Sermons from 2020

Christmas Eve 2020           And so it is Christmas. Granted, a Christmas like no other, no matter what your circumstances are.  And yet, we are hearing a familiar story. But this familiar story, for me, has taken on a deeper meaning because of the challenges presented this year. The ‘light shining in the darkness’ has taken me deeper this year. There is the somewhat obnoxious question to ask when going through a difficult, painful, dark time, of “where is God…

3 Advent – December 13, 2020 John 1:6-8, 19-28           If you’ve ever applied for a job, an internship, applied to graduate school or possibly for a grant, you’ve spent a lot of time crafting strategic answers to one question: “Who are you?”  If you’ve ever obsessed over your Facebook profile, or spent hours perfecting a Tweet, you know how complicated the question can get.  Who are you?  What is your brand?  What carefully packaged version of yourself do you want…

2 Advent – December 6, 2020 Mark 1:1-8           On August 1, 2020, the Sarah K. Evans Plaza opened in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.   ( “Sarah K. Evans Inclusive Public Art Project,” accessed August 20, 2020, http://sarahkevansproject.com/) Sarah Evans, formerly known as Private Evans, is now 91 years old, and she reflects on the seemingly unremarkable event that led to this public recognition almost 70 years later. In 1952 Private Evans was on her way home from Fort Dix, her first…

1 Advent – November 29, 2020 Mark 13:24-37           It’s the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new church year. And here we are….at the beginning of Advent, still in the midst of the COVID crisis…bewildered, grieving, fearful, and exhausted.  And so, it’s rather fascinating that we are given the gift of the Advent apocalyptic readings, because, frankly, doesn’t what we’re going through this year feel somewhat apocalyptic?  Might we be thinking…where is God?  The Advent season is…

Last Sunday after Pentecost – November 22, 2020 Matthew 25:31-46 Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, it’s essentially a liturgical hinge between the long “Season After Pentecost,” and the beginning of the season of Advent.  So, we pause this week to reflect on the meaning of Christ’s reign over the Church, the world, and our lives. What kind of king is Jesus?  What does his rule look and feel like?  What does it mean to live and thrive under…

23 Pentecost, Proper 27 – November 8, 2020 Matthew 25:1-13           Today is the day after the calling of a long, contentious presidential election and we are presented with the parable of the ten bridesmaids. This week we also honor our Veterans. So, today, with all of that, we talk about healing. I think we can all agree that our nation has been divided and as Christians perhaps our present and immediate call is to heal that divide, to do…

All Saints Sunday – November 1, 2020 Matthew 5:1-12           How often, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, have you said, “I can’t wait until life gets back to normal?”  Are you tired, are you weary? I admit that I am a bit weary. We’re going through a lot….there is the pandemic, the rioting, the need to say Black Lives Matter because they’re not treated as though they do matter, the political environment and upcoming election…there’s a lot going on. A…

21 Pentecost, Proper 25 – October 25, 2020 Matthew 22:34-46           Today’s gospel should be a familiar one. When asked what commandment in the law is the greatest Jesus says, ““You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The whole law and the prophets depend on these…

19 Pentecost, Proper 23 – October 11, 2020 Matthew 22:1-14           So, this is a really difficult parable to understand. It’s an odd story about a king offering an extravagant banquet for his son’s wedding. Yet the invited guests do not come. Three times the king sends messengers out to bring them to the wedding feast. Yet they are too distracted, busy, or uninterested, and none come. Finally, when the messengers are instructed to invite anyone and everyone, the banquet…

18 Pentecost, Proper 21 – October 4, 2020 Matthew 21:33-46           This parable begs the question, “whose land is it, anyway?” Culturally, in the first century, the leasing of land to tenant farmers was a common experience. Landowners could expect tenants to turn over a portion of the crop and those who failed to meet the landowner’s standards would be removed from the land, forcefully if necessary. Many in Jesus’ audience would have understood the experience of the farmers all…

17 Pentecost, Proper 21 Matthew 21:23-32 Jesus told a story about a man with two sons. The father asked the first son to go to work in the vineyard, and the son said that he would ––but he didn’t. The father asked the second son to go to work in the vineyard, and the second son said that he wouldn’t ––but he did. Jesus told this story to religious men ––the best men of his day –– men who prided…

15 Pentecost, Proper 19 – September 13, 2020 Matthew 18:21-35           “How many times do I need to forgive my brother or sister?” That’s the question which prompts the parable of the unmerciful servant that we hear today. This passage follows on last week’s reading, which Jesus concluded by assuring us that wherever two or three are gathered in his name, there he is, in our midst. Peter,…..well he doesn’t allow us to linger in that moment. He knows that…