This sermon was delivered during Evening Prayer at Enid Community Corrections Center, on the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila, Oct. 15, 2019, as part of the prison ministry of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Enid, Okla. Faith, I think, is best described as a passionate love affair between the soul and its Creator — between … Continue reading Faith — Our passionate love affair with God
Faith
Encounters in the border land
Luke 17:11-19 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And … Continue reading Encounters in the border land
St. Francis, Padre Pio, and the power of humility
This is a reprint of a sermon given Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in advance of the Feast of St. Francis, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, in Enid, Okla. Like many people, my first exposure to St. Francis of Assisi was one of those small images of Francis surrounded by animals. My mother had a ceramic … Continue reading St. Francis, Padre Pio, and the power of humility
The radical, nonsensical nature of grace
Grace makes absolutely no sense. From a biblical standpoint, most of us can accept this. God’s grace for us cannot be earned. We are unworthy. And yet, God poured out grace on us in the blessed blood of his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are taught that, most of us, from the earliest days … Continue reading The radical, nonsensical nature of grace
Faith should be no barrier to mental health treatment
Pastor Jarrid Wilson would have been a good source for any column on depression, mental illness and suicide awareness. Wilson, associate pastor at megachurch Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., and co-founder of the mental health nonprofit Anthem of Hope, built a reputation around sharing his own struggles with depression, and trying to break down … Continue reading Faith should be no barrier to mental health treatment
Be present, and let God speak
Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is … Continue reading Be present, and let God speak
Wage the war that makes all for peace
It appears our society is coming apart at the seams. Our seemingly irreconcilable differences, fueled by bad actors’ desire to capitalize on fear and hatred, drive wedges between us in ways that mirror some of the darkest periods of our national history. You might look at the state of our disunion and reach the … Continue reading Wage the war that makes all for peace
Martyred nuns continue to leave a legacy of faith, courage
Before Sister Kathleen McGuire left for Liberia in 1992, she had a professional portrait made of herself, to make sure her loved ones would have a good photo of her in case she didn’t return home alive. That portrait is now one of the few mementos Fred McGuire has of his older sister. She was one … Continue reading Martyred nuns continue to leave a legacy of faith, courage
Let our prayers be the megaphone of God
“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Those words from C. S. Lewis highlight an important aspect of prayer life for most of us (I know, at least in my past, it's been the case for me): We … Continue reading Let our prayers be the megaphone of God
The last teaching from the cross
A reflection for the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin As I prepared for the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Mary, the Theotokos, I considered several readings on which to focus. The most natural for me, and the one verse I think most beautifully and succinctly captures the strength, faith, courage and importance … Continue reading The last teaching from the cross
