What does it mean to recognize and receive Christ as King? On this last Sunday after Pentecost, Canon Jonathan reminds us why it matters so deeply. Only the reign of Jesus can anchor our hope and provide a way forward in a world filled with leaders who often misuse their power and harm the vulnerable. Many in Jesus’ day misunderstood him, because they couldn’t imagine a king who wouldn’t use his power to save himself. But some saw him clearly. Like the thief on the cross, the humble recognize their need and receive Christ the King as he is.

In this final installment of the sermon series Jesus’ Bride, Bishop Paul preaches on the reality of our communion with God. In a society plagued by deep loneliness, Jesus offers the answer through his church: a new kind of knowing and being known, a new kind of union with God that we call communion. We practice it every Sunday when we come to Jesus’ Table. This communion with God is both a gift and a gathering of others into enjoying that gift—because our joy in the gift is not complete until it is shared. This is what it means to be the church.

In the fifth installment of the sermon series Jesus’ Bride, Bishop Paul preaches on what it means that the church is apostolic. The word ‘apostle’ refers to ‘one who is sent.’ Just as Jesus called the 12 apostles and sent them into the world to be his witnesses, we also are called to be ‘sent ones’ in our world today. We must remember that the church Jesus deploys is the same church that Jesus desires. Jesus has chosen each of us that we may draw near to him and go into the world to bear witness to his name.

This All Saints Day, Bishop Paul preached the fourth installment of the sermon series Jesus’ Bride, focusing on the universal or “catholic” church connected in all places and throughout all time. Because there is a “great cloud of witnesses,” those who have gone before us, we can know that we are not alone. The saints – all who have trusted Jesus and are at rest in him – inspire us to continue to run our race. Bearing witness to Jesus is the common calling that connects us to all saints at all times. May we continue to grow into his image for the sake of the world.

After administering the rite of Baptism to dozens of baptism candidates, Bishop Paul preached the third installment in the sermon series, Jesus’ Bride—the call of the church to holiness. We, the people of God, are to be holy like him, for the sake of and for the salvation of an unholy world. But we must remember that this is only possible through the Lord’s work of washing us and causing us to walk in his ways. Weekly we remember our baptism and the Holy Spirit’s enabling grace at the font—intentionally found at the church’s entrance—and realize we are that holy Church he sends into the world.

In the second installment of our sermon series, Jesus’ Bride, Bishop Paul preaches about the Church as ‘one’ and the importance of unity. However, just because people are unified, doesn’t mean they’re right. This is why we need wisdom to maintain unity through the power of the Holy Spirit, under the guidance of the Word of God. When we set out to achieve unity ourselves, it will never work. But when we recognize that the unity of the Church is a gift from God, we can receive it and rejoice in it.

We’re all headed toward a wedding. Bishop Paul teaches on the deep meaning of the ‘Bride of Christ’ metaphor in Scripture. What does it mean that we, the Church, are Jesus’ bride? It means that we are beloved, betrothed, and becoming. At the heart of this metaphor is a profound truth: when Jesus looks at us, he does so with delight. The first in a sermon series entitled ‘Jesus’ Bride,’ Bishop Paul sets the stage for a deeper look at what we all are called to be—one, holy, catholic, apostolic church.

In today’s lesson, we are reminded of God’s purpose and design for marriage—the loving union between a man and a woman that reflects God’s love for his people, Christ’s love for his Church. Canon Jonathan debunks two common misconceptions about marriage: first, that “marriage doesn’t matter”; and second, that “our marriage is about us.” We ought to esteem marriage; but ultimately, the love between a man and a woman is not what matters most. For marriage is and always has been an indicator something greater—the love of Christ for the Church. And it is for this love that all Christians, married and unmarried alike, fervently await.

At the core of our faith is the reality that the God we worship actively speaks to us. In this fifth and final installment of For This Child I Prayed, a series focusing on the first three chapters of 1 Samuel, Bishop Paul unpacks what it means for God to speak to us—and for us to hear him. The normative way that people in the Bible heard the voice of God was through meditating on Scripture, and it is the same for us today. Like Samuel, we are invited to orient our lives around the voice of God. He is speaking. Are we listening?

During Bishop Alan’s episcopal visit to Christ Church Plano, he preached on the parable of the dishonest manager. While this parable can be confusing for many, it is a powerful continuation of Jesus’ teaching on money, throughout which we receive the profound truth that where our money is, there our hearts will be also. Bishop Alan expands on the parable in Luke 16 with three points: the allure of money, the virtue of shrewdness, and the dilemma of two masters. We must continually examine how we manage our earthly resources for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.