Sermons from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer

In baptism, we are asking that our old self, our born self, our human self be set aside. That some of the things that are just inherent to our human nature, we let those things die. So that we can choose a new life, a blessed life, a life that blesses others. A life that goes out into the world in witness to the love that Jesus shared with us. A self-sacrificing love, a love that gives everything for the love of the world.

"There's so much in our lives right now. Such a sense of dread and panic, such a sense of losing something of ourselves. Or maybe we have already lost it. Where is God in all of this? Where is Jesus? How will we find him and how are we supposed to be faithful when we are this scared? If we are scared and if we are panicking, does it mean that we have no faith? I love this story so much, because in the midst of the panic and the fear, which are so real to us, in the midst of Mary and Joseph's uncertainty, [...] Jesus is about his Father's business."

"We might feel like we don't know the way. We don't know the path. We don't know what is asked of us. In those moments, we are not lost. We may feel lost or rudderless, but we are not lost. Mary and Joseph didn't know where Jesus was, but Jesus was not lost. Jesus wasn't with his parents but he was not lost. [...] Jesus was in his father's house and we are too."

"It would be a lot more fun to do the work of racial justice, healing, and reconciliation if we could just ignore a bunch of things about ourselves. 'Oh no, we used to be all those things, but now we're really interested in this. We have good intentions and we are good people, so work with us and this will be good.' Does that sound like a real understanding of ourselves? Do we think we are going to actually be able to engage honestly and authentically in the work of racial justice, healing and reconciliation without taking a look at how we got here?"

"When we seek to love one another and seek to live our lives for justice, for mercy and to share real, honest connection and relationship with one another, we're not doing it so that God will show up. We are doing it because God is there. In Jesus Christ it is God who makes us able to love. Makes us able to love each other. Makes us able to love ourselves. Makes us able to love this world as it is and not as we'd have it be. It is God who is with us tonight, who gathers us together. It is God who is with us tonight and nourishes us with God's self. It is God who is with us tonight and sends us out into our imperfect lives and un-ideal situations (and still very messy homes). So that we can see God everywhere."

"God is bringing salvation. God is working in this world for change, for justice. That's not a question to the prophet. That's not a question for the angel. They believe that. The question they ask Ahaz, the question they ask Joseph, the question they ask us is not: "Do you believe God is working in the world?" or will he show up. The question for Ahaz, for Joseph, and for us is: "When God shows up, how will we participate in the work that God is doing?"

"This is how God chooses to show the people that he is in this with us. We weren't getting it and so he tries another way. He offers himself as a baby with us. This baby Jesus is the present that is Christmas. It's a gift for all of us to remember and to get excited about!"

"When Jesus says there's literally no one better than John on this earth, and by the way, the kingdom of heaven is filled with people who are just so much better than that, what it really does is it obliterates our whole idea of what is good, what's great, what's better, what's best. It's not that he's trying to get you to be something you can't be. It's that he's saying that whole idea of comparing yourself to others to figure out who is best doesn't work. Can you imagine your life where you did not compare yourself to others? Or compared them to you?"

It is fortunate for us that Jesus did not come confined by preconceived expectations of judgment and wrath. Because there aren't too many ways for an implacable God to respond to a misguided, stubborn self-determination. Imposing our own free will be done, puts God in a box, allowing now room for divine flexibility. We may just end up sentencing ourselves for everlasting life to some kind of self-made Kafkaesque prison, a hellish metamorphism with no exit. Fortunately, again, for us God fails to conform to popular expectations. Instead God surprises us. Jesus did not come to create an earthly empire. Jesus came to establish God's reign.

"Drawing near to [the fire] and embracing it as a contrast to that cold and dark, is just like how the church gathers for Advent. [...] The hearth becomes the heart of God. Drawing us in towards light and life and togetherness. The act of building a fire allows us to hold a little piece of what God has for us. It allows us to be reminded that like fire, God gives us warmth, provide us with light, enlivens our senses, and can literally be seen on your face when you draw near to it."