Happy Father's Day to all those men who have played a role in a child's life! This is the Sunday we celebrate the importance of fathers in the lives of their families. Fr. Mark begins with his own tribute to his father with 'Dad jokes' but then gives a testimony of how he appreciates all what his Dad had done and continues to do for him. Absentee fathers are big problem in our society, and Fr. Mark then explains how an absentee father has a huge negative impact on their kids today. The statistics can be overwhelming. But how can these kids, and others who have not had the benefit of a good father, see that God, our Father, is good. Listen to Fr. Mark explain how this is possible and what responsibilities Dads have to their families.

Fr. Mark begins his sermon with a story of an exchange between a young priest and one of his parishioners. The young priest calls on the parishioner and when there is no answer but there is obviously someone home, he leaves this scripture quote from Revelation 3:20 “ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” The parishioner responds the following Sunday with this scripture note from Genesis 3:10, “He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” This is a very witty exchange but goes to the heart of our faith. We are not to be afraid for God sees us for who we are and wants to restore us to him. This week’s sermon is based on our Old Testament reading, Genesis 3:1-21. We are all familiar with the story of the Fall. We know we live in a world that is broken but Fr. Mark gives a different insight to the story. Listen to him explain that God had a plan immediately after the Fall to redeem creation – Jesus Christ. Everything in scripture from this point on, points to His Son. May you not hide from God but let the Lord of life, Jesus Christ, who is knocking at your door, enter into your life.

Our guest preacher on Trinity Sunday was Fr. Juta, our centurion partner. We not only support him through our Diocesan Centurion program, we also pray for him every Sunday. Listen to Fr. Juta as he gives his testimony, and tells of his experiences as a priest in the Anglican Diocese of Northern Malawi. Trinity Sunday is the day Christians around the world celebrate the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Fr.Juta in the latter part of his sermon, gives an excellent explanation on what the Holy Trinity means to us.

The Christian Pentecost is always 50 days after Easter. We sometimes forget that the disciples had to wait 10 days from the time of Jesus' Ascension to the coming of the Holy Spirit. This may seem like an eternity if you are expecting something to happen. This is exactly the situation the disciples found themselves in, and Fr. Chris reminds us that it couldn't have been easy. Jesus had promised in Acts 1:8, "..you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would come but not when, so the disciples prayed and waited for 10 days. Waiting is hard, we have all experienced some kind of wait and it becomes more difficult as time passes. Listen to Fr. Chris take you back to that very first Christian Pentecost - "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2:1-4. That very day the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, the Church was planted. That very day Peter stood and boldly preached the Good News to thousands of people: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to you children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:38 & 39 That very day over 3,000 people were baptized and today, there are over 2 billion Christians in the world.

This Sunday's Gospel reading is from Luke 24:49-53 and is known in the Church as Ascension Sunday. Christians from around the world celebrated Jesus ascension to the right hand of the Father. But what does this all mean and how does this effect us today, some 2,000 years later? Listen to Fr. Chris explain that the Ascension is essential to who we, as Christians, are today. Jesus may have ascended into heaven, but he has not left us as orphans. "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20

Fr. Chris continues to explain, using this week's Gospel reading John 14:15-21, how we know God is good through the process of creation, redemption and sanctification. In the beginning, we can see how God is good through creation. Everything He created was good but Adam and Eve chose to disobey God.Their disobedience caused our separation from God. But God did not abandon us. He set in motion a plan for us to be redeemed and made sanctified. How did He do this? Listen to Fr. Chris explain how the plan works so our relationship with God can be restored. Then in the second part of this sermon, a special member of our congregation finishes the sermon with a powerful personal testimony.. Jessica is one of our members who is leaving this Wednesday to go to Uganda for 3 months. Listen to her moving story on how she learned to trust God as she struggled with her uncertainty, and then realizing how much He loves her, she took that leap of faith into the mission field of Uganda.

Our Gospel reading this Sunday is John 10:11-16. Jesus declares he is the good shepherd but as Fr. Chris points out in his sermon, it is an odd to be reading this particular reading now. For Jesus says, " I lay down my life for the sheep" but since Easter, we have been reading and learning about Jesus' resurrection, not his death. So why read this passage now? Fr. Chris explains why it is important to always remember in a world where bad stuff happens, God is good. He wants to have a relationship with each and everyone of us. Reading this week's Gospel reading that He is good is one thing, but how do we know that God is good? Listen to Fr. Chris, as he brings images of the Old & New Testaments with real life experiences to show how we know that God is good. He is good all the time and that Jesus is with us always, in our joys and even in our sufferings.

This week's Gospel reading is from Luke 24:36-48. Luke's Gospel is very similar to last week's Gospel reading, John 20:19-31. This time, the story focuses on the disciples. They are in a locked room and frightened. When their leader died, so did their hopes and dreams of a messiah. But what happens next is hard for them to grasp, at first. For Jesus, who they thought was dead, now appears to them and says, "Peace be with you." They think they have seen a ghost. How can this be and why is asking for something to eat? But ghosts don't eat, which means he must be alive. Jesus knows their thoughts and reassures them that they need not be troubled. And troubled, they no longer are. Their fear quickly turns into joy. Their joy comes from knowing that the Messiah lives! Sometimes we experience a joy like this and we feel the burning desire to share our good news. This is exactly what the disciples felt and did. Once frightened, and now strengthened by the good news, the disciples boldly go out and proclaim Jesus is alive!

We all need peace and joy in our lives. Listen to Fr. Mark explain how that is possible for you to experience the same joy they did . Peace be with you.

This week's Gospel, John 20: 19-31, begins with the disciples, except for Thomas, gathered in a locked room. They are afraid. Their leader was crucified and they are all alone. It is easy for us to relate to this but the next thing that happens, is a game changer. Jesus appears to them, and says "Peace be with you." He shows them his hands and his side. Jesus is alive! His Resurrection not only changed them profoundly, but it changed the course of human history. We are never alone in our locked rooms. But what about Thomas, he isn't there. Listen to Fr. Chris as talks about the real doubts and commands that not only Thomas had, but we all have. Thomas wouldn't believe until he not only saw but touched Jesus' side. We all have doubts and fears. Though we can't physically touch the side of Jesus, like Thomas could, Fr. Chris explains how we can close the gap between our doubts and our faith. For Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, " lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Three women are going to the tomb, believing Jesus will be there. They bring with them burial spices and in their hearts, they carry the heaviness of death of a loved one. But what happens when they reach the tomb changes not only their lives, but two thousand years later, our lives and those who are not even born, yet, their lives as well. Jesus is not in the tomb! He has risen! Listen to Fr. Chris as he tells a parable, a lesson and a real life story on how the Christian story is all about faith, hope, love and rebirth. No matter the trials and temptations we face in life, as Christians, we have hope. Our Savior lives!

Gospel reading: Matthew 28: 1-10