Why do we carry guilt and grudges when God has already released us from them through Christ's forgiveness? How do we learn to truly let go and extend that same mercy to others? Drawing on Joseph's final reconciliation with his brothers in Genesis and the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, Fr. Nathan Dearen reveals the radical nature of God's forgiveness—it casts our sin away "as far as the east is from the west"—and calls us to let that mercy overwhelm the guilt of our past and flow through us to those who have wronged us.

Scripture: Genesis 50:15-21, Matthew 18:21-35 (NRSV)

Preacher: The Rev. Nathan Dearen

St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church | Louisville, KY

https://www.sfitf.org

Mthr. Barbara lectures on Hebrews, chapter 4, on September 8, 2026.

If love is a debt we owe to actual people, what does paying that debt look like when the relationship is broken or strained? Drawing on Romans 13:8 and Matthew 18's discipline passage, Fr. Clint argues that love is not a feeling you either have or don't—it's a debt that comes due specifically in the moments where you'd rather not pay it. Moving from Paul's command to "owe no one anything except to love one another," we explore what it means to address conflict with someone you're avoiding, to practice what he calls "cross-shaped love," where the commandments are finally not about rules, but about the neighbor standing right in front of you, especially when that relationship is broken.

Scripture: Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)

Preacher: The Rev. Clint Wilson

St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church | Louisville, KY

https://www.sfitf.org

Fr. Clint continues his Sunday series on Ephesians on September 6, 2026.

Fr. Clint continues to lecture on the letter to the Ephesians.

Mthr. Barbara lectures on Hebrews 3:1-19.

What does it mean to love genuinely when our love is rejected, ridiculed, or met with evil? Drawing on Romans 12:9-21, Fr. Nathan Dearen identifies three characteristics of genuine love: it is selfless and familial (like sibling love), it is humble and willing to serve without expectation of recognition, and it is triumphant—it overcomes evil with good, even unto death.

Scripture: Romans 12:9-21 (NRSV)

Preacher: The Rev. Nathan Dearen

St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church | Louisville, KY

https://www.sfitf.org

Mthr. Barbara Lectures on the book of Hebrews, Chapter 2.

How do we shift from the ego drama—the story we write, where we play the lead, direct, and critique—to the theodrama, God's larger story already underway to which we're invited as active participants? Drawing on Isaiah 51's sermon to exiles who have lost everything (including Zion, the temple), Father Clint argues that God's first move toward the disoriented is not a lecture but an invitation to participate in a liturgy—to find their voice again. Isaiah holds together the rock (God's solid faithfulness) and the quarry (the hollow, empty places), promises an Eden refilled not with plants but with voices and songs, and reveals that the teaching meant to die with Zion instead expands to become light for all nations.

Scripture: Isaiah 51:1-6 (NRSV)

Preacher: The Rev. Clint Wilson

St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church | Louisville, KY

https://www.sfitf.org

Fr. Clint continues our Sunday forum on the Letter to the Ephesians.