How much of ourselves should we invest in our career? How can we achieve balance that will make for healthy, whole lives? In this sermon, Father John examines the model of Jesus and his ministry at Capernaum for insights on how we find such balance.
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Last week’s sermon emphasized showing grace, even in the workplace. In this third sermon in the series “Faith in the Workplace,” Father John looks at how we must balance that with other spiritual values: accountability and justice. Would Jesus ever fire someone? How do we deal with situations where we need to hold others accountable for their actions and still show grace? This sermon tackles how followers of Jesus can find wisdom for these tough situations at work.
How do we react when those who have power over us, our bosses and supervisors, treat us unfairly or unreasonably in the workplace? That is the question Father John tackles in today’s sermon, the second in his series on Faith and the Workplace. Rather than respond in kind, Jesus and his followers took the strategy of flooding the situation with grace, and offering undeserved kindness in ways that had the power to transform the situation.
Father John begins a new sermon series examining how our faith integrates with our daily work. In this initial sermon, he explores the notion of following God’s call right where we currently find ourselves in life. What if we feel our job is tedious and trivial? How can we approach work as an assignment from God, pursuing it with great faithfulness?
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How can Episcopalians, as people of the via media (the “Middle Way”) bring our wisdom to the table as we re-imagine Church for the Twenty-First Century? Father John invites consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of the current state of polarized Christianity, and offers suggestions how we might focus on the strengths of both conservative and liberal approaches to the faith.
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In this sermon, Fr. John explores Peter’s suggestion that he forgive someone three times if they sin against him, and Jesus’ response that he should forgive “seventy times seven.” Sometimes forgiving others can be difficult, but today we are reminded that in view of how much God has forgiven us, we should extend forgiveness without discrimination to other people.
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Continuing in our look at the message of the prophet Hosea, in this sermon, Fr. John discusses returning to the God who created us – and restoring spiritual vitality and a sense of connection to God in our life.
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The writings of the prophet Hosea invite us to ask the question, “What is God really like?” Is God an unfeeling Architect, unfolding a Master Plan — or can God actually be affected by what we do “down here on Earth?” In this sermon, Fr. John explores a message of great heartache found in the writings of Hosea. This is the first or two parts.
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The story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 reminds us that we are called to prioritize connecting and relating with Jesus and others above “doing” and being busy – a very counter cultural approach to life in contemporary society!
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Fr. John offers an exposition of Jesus’ most famous parable: The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-38). More than a simple lesson to be kind to strangers, this parable calls us, as followers of Jesus, to challenge ourselves to see God in those we do not tolerate, and to remind us that we must BE a neighbor rather than try to identify who is worthy of our attention and generosity. Listen, and grow in discipleship!