Readings: Acts 4: 32-35; 1 John 5: 1-6; John 20: 19-31 Preacher: Meghan Kellogg On her thirteenth day in the hospital, the medical team removed her breathing devices and artificial nutrition. The rollercoaster of hope and doubt arising from whether she would awaken from the coma came to a halt.  As much as we didn’t want to accept it, God was… read more →

Readings: Acts 10: 34a, 37-43; Colossians 3: 1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5: 6b-8; John 20: 1-9 Preacher: Susan K. Roll My mother used to claim that early on Easter Sunday morning, the light shone through the stained-glass window in the sanctuary with a unique glow. We didn’t say much because, after all, Easter can fall anytime between March 22 and April… read more →

Readings: Mark 11: 1-10; Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2: 6-11; Mark 14: 1-15:47 Preacher: M Lourdes Perez-Albuerne Today’s gospel is an introduction to Holy Week where we commemorate Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.  We read the passion according to the evangelist Mark who begins with Jesus’ triumphal entrance in Jerusalem and how He complies, as a faithful Jew, with the tradition of… read more →

Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5: 7-9; John 12: 20-33 Preacher: Gloria Ulterino This homily is different.  It came in a flash!  In the person of Prisca, a first century woman about whom I’ve researched and written.  Why?  Because, she seemed to fulfill God’s promise made to the prophet Jeremiah—then in exile, some 450 years before Jesus.   Remember the words?  “I will… read more →

Readings: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23; Ephesians 2;4-10; John 3:14-21 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler             “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” that we might have eternal life…             “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love He had for us… brought us to life with Christ…By grace you have been saved.” In the middle of… read more →

Readings: Exodus 20: 1-17; 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25; John 2:13-25 Preacher: Margot Van Etten Are you surprised to hear this reading today? It’s halfway through Lent: why are we focusing on something we hear about during Holy Week? Actually, John, whose Gospel we hear today, does not set this during Holy Week. It happens near the beginning. So perhaps looking at… read more →

Readings: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Roman’s 8: 31b-34; Mark 9: 2-10 Preacher: Sheryl Zabel Our homilist this weekend is Sheryl Zabel who was a liturgist in our diocese for years.  While recovering from surgery she offers the following brief reflection on the readings for the second Sunday of Lent “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Famous… read more →

Readings: Genesis 9: 8-15; 1 Peter 3: 18-22; Mark 1: 12-15 Preacher: Patrick Fox As I began to think about our readings for this First Sunday of Lent in the midst of our present moment in time I found myself re-reading a poem from John O’Donohue. For Presence Awaken to the mystery of being here And enter the quiet immensity of… read more →

Readings: Leviticus 13: 1-2, 44-46; 1 Corinthians 10: 31-11:1; Mark 1: 40-45 Preacher: Deni Mack “I turn to you God in times of trouble.” That’s the beginning of the Psalm we just sang.  We turn to God when we’re in need and when anyone is in trouble. At a seminary conference in 1977, Yolanda, a 79-year-old Mexican woman, told me she… read more →

Readings: Job 7: 1-4, 6-7; 1 Corinthians 9: 16-19, 22-23; Mark 1: 29-39 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz I know a woman in her mid-fifties who has been surrounded by demons and was just recently able to drive them away. Years ago, she was married and together they have two children. During their marriage, they struggled to make ends meet. There were… read more →