Epiphany 3B | St. James, Bradley Beach, NJ Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 62:6-14; Mark 1:14-20 Some weeks ago I preached my first Advent sermon at St. James. You may have noticed in my sermons ever since I have been focusing on a symbol that runs throughout our Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons: Light! From the light of the Advent wreath, to the light become flesh in Jesus, to the star of Epiphany. In the Gospel readings during Epiphany we first hear the story of the wisemen drawn to Jesus’ birth by a star, symbolic of the spreading of God’s light to … Continue reading Called to Challenge the System

Proper 23A | St. James’, Bradley Beach Matthew 22:1-14 There is one person, not a Biblical character but an everyday, walking around person, who has made an appearance in more of my sermons than any other. He was a resident of Blacksburg, Virginia, where I served as the Episcopal Chaplain at Virginia Tech for 10 years. Now, I use the term “resident” loosely, because, you see, this person was actually homeless. His name was Teddy Henderson, but most people just called him Teddy. In fact, it wasn’t until he died that I and many others actually learned his last name. … Continue reading The King’s Party; the King’s Rules

Proper 20A | St. Michael’s, Wall, NJ Exodus 16:2-15; Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16 Whenever a preacher sits down with the lectionary lessons of the week, we read through them, and we often look for a theme that runs through them all. In both the Old Testament and Gospel readings this morning, I find a common theme: whining. Ok, now sometimes it feels good to whine. I saw a sign in a shop once, “Wine a bit, you’ll feel better.” But when whining gets out of hand, how often have we heard a parental voice saying, “Don’t make … Continue reading God’s Unreasonable Grace

Proper 22B | Trinity Episcopal Church, Matawan, NJ Mark 10:2-16 “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” These words of Jesus, here in the KJV, which I grew up with, are among some of the most beloved, comforting words people remember of Jesus’ ministry. I believe have sentimentalized them, however, so much so that we can’t hear their original context. They have lost their power. Where we today may picture a lovely portrait of Jesus the Uncle, bouncing a toddler on his knee, when in reality what … Continue reading Suffer the Little Francis

A sermon for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A St. John’s, Salem, NJ We are in the season of Epiphany. In our liturgy we are still talking about stars and light. We COULD, if we wanted to, sing “We Three Kings” today! Epiphany is the season we celebrate the time after Christmas when the light we first celebrate in the manger in Bethlehem first begins to spread beyond just that place to the entire world. Gentile kings follow a star and worship God’s messiah. Then we hear stories of Jesus being baptized and the amazing signs that accompanied … Continue reading Where tables are turned, blessings abound