June 29, 2025 - The Third Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

In the name of God ☩ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

On June 11, our Presiding Bishop, Sean Rowe, issued a letter titled “Acting Faithfully in Troubling Times.” A part of this letter reads, “At its best, our church is capable of moral clarity and resolute commitment to justice. I believe we can bring those strengths to bear on this gathering storm. Churches like ours, protected by the First Amendment and practiced in galvanizing people of goodwill, may be some of the last institutions capable of resisting the injustice now being promulgated. That is not a role we sought – but it is one we are called to.”

June 22, 2025 - The Second Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Preached at All Saints Episcopal Mission in Linville, North Carolina

In the name of God ☩ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is so good to be here in Linville with you all. A parishioner back in Salisbury has a mountain house and often speaks about coming up this way for an “altitude adjustment.” Well, that’s exactly what this week is – an altitude adjustment that allows clergy and their families to get away from the demands of parish ministry and the summer heat, while enjoying the gift of your company in this lovely community. This is our fifth summer here and we are so grateful for the invitation and the hospitality. I pray that the time here is restorative for you just as it is us.

June 15, 2025 - The Feast of the Holy Trinity

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the Holy Trinity ☩ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

In May, we went on a family vacation to Washington, DC and while we were there, we did all of the stuff that you do: National Cathedral, Zoo, the Smithsonians, the White House, and the Capitol. We booked the Capitol tour through Senator Thom Tillis’ office, and so in addition to the tour, we also received gallery passes for the Senate. Now, I’m not saying that I figured out how to fix Washington, but I did identify a first step.

June 8, 2025 - The Feast of Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Come, Holy Spirit, and speak of your wonderful works through us. Amen.

This sermon will function something like a “101” on the Holy Spirit. God, seen as a loving parent, an artist, a creator is something we can start to imagine. God, in coming to us as a Son in Jesus is something we can relate to in our humanity. But God as Spirit is a bit harder to sort out – so God helps us unlock more stars on Duolingo, and is fire, and whispers in our ears? But, then, if you’ve never heard the voice of God, or feel cold and lost, or struggle to remember when’s the right time to say “whom” instead of “who,” we might be confused about what the Holy Spirit is all about.

May 29, 2025 - The Feast of the Ascension

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

The Anglican bishop and theologian NT Wright has written that if we downplay the Ascension, the Church will end up filling the vacuum. And he does not mean this as a good thing. The Collect for the Ascension proclaims that Jesus “ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all thing,” and so if we neglect this feast of the Church, we will end up looking to ourselves to fill all things.

May 18, 2025 - The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the Risen Jesus. Amen.

Let’s say that I’ve booked a table for you tonight at your favorite restaurant – doesn’t matter where, I’ve taken care of the reservation, flight, and hotel. So if you want to go to Rome, Paris, New York, wherever, we’re ready for you. I’ll even pick up the bill for dinner. The catch is that I get to choose who you have dinner with. And who is it that would make you say, “Thanks, but no thanks. Not worth it”? Maybe a former boss that you can’t stand, someone you used to be married to, the kid who bullies you in school, a political figure who repulses you? 

May 11, 2025 - The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the Risen Jesus. Amen.

Who is Jesus to you? I was in a meeting recently and that’s a question that came up. It’s such a foundational question, but one that is easy to overlook given how often we refer to Jesus – he’s in our parish identity statement, the hymns we sing, the art we are surrounded by, and at the end of all of our prayers in the phrase “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” But who is Jesus to us? What is the operative image of Jesus that comes to mind if I ask you to close your eyes and think about the question: “who is Jesus to you?”