Sermon: Christmas Eve

Christmas is the Light shining in the darkness. Every darkness. Your darkness.

And that's what it's all about.

Sermon: The Third Sunday of Advent

Meat loaf and freshly dry cleaned suits: the things that angels sing about.

(Note: After preaching the sermon Larry Rose kindly noted that - with experience! - it's the chaff that blows away and the heavier wheat which falls to the ground. Not the other way around. If I'm not careful we're going to need a 'Live Sermon Fact Check' booth in the back of the church. . .)

Sermon: The Second Sunday of Advent

When God tells you something wonderful is going to happen, you say. . . "Yes!"

Sermon: The First Sunday of Advent

Advent means that God isn't finished with us yet. The Story of God is still going on, and we're a part of it. And if we keep awake, and if we keep our eyes open - we may like the shepherds and wisemen behold a new star at it's rising.

Looking forward to Sunday: The First Sunday of Advent

Apparently the Mayans believed that the world is going to end in 2012. Maybe you saw the movie in the last week or so. Karen and I are going tonight.

According to one, very small and questionably informed, group of modern Christians the world is going to end on May 21st, 2011. (I guess the Mayans were close? . . .) They base this date on a crazy string of biblical quotes from totally unrelated pieces of scripture, and depend on the date of 4990BC as the year of the flood (as in Noah). According to their calculations May 21, 2001 is 7,000 years to the day since Noah's Ark set sail on it's first and last voyage.

Hal Lindsey, the author of The Late Great Planet Earth, said that he thought that last decade of human history would be the 1980's.

Ooops.

The fascination with the 'End Times' has spurred a multi-billion dollar industry. Books, movies, websites, billboards - media of all types feeding curiosity of 'the end.'

Into this climate - and with two upcoming end-dates hovering over our heads - we enter Advent. And, Advent is about the coming of Christ, and the fulfillment of God's righteous victory over evil. Advent (a word which means 'the coming') end with the celebration of the first coming of Christ in a manger in Bethlehem, but Advent always begins by pointing our faith towards the next coming of Jesus.

Just about every week we state the mystery of our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

What do we mean by 'Christ will come again?' What did Jesus mean by the speaking of his return? What do the many references to 'the Day of the Lord' throughout the Old and New Testaments mean?

Do we join the crazies and build bunkers and arks? Do we claim that we've intellectually moved on from this pre-modern way of looking at the world and God? Or, is there something really here?

Not exactly fun, fluffy thoughts to wake up to as we crawl out of our turkey-and-stuffing-induced-coma - but important issues of faith to wrestle with as we move into Advent, and sing those familiar tunes: O Come, O Come Emmanuel. . .

Sermon: Christ the King Sunday

So what do George Steirbrenner, the St. Joe's basketball team, Pontius Pilate, and Jesus have in common?

They were all in this Sunday's sermon.

No, really.

This sermon was out of the cosmos. . .

Looking forward to Sunday: Christ the King

This coming Sunday is traditionally known as "Christ the King Sunday." It's hard for us Americans to get our heads around the concepts of monarchy, as we haven't had to deal with a monarch for almost 230 years. (We can ask our ex-pat Brits for a basic primer on living as a royal subject after church. . .)

But, the titles of monarchy: King and Kingdom, are used over and over again in the Gospels to describe the role of Jesus and his reign over the realm of God. It's staggering to think about a poor Jewish carpenter who was born in a barn and who had 'no place to lay his head' as a 'King.' And, quite frankly it was just as staggering for the people who were listening to Jesus talk and rise in popularity 2,000 years ago.

But, his identity as King was a central claim of his life and purpose - and the importance of him being a descendant of King David and King Solomon solidified that claim.

But, HOW Jesus was King is the really staggering piece, because Jesus' crowning in the Gospels was specifically identified not with an opulent ceremony and golden crown, but rather with a cross and a crown of thorns. When the Gospel writers wrote the scenes of trial and execution, they wrote them to be the coronation.

Because that's the kind of King Jesus was. And is.

Jesus' reign was not only inaugurated on the cross, but it is indentified by the cross. The cross and tomb are markers for the kind of reign he established and maintains today.

Try and wrap you head around that.

What does that say about leadership? About power? And about the way we're supposed to run the church - God's Kingdom embassies on earth?

And, what does it say about us, who are supposed to be subjects to that kind of King?

When we stop to ponder the royal reign of Christ from the foot of the cross - or as we'll do in a few short weeks from the foot of the manger - we not only get a glimpse into who Jesus really was, and is. But, truly, we get a better picture of who we are meant to be.

Sermon: The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

The story of Hannah and the origins of Samuel demonstrates beautifully a faithful response to an ever-faithful God.

Looking forward to Sunday: Hannah

This week our Old Testament Lesson comes from the first chapter of 1^st Samuel, and our ‘psalm’ comes from the 2^nd chapter of the same book. So, in just a few short minutes we will get a very good snapshot of the beginning of the biblical book of 1^st Samuel and the lives of Eli and Hannah, and Hannah’s child Samson.

Like last week we will quickly notice some interesting trajectories in the storyline of the book. The story begins with Hannah in a poor state. She’s barren, feeling abandoned by God, trampled down by those around her, and even wrongly accused of being drunk while praying! But, then that all turns around, and she gives birth to Samson – one of the great heroes of the People of God.

And, when it turns around, she breaks out into song – singing the psalm that has become to be known as “The Song of Hannah.”

It’s a beautiful piece. Scholars have noticed throughout the millennia how incredibly similar it is to the Song of Mary (The Magnificat) in the Gospel of Luke. But, what is striking about this song, and the woman who sings it, is that it’s not just about her. God granted her some personal redemption and deliverance – and yet she sings of a God who didn’t just do great things for her, but of a God who always does great things cosmically and for the whole People of God.

I find it to be such a helpful story because I think we can all identify ‘Hannah moments’ in our life – where we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Moments where nothing seems to be going right, and where we don’t feel like anyone has our back.

But, then I also think we have other ‘Hannah moments’ where things amazingly and wonderfully work out. Where we realize that we aren’t alone after all, and our prayers of word, thought, and cry aren’t just going off into a great emptiness – but are being heard by God.

And, if we can have those ‘Hannah moments,’ maybe we can also conjure up the strength to sing – out loud to God. Maybe we can then see that our little lives aren’t the only thing God is working on, but that, in the words of the old song, “He’s got the WHOLE world in his hands.”

Here’s hoping we have that kind of Hannah moment, and soon.

Sermon: The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

The story of Ruth is one that begins in famine and death, and which moves to fullness and life. The story of Kuria, Kenya is also a story that moves from hunger to fullness, thanks to Nuru International. And, that trajectory - that movement is one of the defining characteristics of the Story of God. And when the Story of God breaks into our life, that trajectory breaks in too.

For a powerful video about Karen's friend Jake, and Nuru's amazing work in Kenya, see below.

The End (Jake's Story) from Nuru International on Vimeo.

Looking Forward to Sunday: Ruth

This week we will encounter the Ruth - one of the great matriarchs of the Hebrew Bible. In the Revised Common Lectionary, we only read from the Book of Ruth two Sundays in the entire three year cycle of readings. I always think it's important to take these rare opportunities seriously, lest we forget some of the great stories, heroes, and heroines which make up the fabric of our faith.

The Book of Ruth is a story of opposites, and movement. It's the story of famine and food, barrenness and fruitfulness, fullness and emptiness, and leaving and returning. As we come to the fullness of fall and draw ever closer to Thanksgiving, these themes should be quickly recognized in our story as a nation. Those who came before us - explorers, pilgrims, and patriots knew suffering, and leanness, oppression, and hardship before America was able to rise out of the ashes and truly be a place of prosperity and freedom. Maybe you recognize these themes in your own lives as well - seasons where there were difficulty, where you 'did without,' and where you were tested and tried.

Maybe you're in one of those seasons now.

But, in the Story of God, while these themes and seasons show up again and again, there is always movement forward and upward. The Story of God never ends in desolation, death, hunger, or by a sad tomb. God always brings His people to a fuller life.

Not that such fuller life comes easily, or even quickly. But, in the end, God always provides. God always wins.

And, when God wins, we win.

I've spent a good deal of time over the last few weeks and months thinking about our parish's finances. This is a season in our church's life where there is so much to celebrate - but financial stability isn't one of those areas for us to celebrate. I see the strain on the vestry as they seek to provide for St. Mark's well, but have to constantly ask, 'Can we afford that?' 'Where's the money for that going to come from?'

I know, that as the Story of Ruth, and the Story of the Bible moves - so too will the story of St. Mark's. I believe that we are in a good place - that a good crop has been planted - and goodness knows we've had enough rain!

I'm praying for a harvest worthy of the work that God has given us to do, and in thanksgiving of all that God has blessed us with already.­

Rick+

Sermon: All Saint's Sunday

The Life that Jesus gives us doesn't begin when we die - it begins now. And, because of that, we who are 'alive in the Lord' are connected to those who are 'dead in the Lord' in mystic sweet communion. Because we share One Life - as one flock, of one Shepherd.

Sermon: The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

We're not the center of the universe. We're actually not even close.

And, when we're honest about that, we can begin to see where God fits into the universe. And then we can see that our place in the universe is in God's heart.

Sermon: The Institution of the 3rd Rector

The Sermon by the Right Rev. John L. Rabb, Bishop Suffragan of Maryland.

Sermon: The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

So, what do you do with Job? How do we look at faith, prayer, tragedy and sorrow in the wake of Job's life and loss?

Some questions don't have easy answers.

But, there may be a Light at the end of the tunnel yet.

Sermon: The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

The story of Esther is one of a long line of the biblical stories of redemption and victory. What makes it so interesting, and maybe feel quite relevant to our lives, is that God isn't explicitly found in the story - but is certainly very much present and active.

Sermon: The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

In Mark chapter 9 it's clear that Jesus is going a different way than the disciples. While he's on the way to suffering and sacrifice, they're on the way to feeling good about themselves.

Which way are we on? Are we with Jesus?

Sermon: The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Jesus didn't just play it safe. He went to some hard places - some dark places. And, he didn't go with condemnation or judgement, but rather just went with Himself.

He does that for us too.

Photo: The "Gates of Hell" at Caesarea Phillipi.

Sermon: The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

St. James, the brother of the Lord, gave us an epistle that is practical and pragmatic: our faith can't be something that we just say with by our words, but something that we live with our lives.

The book referenced in the sermon, that I read on my summer vacation, can be found here.

Sermon: The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Jesus said that he was the 'Bread of Life' - How do you encounter the Bread of Life, and how might such Bread change your life?

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Jesus said that he was 'the Bread of Life.' And then the people started complaining. . . This complaining is one of the links of this story which ties it in to the story of the Exodus. And, which can remind us, that we need freeing too.

Sermon: The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Acquiring a taste for the Christ who is, not just the Christ we want.

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

David had it all - and he blew it all.

And, so can we.

Sermon: The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

King David saw all that God had given him. . . and didn't like what he was giving back to God.

Sermon: The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

King David made worship about God, not himself. And he. . . let himself go too.

So did Chuck.

Sermon: The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon: Fourth Sunday in Pentecost

Jesus brings life in the face of death. Whether we reach out to touch him, or he comes to touch us.

Sermon: Third Sunday of Pentecost

Since the beginning God has been ordering the chaos - of the universe - and of our lives.

Sorry for the poor audio quality this week. In an effort to boost the volume, the sound got distorted. We'll get it right someday!

Sermon: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost

A servant is a servant, no matter how small.

Sermon: Trinity Sunday

The Holy Trinity. Believe it. But, don't forget to live it.

Sermon: Pentecost

Since the burning bush, God has been manifest by fire. In Pentecost, God sets us, the Church on fire - and this has ramifications for how we live as individuals and as Christian community.

Sermon: The Seventh Sunday of Easter

This is the recording of the sermon I preached on the 7th Sunday of Easter at St. Mark's.

We had some funky issues with the audio this week - including my mic dying halfway through the sermon. Sorry.

Pictured: The Sinking of the Ville du Havre.

Book Review: Fasting

I saw this book in a bookstore about a month ago, and the very thought of it intrigued me enough. . . that a month later I bought it, and I've just about devoured it. (. . . an odd choice of words to use with a book on fasting. . . )

McKnight contends that fasting is a response that faithful people make to a grievous sacred moment. Interesting. . .

Of course he makes it plain that since the 1700's (if not earlier) fasting has become a long lost art in western Christianity. The question that has haunted me throughout my reading of the book though is: do we respond to any grievous sacred moments anymore? How often to we recognize that we're taking part in something sacred, much less grievous?

And, if we were graced with such realization - and we succumbed to living in the shadow of the realization of such moments, might we not observe a fast?

Good book. An even better practice.

I recommend both.

Sermon: The Ordination of Fred and Dave to the Priesthood

This is the recording of the sermon I gave at St. Peter's Lonaconing on May 9th, 2009 on the occasion of the ordination of Fred and Dave to the priesthood.

Sermon: The Sixth Sunday of Easter

Sermon: The Sixth Sunday of Easter.

Jesus called us his friends - but his understanding of friendship far transcends our typical, modern, Facebook/ MySpace understanding. As friends of Jesus we are asked to give our lives to him, as he did for us.

Questions to go deeper:

1) When you think of yourself as a friend of Jesus, what thoughts or feelings are brought up?

2) How can we not only be better friends with Jesus, but also be better friends with each other?

This sermon was aided by "Jesus as Friend in the Gospel of John," by The Rev. Dr. Gail R. O'Day in Interpretation 58 no 2 April 2004, p 144-157. Dr. O'Day was my preaching professor at The Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Sermon: The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Sermon: The Fifth Sunday of Easter

In the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch we find two models of faith - both different, and both necessary for fruitful faithfulness and spiritual growth.

Sermon: The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Sermon: The Fourth Sunday of Easter, and on the occasion of my first Sunday at St. Mark's!

What a great day!

May Jesus our shepherd watch over us in the pastures and the valleys, and lead us closer to Him.

Sermon: Easter Sunday

This is the sermon I preached at St. Peter's and St. John's on Easter Sunday morning.

Sermon: The Great Vigil of Easter

This is the sermon I preached at the Great Vigil of Easter, at St. John's in Frostburg.

Good Friday

This is the sermon that I preached at St. Peter's and St. John's on Good Friday.

Maundy Thursday

This is the sermon I preached at St. Peter's and St. John's on Maundy Thursday.

Quiet Day: Lamentations

This is my Lenten Quiet Day offering for Lent 2009; a three part meditation on the first three chapters of the Book of Lamentations.

For the past seven years I've been invited by the Rev. Edward "Bo" Chapman to assist in some way with the Quiet Day retreat at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Cumberland, Maryland - the parish in which Karen and I were married, and the church that sponsored me for ordination. This year I gave a series on Lamentations throughout the day. Each meditation is separated by a brief musical interlude on the audio file.

Enjoy. And a have a Holy Week!

Sermon: Palm Sunday

This is the sermon that I preached at St. Peter's and St. John's for Palm Sunday 2009.

To listen to the sermon, click on the title link above, the little 'play' button by the title, or - better yet! - subscribe to the podcast on iTunes on the right.

There's already a dozen people at St. Mark's who have subscribed to the podcast (now you'll wonder how I know this. . .), so jump on the bandwagon!

Also, one of the best features of a blog is that it's interactive. You can post comments to each post by clicking the little 'comments' below. Real, good, and honest feedback can only help a preacher become better. AND, the conversations which can happen on blog like this can be just as stimulating for a parish as the sermon itself!

Praying with Beads

I've been using the Anglican Rosary (sometimes, otherwise known as Anglican Prayer Beads) in my daily prayer routine for quite some time now. I've found them to be a great supplement to the Daily Office, and like the music of Taize, praying with the beads helps me carve out some space and time to commune more deeply with God.

Not long ago I stumbled upon a new resource, "Praying with Beads," and I just can't recommend it enough! While I have been using a single prayer sequence with the Anglican Rosary for months now, this little book offers prayers for each week of the church's year based on the weekly collects from the Book of Common Prayer and often the lectionary readings for the week.

I commend it to you for use - and if you're at St. Mark's and don't know much (or anything) about the Anglican Rosary, you will soon enough! (May 1st commeth!)

In the News

I think the problem with church growth these days is that there aren't enough pictures of clergy in their exercise shorts. So, I'm trying to rectify that.

Anything for the church.

Click here to see the full pdf with the article that goes with it.

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

This is the sermon I preached at St. Peter's and St. John's on March 22nd, 2009.

As you can see, I had a little help from a little no-legged creature. It was quite fun! The kids at St. Peter's got a little carried-away with all the excitement, and the rest of the congregation had to show a little. . . patience. But, it was great.

(By the way: "vultures falling from heaven?" This is what happens when you don't use a sermon manuscript. . .)

To listen to the sermon you can either click on the title link above "The Fourth Sunday in Lent," or you can be one of the growing number of folk who subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, using the link on the right of this page.

The Third Sunday in Lent

This is the sermon preached at St. Peter's and St. John's on the 15th of March.

God has set us apart: in creation, in covenant, and in the cross and empty tomb - to be saints, and to live holy lives. This Lent, let's live more and more into the holy lives that we have been set apart for.

To access the audio file, click the title link above "The Third Sunday in Lent" or subscribe to the podcast on the right.

Picture Caption Contest

Ok, so I was the preacher at the ordination of Karen Crosby and Jim Williams to the priesthood a few weeks back. The only picture of me delivering my sermon is, sadly, above. Come up with a caption, and put it in the 'comments' section below. I don't know what the 'winner' will get - but probably, at least, a good tongue-lashing from me!

Let us be fools

This is a sermon I preached at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Hancock, Maryland on Wednesday night, March 4th. They have a Lenten Series, and at the invitation of Fr. Allan Weatherholt, I was the guest preacher.

To listen to the sermon, click on the title link above: Let us be fools

Sermon: the First Sunday in Lent

After the flood, God gave us a rainbow as the sign of his promise of life, love, mercy and forgiveness. Isn't it interesting that this sign is such a fleeting, myterious thing? What does this mean? And, are there any enduring rainbows?

Someday we'll find it. . . the rainbow connection.

To listen to the sermon, click on the title link: Sermon, the First Sunday in Lent

Ash Wednesday Sermon

Sermon at St. Peter's and St. John's for Ash Wednesday.

He was young, bright and articulate. Then he threw it all away. And, he. . . could be you. Or me.

To listen to the sermon, click on the title link: Ash Wednesday Sermon

The Heart's Veil

This is an mp3 audio copy of the sermon I preached at St. Peter's and St. John's today. Enjoy, and savor those last few bites of chocolate. Wednesday cometh.

Lech Lecha - 'Go!'

This is the mp3 copy of my sermon from this past Saturday when Karen Crosby and Jim Williams were ordained to the sacred priesthood. It was a truly wonderful day - and I thought a little Melchizedek was in 'order.'

Preparing for my sermon this week, I ran aground on this wonderfully astute set of observations and questions from Dr. Wes Avram at Yale Divinity School:

"WHEN DO YOU ENROLL IN INTRODUCTORY PREACHING?" I asked a group of divinity students. They admitted that they put it off. Was it because they wanted stronger foundations in theology or Bible? No. Did they dislike the instructors? Not at all. Poor advising? They did not think so. Then why? "We're afraid," one said, and the others agreed. I thought this odd of students preparing for pastoral ministry. They had no explanation, except to admit the contradiction. As we talked, I realized the problem was deeper than a fear of public speaking. I sensed it was something about the peculiar speech that goes with pastoral ministry

that troubled and terrified them.

In part, I think they sensed the truth about preaching. Congregations can expect communication prowess yet harbor serious suspicions of the power the pulpit claims. Congregations can expect rhetorical miracle-working and, at the same time, demand line-towing conformity. Congregations are often too conflicted to buoy a preacher and too cynical to free a preacher to assume the authority of an ordained leader. We so disagree about the roles, responsibilities, and privileges of identified, speaking leadership that we withhold authority, or transfer it elsewhere.

Are clergy merely service providers valued only on the basis of our expertise? Are we managers, respected for bottom lines? Are we religious entertainers, seeking quick attention in a rhetorical marketplace? Or are we pastors, evangelists, fallible but commissioned interpreters of an authoritative text on behalf of a people taught to hear? Is it possible, still, to imagine pastors as first among equals in practices of reading, prayer, mutual repentance, receiving sacraments, and doing works of reconciliation and justice, somehow reflecting Christ as the church wrestles over how to obey the Spirit who would turn a church audience

into Christ's body?

I'm really struck by the questions of whether preachers are 'service providers.' Over the past several years, as I've been steeped in the Mutual/ Total Ministry Model, the preeminent mantra has been that we're not supposed to be 'communities surrounding a minister,' but 'ministering communities.' However, pulpit preaching is one of those things that, except in the most extraordinary churches, is reserved for the few, and usually ordained. But, unless preaching is preparing us all to be 'preachers' in our daily life and work, then really, what's the point? As Eucharistic Prayer C reminds us of the Sacrament, but could aptly remind us of the Word: deliver us from the presumption of coming to this table (pulpit) for solace only and not for strength, pardon only and not for renewal.

And that's the scary thing for seminarians and old-pros alike who climb into a pulpit: what we're really striving to offer is strength and renewal, and unless God is doing it through us, that can't happen. The only strength and renewal that we have to offer is what God offers us to begin with.

So maybe the real frightening question for all preachers should be: is God working through my ministry? Because, if not, not only will we not do much, but everyone will know. EveryOne.