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Sermons (Page 37)

Sightless Among Miracles

The Rev. Carr Holland meditates on the sightless crowd in Mark 10:46-52: “Part of our spiritual journey is to see, not just to project on God or each other what we desire or what we want, but to see what is compassionate and tender and patient–and on that to to act. And this is miracle, extraordinary in its ordinariness. For we pause and notice each other and act in care.”

A Jewish Sabbath prayer: “Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing; let there be moments when Your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns unconsumed. And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness, and exclaim in wonder: How filled with awe is this place, and we did not know it!” (Gates of Prayer, 1975)

The Story of the Second from Last

Mark 10:17-31
I love this Gospel reading. It’s oftentimes referred to as “The Story of the Rich Man.” I have a different title for it though. I call it “The Story of the Second from Last.” What does that mean? Did you ever notice that when we talk to each other, usually the thing you want to talk about is like the second from the last thing you talk about?….

Job and Fred Rogers

The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista reflects on Job 1:1; 2:1-10: “Before Senator Pastore sat a soft-spoken Presbyterian minister who was convinced of the value of public programming. This man had recently premiered a children’s show with low production value… Before the Senate committee, he articulated his mission as clearly as he did in every one of his shows: ‘if we can only make it clear in public television that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great surface for mental health.'”

The Prayer of Faith

The Rev. Candy Snively considers James 5:13-20 and the transformative nature of the Lord’s Prayer: “We live in a world all too full of injustice, hunger, malice, and evil. This prayer cries out for justice, bread, forgiveness, and deliverance. When Jesus gave his disciples this prayer, he was giving them part of his own breath, his own life, his own prayers.”

60th Anniversary Celebration

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of St. Paul’s, the Rev. Waite Maclin shares a few stories from the early days of St. Paul’s, and the Rev. George Adamik reflects on how the story of Abraham and Sarah reveals our own calling as a community. Visit our homepage or YouTube channel to view the video commemorating the history of St. Paul’s.

Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?

The Rev. George Adamik reflects on Mark 8:27-38: “Jesus asks his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ Is there any more human question that any of us wonder in our lives? … And then Jesus asks them one of the most significant questions in scripture: ‘And you, who do you say that I am?'”

Practicing True Religion

The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista considers the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees in today’s gospel reading (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23): “The Pharisees were actually part of a reform movement in their day and age. They were trying, like Jesus and his followers, not to burden people with the law but to bring the law into their daily life, to help the everyday person find meaning in it… Both Jesus and the Pharisees were trying to interpret the law in the light of their current situation, not demanding observance for its own sake.”

The Bread, Awaiting Hunger

The Rev. George Adamik discusses John 6:56-69: “How can we satisfy our deep hunger? It begins by realizing sometimes we’re trying to fill that hunger with ‘junk food,’ with stuff that’s not going to nourish us or lead us to wholeness… Jesus came as bread, as food, and whoever is hungry can be fed.”

For reference, here are the passages by St. Augustine and Richard Rohr discussed in today’s homily:

“Christ is the bread, awaiting hunger.” (St. Augustine)

“The Eucharist is telling us that God is the food and all we have to do is provide the hunger. Somehow we have to make sure that each day we are hungry, that there’s room inside of us for another presence. If you are filled with your own opinions, ideas, righteousness, superiority, or sufficiency, you are a world unto yourself and there is no room for ‘another.’ Despite all our attempts to define who is worthy and who is not worthy to receive communion, our only ticket or prerequisite for coming to Eucharist is hunger. And most often sinners are much more hungry than the ‘saints.'” (Richard Rohr)