Sermons

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A – 8/30/20 Exodus 3:1-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c Romans 12:9-21 Matthew 16:21-28 Once upon a time… In a land far, far away, Far from anything that we might possibly imagine, or even conjure up today, There lived saints. Saints that roamed the earth, to and fro, hither and yonder, leading lives that, on the surface, seemed so ordinary, so plain, so simple. And yet, come to find out, they were anything but, ordinary! They were, in fact, extra-ordinary! And there they were, roaming, to and fro, fro and to, saintly acts they performed, some not even realizing it. (You have memorialized many of those saints in this room, in this very ceiling, in these very walls, in that very garden, and maybe even below us!) Make no mistake, these saints were not perfect. These were people, after all, people like…

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A – 8/23/20 Exodus 1:8-2:10 Psalm 124 Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20 “Who do you say that I am?” Seriously. Who do you say that I am? This is not a hard question, or at least, it shouldn’t be. Who do you say that I am? Do you say that I am? Are you saying to anyone that I am? What does your saying “I am” look like? How are you saying, “I am?” If you are saying, “I am,” why are you saying, “I am?” Have you given any thought to these things? I would venture to guess that this may be one of the most important things Jesus, our Jesus, has to say, to ask, of the disciples (and of course, you realize, that means of us) throughout the entirety of the great Good News of the Gospel. Who do…

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year A – 8/16/20 Genesis 45:1-15 Psalm 133 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28 “Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.” Joseph wept. Right there, in front of everyone. “Get everyone away from me! Now!” He could not control himself. He didn’t try. Joseph’s gut-wrenching wailing rings out, all around, to Pharaoh, the Egyptians, practically everyone. Was he happy? Was he sad? Was he finally just overcome with…

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year A – 7/19/20 Genesis 28:10-19a Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19 Romans 8:12-25 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 When Great Trees Fall
 by Maya Angelou When great trees fall,
 rocks on distant hills shudder,
 lions hunker down
 in tall grasses,
 and even elephants
 lumber after safety. When great trees fall
 in forests,
 small things recoil into silence,
 their senses
 eroded beyond fear. When great souls die,
 the air around us becomes
 light, rare, sterile.
 We breathe, briefly.
 Our eyes, briefly,
 see with
 a hurtful clarity.
 Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
 examines,
 gnaws on kind words
 unsaid,
 promised walks
 never taken. Great souls die and
 our reality, bound to
 them, takes leave of us.
 Our souls,
 dependent upon their
 nurture,
 now shrink, wizened.
 Our minds, formed
 and informed by their
 radiance, fall away.
 We are not so much maddened as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
…

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A – 7/12/20 Genesis 25:19-34 Psalm 119:105-112 Romans 8:1-11 Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 “…grant that we may know and understand the things we ought to do, and be given grace, and faith, and power to accomplish those things…” – From the Collect for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, BCP p. 231 I would be remiss, I wouldn’t be your pastor, if I didn’t start off by telling you the Great Good News of the Gospel this very day! “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” If that seed falls on fertile soil, so to speak, and takes root, what else is there to say? We ought to be done for the day. The news doesn’t get any better. Head on over to Luby’s and get your LuAnn Platter! It’s all good! “Wait! Hold up Pastor! Not so fast!”…

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A – 7/5/20 Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 Song of Songs 2:8-13 Romans 7:15-25a Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away!” The Song of Songs. The song that stands above and beyond all songs. The song that necessitates enshrinement in Holy Writ, inclusion in our sacred canon. The Song of Songs! What is this jewel of poetic mastery that is sandwiched in between tales of exceptional heroism, tribal conflict, political disputes, royal intrigue, religious reforms, and…