Julian of Norwich’s Invitation to “Pray Interly”

Readings for the Feast Day of Dame Julian of Norwich Isaiah 46:3-5 Psalm 103:1-4, 13-18 Showings Ch. 5 John 4:23-26 This sermon was preached at All Saints Chapel at Church Divinity School of the Pacific on May 8, 2014 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name As a freshman at […]

St. Mark and Wild Beasts

Readings for the Feast Day of St. Mark the Evangelist Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 2:7-10 Ephesians 4:7-8, 11-16 Mark 1:1-15 This sermon was preached at All Saints Chapel at Church Divinity School of the Pacific on April 28, 2014 “He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts” […]

Christ the Good Shepherd and the Question of Suffering

Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year A) 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 This sermon was preached at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Crockett CA on March 30, 2014. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” About five centuries before Christ, a young prince […]

Attending to Pelagius

Readings for First Monday in Lent Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 Psalm 19:7-14 Matthew 25:31-46 This sermon was preached at All Saints Chapel at Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley CA on March 10, 2014. The first British theologian used this morning’s Gospel (Matthew 25: 31-46) to support his argument that Christ judges Christians not based on their […]

Young Jesus and the Jewish Spirituality of Asking Questions

Readings for the Second Sunday after Christmas Jeremiah 31:7-14 Psalm 84 Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a Luke 2:41-52 This sermon was preached at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Novato CA on January 5, 2014 According to Jewish tradition, at a time when Jesus was a young boy, there were two famous rabbis teaching in Jerusalem, Hillel and Shammai. One day, […]

St. Hilda and Maternal Grace

Readings for the Feast Day of Hilda, Abbess of Whitby Proverbs 6:20-23 Psalm 113 Ephesians 4:1-6 Matthew 19:27-29 There is a rich spirituality of motherhood in the English tradition. In his prayers and meditations, Anselm of Canterbury fervently addresses Jesus and even St. Paul as “dear mothers” who hold him and pray for him in the […]

Give Thanks, Get Up and Go!

Readings for the Twentieth First Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23 Year C) Jeremiah 29:1,4-7 Psalm 66:1-11 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Luke 17:11-19 This sermon was preached at Episcopal Church of the Nativity on October 13, 2013. There are two invitations in the Gospel that I want to share and explore with you this morning. The first […]

Aidan, the Unjust Steward and All That You Can’t Leave Behind

Readings for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20 Year C) Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13 This sermon was preached at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael on September 22, 2013. “Love is not the easy thing, it’s the only baggage you can bring. It’s all that you can’t leave […]

Ember Letter: Pentecost and Bede 2013

Dear Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno, I write to you on the feast day of the Venerable Bede, which is appropriate for several reasons. First, I will be guest preaching on Bede and the Trinity this Sunday at an Episcopal church in the little town of Crockett CA. Second, just a couple days ago, I […]

The Venerable Bede: Dancing with the Trinity

Readings for the First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday (Year C) Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 Psalm 8 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 This sermon is to be preached at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Crockett CA on May 26, 2013. One day, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And his disciples answered […]