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 […]
Leaping for joy
Restore us, O God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. (Psalm 80:3) A couple of weeks ago, Sey and I traveled to Albany to help our granddaughter, Beth celebrate her third birthday. She met us at the door dressed in a Barney the Dinosaur T-shirt, a tutu and […]
Participating in God’s Peace
In the South, where I come from, we have a phrase that can mean a wide variety of things. “It can mean “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing?” It can mean, “Oh I am so sorry.” But it can also mean, “You brood of vipers!” But because we in the South often refine to the […]
God has come to his people and set them free.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free In her book Their eyes were watching God, Zora Neale Hurston tells the story of Janie and Teacake who find themselves in the midst of a great hurricane. Their shelter is shabby and unsafe in the howling […]
The Days Are Surely Coming
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you (Psalm 25:1) The days of promise and fulfillment are surely coming. The days of justice and righteousness are surely coming. The days of salvation and safety are surely coming. These are words we need to hear this Advent. […]
Do Not Be Afraid
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to […]
Proper 27 Year B- A sermon preached by the Rev. Libby Wade
“Beware of the scribes,” Jesus said. Scribes in ancient Israel were skilled writers and people who understood math well enough to be in charge of legal financial documents. Often they became interpreters and teachers of the Law. Their association with money, power, religion, and politics was perhaps inevitable, and wherever we find that combination of […]
If you believed you would see the glory of God
I was standing outside the church on a beautiful day this summer after the memorial service for a dear friend, Dr. Marcia Dean, when a man approached me to thank me for my words. He began to tell me his memories of Marcia. She was his audiologist. He told me how she took time with […]
“Go, your faith has made you well.”
Jesus and his disciples had stopped in Jericho as they made the long and difficult journey toward Jerusalem. Just outside the gate, a man sat—one who we are told had to depend on the notice and compassion of others to eat and stay warm. His sight was diminished to the point that not only was […]