Easter 2A A Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter John 20:19-31 Just north of Pittsburgh PA in a little crossroads just off the interstate near Ellwood City lies the Monastery of the Transfiguration.  A small community of nuns from the Romanian Orthodox Church live there and are very hospitable to those who come by, even unannounced. It was less than an hour from where I went to seminary, so regular groups of seminarians would drive up, often unannounced, and raid the gift shop, buying icons and incense, and visit the amazing chapel and gaze upon the icon that wept … Continue reading Honest Thomas

A sermon for Good FridayJohn 18:1 – 19:42   We have become so accustomed to them, we hardly notice them.  There are plain ones and jeweled ones, simple ones and elaborate ones.  Some have been passed down for generations.  Others are given as gifts.  They are ubiquitous, and yet, there are many who don’t know the whole story behind these little crosses we wear. I remember hearing one preacher remark how odd it would seem for people from the time of Jesus to see us wearing them as jewelry, carrying them in procession, making them out of gold.  It would … Continue reading The Agony of Why

A sermon for Passion Sunday, Year A Matthew 26:36-27:66 Could you not stay awake with me? What tone do you think Jesus used when he spoke these words to the disciples?  How might an actor bring life and emotion to these words? Was he angry? Was he discouraged and disappointed? Was he fearful and lonely? Despite their best efforts, the disciples, even this early in the story of the last hours of Jesus’ life, are already deserting him.  They cannot even manage to keep awake, to pray, to protect him. I imagine all of these emotions must have surged through … Continue reading Keep Awake!

A sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year AJohn 9:1-41 I want to begin this morning doing something I almost never do – begin with a commercial.  On Tuesday evening during Holy Week, which is believe it or not, two weeks from this coming Tuesday, it is our tradition here at Christ Church to gather together and hear the Gospel of the Year read in its entirety. This year, of course, we will hear Matthew read in its entirety in one sitting – well we might have an intermission.  Why on earth would you do that, you might ask.  … Continue reading The Man Born with Blind Neighbors