All Souls Parish Sermons episodes:

• August 10, 2025Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

  the Rev. Michael Lemaire

  The sermon explores Jesus’s warning about treasure and heart, noting that

  human desires often fail to satisfy or are overshadowed by fear of loss.

  Drawing on Luke’s gospel, the preacher shows how possessions promise false

  security, especially in the face of death. Jesus’s call to give them up is

  not punishment but preparation for life’s end, freeing us to live grounded

  in God’s unending love — the true treasure that brings lasting fulfillment.

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• August 03, 2025Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

  the Rev. Rachel Dykzeul

  Mother Rachel explores Jesus’s parable of the rich fool, challenging the

  belief that life is defined by wealth. She asks how we measure “enough” and

  what we orient our lives around, critiquing capitalism’s drive for endless

  accumulation. Emphasizing that divine abundance is meant to be shared, she

  calls for compassionate self-reflection and urges us to use our resources

  to support God’s work of justice and peace.

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• July 27, 2025Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

  the Rev. Emily Boring

  The sermon humorously critiques transactional views of religion by

  reflecting on a postcard naming the church a “top-rated customer

  satisfaction” site. It uses this to explore deeper meanings of prayer,

  particularly the Lord’s Prayer. Rather than a vending machine model of

  request and response, prayer is portrayed as grounded in need,

  vulnerability, and relationship with God. Jesus’s prayer emphasizes

  sustenance, forgiveness, and trust. The preacher acknowledges unanswered

  prayers and suffering, pushing back against empty “thoughts and prayers,”

  and instead encourages shameless, persistent trust in God amid life’s

  uncertainties.

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• July 20, 2025Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

  the Rev. Phil Brochard

  This sermon challenges misreadings of the Mary and Martha story, rejecting

  the idea that contemplation and action are opposed or that one must be an

  archetype. It focuses instead on how Martha’s distraction—rooted in

  anxiety—distorts her hospitality, while Mary models the spiritual

  discipline of presence and unmixed attention. The preacher connects this to

  contemporary societal and personal distractions, urging the congregation to

  choose one relationship or action to remain present to this week, trusting

  that Christ is there.

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• July 13, 2025Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

  the Rev. Rachel Dykzeul

  The sermon revisits the parable of the Good Samaritan, emphasizing its

  radical message in historical context: Jesus uses a despised outsider—the

  Samaritan—as the model of neighborly love. By helping a wounded man, the

  Samaritan upends religious and cultural norms. The preacher connects this

  message to modern examples of division—Palestinians and Israelis,

  immigrants and citizens, Democrats and Republicans—asking us to confront

  who we consider “the other.” The sermon concludes with the call to

  recognize those we most fear or despise as our neighbors and to act with

  divine compassion beyond boundaries.

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• July 06, 2025Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

  the Rev. Phil Brochard

  This sermon tells the story of a parishioner who, inspired by a conference

  on immigration, joined a 1,300-mile pilgrimage to ICE detention centers.

  She and other pilgrims traveled vulnerably, relying on church communities

  for food and shelter, embodying Jesus’ call to be sent without protection.

  The sermon links this vulnerability to Jesus' own journey to Jerusalem and

  shows how mutual hospitality and dependence are central to revealing God's

  Realm. Rather than leading through force, Jesus—and his followers—witness

  to love, transformation, and grace through radical humility.

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• June 29, 2025Third Sunday after Pentecost

  The Rev. Rachel Dykzeul

  This sermon celebrates Pride and God's inclusive love, emphasizing how

  transformative relationships—like mentorship and discipleship—can change

  our lives. Drawing on personal experience and scripture, it illustrates how

  spiritual transformation often happens gently over time through meaningful

  community. The call is to consciously respond to the Spirit’s invitation to

  be transformed, bearing the fruits of love, peace, and joy. Transformation

  isn't instant—it grows like fruit when we open ourselves to God's work.

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• June 22, 2025Second Sunday after Pentecost

  The Rev. Dr. Paula Nesbitt

  The sermon reflects on evangelism through personal stories, highlighting

  its value when rooted in compassion and dignity. While acknowledging

  harmful uses of evangelism, the speaker reclaims it as a spiritual practice

  grounded in listening, healing, and inclusive love. From handing out

  pamphlets in Honolulu to standing against hate with rainbow banners, the

  message urges us to live our faith boldly and lovingly, embodying the good

  news of Christ.

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• June 15, 2025Trinity Sunday

  The Rev. Michael Lemaire

  Rather than explain the Trinity, the sermon invites us to live it. Using

  the Christian liturgical calendar as a spiritual map, the preacher explores

  how the death-and-resurrection pattern—the Paschal Mystery—shapes our

  lives. Personal suffering mirrors Good Friday, and unexpected renewal

  echoes Easter. The Ascension calls us to let go; Pentecost empowers us to

  move forward. In a changing world and through personal grief, this cycle

  continues. A reflection on the resilient life of Kay Dreher illustrates how

  enduring hope can emerge from pain. The Trinity, then, is not a puzzle to

  solve but a sacred rhythm we inhabit.

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• June 09, 2025Day of Pentecost

  The Rev. Phil Brochard

  The sermon reflects on spiritual experience, psychedelics, and discernment.

  Inspired by a study where clergy took psilocybin and had mystical

  encounters, it compares these to the Pentecost event and modern healing

  stories like Marsha Linehan's. It urges openness to divine encounter, with

  true spiritual experiences recognized by the healing, connection, and

  transformation they bring—not just for oneself, but for others.

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