Sermons from December 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…