Sunday Homilies
What happens when things don't go the way you would have hoped? This is when you really need an an Easter. Nobody is ever going to find Jesus bones in a tomb outside Jerusalem, not because people have not looked hard enough, but because the bones are not there. They are not there because he came back from the dead. They are not there because he is alive. They are not there because he is doing business with you.
Reggie Kidd
Acts 9:1–20
Psalm 30
Revelation 5:11–14
John 21:1–19
Jesus meets us where we are. He lovingly descends to our situation and meets us precisely how we need to be met. It is in his infinite love that he meets Thomas at the point of his doubts, at the point of his fears. Much as an older brother will descend to play "lincoln logs," so Christ condescends to meet Thomas right where he is in his moment.
Josh Bales
Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 150
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31
Have you ever been to dance? I remember my first dance. I was present. I watched, but more than anything I longed to participate. This is the theme of tonight's liturgy to join the victorious dance of God, Father, Son, and spirit over evil hell, sin and death. Get out on the dance floor.
Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13
Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21
Romans 6:3-11
Luke 24:1-12
During Palm Sunday we hear the cries of Hosanna. Perhaps the hardest to hear let alone to say are, "Crucify." It was in fact our sin that nailed him to the cross. The Passion reading reminds us of our role in Jesus' crucifixion.
Reggie Kidd
Luke 19:28-40
Psalm 31: 9-16
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 23:1-49
The worship of God changes the very atmosphere we live and breathe in.
Your lifestyle is act of worship. The question is what type of worship? Is it a fragrant aroma to Jesus? Is your worship costly? Is it total? Is it beautiful? This was Mary of Bethany's worship.
Peter Tepper
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8
You can look like your father and yet never look like him or act like him or love like him.
Lent is a time for reflection and repentance. The father calls his sons and daughters back to true relationship with him
Reggie Kidd
Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
God hears the cry of our hearts. In times of uncertainty we often lack the words to pray. The Psalms give us a helpful pattern to pray in times of conflict. They give us words to pray our emotions, raw and unprocessed. They transform us and our situations. We learn to pray even for our enemies.
Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9
We need a time to remember that from dust we come to dust we return. There are propitious times to consider our frailty and our falleness. Psalm 27 encourages us to lift them back up to the Lord and use them to express our need. Come Lord Jesus, abide among your people.
Genesis 15:1-12,17-18
Psalm 27
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 13:31-35
Often we think of temptation in unhelpful ways. Sin and temptation can be misunderstood if we reject our humanity. We attribute too much power to Satan, without acknowledging that Christ is more powerful and has conquered our sin. The final way we misunderstand sin and temptation if we think God is playing mind games with us.
Canon Josh Bales
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
As we gaze at Jesus we are transformed. We are not able to stare at God's amazing beauty. But indirectly, God veils his divinity cloaked in his humanity. On the mount of transfiguration, God reveals who we are, he reveals who we pretend to be, and finally he reveals who we can be would we only let seek God's face or presence. It is in his presence that we are transformed.
Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm 99
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Luke 9:28-36
Joseph knows God has loved him all along and has been alongside him all the way through and put him in a position where he could benefit the world. God cares about you down to the very hairs on your head or the hairs that used to be on your head, down to the specific trials that come your way.
Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42
1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50
Luke 6:27-38
You may be safe in body, but still not know healing. You're not free if you're still held captive by four things: 1) your possessions; 2) you appetites; 3) your emotions; 4) your need to be liked by others. How can we be truly freed from the bondage of these things that hold us down?
Reggie Kidd
Jeremiah 17:5-10
Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Luke 6:17-26
Today's constellation of readings remind us: 1) We can have an attitude of gratitude because the One who died and rose again brings new perspective to the worst of situations; 2) We inherit a tradition from Nehemiah, through the early Church, to us today, of the championing of Scripture and its story; 3) A vision for Christian life, where we must each play our part in the collective earthly embodiment of Jesus Christ.
Reggie Kidd
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21
What does God's light look like when it shines in the darkness? The past few years have left much of society cynical, even willing to embrace the absurd. But, Jesus is God's sign of life in a world that has all but given up. Jesus invites us to worship, and absorb His light so that we too will shine in a darkened world. Jesus is, and we are, God's signs that something is still right, and God is still sovereign.
Josh Bales
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
What is the most precious thing in your life? The Magi, who represent the nations of the world being drawn to the King of Kings, bring precious gifts to the Christ child. These precious gifts represent their acknowledgment of His royalty, His divinity, and the anticipation of His sacrificial death. The Magi recognized the appearance of God's glory, and responded by bringing their most precious gifts.
Reggie Kidd
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
What if the center and source of faith lies outside of us, and not in us? Jesus Christ believed for us what we cannot believe ourselves. Christ also sees more in us than we can see in ourselves, yet He believes in us. Lastly, Christ, by His Spirit, puts faith into us. God gives you your own ability to believe.
Reggie Kidd
Isaiah 61:10-62:3
Psalm 147:13–21
Galatians 3:23–25; 4:4–7
John 1:1–18
Have you said "yes" to the invitation to play your part in God's story? As we prepare for Christ's return, this week's readings invite us to reflect on whether we have our proverbial "house in order". Do we live ruled by the tenderness of Christ? Have we allowed the atoning sacrifice of Christ to quiet and bring peace to our conscience? Are we filled with joy that comes from knowing our purpose in God's story of salvation?
Patricia Orlando
Micah 5:2-5a
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-55
Paul encourages us to rejoice as we look to the Second Advent of Christ with three reminders: 1) We can have joy now as though it is finished. 2) We can also live in the gentleness of Christ, so that his life becomes attractive to those who have known only bitterness and anger. 3) We can have peace, knowing that our God holds us with strong and mighty arms.
Reggie Kidd
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:7-18
Advent is a time where we prepare for Jesus to be born anew into the "nitty gritty" details of our lived experience. Luke grounds the advent narrative in a particular historical context- a real time and a real place- because Jesus is coming in reality.
Josh Bales
Malachi 3:1-4
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6
The once and future King declares what no other king can declare: "Innocent." Heaven and earth will pass away but his verdicts will not.
Peter Tepper
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:1-9
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-13
