Sermons
The paths we take on our faith journey are as different and complex as each one of us. The path is smooth or rough at different places. The stumbling blocks for each of us are found here or there. The mountains, valleys, and oases are at different places along the way. If you stop and be still, or if you turn and look around, you can discover that God is with you, delighted to be on the path with you.
Read Nancy’s full sermon for Trinity Sunday by clicking “Read More.”
If there is one essential message in this Pentecost story, it is that we are not as different from one another as we think we are. We are not the stranger we assume we are. We are not the foreigners we fear we are. Our needs are not so different from the needs of others. We are more alike than we are different.
Listen to or read Bishop Akiyama’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”
Pontius Pilate was the Roman Procurator of Palestine during the reign of Tiberius. Though he commanded a Roman legion of 4500 soldiers, his was not a plush assignment. Saddled with governing one of the frontier provinces of the Roman Empire he spent most of his time in Caesarea Maritime where the weather was reasonably decent and where he was able to have minimal contact with the stubbornly unruly inhabitants of the region under his control. Only on high holy days did Pilate trouble himself to go into Jerusalem so as to be present should any sort of problem arise. Still, he was the face of the Roman Empire in that part of the world, and as such, he literally had the power of life or death over the people under his control. Yet, for all the trappings that went with his position, it is quite possible that Pontius Pilate would have lived and died utterly forgotten by history had it not been for one fateful day when he crossed paths with a Galilean Jew named Jesus of Nazareth.
Listen to or read Sharon’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”
In our baptism we receive this amazing power of the Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen, and comfort us on this earth. Just like these first followers of Jesus on that first Pentecost, God and has sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This gift that Jesus calls the Advocate, the Spirit who speaks for us and who champions our cause. The Spirit watches over, protects and comforts us.
Listen to or read Ryan’s entire sermon for Pentecost by clicking “Read More.”
Merry Christmas to you all! We did it! We’re here! What a lovely night, what a special occasion to come together with family and friends to hear the story told once again, to listen to the readings from scripture and sing the Christmas carols. Welcome, welcome, one and all. It is a joy to be together with you this night, THE NIGHT, the night when we recognize and remember the coming into the world of a little baby born in Bethlehem. The angels brought the good news to shepherds watching over their flocks in the field by night, and this good news echoes throughout time to us on this night.
Over the past several weeks St. Mary’s has held Quinceañera services here in the church in celebration of girls’ 15th birthdays. A Quinceañera is a tradition with both Mexican and Spanish roots, celebrated throughout Latin America and elsewhere. It marks the passage from girlhood to womanhood, emphasizing the importance of family and community in her life, and her changing responsibilities to them.
Listen to or read Deacon Nancy Crawford’s entire sermon by clicking “read more.”
