young. But did you notice the second person? When God said let there be light and it was so, this was the presence of the divine Logos. The Word who would later be the Word made flesh flowing forth from the metaphorical mouth of God as an active agent in creation. Before we ever hear about stars and skies, slithering snakes, and slow-slinking sloths, we see Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a co-eternal relationship overflowing with love into creation. Continue reading Old Friends and Bookends: A Trinity Sunday Sermon
The ascension means that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, reigning and ruling over all of creation, filling all things, interceding and mediating on our behalf, inviting us to boldly approach the throne of grace, until he comes again in the fullness of time to consummate the kingdom he has already inaugurated. Continue reading For What and Now What?
Read through the lens of Jesus, Abraham’s story is a depiction of the eucharistic life. We may be missing bread and wine, but his journey by stages includes the other elements of the eucharist: praise, worship, sacrifice, covenant, and the unrelenting love of the Faithful One. The altars which Abraham builds are like lighthouses amidst a weary and wanting world stand as a reminder of God’s presence to light the way as a spiritual reference point. The eucharist is given to us as a lighthouse, as well, that we might find safe harbor. The one who is both priest-and-victim is ever with us. God is present in the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, and everywhere in between. Continue reading The God Who Provides
Jesus doesn’t become glorious on the mountain. He has always been glorious, from before the beginning of time, from before the foundations of the world. In the Transfiguration, we find the veil being pulled back and Jesus is seen and revealed as he truly is! Continue reading Behold and Beholding the Glory
This sermon was originally preached at St. David’s By-the-Sea in Cocoa Beach, Florida on Sunday, September 15 2024 for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19B). The lessons assigned were: Proverbs 1:20-33; Psalm 19; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38. In July of 2015, Nigel Richards performed a feat so astounding it sent the internet into a … Continue reading Scrabble and The Word Made Flesh
This sermon was originally delivered at St. David’s By-the-Sea in Cocoa Beach Florida on September 8, 2024. The lessons were from Proper 18B (Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Psalm 125; James 2:1-17; Mark 7:24-37) In 1994, legendary country singer, Alan Jackson, famously announced: the whole world’s gone country. Country music seems to fall in and out … Continue reading This One’s for the Losers
