Category: Sermons

Sermons preached in a context, but written for people of all sorts and conditions.

  • When We Pray

    a homily for Proper 12C Text: Luke 11:1-13 The Lord Praying They have left the house of Mary and Martha and it says  Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Jesus was praying,…

  • Someone’s In the Kitchen With Martha…

    a homily for Proper 11C Text: Luke 10:38-42 Dividing Each Other Before we get into the meat of this week’s gospel story, I want us to acknowledge something. This is a divisive gospel. There are many among us that feel recognized and justified. They feel like Mary. They love to be reminded that they are…

  • Along the Road: The Good Samaritan, Trayvon Martin, and what it means to be a neighbor

    a homily for Proper 10C Text: Luke 10:25-37 Unwrapping the Layers We call this the Parable of the Good Samaritan. A traveler is beaten, left for dead, passed by on the road to Jerusalem, and finally helped by this stranger. It is a story so familiar, so recognizable, that any number of us could tell…

  • Confused by Jesus

    a homily for Proper 8C Text: Luke 9:51-62 Confused by Jesus Everybody is confused. James and John are confused. These three seekers are confused. We are definitely confused. We are confused by Jesus. There is no other explanation for our behavior. This part of the gospel we call Luke reveals a moment of true confusion.…

  • Saved from our own demons

    a homily for Proper 7C Text: Luke 8:26-39 Listen to the homily here and read along below The Man I feel bad for this guy. We don’t know his real name. He is cast out from the city, living naked, possessed by many demons, despised and reviled. If we are being honest, we use him…

  • May He See Us

    a homily for Proper 6C Text: Luke 7:36-8:3 The Awkward Dinner If I were to ask you to name a person, living or dead you’d like to have over for dinner, after hearing this story, I’m guessing you wouldn’t say “Jesus”. Jesus makes a lousy dinner guest for the faithful. The people that need help…

  • Being Shown What To Do

    a homily for Proper 5C Text: Luke 7:11-17 Listen to “Being Shown What To Do” here and read along Getting Focused On Wednesday night (at Basics), we talked about ministry. What it is, who does it, and why it matters. The Book of Common Prayer describes it as the work of the laity, bishops, priests,…

  • A Powerful Faith

    a homily for Proper 4C Text: Luke 7:1-10 [Listen to “A Powerful Faith” here while you read along.] Making it personal Man, that Centurion looks good, doesn’t he? Generous? Check. Compassionate? Check. Faithful? Double-check. That guy sure looks good in the end, doesn’t he? The basics of the story are these: Jesus strolls into Capernaum.…