Category: Sermons

  The back story for this Gospel reading involves King Herod, and his desire to kill Jesus. This would have been Herod the Great who was a historically powerful and very cruel man. Herod was a great builder, and he built Masada among other things. Herod was also an effective military leader in many ways,… Continue reading Have Faith

    There are a variety of lay ministries in a church of any size. Recognizing and supporting you folks in your work is important to me. Identifying and licensing specific people is important to the diocese. We have several categories. Two of the major ones at St. Thomas are Lay Eucharistic Ministers (LEM) and… Continue reading “Let it be with me according to your word.”

As most of you know, the Common Lectionary is a cycle of scriptures that we follow in our worship. Today is the start of the church year, and so we are in year C. There is a three year cycle. Preaching from the lectionary is a discipline really. Without the lectionary, most people would just… Continue reading A New Year’s Resolution

When I was taking classes at Virginia Theological, I had a professor who was the retired bishop of Bethlehem, PA. He was a very interesting guy and had taught at Yale and Gordon seminaries as well. He told us an interesting story about a mission trip they took with some seminarians to India. The mission… Continue reading Don’t Get Stuck

Last Friday was the Feast of James of Jerusalem. James was described in the Gospels as the “brother of our Lord.” By tradition James was a child from a previous marriage of Joseph who would have really been a step-brother of Jesus. It is also possible that he was a cousin who lived nearby and… Continue reading Being a Witness

The reading from Mark this week is the text for a famous sermon by the Rev. Martin Luther King called “The Drum Major Instinct.” The sermon was preached in 1968 and people still care. That is pretty good history for a sermon, and it is a tough act to follow. The challenge in trying to… Continue reading Walking With Jesus

All of us read the scriptures through the filter of our experiences. As you know I always pay attention when there is anything in the reading about teaching or teachers. In today’s reading, I am struck by the fact that the young man addresses Jesus as “Good Teacher.” I am immediately thinking of conversations with… Continue reading What Must I Do?

Our Gospel lesson today talks about divorce, and it also talks about children.  Actually, the part about children isn’t so much about children as it is about Christian discipleship.  Jesus tells us that we need to become like children to inherit the kingdom of God. I heard Margie Shaw preach once and she talked about… Continue reading All Things are Possible

I have been thinking this week about the legacy that people leave. One of the features of the pastoral care with Phylis Kelsey and her family this week has been some remembering Fr. Sheridan and his ministry at St. Thomas. He left a mark on this church. I talked about this legacy in the context… Continue reading Making a Difference

I would like you to think of all the things done in the name of Jesus. I know that when we pray, we often close our prayers with “in Jesus’ name. Amen.” This is praying, and we pray in His name. What are some of the other things we do in the name of Jesus?… Continue reading The Witness