The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista reflects on how Jesus’s teaching draws us out of isolation and into community in a noisy, easily distracted world where authentic connection takes effort (Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30).
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Worship. Serve. Grow.
Homilies (Page 15)
The Rev. George Adamik considers the shocking story of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:1-14) and the unexpected ways it speaks to our own difficult times.
Zack Rugen (Duke Divinity School) preaches on what it means to put God first, especially in a time of suffering, conflict, and change (Matthew 10:24-39).
The Rev. George Adamik reflects on Matthew 9:35-10:23: “When Jesus invites his followers to come to the margins, people are healed, but something else happens… We don’t go to the margins of our society to make a difference; we go to the margins of our society so that we are made different.”
On Trinity Sunday, the Rev. Candy Snively considers the hopeful message of unity in diversity, especially in a time of doubt, fear, and anxiety (Matthew 28:16-20).
The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista reflects on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21) and the hope it offers for our own broken world: “God doesn’t need more preachers, politicians, or heroes. God just needs you to join the throng of those who have witnessed God’s justice and love, a cloud of witnesses who choose life not in spite of but in the face of calamity, persecution, war, grief, death, and loss. Are you ready to learn new ways of belonging and being together?”
The Rev. George Adamik celebrates the Feast of the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11): “Sometimes, it’s easier to look up at the sky than it is to do what Jesus did: to look at each other. To look into the eyes of each other. During this pandemic, this Feast of the Ascension can be a powerful message for us.”
On Youth Sunday, high school seniors Emily Schertz and McKenna Jeffries reflect on what the St. Paul’s community means to them, especially during a global pandemic.
The Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista discusses the story of Stephen (Acts 7:55-60) and mourns the recurring violence against black people in our communities: “I am saddened like many of you by what we have lost with the passing of this young man. I am saddened every time lives are stolen from us before we get the full story. I am saddened every time a life is cut short before they get to do the good work they have been placed on this earth to do.”
The Rev. Carr Holland reflects on the metaphor of the shepherd in Psalm 23 and John 10:1-10 and what it means to inhabit the uncertain, liminal time of COVID-19.