St. Peter and the Rooster’s Wake-Up Call

A reflection on St. Peter the Apostle inspired by the oil painting of Fr. George Leonard Shultz (1896 – 1971). This same reflection was published in the Times-Standard on Saturday July 10, 2021 as “St. Peter and the Rooster’s Wake-Up Call“ On the feast day of Sts. Peter and Paul (June 29), Christ Episcopal Church Eureka completed […]

The God of Small Things

Readings for the Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 6) Ezekiel 17:22-24 Psalm 92:1-4,11-14 2 Corinthians 5:6-10,[11-13],14-17 Mark 4:26-34 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on June 13, 2021. I love the Scripture readings for this Sunday. They’re all advertisements for Sacred Saunter. They’re invitations to saunter in the forest, aren’t they? Ezekiel’s […]

Resting in the Garden of Our Belovedness

Readings for the Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 5) Genesis 3:8-15 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 4:13 – 5:1 Mark 3:20-35 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on June 6, 2021. “The beginning of the fight against hatred, the basic Christian answer to hatred,” according to Trappist monk Thomas Merton, “is not the […]

Trinity “Love” Sunday

Readings for the First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on Trinity Sunday May 30, 2021. Happy Trinity Sunday! At Christmas, we learn that God is with us, as the Father sends his Son, Emmanuel. At Easter, we learn that God is for us, as the Son […]

Sighs and Visions

Readings for the Feast of Pentecost (Whitsunday) Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Romans 8:22-27 John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on Pentecost May 23, 2021. “On the day of Pentecost they were all gathered together in one place.” On this day of Pentecost, almost 2,000 years later, it is […]

Sauntering with St. Helena of Constantinople

Readings for the Feast Day of St. Helena of Constantinople This reflection was shared at Sacred Saunter Outdoor Eucharist on Saturday May 22, 2021 at Freshwater in Eureka. Most Merciful God, who blessed your servant Helena with such grace and devotion to you that she venerated the very footsteps of our Savior; may we too, […]

How Do You Receive Joy?

Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on May 9, 2021. The great Anglican author GK Chesterton concluded his great book Orthodoxy with these words. He said, “Joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian. And as I […]

Fill Up Like Philip

“Fill Up Like Philip, Be a Branch Like Bachos” Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:26-40 1 John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8 Psalm 22:24-30 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on Good Shepherd Sunday on May 2, 2021. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me […]

St. Philip the Approachable Apostle

A reflection on St. Philip the Apostle inspired by the oil painting of Fr. George Leonard Shultz (1896 – 1971). This same reflection was published in the Times-Standard on the Feast Day of St. Philip May 1, 2021 as “The Story of Two Philips.” When I look at Fr. George Shultz’s painting of St. Philip, I see […]

Sauntering with St. Catherine of Siena

Readings for the Feast Day of St. Catherine of Siena This reflection was shared at Sacred Saunter Outdoor Eucharist on Saturday May 1, 2021 at Freshwater in Eureka. Catherine Benincasa was the youngest of twenty-ﬁve children of a wealthy dyer of Siena. At six years of age, she had a remarkable vision that probably decided her life’s […]