SSJE Sermons

“This time, God approached me, and whispered, 'Hey, monastery.' And I said, 'Haha, I’m sorry… one more time?'” Monastic Intern Lina Palmer shares her story of learning to listen for God's guidance.

“What is the nature of God? Is Christ human? Divine? Somehow both? Does it matter? Though these concerns may seem fussy to us, Gregory’s work reminds us that these early disputes are important for how we know and speak about God. Why do we think about God in this way?” On the feast of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Br. Sean Glenn peers into the mystery of God as Trinity.

“The time is already here. God's kingdom isn’t waiting in the wings, and my anxious hope that God will eventually arrive to sort things out for me is just another earthly dream. The hour is now here, redemption and freedom and peace are at hand.” Monastic Intern Betsy Noecker uncovers a simple path forward for all of us awaiting Jesus' return in the chaotic uncertainty of our world.

“Until we are willing to die, like Peter and Paul, until we do acknowledge our need for God, we will never experience the utter joy of being forgiven, healed, restored, and empowered. Once we have experienced that grace, there’s no going back. ” Br. Geoffrey Tristram celebrates the remarkable promise in the stories of Peter's and Paul's conversions: "If you are in Christ, you are a new creation."

“Think how different our life would be—deeply converted to neighbor, to ministry to those different from us—if we saw ourselves as lovers!” On Saint John's Day, the Rev. Kenneth Poppe invites us to embrace the profound wonder of being invited into an intimate relationship of love with God.

“In my time here at the monastery I have come to see cooking and eating as an act of worship in community. I have been given a clearer sense of calling. And most importantly, I have made connections with folks who are following Christ in beautiful, unique ways.” Monastic Intern Jimmy Pickett encourages us to follow the unconventional path charted by the still, small voice within us.

“There’s something ahead in life that you will face. And you’re not yet ready to know all of what it will be. You’re not prepared, not yet. It’s a secret. Jesus is holding the secret.” Br. Curtis Almquist studies how Saint Mark keeps a secret, and what that secret means for us as Jesus' followers.

“Thomas—who was willing to go to his death with Jesus in chapter eleven—simply asks for something as tangible as the rest of the disciples have received. John is not attempting to paint for us a picture of an inadequate faith. He is attempting something much deeper: a portrait of the complex, enigmatic realities of the paschal encounter, realities where doubt and unknowing become preludes to God’s creative word of truth.” Br. Sean Glenn finds in the story of Thomas a reminder that our faith does not arise from dogmatic affirmations or creedal confessions, but from the ongoing life of the faithful as they move, again and again, from sites of darkness and unknowing to spaces of encounter—encounter with the Risen Lord.

“Think back over your lives so far: the suffering we have known, the mistakes we have made, the wounds which have marked us. Our clumsy and uncertain attempts to love and be loved which so often hurt others and ourselves. We carry our wounds, we each bear our scars, even though we prefer to hide them from the gaze of others.” On Easter Day, Br. Geoffrey Tristram celebrates with joy that extraordinary power of God which redeems what is broken, mends what is torn and shattered, and gives life to that which has died.

“Listen: as prayer flows into your ears and over your tongue; as your knees and forehead press marble floors polished smooth by our forebears; as you honor the Cross with outstretched fingers or lips formed into a kiss. Listen as the body of Jesus, the suffering of Jesus, and the death of Jesus cry out for Love’s return, the Love that only you can give him.” Br. Keith Nelson invites us deep into the mystery of Good Friday's experience.