September 28, 2014 - Proper 21A

Lectionary Readings

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

            Are you an impersonator or an imitator? You can watch Saturday Night Live and see comedians do their impersonations of the President. And they’re normally fairly spot on. Going back a bit, Dana Carvey did a good George Bush, and then Will Ferrell did George W. Bush. If you weren’t giving it your full attention, you might mistake the comedian for the President, and that means they were a good impersonator- they made you think that they were someone they are not.

September 21, 2012 - Proper 20A

Lectionary Readings

*This was preached as a children's sermon.

Do you ever complain that things aren’t fair? In the story that Jesus told, some people start working at 6:00 in the morning, and they get paid for a full day’s work. That seems fair, right? Then the boss goes and hires more people at 9:00 and pays them for them for a full day’s work. And then he does the same thing at noon, and 3:00 in the afternoon, and again at 5:00. They all worked until 6 and then, Jesus says, the boss pays everyone. And the people who worked all day long got really excited when they saw the people that only worked for an hour got a full day’s pay, maybe something like $100. So they thought since that they were there all day that maybe they’d get $500 or so. But they got the same $100 as everyone else. And they got mad and screamed, “this isn’t fair!” What do you think? Was the boss fair?

September 14, 2014 - Proper 19A

Lectionary Readings

Almighty God, may you guide us to seek the Truth: come whence it may, cost what it will, lead where it might. Amen.

            What a joy and honor it is to be standing here before you all today as your new Rector. I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are to be joining the St. Luke’s community. I look forward to getting to know and serving each of you. This morning, I’d like to consider the idea of the Dream of God. That is the title of a wonderful book, written by Verna Dozier. Defining what exactly that dream is can be a challenge- you might quote from Isaiah and say that is when the wolf lies down with lamb. Perhaps it is when God can again look at Creation and say that it is all “good.” Or maybe when we all “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.” I would invite you to spend some time considering how you would define the Dream of God, and figure out some ways to make that dream a reality.

Father Bob sermon

Sermon for the Funeral of the Rev. Bob McGee

Wait Chapel- Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Readings: Isaiah 40:1-8; Psalm 121; 1 John 4:7-12; John 2:1-11

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

            As the Mullah Nasruddin is reported to have once said, “I’ll be surprised if I make it through this life without dying.” That was something that Bob told me a few years ago after surviving one of his near-death experiences, and it reflects the way in which his illness changed him. Some of you have likely heard the story from the Zen Buddhist tradition that Bob told in the past few years. A man walks across a field and encounters a tiger, who begins to chase after him. The man runs towards a cliff and swings over the edge, holding onto a vine. Below him, another hungry tiger has come to wait for him to drop. Two small mice then arrive and begin to gnaw on the vine, when he notices a ripe, red strawberry. Holding onto the vine with one hand, he grabs the strawberry with the other and eats it. And how sweet it tasted.