Readings for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 16 Year B Track 1) 1 Kings 8: 1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-43 Psalm 84 Philippians 2:1-11 (in place of Ephesians 6:10-20) John 6:56-59 This sermon was preached at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Crockett CA on August 23, 2015.  Over the last couple weeks, I’ve had the privilege of […]

Readings for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 15 Year B Track 2) Proverbs 9:1-6 Psalm 34:9-14 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58 This sermon was preached at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in San Rafael CA on August 16, 2015.  Last month, after presenting a paper at an academic conference in St. Louis, I took a mini-retreat to a Trappist monastery […]

Readings for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 14 Year B Track 2) 1 Kings 19:4-8 Psalm 34:1-8 Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2 John 6:35, 41-51 This sermon was preached at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in San Rafael CA on August 9, 2015.  Each year, over the last three years, the Marin Episcopal Youth Group (MEYG) has teamed […]

Readings for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 13 Year B Track 2) Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 Psalm 78:23-29 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Sausalito CA on August 2, 2015.  Each year, over the last three years, the Marin Episcopal Youth Group has teamed up with the Jewish youth at Congregation […]

Readings for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 11 Year B) 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalm 89:20-37 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 This sermon was preached at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael CA on July 19, 2015.  I have been to several Episcopal parishes in this diocese (and beyond) and St. Paul’s San Rafael has one unique characteristic that […]

Readings for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 8 Year B) 2 Samuel 1, 17-27 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 This sermon was preached at Grace Episcopal Church in Martinez CA on June 28, 2015.  About a decade ago, I worked as an interfaith chaplain at the San Francisco General Hospital, mostly ministering to patients in the […]

Readings for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 7 Year B) Job 38:1-11 Psalm 107:1-3, 23 -32 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41 This sermon was preached at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Crockett CA on June 21, 2015.  A couple days ago I watched a fantastic animated film called Inside Out, which creatively portrays the emotional life of […]

Readings for the Third Sunday of Pentecost (Proper 6 Year B) 1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13 Psalm 20 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17 Mark 4:26-34 This sermon was preached at Grace Episcopal Church in Martinez CA on June 14, 2015.  Six years ago, I preached my first sermon in an Episcopal church on today’s Gospel parables about […]

Readings for the Second Sunday of Pentecost (Proper 5 Year B Track 1): 1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15) Psalm 138 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35 This sermon was preached at Grace Episcopal Church in Martinez CA on June 7, 2015.  Thousands of years before Moses received the Torah from Mt. Sinai, there was a massive explosion about […]

A couple weeks ago, I attended my fifth U2 concert, which inspired me to dust off an old paper that I wrote for a course in seminary. The course was titled “The Spiritual Journey of U2” and it was co-taught by Professors Barry Taylor and Ryan Bolger at the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological […]