Church Pulpit Posts
Whom Do We Please? | The Rev. Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
Daily we make decisions as to what to do in our life’s journey, but before we ask, what will the people think about our decision, let’s ask, “What will God think about our decisions?”
If we are in a group we all know the pressure to just say nothing, to try to keep them “liking us.” I know I have felt that pressure as I have fallen into it at times. It takes work to learn how to do it and it’s sometimes a risk to step out and say something. That’s just the moment when we can learn what is really of highest importance to us. If pleasing God is number one, then we’ll speak up for God’s standards. If pleasing people is number one, then we’ll bite our tongues and say nothing.
Jesus had moments when He got wonderful feedback from the people he served. Why, because He was listening to the Father in making decisions. Then there were those other days.
Pharisees disrupted his teaching sessions with heckling questions. When He healed the sick and fed them, everybody wanted in. When he talked about the cost of discipleship, most of them just walked away. They abandoned Him….
The Care and Feeding of Others (and Ourselves!) | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
Today, in our yearly calendar commemorating Holy Women, Holy Men we remember Emily Malbone Morgan. I confess that I did not know very much about this woman. Looking her up, I found her described as a “prophetic witness” and a “modern contemplative.” She was a founder of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross in 1884. This lay order for Episcopal women was both fervent in prayer and very involved in issues of social justice reform at the turn of the twentieth century….
Our Leaders Need Our Prayers | The Rev. Susan E. Hill, Associate Rector
This Monday our country will commemorate Presidents’ Day. My personal celebration of this holiday in past years has had little to do with any presidents and much more to do with taking a ski trip over the long weekend (with roughly a billion other people who are also trying to take advantage of the winter weather and the school break!). But this year I decided to actually remind myself of just who we are meant to be celebrating…..
Embodied Faith | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
The latest newsletter from the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA included a page with the headline Formation in Practice. Underneath was this introductory question: “what does it mean to believe?” Stating that belief is something we do (rather than something we think), the short article included the following questions for reflection:
What other words are synonymous with “belief” for you?
Who has inspired belief in your life? What did they do or say that inspired you?
What actions engage or express your beliefs? How do you feel you are embodying belief?…
Obedience to God | The Rev. Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
The Outcome of Obedience to God will always bring blessings!
The Lord’s simple requests often serve as stepping-stones to life’s most wonderful blessings.
Simon Peter illustrates what can happen when we say yes to God.
The Lord wanted to use Peter’s boat as a floating platform from which to address the multitude, so He asked Peter to push his boat out a little way from shore.
Peter’s compliance to His request paved the way for a life changing blessing….
Optimistic/Pessimistic/Possibilistic | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
In a recent article for the New York Times titled Dear People of 2022: What Would You Ask Your Future Self?, author Matthew Thompson wrote about the work of doctor and public speaker Hans Rosling. During his life, Dr. Rosling gave a series of TED talks in which he...
The Blessing of YOUR LOVE | The Rev. Susan E. Hill, Associate Rector
I recently found a blessing I had saved long ago in an email folder. I had sent it to myself, with no indication of who wrote it or where I got it. So I did a little googling this morning, and found that the blessing below was written by Brian Baker, an Episcopal priest and former cathedral dean in Sacramento.
It turned out that he wrote the blessing for use at an unlikely place: the annual Burning Man festival. As an event that emphasizes radical self-expression, among other principles, Burning Man doesn’t immediately seem to be a place that is overrun with church-y types! But Dean Baker, who has attended regularly since 2015, found that there were indeed people hungry for blessing at the festival — and so he created this prayer for them….
Encouragement | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
Of all the events contributing to the powerful and many-faceted legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the speech he gave at the March on Washington in 1963 is probably the most famous. The dream he articulated to and for our nation has echoed among us ever since he described it on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The challenges posed by the truths he shared that day remain with us, and many acknowledge it as one of the most influential orations of the 20th century….
Why Baptism? | The Rev. Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
Sunday being the first Sunday after Epiphany, we remember Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River. It marks the beginning of his ministry.
As John is baptizing others, Jesus arrives to be baptized as well. Luke doesn’t shed many details on the story. What he does share gets right to the heart of the story. As Jesus emerges from the waters, the Holy Spirit descends on him. Then the voice of God speaks from heaven. “YOU ARE MY SON.”
This baptism launches Jesus’ Spirit-filled mission. What begins as an unassuming baptism in the river ends with power and affirmation….
The world begins at a kitchen table… | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
“Perhaps the World Ends Here” by Joy Harjo
The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.
The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been
since creation, and it will go on.
We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners.
They scrape their knees under it.
It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human.
We make men at it, we make women.,,,,,
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