October 15, 2017 - Proper 23A

Lectionary Readings

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

            What’s wrong in Salisbury? What’s wrong with politics? What’s wrong with education, or healthcare, or the church? There is no shortage of articles and opinions out there on those questions. It’s easy to come up with a list of all the problems in the world. I won’t list any examples, but I’m sure you all could help me in coming up with a pretty comprehensive list. Whether it’s casual conversation with friends, the news, or even sermons – so often we talk about all the things that are wrong.

December 21, 2014 - Advent 4B

Lectionary Readings
*Note: This sermon was only preached at the 8am service, as Bishop Hodges-Copple preached at the principal service.

O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.

            The Annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary has been the subject of many famous paintings. A few years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the Church of the Annunciation was one of the most beautiful and grand places that we visited. There is something about event that has captured the imaginations and reverence of so many people. Mary is an interesting person in the faith today. One theologian has said that part of the fallout from the Reformation is that Roman Catholics have fixated on Mary while Protestants have developed amnesia about her. And I think that’s a fair assessment. Mary has never been much of a part of my spirituality, but I’ve probably been missing out by not learning more from her example of faith.

October 12, 2014 - Proper 23A

Lectionary Readings

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

            There is a story of three well known preachers who were attending an Atlanta Braves baseball game after giving some lectures at Emory University. As they were sitting there watching the game, two men wearing yellow jackets that said “security” on them approached a man sitting a few rows in front of them. And without any words being exchanged, they picked him up and carried him away from his seat. The crowd was stunned. What had happened to make them remove this man? One of the preachers surmised, “he must not have been wearing the wedding garment.”