LIstening to The Echo of the Saints

Readings for the Feast of All Saints (Year C) Daniel 7:1-3,15-18Psalm 149Ephesians 1:11-23Luke 6:20-31 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on November 6, 2022. “O teach me, Lord, that I may teach the precious things thou dost impart; and wing my words, that they may reach the hidden depths of many a […]

Seabury and the Patriotic Practice of Stewardship

This article was written for the October 2022 Chronicle newsletter for Christ Church Eureka. This March will be the 240th anniversary of the election of the first Episcopal bishop Samuel Seabury, the namesake of one of my Yorkies. The first Anglican worship service held on American soil took place in California in 1579, but Seabury wasn’t […]

Opening Prayer at Westmont in SF 50th Anniversary

Almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to this new beautiful day; and you have brought us all to this gathering here in this stimulating and eclectic city named after that radical Italian saint, St. Francis, who called us to preach the Gospel always and use words only when absolutely necessary. Today […]

Rising Above the Noise with Habakkuk and Zacchaeus

Readings for the Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 26 – Year C – Track 1) Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4Psalm 119:137-1442 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12Luke 19:1-10 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on October 30, 2022. “O teach me, Lord, that I may teach the precious things thou dost impart; and wing my words, […]

Prayer that Packs a Persistent Punch

Readings for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24 – Year C – Track 1) Jeremiah 31:27-34Psalm 119:97-1042 Timothy 3:14-4:5Luke 18:1-8 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on October 16, 2022. Over the last several weeks, I’ve been teaching a church history and spirituality class online for the Episcopal seminary in Berkeley […]

Gratitude Unchained: Where are the Nine?

Readings for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23 – Year C – Track 1) Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7Psalm 66:1-112 Timothy 2:8-15Luke 17:11-19 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on October 9, 2022. There’s a quote attributed to the great 13th century German theologian and mystic Meister Eckhart, who supposedly said that there […]

The Mind-blowing Mulberry Tree

Readings for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22 – Year C – Track 1) Lamentations 1:1-6Psalm 1372 Timothy 1:1-14Luke 17:5-10 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on October 2, 2022. “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”[1] These are the words of a gifted yet troubled man who […]

Community without Chasm (“Rock the Chasma”)

Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21 – Year C – Track 1) Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15Psalm 91:1-6, 14-161 Timothy 6:6-19Luke 16:19-31 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on September 25, 2022 Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20) and “Woe […]

How the Light Gets In

Readings for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20 – Year C – Track 1) Jeremiah 8:18-9:1Psalm 79:1-91 Timothy 2:1-7Luke 16:1-13 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on September 18, 2022 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is the health of my poor people not being […]

The Legacy of the Woman and the Shepherd

Readings for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19 – Year C – Track 1) Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28Psalm 141 Timothy 1:12-17Luke 15:1-10 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on September 11, 2022 Welcome home on this first Homecoming Sunday since September 2019. It’s good to see you all. Today’s Gospel reading is […]