July 19, 2026 - The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Gracious Lord, help us to see all things in the light of your love. Amen.

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Or “Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.” These are phrases that are commonly used and often misunderstood. For example, pulling ourselves up by own bootstraps is a phrase usually meant to convey initiative, resilience, and determination. But that’s not, at all, what the phrase actually means – to find the true meaning of those words, when you get home, lie down on the floor and try to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, or shoelaces if you don’t have bootstraps. You’ll soon discover that the phrase is meant to describe an absurd and impossible task.

July 12, 2026 - The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

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

Juliet famously asks Romeo, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” She’s saying, “Romeo – it doesn’t matter what our family names are, what matters is our love, which would be just as true if our families weren’t at war with one another.” And her point is valid –  a Capulet can love a Smith or a Jones just as validly as a Montague. Right?

July 5, 2026 - The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Gracious Lord, forgive the sins of the preacher, for they are many, that only your Word might be proclaimed and only your Truth be heard ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

How’d you sleep last night? According to studies, more than half of us would say “Not great.” Many do not get enough good quality sleep. Some of that is self-inflicted – going to bed too late, screens before bed, or having an evening drink. But a lot of it is beyond our control because while our bodies might be ready for rest, we can’t seem to turn off our minds. We lay there thinking about what we’d say differently if we could redo that conversation, or running through the to-do list for tomorrow, or trying to figure out how to solve whatever we’re up against.

June 7, 2026 - The Second Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

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

An interesting Grace & St. Stephen’s trivia question is, “Where did I first meet members of the Search Committee?” It wasn’t at the church I was serving in Salisbury or at restaurant, though those would be good guesses. No, it was at a Barenaked Ladies concert. Tanya and Linda came to North Carolina as a part of the search process and the Barenaked Ladies are my favorite band, so of course we had tickets. When Tanya found out they were playing in Charlotte the night of their arrival, they also got tickets and we met up there.

May 31, 2026 - The Feast of the Holy Trinity

Lectionary Readings

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

“You shall not make for yourselves any idol.” That is one of the 613 commandments in the Old Testament. Yes, I know that Jesus was once asked which commandment is the greatest – to which he responded with two: love God from Deuteronomy and love your neighbor from Leviticus. To be clear, I’m not disagreeing with Jesus. Those two together, indeed, are the greatest commandment. But the commandment about not having idols might be most urgent for us today.

May 24, 2026 - The Feast of Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Holy Spirit, the Life that gives life: You are the cause of all movement. You are the breath of all creatures. You are the salve that purifies our souls. You are the ointment that heals our wounds. You are the fire that warms our hearts. You are the light that guides our feet. Be with us now, and evermore. Amen.

May 14, 2026 - The Feast of the Ascension

Preached at Evensong - readings are Psalms 24 & 96, Daniel 7:9-14, Matthew 28:16-20

In the name of the Risen and Ascended Lord. Amen.

The first time I went to Israel was in 2012 and I had the opportunity to see so many wonderful and holy sites. But one place we didn’t go was the Chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. It just wasn’t on our itinerary. So, when I went back in 2020, just about a week before the pandemic began, I told the guide we hired that I wanted to go to see the site of the Ascension. He warned me that there wasn’t much to see and that I’d probably be disappointed. But I insisted – I’ve seen the sites of Jesus’ birth, death, and Resurrection, so I wanted to add the missing Ascension site.