|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Recent Sermons | ||||
 |
||||
| To view each sermon, simply click the link. The sermon will appear in a new browser window. When you are finished reading or printing the sermon, simply close the new browser window. Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Welcome to all of you on this glorious Easter Sunday morning 2007! Welcome to all of you as we remember that the tomb was found empty, Christ has been raised from the dead, and God has gloriously overturned the pattern of human life forever... April 8, 2007 - Sunday of the Resurrection - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
One of the children in our parish asked me in Family Church last Sunday, as we were talking about the last week of Jesus’ life, “Why is it called “good” Friday?” I told her that what I’d learned was that in the old medieval English it was called, “God’s Friday” and that eventually that got translated into “Good Friday.” Both names attempt to describe something of the God-awful enormity of what happened to Jesus, and what God did as a result.... April 6, 2007 - Good Friday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
A few weeks after my father died my mother found a Christmas card that he bought for her, but had forgotten to give it to her. He had actually signed it. It was a tender card expressing his love for this woman to whom he had been married for over fifty years. It was like a gift from the other world as it made her feel that he was still thinking about her... April 5, 2007 - Maundy Thursday - Rev. Bob Hamilton
I am frequently aware of how the scriptures become tame to our hearing as they are read in church. Part of the effect, I suspect, is that we hear them as being part of the liturgy, and from a totally different time in history and culture, part because we may assume that God was somehow more evident to the people of the past... March 25, 2007 - Fifth Sunday of Lent - Rev. Bob Hamilton
So often we talk of God as the God of love and mercy, of endless desire for us to return to him, but these descriptions may make any of us a little nervous... March 4, 2007 - Second Sunday of Lent - Rev. Bob Hamilton
Jesus was, first and foremost, a Healer. Today’s gospel speaks of a huge crowd seeking healing in mind, body and spirit. The apostles were there, a great gathering of his disciples were there, and people from all over the country had come to see Jesus and to seek healing. It’s a powerful scene... February 11, 2007 - Sixth Sunday of Epiphany - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
If the only information you’ve received lately about what’s been going on in the Episcopal Church you’ve received from the local newspaper, I have a news flash for you – you haven’t gotten the full scoop. I’m going to expand a bit on what’s going on in the Episcopal Church, and particularly our diocese. January 28, 2007 - Fourth Sunday of Epiphany - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
In John’s gospel, Jesus inaugurates his ministry not with a dramatic healing of someone who is sick, but with the changing of water into wine at a wedding reception. As we read the account in John, we might be tempted to think that it’s a lovely and gracious thing to do, but that as a miracle, there are many more needy situations, desperate situations, that are more in keeping with the compassionate nature of Jesus. It seems somewhat odd that Jesus would begin his public ministry with such an extravagant, but not really necessary, miracle... January 14, 2007 - Second Sunday of Epiphany - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
Yesterday was Epiphany and with it Christmas officially ended with all the lights, decorations and gifts packed away and the festivities over for another year. A New Year has started, Congress is back in session with a new party in control, my favorite basketball team lost its opening ACC game; and yet the world continues on its course with good things and bad things happening, human nature hasn’t changed, and neither has the nature of God. That is both the good news and the bad news... January 6, 2007 - First Sunday of Epiphany - Rev. Bob Hamilton
On an evening in early December, the first really cold night we’d had, I was obsessing about the Christmas decorations in my living room – moving things around, thinking about where the tree would go and what I had to move out of the way to make room for it. Quite honestly – I was really having fun - I was enjoying every minute of my obsessing... December 24, 2006 - The Nativity ofour Lord - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"Grant us Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure…." This was the opening collect for our service today and it is intended to relate to the lessons of this day. To recognize what it calls earthly things and heavenly things, to have the desire and commitment to hold fast to the one that endures, and to have God’s help in managing the anxiousness we may well feel as we attempt to do this. September 24, 2006 - Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Bob Hamilton
Happy 115th Birthday, St Andrews! September 17, 2006 - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
There’s a particular prayer that our Bishop, Michael Curry, prays whenever he has gathered with people in the Diocese of North Carolina whether at local parishes, or with clergy gatherings or at diocesan convention. The prayer is this: "O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. .." July 30, 2006 - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
Reading through the scripture passages appointed for today, a sentence leapt out at me. It comes from the reading from Ephesians – an excerpt from Paul’s letter that we heard in the middle, between the Old Testament reading from Isaiah and the gospel reading from Mark. The sentence that leapt out in the reading goes, “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility, between us.” What really jumped out at me, reflecting on this week’s disastrous news from Lebanon and Israel, were the words “dividing wall...” July 23, 2006 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"When I was a little boy growing up in Monticello, Georgia my family went to church every Sunday. Sometimes I paid attention. Other times I thought about something else. The preachers were very concerned about people who had not been saved and that they might not go to heaven when they died. I was afraid I would be one of those unlucky souls. Religion was scary. .." July 2, 2006 - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. James Prevatt
"No matter where you turn or who you talk to in these beginning years of the twenty-first century, it’s pretty hard to escape the realization that there are spiritual “seekers” all around us. People of all religions and people of no religion at all frequently describe themselves as seekers, or on a spiritual quest. What people mean when they describe themselves as seekers varies tremendously. For some it’s a genuine search for God; for others a rather more egocentric quest to feel better about themselves, and for still others, it’s an urgent need to find some meaning in their lives..." June 11, 2006 - Trinity Sunday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"...And in so many ways, all we can do is to continue to go back to the Bible – as so many others in centuries past have done so – to the true and honest story of God’s desires and intentions for human beings. What does God desire? We hear it over and over again in the stories and history and poetry and prophecies and parables of the Bible: God desires that human beings live together with one another in peace and in harmony with him and with each other, and that all are treated with respect and dignity. That is and always has been God’s dream for human beings. Jesus summed it up so beautifully and simply when he said we’re to love God and we’re to love each other in the same way." May 28, 2006 - Seventh Sunday of Easter - Rev. Wendy Billingslea "Living into the reality of the resurrection is an ongoing process for the disciples and friends of Jesus. Today we hear a story about Jesus appearing to his disciples; a story told right on the heels of the Road to Emmaus story. The Road to Emmaus encounter takes places on Easter Sunday night; the story we just heard takes place only a matter of hours later. Cleopas and his companion turned right back around after meeting Jesus and retraced their steps back to Jerusalem. The news that they have seen the risen Jesus just wouldn’t wait until morning. They simply can’t wait to tell the 11 disciples and the others what has, miraculously and joyfully, happened..." April 30, 2006 - Third Sunday of Easter - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"All of us who grew up in the church grew up with the story of the loaves and fishes. It’s the only event prior to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that all four gospels tell, so we got the story no matter what gospel we were reading. Maybe as children we cut out fishes from construction paper, some of us with our child ego fantasizing about being the little boy – that would have done a lot for status with your peers, wouldn’t it? Sometimes we acted the whole thing out, with the congregation playing the part of the crowd; and we occasionally saw in it, even as children, the symbolism of the Last Supper… " March 26, 2006 - Fourth Sunday in Lent - Dr. Leon Spencer
"...In principle, we get it. The Ten Commandments, The Beatitudes, the Great Commandment. The ethical framework for life as Christians. But in practice? It’s a daily struggle. In the duties and obligations and just the every day-ness of daily life, it’s not that we purposefully forget them but rather they are not exactly on the list of things we have just got to accomplish for the day. Meetings, groups, classes, errands, household chores, family responsibilities and appointments take up most of our attention day in and day out..." March 19, 2006 - Third Sunday in Lent - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"... But to appreciate the Incarnation in all this fullness, we have to go behind and beyond what is familiar to grasp the real nature of God’s homecoming, to let it hit us with all its gritty reality. And so, come with me now as we move beyond the lovely and familiar words of Luke’s account of the Nativity, beyond the candles and cards and carols and customs of Christmas, beyond the pretty trees and all the trappings, beyond the parties and presents, and beyond even the fun and feasting to the real truth of God’s homecoming. It isn’t a pretty story and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. No amount of shading or coloring can erase its grim reality..." December 24, 2005 - The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"...as we read the words of Luke in describing the encounter between Gabriel and Mary, I imagine the reality was something quite different. “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.” As a young peasant girl living in an obscure country village, Mary would have been busy at some household chore – sweeping, cooking, baking, mending, tending the fire, feeding the livestock, drawing water from the well. Her clothing was homespun and handmade, not the elaborate embroidered gown of the artist’s imagination..." December 18, 2005 - Fourth Sunday of Advent - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"...Jesus is the one human being who’s ever lived who best shows us what God is like. Jesus lived thousands of years ago, but he’s never been forgotten and he changed the world forever. None of us have ever met him, but he means so much to us that we’ve dedicated our lives to following him and trying to be like him – just like we hope and pray you will too..." November 20, 2005 - Christ the King Sunday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"...The Beatitudes paint a picture of the world God dreams of for all humanity. Our Baptismal Covenant makes explicit the ways in which we can make that new world so. By looking for Jesus in the eyes of everybody we meet, by turning away from evil and embracing what’s good, by telling the story of Jesus, by promoting peace and justice, and simply by promising to stay attached to the church’s ministry of worship, education, service and fellowship – these are the specific ways we work, the gestures we make, so that the Beatitudes might come true..." November 6, 2005 - All Saints Sunday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"...The thing about childhood is that our childhood becomes a part of us forever – for good or ill. I think about those of you who were children during the Depression, and how that really impacted not just your childhood but also your lives ever after. The scarcity of jobs, money, food, and the fears of the parents who raised you in such uncertain times made an unforgettable impact on you..." October 16, 2005 - Children's Sabbath - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
"...At rock bottom, when we’re being honest, we see the truth that we’re all a mixed-up mixture of problems and potential. We see that truth in our own lives and in the lives of the Christian denominations in which we make our faith homes. It’s the truth about us now, but it’s also historically true, for we see the whole mixed up story of humanity’s problems and potential throughout the pages of scripture. How are we coming along (or not coming along) in our lives of faith, love and service to God? It’s the question that underlies the story of God’s people, including us, and our own stories. ..." October 2, 2005 - Twenty-second Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
August 14, 2005 - Fiftenth Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea July 17, 2005 - Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea June 26, 2005 - Eighth Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea June 12, 2005 - Sixth Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea May 29, 2005 - Fourth Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea May 8, 2005 - Youth Sunday - Lindsay Eanes April 24, 2005 - Fifth Sunday of Easter - Rev. Wendy Billingslea April 17, 2005 - Fourth Sunday of Easter - Rev. Wendy Billingslea March 27, 2005 - Easter Sunday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea March 24, 2005 - Maundy Thursday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea March 24, 2005 - Maundy Thursday - Rev. Jim Prevatt March 21, 2005 - Monday of Holy Week - Rev. Jim Prevatt January 2, 2005 - Second Sunday of Christmas - Rev. Wendy Billingslea December 24, 2005 - Feast of the Nativity - Rev. Wendy Billingslea November 14, 2004 - Twenty-fourth Sunday of Pentecost- Rev. Bob Hamilton November 7, 2004 - Twenty-third Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea October 3, 2004 - Eighteenth Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Bob Hamilton September 19, 2004 - Contemporary Service - Karen Favreau August 22, 2004 - Twelfth Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea July 25, 2004 - Eighth Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea July 18, 2004 - Seventh Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea July 4, 2004 - Fifth Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Jim Prevatt June 20, 2004 - Third Sunday of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea May 30, 2004 - The Day of Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea May 16, 2004 - Sixth Sunday of Easter - Evelyn Morales May 9, 2004 - Fifth Sunday of Easter - Rev. Wendy Billingslea May 2, 2004 - Fourth Sunday of Easter - Rev. Bob Hamilton April 25, 2004 - Third Sunday of Easter - Rev. Wendy Billingslea April 11, 2004 - Easter Sunday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea February 15, 2004 - 6 Epiphany - Rev. Wendy Billingslea February 1, 2004 - 4 Epiphany - Rev. Jim Prevatt January 25, 2004 - 3 Epiphany - Rev. Wendy Billingslea December 24, 2003 - Christmas Eve - Rev Wendy Billingslea November 30, 2003 - First Sunday of Advent - Rev. Wendy Billingslea November 9, 2003 - 22nd Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea November 1, 2003 - All Saints' Sunday - Rev. Bob Hamilton October 25, 2003 - 19th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea October 19, 2003 - 18th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Bob Hamilton October 5, 2003 - 16th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Bob Hamilton September 28, 2003 - 15th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea September 14, 2003 - 14th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Bob Hamilton September 7, 2003 - 12th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea August 24, 2003 - 11th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea August 17, 2003 - 10th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea August 10, 2003 - 9th Sunday after Pentecost - Rev. Wendy Billingslea April 27, 2003 - Second Sunday of Easter - Rev. Wendy Billingslea April 20, 2003 - Easter Sunday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea April 18, 2003 - Good Friday Service - The Very Rev. Warren Pittman April 17, 2003 - Maundy Thursday - Rev. Wendy Billingslea April 6, 2003 - 5th Sunday in Lent - Rev. Robert Hamilton March 30, 2003 - 4th Sunday in Lent - Rev. Wendy Billingslea March 23, 2003 - 3rd Sunday in Lent - Rev. Robert Hamilton February 23, 2003 - 7 Epiphany - Rev. WendyBillingslea February 16, 2003 - 6 Epiphany - Rev. Robert Hamilton January 19, 2003 - 2 Epiphany - Rev. Wendy Billingslea January 5, 2003 - 2 Christmas - Rev. Wendy Billingslea
|
||||
