year-a

year-a

A moment of covenant

This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, November 8, 2020. ———————– The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Proper 27A 11/8/20 Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25  Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the…

Following Jesus to the margins

This is the sermon Bishop Scott Mayer preached at the diocesan worship service for All Saints’ Day, November 1, 2020. ——————— All Saints Day FW 2020 November 1 Today in the life of the Church is All Saints Day, the day we celebrate the communion of saints – the saints past, present, and future. And as we hear the readings from scripture appointed for this day, and say the prayers designated for All Saints Day, a number of images come…

The revolution of love

This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat, St. Luke’s in the Meadow, Fort Worth, preached at the diocesan worship service for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, October 25, 2020. ———————- Sermon Proper 25A October 25, 2020 I watched a documentary a few days ago that has stayed with me.  It was visually stunning – beautiful beyond words.  Not only has it caused me to give up calamari forever, but also to consider love in a broader way.  Craig Foster,…

Show me the coin

This is the sermon the Rev. Canon Linda S. Taylor preached at the diocesan worship service for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, October 18, 2020. ———————– 20 Pentecost – October 18, 2020 Proper 24A:  Exodus 33:12-23, Psalm 99, I Thessalonians 1:1-10, Matthew 22:15-22 We’ve just heard a story about Jesus and the Pharisees. It’s one of many stories of their encounters that are told in the Gospels according to Matthew and to Luke. It’s a good story with a snappy…

The hard work of change

This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles, St. Stephen’s, Hurst, preached at the diocesan worship service on the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, October 11, 2020. ——————- Allison Sandlin Liles Proper 23A Exodus 32:7-14 This week I zipped through the seventh book in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series, A Trick of the Light. A central question runs through the entire book: “Are people capable of change?” Every single character wants to believe it’s possible for people to…

“Give us scoundrels your grace”

This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat preached at the diocesan worship service for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Sunday, October 4, 2020. ———————- St. Francis’ Day Homily Karen A. Calafat Ah, St. Francis, that nature-loving, joyful saint who frolicked through the forests and fields of the Italian countryside, preaching to the birds and bunnies and any creature that would listen.  Stories are told of Francis being in the woods of Mount…

Find a river

This is the sermon the Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner preached at the worship service for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Fourth Sunday of the Creation Series, at 10 am on Sunday, September 27, 2020. ——————- The Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth Creation Season – Year 1, Sunday 4 – River Sunday I speak to you in the name of the living God – holy Trinity, ever one. Amen. As Summer unfolds into Fall, we are wrapping…

Wilderness, a place of encounter

This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat, St. Luke’s in the Meadow, Fort Worth, preached at the diocesan worship service on the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Third Sunday of the Creation Series, on September 20, 2020. ————————- Creation 3:3 – Wilderness September 20, 2020 Today is Wilderness Sunday.  I drew the lucky straw in getting to preach on Wilderness for our Creation Series where we set aside the four Sundays in September to examine various aspects of the…

“Us and our kin in creation”

This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached on the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the second Sunday in the Creation series, on September 13, 2020. ————————– The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Creation Season 2020 September 13, 2020 The parting of the Red Sea is a miracle performed by God through the prophet Moses. I imagine it to be both awe-inspiring and terrifying. After the Passover which spares the Israelites’ firstborn children but kills those of the Egyptians, the…

In community with Creation

This is the sermon the Rev. Canon Linda Taylor preached at the diocesan worship service on the First Creation Sunday, September 6, 2020. ————————- The Rev. Canon Linda S. Taylor Creation Season 1: Forest Sunday 14 Pentecost – September 6, 2020 Genesis 2:4b-22; Psalm 139:13-16; Acts 17:22-28; Matthew 18:15-20   Welcome to the garden! You’ll hear all kinds of life around us including motorcycles and cars and even lawn blowers perhaps. We’re here in the garden because today and for…

What burning bush is calling you aside?

This is the sermon the Rev.Canon Janet Waggoner preached at the diocesan worship service for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 30, 2020. ——————————– The Rev. Canon Janet C. Waggoner Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth  Worship Service Sunday, August 30, 2020 Year A – Pentecost XIII – Proper 17 – Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 105:1-6,23-26,45c; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28 I speak to you in the name of the Living God: Holy Trinity, ever One. Amen. Good morning, dear people of God…

Who do you say Jesus is?

This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat of St. Luke’s in the Meadow, Fort Worth; and the Rev. Kevin Johnson of St. Alban’s Theatre Arlington, gave in the form of a fireside chat for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost on August 23, 2020. —————— The 12th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16A, August 23rd, 2020 Webcast Conversation between the Rev’s. Karen Calafat and Kevin Johnson  Kevin Johnson: Well, good morning. Thank you all for being here this morning. COVID is…

The redemption of tears

This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, August 16, 2020. ————————– Proper 15A August 16, 2020 Genesis 45:1-15 Today we continue with stories from Abraham and Sarah’s family tree. For the most part, we have read about the generations as they struggled with even the simplest of human relationships. Last week we were introduced to Joseph, the most beloved of Jacob’s 12 sons. The brothers hated Joseph;…

The presence of the holy

This is the sermon preached by the Rev. Canon Linda Taylor at the diocesan worship service for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 9, 2020. ———————– 10 Pentecost – August 9, 2020 Proper 14:  Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Psalm 105:1-6,16-22,45b; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33 There they are. This has been a long day. There was feeding all those 5,000 people—plus the women and children—there was tidying up afterward, picking up all the leftovers—and people back then were probably no tidier at…

The other way

This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat preached at the diocesan worship service for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, August 2, 2020. ————————— Proper 13A August 2, 2020 Alexander had a bad day, as a matter of fact, he had a “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”  From the moment he awakened to find last night’s bubble gum stuck in his hair, to lunch at school where his mom forgot to put a dessert in his lunch box,…

Untold stories cry to be heard

This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, July 26, 2020. ———————— Proper 12A July 26, 2020 Genesis 29:15-28 St. Luke’s in the Meadow Like many of you, our household has watched Hamilton on Disney+ many times over the past 3 weeks. As a result, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lyrics pop into our heads constantly. When people walk into a room in our house, “Well, if it isn’t Aaron…