Jesus came and stood among them
The Lord is my strength and my song, *and he has become my salvation. (Psalm 118:14) As a young woman was commuting to work one morning, crossing the Metro platform she noticed a man on his knees on the ground holding a bloody tissue to his nose. Noticing others were standing around him, she continued […]
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
This is the Lord’s doing, * and it is marvelous in our eyes. On this day the Lord has acted; * we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118: 23-24) Welcome to all who enter this day into this celebration of life. Today we celebrate God’s unique action in raising Jesus from death and setting […]
And the fragrance filled the room
The Lord has done great things for us, * and we are glad indeed. (Psalm 126:4) My great aunt Rose was a good cook and she cared deeply about her neighbors. Whenever she heard that someone was ill, or a family member was in the hospital, or a loved one had died, Aunt Rose knew […]
As a hen gathers her brood under her wings
One thing have I asked of the Lord; one thing I seek; * that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe in his shelter; * he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me high […]
Worship and serve only God
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, * abides under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 He shall say to the Lord, “You are my refuge and my stronghold, *my God in whom I put my trust.” A young boy had gone off to his Sunday Morning class where he heard the story […]
Knowing only in part
In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; * let me never be ashamed. In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; * incline your ear to me and save me. (Psalm 71: 1-2) As a teacher at an Episcopal School I taught a course to sixth graders on world religions. I had a wonderful textbook […]
Turning water into wine
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her (Isaiah 62:3-4a) A water bearer had […]
You are God’s beloved
One of my favorite stories and one that I told almost every year at the start of school is a story about a young raccoon named Chester who tells his mother through big tears that he does not want to go to school. He wants to stay with her. He wants to play with his […]
Welcoming the refugee
With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back; I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; (Jeremiah 31:9) Many of us may remember seeing the face of the man desperately gripping his children as he steps out of a small dinghy onto […]
The First Sunday after Christmas: A sermon preached by Virginia Vogel-Polizzi
December 25th has come and gone. The angels have heralded the birth of our Lord. Jesus is born. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke begin with stories of the nativity of Jesus. The beginning of the Gospel of John, as was read this morning, is different however. It does not tell of Jesus’ conception or […]