Sermon, First Sunday after Trinity, 2025
We begin this Sunday to preach through the first book of homilies. The first homily is entitled: A Fruitful Exhortation to the Reading and Knowledge of Holy Scripture These sermons have been edited to shorten them and to update the language, with the intent of maintaining the content, or at least the core meaning. The original texts of the homilies can be found in the manuscripts after the edited text that were preached. For background on these homilies, see the links below. Manuscript Sermon Archive Background and scans of the original homilies Article from North American Anglican on the homilies
Sermon, Trinity Sunday, 2025
This Sunday, we get a 2-for-1. The first part of this sermon discusses the importance of being precise in our language about God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This isn’t a reflection of how well we understand God, but is rather more about keeping us from simplifing God in heretical ways. The Creeds, and most particularly the Athanasian creed, were formulated over centuries to keep us from leaving the path of orthodoxy. The second part of the sermon looks at the Old Testament lesson from Isaiah 6 and the Epistle lesson from Revelation 4 (and 5) which both provide insights into heavenly worship. It is our desire that our worship…
Sermon, Pentecost, 2025
Pentecost is a pivotal point in human history. On that day, the Holy Spirit entered into the world to take up His abode with humanity. Satan no longer held unopposed sway over mankind for those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ were became temples of God and members of the corporate body of Christ, the Church, and this is to what the apocalyptic language in the second chapter of Joel refers. Having been freed from Satan, let us now embrace life as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, and let us turn away from sin and serve the King! Propers Manuscript Sermon Archive
Sunday Morning Worship, Sunday after the Ascension, June 1, 2025
Holy Communion Service preceded by lessons and canticles from Morning Prayer Today’s homily begins with a review of where we are in the Church calendar (between the Ascension and Pentecost). One of the things that we may gloss over during this season is the transition of leadership that occurs from Jesus to the Apostles. During the 40 days after Easter and before He ascends, Christ teaches the disciples about Himself and, presumably, how to organize the fledgling church. He also gifts them with the Holy Spirit to lead the New Covenant people of God into holiness and mission. This is not the first time where a transition like this occurs…
Sermon, Ascension Day, 2025
The feast of the Ascension represents Christ’s enthronement as King of All. It may not seem like Christ is reigning to us or to our fellow believers, but the fact that Christ reigns is represented in the scriptures by his regal session, “sitting on the right hand of God”. He is not distraught by what we see as lack of kingdom growth. Rather His plan for bringing all things under subjection to Himself continues on. It will not be thwarted. The real question is, “Do we believe this?” If we do, then we should take up our role as kingdom ambassadors, bringing the truth of Christ to the world. So…
Sermon, Rogation Sunday (5th aft. Easter), 2025
In the Epistle of James, we are commanded to be “doers of the Word.” In the gospel for Rogation Sunday, we are instructed by Christ, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” This is a problematic statement for if we ask for something in Christ’s name and then set about to be a doer for that which we asked, then are we actually trusting God to answer prayer or are we working in our own strength to bring about our answer? And are we…
Sermon, 4th Sunday after Easter, 2025
Throughout our lives we may have various encounters with art or nature that draw us away from ourselves to touch the transcendent and point us to God. These sublime experiences last for minutes and yet leave us desiring more. We wish that they could become a part of us – that we could somehow be united with them. No doubt the disciples experienced this living day in and day out with Jesus Christ, God Incarnate. As embodied creatures, they could not truly be united to the messiah. Union with God could only happen when Christ returned to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit, who has taken up residence within…
Sermon, 3rd Sunday after Easter, 2025
We Christians are called to faithfulness and holiness in this present life. We are called to labor for the kingdom – and Christ draws on the labor of childbirth as an analogy for our lives. We endure and work now in order to bear joyful fruit for the Kingdom of God and eventually for the eternal Kingdom in the life of the world to come. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Propers Manuscript Sermon Archive
Sermon, 2nd Sunday after Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, 2025
Christ is our Good Shepherd. He doesn’t herd us from behind, but, since He is everything that is Good, He leads us from out front. He doesn’t ask or force us to go where He Himself does not tread. He suffered and died to bring us into His fold, and He shows and empowers us to follow His godly example. The questions that remain: will we join His flock? will we follow His lead? May His love for us bring us into His fold, and may we always trust Him to guide us safely home. Propers Manuscript Sermon Archive
Sermon, 1st Sunday after Easter
According to the First General Epistle of St. John, chapter 5, our faith is the key to us overcoming the world. But our faith does not exist in complete isolation. It is grounded upon three witnesses, the water, the blood, and the Spirit. What does the Apostle mean by this? How do these witnesses keep us in confident and orthodox belief. Propers Manuscript Sermon Archive