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.

May 10, 2026 - The Sixth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Readings (note, we are using a trial version of the lectionary in Eastertide that has an alternate first reading and Psalm)

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

The hardest part of faith for a lot of us is the problem of suffering. We experience tragedies, illnesses, and misfortunes and we just want the suffering to stop. Or, if the pain doesn’t go away, we want to know why. Not that a reason for suffering necessarily relieves the pain, but it gives it a larger purpose that at least makes it tolerable. But, truth be told, all the reasons for pain and suffering that preachers sometimes give are unsatisfactory and only lead to deeper sense of woundedness.

May 3, 2026 - The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Readings (note, we are using a trial version of the lectionary in Eastertide that has an alternate first reading and Psalm)

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

A couple of decades ago if you would have asked someone in the record label industry what their business was all about, they probably would have said something like: “Well, we try to find talented musicians, then we record their music, and sell albums to you.” They misunderstood their business, which is why MP3s and eventually streaming became such a threat. In actuality, their business wasn’t selling vinyl, cassettes, and CDs, it was selling access to the music people wanted to listen to. But they struggled to figure out how to monetize a non-physical product.

April 19, 2026 - The Third Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Readings (note, we are using a trial version of the lectionary in Eastertide that has an alternate first reading and Psalm)

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

The two stories from our sacred Scripture that speak most deeply to me and that I cherish are Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush in Exodus 3 and what we heard this morning from Luke 24 when Jesus meets two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Both stories involve fire – a burning bush and burning hearts. Maybe it was playing with campfires on father-and-son camping trips at the church I grew up in that sparked that interest? Who knows. The passage from Luke is such a rich story that is a revelation into God’s very essence and it is also a mirror that shows us something about what it is to follow this living and loving God.

April 12, 2026 - The Second Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Readings (note, we are using a trial version of the lectionary in Eastertide and the first reading can be found here)

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

I remember one time hearing a theologian describe the challenge of her work as being, “God is very, very big and we are very, very small.” It’s a similar sentiment to what we heard in Exodus: “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?” The implied response is “No one.” When Israel was between Egypt’s army and the Red Sea, God alone was their salvation. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we have but one Good Shepherd to see us through. This passage from Exodus is a song proclaiming God’s incomprehensible and incomparable goodness and love.

April 5, 2026 - Easter Sunday

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

Wow! What a good looking group you are in your Easter finest! As you all know, the date of Easter fluctuates throughout the spring based on the lunar cycle – but Easter always comes just in the nick of time. The news cycle has been pretty rough of late – war, soaring gas prices, a government that seems to be less useful than even a broken clock. Plus, I know we’re all carrying some burdens this morning – maybe a recent diagnosis; worrying about your marriage, your children, your job; or perhaps you’re trying to figure out how to deal with a bully or a crush at school; or it could be the addictions or anxieties that you’ve been dealing with for a while. Into all these spaces of deadness, the Good News of Easter comes just in the nick of time, and it is my immense joy to celebrate the gift of Easter with you all.

April 4, 2026 - Easter Vigil

Scripture readings: Genesis 22:1-18; Exodus 14:10-15:1; Daniel 3:1-28; Jonah 1:1-2:1, 10; Jeremiah 31:7-13, 31-34; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:1-10

In the name of the One whose love is making all things well – Jesus Christ. Amen.

“This is the night.” We heard that refrain in the Exsultet, one of most ancient prayers of the Church that has been chanted at Easter Vigils around the globe for the past 1,500 years. We heard – this is the night that the children of Israel were led out of bondage in Egypt through the Red Sea; this is the night when death was defeated and Christ rose victorious from the grave; this is the night when earth and heaven are joined. Don’t look at your watch – it is wrong, for this is the night that exists in the fullness of eternity.