Year B, Advent 1, November 27th, 2011

Mark 13:24-37 (click on the scripture to read it)

Green Shirts, Green Shorts, and Green Knee High Socks

My dad was an Eagle Scout and my brother was a Boy Scout too.  I was not a Boy Scout, though I was a Cub Scout for a couple of years.  Scouting didn’t keep my interest, or at least not enough to compete with the time I devoted to sports.  I learned a lot from sports, but I could have probably used a little scouting in my earlier years.

Year A, Proper 28, November 13, 2011

Matthew 25:14-30 (click on the scripture to read it) 

An Honest Day…for Honest Pay

Do you know how much minimum wage in Nevada? I didn’t.  I had to look it up, and my lack of knowledge spoke to me right there.   Minimum wage in Nevada is 7.25 per hour if you are receiving health benefits from your employer. It is 8.25 per hour if you are NOT receiving employer health benefits.  If a worker is lucky enough to be able to work 8 hours in a day, their minimum wage job (without health benefits) would earn them $66.00 a day before taxes.  A days wage in Jesus’ time was a denarii.

Year A, Proper 25, October 23, 2011

Are you holier than thou?"


Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18  (Click on the scripture to read it)

Matthew  22:34-46         (Click on the scripture to read it)

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of being the guest preacher at Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno.  It was a great to travel less than 5 miles away and experience worship with our Episcopal neighbors.  It was good to see some familiar faces and to be reminded that as an Episcopal parish, St. Paul’s does not stand alone.  We are a part of a greater wholeness and a greater holiness.

Year A, Proper 23, October 9, 2011

On this day, I was the guest preacher at Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno, Nevada.

Matthew 22:1-14 (Click on the scripture to read it)

Jesus told stories to help us ask questions and to help us understand what he wanted us to learn.  Today, I’m going to begin with a story.

One day a police officer is called to assist in directing traffic around a stalled car.  The information the dispatcher had given the officer did not include a description of the stalled car…..only the location of the intersection.  As the Officer approached the four lane intersection the traffic light was RED and there were 3 cars in front of him. The light turned green and cars in his lane did not move so he knew he was in the right spot.  The cars in the line in front of him slowly pealed off one by one into the free lane.

Year A, Proper 22, October 2, 2011

The Giving and Receiving of Thankfulness

I have been following my friend’s blog about her experiences with having breast cancer.  Her name is Tina Frey, some of you may remember her and her husband Nathan, and at that time their new born son Logan.  They were parishioners here at St. Paul’s for about a year, but moved out of state two years ago for another job.

Year A, Proper 20, September 18, 2011

But God...I think I ordered pumpernickel

Exodus 16:2-15   (Click on the scriptures to read them)

Matthew 20:1-16

WE need something.  What is it? 

We often get lost in what we want in such a way that we can’t even begin to see what it is that we really need. 

YOU need something.  What is it?

Year A, Proper 19, September 11, 2011

Ten Year Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks 

Matthew 18:21-35 (click on the scripture to read it)

We gather together today to remember...  

On one hand, remembering can trigger a sense of feeling lost, and on the other hand remembering can give us strength and hope.  Either way, remembering is good; it’s a part of who we are; it’s a part of our story; remembering leads to healing.  Though remembering is good, it is not always easy... At times I still become overwhelmed by strong emotions...  So many questions… Why?  Why did this have to happen?  Some say it was from God, others say it was humanities doing.  In looking back, I see ignorance, arrogance, politics, anger, and fear.  I think I will always struggle as I process my understandings of why it happened.

Year A, Proper 17, August 28, 2011

This was my sermon for Invitation Sunday. 

Three weeks ago those who were in worship that day were given 5 invitations to pass out to anyone they wanted; friend or not, known or unknown.  The invitation invited them to this particular Sunday which was also a potluck lunch. 
We had 25 visitors...Amen! 

Year A, Proper 13, July 31, 2011

Matthew 14:13-21 (click on the scripture to read it)

No... YOU Feed Them

Jesus had been doing good ministry.  Up to today’s Gospel reading in Matthew, Jesus had chosen a special group of disciples to take this journey with him.  He has healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, cast out demons, and restored life to a little girl.  He’s calmed a raging storm, preached the Sermon on the Mount and taught many parables that were creating spiritual growth within those who would listen to his message.  Jesus had been doing good ministry.

Year A, Pentecost 2, June 26, 2011

Genesis 22:1-14 (click on the scripture to read it)

Today’s Old Testament story about Abraham and Isaac was as ancient to Jesus as the stories about Jesus are to us today.  Without arguing over exact numbers, let’s say the stories about Jesus are 2000 years old, but the stories of Abraham are twice that.  The stories about Jesus are so

Year A, Easter 5, May 22, 2011

John 14:1-14 (click on the scripture to read it)

     I want to start by saying something that I’ve said before; the bible is not a book it is a library.  In it you will find every genre known to ancient or modern literature.  Not only is it a library, but also the Words contained within its covers are living and growing just like our understanding and relationship with God.  This is one of the things that is so great about the many books in this compilation.  Each time you read them, the individual stories and the overall picture becomes a little clearer, they sink a little deeper, and they become more real. 

Year A, Easter 2, May 1, 2011

John 20:19-31 (click on the scripture to read it)

The Word is alive….. what is it telling us here today? 
Are the scriptures telling us to have faith and not to doubt like Thomas?  I’m not one who really thinks Thomas was a doubter, and as far as faith is concerned, if you are here you have faith, and you’ve chosen to come together in this place to be fed and strengthen your faith.  The scriptures are alive and they seem to know what we need to hear; they know what we need to learn.  Sometimes we need to hear about having or keeping our faith, but I think for the here and now, today’s Gospel is about action…it’s about reaching out and sharing the faith we already have.

Easter Day, April 24, 2011

John 20:1-18 (click on the scripture to read it)

Kids Sermon + Adult Sermon

KID’S PART

Symbols

Show these symbols one at a time a see if the kids can tell you what they represent.

American Flag, Recycle, Chuck E Cheese, McDonalds, Christmas Tree

Hold up the EGG

Year A, Lent 5, April 10, 2011

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (click on the scripture to read it)

DRY BONES

Have you ever broken a bone?  Broken bones come in different degrees, from hairline fractures to compound fractures.  No matter what degree a bone is broken, you know instantly that something is wrong.  Bones don’t lie, they scream the truth.  All the bells and whistles go off as the nerves around the broken bone send a bolt of lighting to your brain.  Our first reaction is that of a nurturing instinct as we reach for the brokenness in hope that our embrace will bring comfort.  Quickly we realize that our embrace is not enough and we seek other things to promote healing.  Ice… we need Ice.  Ice is almost like a frozen light in our pain of fiery darkness.  We must extinguish the fire and numb the pain.

Year A, Lent 3, March 27, 2011

John 4:5-42 (click on the scripture to read it)

The Woman at the Well

     The Gospel story about Jesus and the woman at the well has always been a story that paints a vivid picture in my mind.  As I hear the Words, I can see beads of sweat clinging on the forehead of Jesus as he sits on the sandy ground next to an ancient spring fed well, given to the region by his ancestor Jacob.  I can envision the hot rays of the Noonday sun beating down on his dark skin as he rubs the souls of his feet, sore from a long journey.   I can almost imagine the dryness of his mouth being lost in his mind as he gazed at the view of a nearby mountaintop and became overwhelmed by the enjoyment in solitude of the moment. 

Year A, Epiphany 7, February 20, 2011

Matthew 5:38-48  (Click on the scripture to read it)

Last week Jesus opened our eyes to the difference between what it is like to live as God’s children through the written Law and what it’s like to be children of God through a relationship with Christ.

Under the Law it was easy to follow a set of black and white laws and when you broke those laws it was easy to follow the prescribed methods to return to God’s favor. When we embrace God through Christ things get harder; to live into Christ we have to live in real relationships and relationships are messy. 

Year A, Epiphany 3, January 23, 2011

Rector's Annual Report

Matthew 4:12-23  (Click on the scripture to read it)

Inquirer, Admirer, Follower

Today is a big playoff day in the National Football League, and the Super Bowl is

just around the corner.  Because of that, you get a football sermon illustration.

Year A, The Feast of the Epiphany 2011

Matthew 2:1-12 (Click on the scripture to read it)

Do you top your Christmas tree with an angel or a star? 

If your tree topper is an angel, then maybe you prefer Luke’s gospel story of how it was the host of angels that enlightened the shepherds in the fields and sent them out to find the baby Jesus lying in a manger.

Year A, Christmas Eve 2010

Year A, Christmas Eve 2010

John 1:1-14  (Click on the scripture to read it)

Neighborhood Christmas Theology

As Episcopalians we try really hard to pray what we believe and believe what we pray.  There is integrity to be found when the words we use to talk about God, or talk to God, match our actions.  For example, sometimes I hear people pray, Dear God, please be with Susan while she is going through this time of darkness in her life.  What the prayer has just said about God is that God was not already with Susan, and we needed to point her struggles out to God, so God would be with her.  Our actual belief is that God is with us all the time…, so for a prayer to be true to our belief system we should not ask God to be with someone, but rather we should ask God to help us and those in need to experience God’s presence in order to gain strength and hope from the reassurance of Emmanuel; the reassurance that God is with us.