Sermons on Faith (Page 14)

Humanity

Photo by Sandy Kumar @ Unsplash.com At first glance, it may seem a little strange that during the Season of Creation we celebrate humanity. But it is only strange when we persist in the idea that somehow we are separate from the rest of creation. When we shift our perception and realize that we are as dependent upon our environment as any other animal, we can see that we are just as much part of creation as a coyote, a…

Eating Jesus

Today we complete our five week study of Jesus as the Bread of Life and the gospel reading tells us that we are not the only ones who struggle with this – the disciples also found it difficult. In fact, some who were following him turned away. Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” We hear this same language when Jesus talks about himself as the true vine. And…

Eat Me!

Photo By Kate Remmer on Unsplash Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35 I think I was in my first year at seminary when I preached my first sermon at St. Benedict’s. It was on some part of this passage in John about eating the true bread. I had worked hard on trying to explain what Jesus was saying and thought I did a pretty good job. Afterwards, Bob Pelfrey came up to me and said some nice things about the sermon, and…

A Deserted Place – Berkeley Johnson

Wow. What a journey it has been getting here! My connection to TEC began with youth ministry in VT in 1994, at the age of 33. It hit me as I was preparing this that the oldest students that year would have been 17, and it’s 24 years later, which means they’re now 41. And that just about blows my mind. Rock Point is the diocesan retreat center in Burlington, VT. Itoint sits on the shores of Lake Champlain, and…

The Mind of Christ

Ephesians 1:3-14 Mark 6:14-29 The beheading of John the Baptist has been a powerful image in the minds of artists through the ages. And not surprisingly. Here the death of the one who was speaking truth to power is literally served up on a plate. This must have been a deep sadness to Jesus, as well as an omen of how his life was likely to end. He and John were cousins, probably brought up together and John’s imprisonment was…

The Reign of God – here and now

2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 A few months ago, I was visiting my cousin while she was having tile laid. When I was chatting with the tile guy he told me that he was the pastor of a local church and had started the community food distribution. I had to adjust my perception and no longer see him as just a tile guy but as a rounded human being with special gifts beyond laying tile In today’s gospel reading, Jesus…