Sermons from 2020
The ageless truth of God’s love
This is the sermon the Rev. Canon Linda Taylor preached at the diocesan worship service for the First Sunday after Christmas, December 27, 2020. ————— Christmas 1 – December 27, 2020 Isaiah 61.10-62.3; Psalm 147; Galatians 3.23-25; 4.4-7; John 1.1-18 Homily preached by the Rev. Canon Linda S. Taylor In past years, most of us began our celebration of Christmas on Christmas Eve—frequently beginning with an afternoon children’s pageant. We would have heard a version of the story of Mary…
God is in the manger
This is the sermon Bishop Scott Mayer preached at the diocesan worship service on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2020. ——————— Christmas Eve 2020 I remember a brief, but for me unforgettable, conversation several years ago on Christmas Eve at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in Abilene (where I served). Right before the procession into the nave, the choir was lined up, the acolytes with crosses and torches and banners were taking their places in the procession, our organist was…
In the midst of the mess
This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat preached at the online worship service for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 20, 2020. ———— Advent 4B December 20, 2020 A dad sat down with his 4-year-old, hoping to teach the true meaning of Christmas. They began the project of assembling a cardboard cutout nativity scene: stable, manger, baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, sheep, and shepherds. “Fold on the dotted line,” the directions said, “Place tab A in slot B,” and…
“Service to God with a will to work for men”
This is the sermon the Rev. Ted H. Clarkson, rector, St. Andrew’s/St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Churches, Darien, GA, gave at the ordination of his son, Ted Clarkson, to the diaconate, December 18, 2020. ————– I am always amazed at the aspect of the human condition that allows us to make the same potentially foolish choices over and over again. Ted is a bright young man: well educated (at Allison and my expense) at Southern Methodist University, yet he made the foolish…
The needs of our hearts
This is the meditation given by the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles at the diocesan Blue Christmas service at 7 pm on December 17, 2020. ————— Each of us has come here tonight bearing our own hurts or carrying the pain of others. We may be immersed in suffering; we may be devastated by the cruelty of this year. We may feel that we are all alone, isolated from friends, forgotten by families. We may even feel that we are beyond…
Continuing the story
This is the sermon the Very Rev. Ronald D. Pogue preached at the ordination to the priesthood of the Rev. Paula Jefferson, December 15, 2020, at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller. —————– December 15, 2020 Today, Paula, we gather as the Church to affirm your Christian experience, which has led you to discern and accept the call to the Sacred Order of Priests. You stand before us better equipped and with a richer experience than many people receiving Holy Orders in this…
The truth of who we are
This is the sermon preached by the Rev. Canon Linda Taylor on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2020. ———— 3 Advent—December 13, 2020 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 This is the second week in a row that we’ve heard the story of John the messenger. Last week, we heard Mark’s gospel naming John as the messenger referred to by the prophet Isaiah—the messenger who will go ahead of the Lord, preparing a…
Prepare the way of the Lord
This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat preached at the diocesan worship service for the Second Sunday of Advent, December 6, 2020. ———————– Advent 2B.2020 “Prepare the way of the Lord. In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.” These are the prophetic words from Isaiah that are echoed in the Gospel of Mark. “Prepare the way of the Lord.” And just how do we do that? On this Second Sunday of Advent, when we find…
Advent: entering the work of wholeness and healing
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2020. —————————- The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Advent 1B 2020 One of the most important reasons we observe the seasons of a liturgical year in the Episcopal Church is that they ask us to consider our faith and the living of our lives outside of ourselves. Each season brings with it new colors and a new focus.…
“Are you God?”
This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat preached on the Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King, November 22, 2020. —————————- One cold winter’s day a 10-year-old boy was standing barefoot in front of a shoe store, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and asked him what he was doing. “I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” he said. The lady took him by the hand and went…
Bishop’s Convention Address: You are the light of the world
This is Bishop Scott Mayer’s Address to Convention, given as the sermon at the Opening Worship Service of Diocesan Convention, November 14, 2020. It also is the sermon for the Twenty-Four Sunday after Pentecost, November 14, 2020. —————- Fort Worth Convention Address 2020 November 14 I would like to begin this morning by expressing my gratitude to Karen Calafat and the good people of St Luke’s in the Meadow for hosting this diocesan-wide event, and also for my staff for…
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…