Proclaim by Word and Example

This sermon was preached for online worship for St. Andrew's and St. Michael's for Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2020. The texts for this sermon are:  Acts 2:1-21 ,  1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 ,  John 20:19-23 , and  Psalm 104:25-35, 37 . Before I start my sermon, I want to acknowledge that we recorded our Prayers of the People on Tuesday afternoon. So, so much has happened in our nation since then that needs our prayer, our lament, our action. So on behalf of St. Andrew’s and St. Michael’s parish communities, let us pray. God of boundless love, today we remember before you the Black community across this nation in their grief and anguish, especially the families and friends of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. On this day of Pentecost, send your Spirit on our broken and hurting nation, especially all those feel overwhelmed by fear, anger, and despair. God of compassion, you have called us to be a society of liberty, justice, and love for every living b...

This sermon was preached live on Facebook for Sunday, May 10. The texts for this sermon are:  Acts 7:55-60 ,  1 Peter 2:2-10 ,  John 14:1-14,  and  Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 . All throughout this week, little gifts began popping into my inbox: short videos of our confirmation class eighth-graders reflecting on bible passages.  The verses the kids chose to recite ranged from Gospel parables to Deuteronomic commandments to apostolic advice. Some kids read their passages slowly, others whipped through. One couldn’t help but giggle a bit and give a huge whoop when he was done. Another breathed passion and anger into the voice of the character of the older son. One kid chose his passage because it was his grandmother’s favorite. Another because it reminded him of his passion for building. This verse urged her to be kind, this one prompted him to stick to his convictions. One heard in the image of the fortified tower of Proverbs 18, “if we have faith we always...