Sermónes / Sermons

Bilingual Sermon for June 12, 2016
(4th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 6)
Sermón bilingüe para 12 de junio 2016
(Cuarto domingo después de Pentecostés)

Rev. Michael Carroll To listen to this sermon, click here to begin playing the audio file. Para escuchar este sermón, haga clic aquí. Read more • Leer más → “Bilingual Sermon for June 12, 2016
(4th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 6)
Sermón bilingüe para 12 de junio 2016
(Cuarto domingo después de Pentecostés)”
Sermons

Christ the King

Rev. Amy Welin (Christ the King): Today is the Church’s spiritual New Year’s Eve. It is the Feast of Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is a major feast day in the Christian churches. Beyond singing that line from the Messiah, how comfortable are you with the notion of being ruled by a king? Is it good to have a king? Is the kingship of Jesus Christ a good reason to celebrate? Read More Read more • Leer más → “Christ the King”
Building / Sermons

We are St. John’s Strong

Mr. Jay Anthony, Senior Warden (Proper 28): Pour nos amis à Paris. Nous sommes avec vous. Être fort!!! Good morning my St. John’s family. St. John’s has existed for 272 years. Thousands before us have worshipped here. St. John’s weathered many storms of many types: fire, wind, rain, hurricanes, floods and still the heart of St. John’s which is the people, carried on. So something as simple as financial stress isn’t going to kill us now. We can and will adapt. We are St. John’s Strong. We will also run out of money in two years at our current pace. Our endowment is dwindling. Your Vestry has been discerning and discussing this with much pain and humility. We have also been discussing it rationally and with some of the best minds in the Diocese. The time has come to seek shelter from our current financial position in order to continue the work we do and need to continue to do. Like the parishioners who have come before us, we will go on. But we can no longer go on in this facility. The grand and glorious gray stone building that has been our spiritual refuge for many, many years is now a huge weight around our collective necks. We cannot allow it to become our tomb. We can find a way to go on in a facility that can be supported by the income we currently receive. The Vestry, your leadership, has not come to this painful, yet brave recommendation easily. Many tears were shed and will still be shed. An analogy was made that helped us: “If we were all sitting here and the building spontaneously burst into flames, what would you grab to save from the fire?” We all agreed it would be the people. Read More Read more • Leer más → “We are St. John’s Strong”
Sermons

Sermon: Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Amy Welin (Proper 27): Without context, we are left to our own devices. We read meaning into the words, and construct our own interpretation, distinct from what a person may be trying to say. This is what happens when we listen to gossip or rumors – we hear a partial truth repeated out of context, and then we make up the rest of the story in our heads. Context can be a very subtle - sometimes almost invisible to us - and still it is very powerful. This can be part of the difficulty with interpretation of the Scriptures, because not only are they many centuries old, they also were written in different languages, and their situational context is occasionally ambiguous. We hear a story, and we cannot take it at face value if it is going to teach us well. The context of our scripture lessons influences what they actually say to us. In each passage, God says something about the challenge of living a faithful life. Read More Read more • Leer más → “Sermon: Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost”
Sermons

Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant”

Rev. Amy Welin (21 Pentecost/Proper 24): Whom will you serve? We live in a world that values independence and accomplishment. Many of us find the concept of being a servant unpalatable. We like to think that we do not serve anyone. And yet, we do. Many have been observing the actions of Pope Francis this year. He embraces simplicity. He declined to live in the papal palace, choosing to live in a modest apartment. He rides in Fiats and not limousines. I imagine that he is a nightmare for his security team, as he tends to mingle with ordinary people, as well as to advocate for them. He goes to lunch with the homeless and visits tenements. His image is all about living as a servant of God and humanity. Do you have an image to maintain? Many of us do. How do you feel about cultivating the image of servant? Read More Read more • Leer más → “Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant””