August 30, 2025 - The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the God who is and ever shall be. Amen.

What is your go-to passage of Scripture? Whatever that passage is, it’s a good indicator of your foundational theology. Really like David and Goliath? You likely value justice and believe in a God who is on the side of the underdog. If it’s Peter walking on water, you probably see Jesus as enabling you to overcome fears and do more than you thought possible. If it’s the Baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, your foundation is that there are no boundaries when it comes to the love of God.

August 16, 2026 - The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Lord Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon us. Amen.

“We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy.” Those words come from the Prayer of Humble Access, an optional prayer that is sometimes used before receiving Communion. It reminds us that we come forward not because of where we fall on the spectrum of worthiness and unworthiness, but solely on the welcoming and gracious invitation of Jesus.

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.