St. Augustine's Podcast

Light and Salt offer us much in the way of seeing and savoring this life; but there is an undercurrent with them both. 

God's call to us is to be liberated from the belief that we can do anything to cause God to love us more than God already does. God's love is divine, and whole, and it is a love we can never exhaust. 

The Baptism of Jesus is a time to reflect on the many times we are presented each day with opportunities to love ourselves, to love others, and to step into these promises that ask us to consider our actions in this life as we seek to bring about the kindness and love we pray for in this world. 

In a world where it is easy to think that others problems are not our own, Joseph serves as a model to reconsider what a loving response is to those situations we often feel powerless to change and hesitant to embrace. 

We are called to prepared to walk in love at a moment's notice. It is our task in this life, and our task is to love. 

Proper 22, Year C, October 6, 2019, the Rev. Andrew Suitter

We can easily over complicate things when we wait for more faith to do something, think a particular way, or reach out to others. Jesus tells the disciples asking for more faith is not at all helpful because just as they were then--as you are now--you have all the faith you need. It only takes a mustard seed of faith to live and walk in love. 

Proper 20, Year C, September 22, 2019, the Rev. Andrew Suitter

Proper 17, Year C, September 1, 2019, the Rev. Andrew Suitter 

When Jesus tells us, “If you love me, then you will do what I tell you to do,” it can be intimidating. It can be intimidating to think about the risks that can come with loving the world as we are called to--in fact--it should put us at some level of discomfort because loving our world in the ways it always needs is not always comfortable. This work calls us to deeper self-examination, greater hospitality, and community; for none of this work is to be done in insolation. Community is at the very heart of the Christian identity. 

Dreams and visions are often the catalysts for movement in our lives. They certainly were for Paul as they moved him to love the world with mercy and compassion; which is the call of Jesus in the gospel lesson. What are the visions and dreams of your life? To what are they calling you into? This sermon is based on Acts 11:1-18 and John 13:31-35, the appointed readings for Sunday May 19, 2019 (Easter 5, Year C).