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The Intentional Practice of Love

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Jesus is teaching us the Gospel message to love. I know it is not always easy. In fact, it is rather difficult sometimes. We think of love as being that feel good feeling, but love is so much more than that. Love is the very intentional practice of caring about another person, even when there doesn’t seem to be very much to care about. Love is that act of blessing and not cursing that Paul talked about last week. Love is not an easy thing. It is one of the most challenging things to do sometimes.

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

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A House of Prayer for All People

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We have quite an interesting story in today’s gospel. It’s certainly NOT the typical picture of Jesus we are used to. First, context is key. Jesus has been talking to the crowds and arguing with the religious elite about ideas of purity, about what makes someone clean and what makes them impure.

Listen to or read Ryan’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

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The Feast of Saint Mary

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Over the past several weeks St. Mary’s has held Quinceañera services here in the church in celebration of girls’ 15th birthdays. A Quinceañera is a tradition with both Mexican and Spanish roots, celebrated throughout Latin America and elsewhere. It marks the passage from girlhood to womanhood, emphasizing the importance of family and community in her life, and her changing responsibilities to them.

Listen to or read Deacon Nancy Crawford’s entire sermon by clicking “read more.”

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Pilgrimages, Mountaintop Moments, and the Feast of the Transfiguration

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This past week I returned from England where I was helping lead our youth pilgrimage. We had a wonderful time. We visited London and Canterbury and York and other small towns nearby. It was a wonderful pilgrimage.

 

What is a pilgrimage? Scholars who study pilgrimages say the word is hard to define. There are definitions that cover different aspects, but every definition leaves something out. The scholars say pilgrimage is a rather slippery term. But for today’s purposes, let’s define pilgrimage as a physical journey one takes to a place with the goal, the intention of some sort of spiritual deepening, growth in faith, encounter with the divine, seeking God.

 

Listen to or read Bingham’s entire sermon by clicking “read more.”

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Our Potential For Change - With God's Help

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Thankfully, unlike the plants in the parable, we are not genetically nor spiritually predisposed to remain a stalk of wheat or an intrusive weed, nor even a static hybrid of the two, throughout our earthly existence. Rather, we’re constantly evolving spiritual beings, sometimes more weed than wheat, sometimes more saint than sinner, but almost never completely one or the other. This parable has much to say to us then, as we struggle to deal with those facets of our being that take hold of us from time to time, drawing us away from God and oftentimes the people who mean the most to us. Rather than trying to eliminate or weed out those parts of ourselves that we deem less worthy, sinful in some people’s terminology, I believe we’re called to struggle with them, in order to ultimately transform them.

Listen to or read Sharon’s entire sermon by clicking “Read More.”

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Belief and Faith, Merit and Grace

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In many of today’s readings there is this idea of faith. From Romans speaking about the “Father of the Faith” Abraham: “The promise…did not come…through the law but through the righteousness of faith…it depends on faith…he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God…therefore his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:13-25). And from our Gospel reading we have the faith of Matthew who got up, left everything and followed Jesus. And the leader of a synagogue whose daughter had just died who came and knelt at Jesus’ feet, beseeching him to come and lay hands on her so that she might live.

To read Ryan’s entire sermon, click “read more.”

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