The “Crazy” Mysticism of Easter

Readings for Easter Sunday (Year C) Isaiah 65:17-25 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Acts 10:34-43 Luke 24:1-12 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on Easter Sunday April 21, 2019. A version of this sermon was published as a commentary at Modern Metanoia, a lectionary-based Gospel commentary. A Sunday School teacher had just finished telling […]

Easter Vigil Sermon 2019

This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA at the Easter Vigil Service on April 20, 2019. “This is the night when God brought our fathers, the children of Israel, out of bondage in Egypt, and led them through the Red Sea on dry land. This is the night, when all who believe in […]

Holy Saturday Sacred Saunter

Readings for Holy Saturday Job 14:1-14 Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16 John 19:38-42 This reflection was shared at Sacred Saunter Outdoor Eucharist on Holy Saturday April 20, 2019 at Sequoia Park in Eureka. Today is Holy Saturday, the second day of the Paschal Triduum, the day in which Jesus lies dead in the tomb. Yesterday we observed […]

Spiritual Beings Having a Human Experience

Readings for the Feast Day of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Isaiah 55:6–11 Psalm 65 Revelation 21:1–6 John 3:31–35 This reflection was shared at Sacred Saunter Outdoor Eucharist on Saturday April 13, 2019 at Sequoia Park in Eureka. The Collect for Teilhard de Chardin Eternal God, the whole cosmos sings of your glory, from the […]

Praying the Celtic Way with Unction

Readings for the Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year C) Isaiah 43:16-21 Psalm 126 Philippians 3:4b-14 John 12:1-8 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on April 7, 2019. A couple weeks ago, I participated in a Clergy Quiet Day at the Mercy Center in Auburn CA, led by the Rev. Megan Anderson, who […]

The Joy of Letting Go (Laetare Sunday)

Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday – Year C) Joshua 5:9-12 Psalm 32 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on March 31, 2019. In 1970, a young graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University named John-Michael visited an Episcopal cathedral in Pittsburgh two weeks […]

The Humility of the Earth

Readings for Saturday in the Third Week of Lent Hosea 6:1-16 Psalm 51:15-20 Luke 18:9-14 This reflection was shared at Sacred Saunter Outdoor Eucharist on Saturday March 30, 2019 at Sequoia Park in Eureka. Collect of the Day O God, you know us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that […]