Sermons from St. George's: Recent Episodes
St. George's Nashville
Sermons from St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville, where we receive, live, and share the abundant life of Jesus Christ.
The prophet Isaiah describes that God will do a new thing - he will create a new heaven and a new earth. In this sermon, Colin explores God’s promise and what it means for us here and now.
The prophecies of the Old Testament aren’t just about this world as we know it. They are about something God is doing, something so good that we are almost too afraid to imagine.
Sermon from the 11:00am service on 11/6/22.
Habakkuk 1:1-13; 2:1-4
“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?” The prophet Habakkuk is baffled by the injustice that surrounds him. And yet, despite his confusion, he remains faithful to God. Habakkuk’s words and action guide us when we find ourselves baffled before God.
Sermon from The Table on 10/30/22.
The thing is, prayer doesn't have to be perfect to be effective. In fact, a prayer muttered with all our fears and short-sighted demands — and even selfish requests — affects life powerfully.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 10/16/22.
Luke 18:1-8
Prayer is like a walking exercise. It is a spiritual exercise. The more you pray daily, the stronger you become. Persistent praying in faith on a particular subject produces an eventual expected result — just like the persistent widow in the gospel reading. Prayer is simply talking to God like a child would with his parents. Pray in a simple, innocent, and honest way. Not doubtful, but persistent, until the expected result is achieved, or until you are appeased appropriately. This is how our prayer relationship with God is supposed to be.
Sermon from The Table on 10/16/22.
Sequence Hymn • 671 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound
Psalm 137
1 By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, * when we remembered you, O Zion. 2 As for our harps, we hung them up * on the trees in the midst of that land. 3 For those who led us away captive asked us for a song, and our oppressors called for mirth: * "Sing us one of the songs of Zion." 4 How shall we sing the Lord's song * upon an alien soil. 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, * let my right hand forget its skill. 6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, * if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy. 7 Remember the day of Jerusalem, O Lord, against the people of Edom, * who said, "Down with it! down with it! even to the ground!" 8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, * happy the one who pays you back for what you have done to us! 9 Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, * and dashes them against the rock!
Addressing the topic of money, St. Paul says there is “great gain in godliness combined with contentment” and encourages us to be charitable.
Sermon from The Table on 9/25/22.
God desires for everyone to be saved. What a beautiful insight into the heart of our Savior! What does it mean?
Sermon from The Table on 9/18/22.
It seems God isn't interested in a tidy, prissy, stingy, respectable response to his love.
Sermon the 8:45am service on 9/18/22.
"God converts the foolishness of the world into the foolishness of the cross."
Sermon from 9/11/22 at 11:00am.
1 Timothy 1:12-17
What does it mean to believe in God’s forgiveness? In this sermon Fr. Colin discusses the inexhaustible nature of God’s love and the promise this holds for us.
Sermon from 9/11/22 at The Table
Jesus has challenging things to say about how disciples should view their family, possessions, and life itself.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 9/4/22.
The question each one of us most longs to ask is “Can you see the real me?” We want to be known as we are. Simultaneously, that same question frightens us more than almost any other. Vulnerability is a risk, but depth of relationship demands it.
Sermon from 8/28/22.
The strange truth about our status with God is that it is not deserved. It relies completely on his grace, his forgiveness, his healing, and his hospitality.
Sermon from The Table on 8/28/22.
The passage about Jeremiah’s call to ministry is one of many narratives in the Bible known as “call stories.” If you read a sampling of them – say the call of Abraham, or Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Jonah, Isaiah, Mary, Paul (and the list goes on), you'll notice that each of these stories is incredibly unique. God tailors his call to each person. We may not get quite as dramatic a call story as those recorded in the Bible; we might not come across a burning bush in the desert or have the angel Gabriel appear to us. But each of us in our own way has a unique part to play in God’s story, whether we are laypeople or clergy, long time Christians or new ones, old or young.
In talking with people about their sense of call, I’ve come across three common myths about God’s call on our lives – three ways in which we misunderstand the way God’s call works. In contrast to these myths, Jeremiah’s call story reveals a truer, fuller picture of how and why God extends a call to us.
Sermon from 8/21/22.
Luke 12:49-56
In this sermon, Fr. Colin reminds us that to be in relationship with the living God means not only to engage with a God of the lilies but also to engage with a God of fire.
Sermon from 8/14/22.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
Jesus tells a parable of a rich man whom God calls a fool. The man is a fool because he has missed the meaning of life. He is clueless as to what life is really about, wrongly thinking that life consists in the abundance of possessions. As Christians we believe that our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Is this true for you? We must all ask the question, “What does my life truly consist of?”
Sermon from 7/31/22.
Material wealth will only ever pass through fingers, but becoming rich in God can never be taken from you. And it can make you generous like him.
Sermon from 7/31/22.
So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you” (Luke 11:9).
Sermon from 7/24/22 at The Table
Jesus frees us from spiritual bondage and lets us live the good life in that freedom.
Colossians 2:6-15
Sermon from 7/24/2.
Unless you consume, unless you eat, not only can you never give, but you can’t even really live.
Sermon from 7/17/22.
Based on the text from Colossians 1:15-28.
The 'thrones, dominions, rulers, and powers' mentioned in Colossians 1:16, may be read as Satan's fallen angels camouflaging as light in the invisible realm to deceive those seeking God's light outside of Christ and the Church. Paul emphasized that Jesus is the only true God, who has saved us from these dark forces and brought us into the true light of his kingdom.
Sermon from 7/17/22 at The Table.
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus meets three potential disciples. The three conversations he has with these men challenge our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Are we willing to be the type of disciples that Jesus desires?
Sermon from 6/26/22.
The strategy Jesus uses in building his kingdom is not to take out the enemies. It is to make disciples.
Sermon from 6/26/22.
"There is a calling that is far too great for you to accomplish, and God says, 'Do not stop; I will provide.'" Sermon from 6/19/2022.
"Let us with a gladsome mind praise the Lord, for he is kind. His mercies I endure, they last forever. He is ever faithful. He is ever sure." Sermon from 6/19/2022.
John 16:12-15
Jesus promises us that the Spirit of truth will teach and guide us in our day to day lives. How does the Spirit teach us? And how can we discern if it is God’s Spirit directing us versus our own desires and imaginations?
Sermon from 6/12/22.
The life of the Christian is inescapably, unalterably Trinitarian. We live and breathe in the power and grace and love of the Trinity.
Sermon from 6/12/22.
Despite abundant religious alternatives, and despite the dangers of becoming a follower of Jesus, and despite the ignominious death of the leader of the movement, Christianity swept the far reaches of the Roman empire and beyond like fire. Why?
Sermon from 6/5/22.
I wonder how Silas and Timothy were feeling around mile 300 when it still seemed unclear where their missionary journey with Paul was actually going.
Sermon from 5/22/22.
Sermon from the 8:45am Nave service with the Rt. Rev. John C. Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee.
At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:31-35)
The Book of Revelation has extraordinary significance as it concludes the biblical story. In this sermon, the Rev. Colin Ambrose discusses the biblical metaphor of "chaotic waters" and the promise that God has conquered these waters in the dying and rising of the Son of God.
Sermon from 5/15/22.
God did not promise a perfect church… But He did promise to meet us there through his son—in his body of believers.
Sermon from 5/8/22.
In the light of the Gospel, the differences we cling to as making us better than one another are shown to be nothing in the face of the righteousness of God.
Sermon from 5/8/22.
"They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11a)
Easter is the proclamation that something has happened, and that something that has already decided our future. Listen as Fr. Colin shares the living hope that comes from the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Sermon from Easter Sunday, 4/17/22.
During Jesus’ final days he was betrayed by many, including his own disciples. Listen as Colin explores the betrayal of Peter, the one who promised to die for his Lord before denying him. Why did Peter, who desired to be faithful, end up betraying Jesus?
Sermon from Palm Sunday at The Table, 4/10/22.
"Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’" - John 12:1-8
Sermon from 4/3/22.
Idols will always leave you disparaged; the saints will always leave you encouraged.
Sermon from The Table on 4/3/22.
(Luke 15)
Luke writes about Jesus, “The Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” In response to their criticism, Jesus teaches about the compassion of God using three parables, including the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Listen as Fr. Colin reflects on the meaning and promise of this remarkable parable.
Sermon from 3/27/22.
What keeps that dutiful older brother outside his father's house?
Sermon from The Table on 3/27/22.
We may not always understand his timing or his ways, but God is the just judge and the merciful Savior, both now and forever more.
Sermon from The Table on 3/20/22.
The goal of evil is to convince a soul that there is no hope, that kindness is a silly waste of time, that there is no redemption and that the good deeds which we do are just pathetic delusions.
Sermon from 3/13/22.
Christians were originally called “People of the Way.” In the temptation story, Jesus teaches us three characteristics of the way we follow as Christians.
Sermon from 3/6/22.
Whatever you learn this lent will begin by spending time with God. It won’t eradicate your sins or eliminate your pain. But as promised in John 14, God will never leave you.
Sermon from Ash Wednesday, 3/2/22.
Faith doesn’t last because it never has troubles, it never encounters doubts. Faith endures when you hold onto to what you know to be true, even in the midst of those valleys.
Sermon from 2/27/22.
The truth is that listening to the voice of Jesus is costly. But that is okay because the end of the story is good, good, good.
Sermon from 2/27/22.
Everyone knows that Jesus instructs his followers to love their enemies, but how many of us actively try to love those who don’t love us? In this sermon we reflect on why Jesus calls us to love our enemies and how it is possible to love in this way.
Sermon from 2/20/22.
It is not that the circumstances of the “woes” are evil, but that they are dangerous.
Sermon from 2/13/22.
When Peter encounters the greatness of Jesus, he falls down at Jesus’ knees saying, “Get away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” This is not a unique response when encountering God’s presence. In this sermon we reflect on how our shame drives us away, or towards, the God of grace.
Sermon from 2/6/22.
Paul invites us to play the holy game of love. The truth is we might know our theology and we might have beautiful worship. We might give our money away and have powerful healing prayer. But if we can’t play the holy game of love, Paul says we are not fit for the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 13
Sermon from The Table on 1/30/22.
All godly love flows from God himself and it is the overflow of the love God in us that allows us to love with anything even akin to his love.
Sermon from 1/30/22.
The Rev. Dr. Mark Clavier is originally from Greenville, SC, but comes to us now from his position as Residentiary Canon of Brecon Cathedral, Wales. His previous visit to St. George’s was in early 2020 as a guest speaker for The Living Church conference. He has published 4 books, including a new release titled “A Pilgrimage of Paradoxes: A Backpacker’s Encounters with God and Nature.”
Sermon from The Table on 1/23/22.
John 2:11 states, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory.” In John’s gospel there are a series of signs that reveal the identity of Jesus. Why was the first sign of Jesus the fixing of a catering disaster—providing more wine for a wedding? In this sermon, Fr. Colin explores how the promises of the Old Testament unlock the meaning of Jesus’ first sign.
Sermon from 1/16/22.
Isn't it interesting that Jesus' first sign is turning water into wine? This sermon draws its trajectory from Time Keller's marvelous book, Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life's Biggest Questions.
Sermon from The Table on 1/16/22.
John the Baptist tells us that Jesus's mission has two parts: 1. Take away the sin of the world. 2. Baptize with Holy Spirit and fire.
Much is said of sin and forgiveness, but little of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. The Holy Spirit is the most important aspect of Christianity aside of Christ. It is the gift of Christ to the Church. He comes to do two main things in our lives among others: 1) to convict us of what sin is, and to give us remorse to genuinely repent and turn away from sin and 2) to give us the ability and capacity to resist the sinful urges in our fallen nature to a reasonable degree, though not total perfection, since we are still humans.
We see from our readings that the Holy Spirit was given after conversion to Christ and likely after water baptism. It was a practical experience, rather than a passive one. Let us take a step further in our confirmation to make the Holy Spirit active in our lives by learning to ask him to reveal his works in our lives daily.
Luke 3:15-18, 20-22; Acts 8:14-17 Sermon from The Table on 1/9/22.
It can be tempting to disregard those moments that trouble us deeply about our character. But if we attend to them they are the pathway to knowing the true source of our goodness.
Sermon from 1/9/22,
"The very fabric of the universe, and most especially the nature of humanity, was changed because God who created it chose to become a part of that created universe.”
Sermon from 1/2/2022 at The Table.
Christmas is about receiving a gift. Jesus does not just come to us, he is given to us. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:15)
Sermon from Colin Ambrose on 12/24/21.
When Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, she sings the Magnificat, a song of praise—and of revolution. In this sermon Colin reflects on the meaning of Mary’s song as we prepare for the coming of Jesus on Christmas.
Sermon from 12/19/21.
The promise of God is for judgment, yes, but even more for restoration, salvation, and lasting joy.
Sermon from 12/12/21.
A non-judging God is really only good news for the comfortable, for those whose cause is already defended.
Sermon from the First Sunday of Advent, 11/28/21.
We were built to follow a king. This is why we are constantly giving ourselves to charismatic figures such as politicians and media stars. We have a need to follow and adore someone. On Christ the King Sunday we ask ourselves, "What king do I follow? Who is my ultimate lord?"
Sermon from 11/21/21.
"Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:10) Sermon from Senior Ministries Sunday, 11/14/21.
Evangelism: Being Available for God to Use You "A part of the challenge of cross-cultural evangelism is that the goal is not to make others Christians like you. If God really loves the whole world, he really loves the people of other cultures and they things they deeply value. In every single culture, there are things we can find that we can point to that sound like Jesus."
- The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, Bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida, visited St. George's on October 24 and served as guest teacher and preacher.
The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida, will be our preacher Sunday the 8:45am and 11:00am services, and he will teach "Evangelism: Being available for God to use you" in Johnson Hall at 10:05am.
Before being called as bishop, he served at parishes in New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Bishop Brewer was assistant professor of pastoral theology at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA, from 1992–1996. He was published regularly in The Anglican Digest from 1985–2007. Other publications include Bible Reading Fellowship: Journey Through the Word Series and The Coming of the Lord, Second Corinthians.
Sermon from 10/24/21.
In this sermon, Fr. Colin examines the nature of sacrifice by looking at the Old Testament sacrificial system. He explores the sacrifice of Jesus and how we “get in” on what Jesus has accomplished.
Sermon from 10/17/21
If the gospel never offends you, if it never breaks you down, challenges you, or humbles you to the dust, then you do not know the fullness of the gospel.
Sermon from 10/11/21.
"You are the beloved of Jesus Christ, and he will never, ever, ever abandon you. Because he has established his love for you permanently in his own body and at the cost of his own blood. And friends, that is very good news." Sermon from 10/3/21.
BONUS Episode: Dr. L. Gregory Jones teaching from our Sunday school forum on 9/26/21.
Dr. Jones serves as President of Belmont University, after previously serving as dean of Duke Divinity School, and, before that, in various roles at Duke University and Baylor University. In addition to his work in the academic world, Dr. Jones has written or edited numerous books.
Dr. L. Gregory Jones serves as President of Belmont University, after previously serving as dean of Duke Divinity School, and, before that, in various roles at Duke University and Baylor University. In addition to his work in the academic world, Dr. Jones has written or edited numerous books. Sermon from 9/26/21.
The Rev. Canon Dr. John Ashley Null is widely considered to be the pre-eminent scholar on Thomas Cranmer, the author of our Book of Common Prayer. He teaches all over the world and has also served as Olympic chaplain to the athletes.
Sermon from 9/26/21
"Humbling" feels like being chiseled by a fine sculptor who reveals the image of God in us.
Sermon from 9/19/21.
James writes, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder" (James 2:19). In this sermon we explore the difference between Christian faith and the faith of the demons.
Sermon from 9/5/21.
The central Christian proclamation is not that Christians are morally superior!
Sermon from 8/29/2021.
The danger for us is not that we will reject God. The danger for us is that we will fail to choose him.
Sermon from 8/22/21.
Whether or not we are ever particularly wise, ever particularly successful, or ever particularly gifted by the world’s standards—when we are in covenant faithful relationship with our Savior, we have everything we need in him
Sermon from 8/15/2021.
Jesus states, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” What does it mean that Jesus is bread that comes from heaven? How do we feed on the God who comes to us in Christ?
Sermon from 8/8/2021.
David sought out what he thought he desired and ended up leaving a trail of destruction behind him, but God sent Nathan. God will not allow us to continue to destroy ourselves and others, rather he will seek us out and bring us home.
Sermon from 8/1/21, preached by our 2021 Duke Divinity Intern, Chase Benefiel.
If our relationship with Jesus is just about him being useful, we have missed the fullness of who he came to be in our lives.
Sermon from 7/25/21.
From the readings today we see David wanting to build God a house. Instead, God promised David he would build David a house; David’s son would build the temple; and God would give David a son to reign on his throne forever. Christ is that son of David who sits on the throne and reigns forever in glory and will come back some day to reign on the earth.
St. Paul the apostle says, “do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” Our bodies are made for communion with him. Do you know that whenever you come to the Communion table to take the Communion that you are touching Jesus? Just as the people of Gennesaret begged to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, and were healed, you can touch Jesus today through Communion and ask to be healed.
Sermon from 7/18/21.
"Trusting in God and giving Him glory, that is your highest calling." Sermon from the 10:00am service on 7/4/21.
Sermon from 6/20/21.
A Gethsemane moment is when your picture of what the universe ought to be conflicts with your experience. When these moments occur, Job teaches us to say, “I will be quiet, comforted that I am dust."
Jesus is unlike the kings or presidents or rulers of any other nation… but this difference is not a retraction of the simple truth that he is your king.
Sermon from 6/6/2021.
If you don’t believe in the spirit, you will not experience the spirit.
Sermon from Pentecost Sunday, 5/23/2021.
“Jesus himself is the message; Jesus himself is the name. Jesus, through his birth, death, and resurrection, has made something known about God’s identity that was not known before: the human face of God, the love of God for the human race made known in the incarnation of the Son of God, and the new hope of resurrection life.”
Sermon from 5/16/2021.
As we unpack Jesus' teaching in John 15:1-8, we'll evaluate what it means to be fruitful. Consider the power of the "text message prayer" at Cana: "Jesus they have no wine."
Sermon from 5/2/2021.
John tells us that the policy of heaven is to be the policy on earth. We are to lay down our lives for one another.
Sermon from 4/25/21.
Scripture tells us that not only does our future involve a place at the Table, but that we are also made suitable guests at the banquet.
Sermon from 4/18/21.
Sin is great and powerful, yes. But that shouldn’t surprise us because if sin weren’t great, we wouldn’t have needed so great a Savior.
Sermon from 4/11/21.
Our Living Hope
Will this world end in tragedy? Will God discard His creation? On Easter we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and what it reveals about our future.
Sermon from Easter Sunday, 4/4/21.
Jesus Makes the Ordinary Holy
In Jesus, the least sacred, mundane acts - the dirty, grimy, lowly acts - become holy. Holiness spreads from Jesus, making the everyday sacred.
Sermon from Maundy Thursday, 4/1/21.
Psalm 51: The Act of Repentance We wrap up our Lenten sermon series entitled “Dare to Draw Near” by looking at Psalm 51. In this psalm, David models for us how to approach God in the midst of our sin and guilt.
Sermon from 3/21/2021.
Do you want everlasting life?
Whatever you think about your life, the cross proves to us that it is good enough for God to die for.
This sermon from the Rev. David Barr is the 4th sermon in our preaching series, Dare to Draw Near. Sermon from 3/14/2021.
God appears at Dead Ends
The cross itself is the greatest of all dead ends, and the cross is where God meets us in his son, Jesus. This sermon is Part 3 of our Lenten preaching series, Dare to Draw Near.
Sermon from the Rev. Margery Kennelly on 3/7/2021.
Christ would rather be on a cross with us, than in heaven without us.
Why must Jesus undergo great suffering? Why must we, as his followers, suffer as well? (Mark 8:31-38)
Sermon from the Rev. Colin Ambrose on 2/28/2021.
Never Again: The ancient story of the flood teaches us that our sin is serious, but God’s love and commitment for us is stronger. (Genesis 9:8-1).
Sermon preached by the Rev. Colin Ambrose on 2/21/2021. This is the first sermon of a 5-part series titled "Dare to Draw Near."
It is good for us to be here - that we can see one another and look one another in the eye and see just how real love is. ... To bear witness to the presence of Jesus.
Sermon from 2/14/2021.
If you reflect on your own life—I think you might agree—that there was a time when talk about Jesus was sort of factual, like a description of a certain kind of configuration of storm cloud. And then one day the cloud was above your head and rain poured down and you realized, 'Oh, THAT is what that is.'
Sermon from 2/7/2021.
In the Gospels, Jesus is described as one who drives out unclean, or demonic, spirits. What do we make of this as 21st century Christians? What do we believe about unclean and demonic spirits?
Sermon from 1/31/2021.
If you don’t discern your fears… you’ll never stop running away from them… but if you never confess your fears… you’ll try to force yourself into courage. You have to “pour out your heart to God (Psalm 62:8).”
Sermon from 1/24/21.
God has undertaken this enormous risk of tying himself to us and to our bodies; and that means our bodies are not just our own.
Sermon from 1/17/2021.
Belonging to Christ means we have a part to play in making the nations his heritage, and the ends of the earth his possession.
On this Sunday, the Baptism of Our Lord, we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. (Mark 1:7-11)
The Wise Men model a faithful response to the Christ. Filled with joy, they pay Christ homage, laying their gifts before him.
Sermon from 1/3/2021.
Are you able to recognize the Word that became flesh?
Sermon from 12/24/2020 at 5:00pm.
Listen as Margery tells the story of Annabelle, Frederick, and their six-month-old puppy named Bowser.
Children's homily from 12/24/2020 at 3:00pm.
How do we surrender to God and his purposes for us? Mary shows us the way.
Sermon from 12/20/2020.
On his last Sunday at St. George's Church, the Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill reminds us of our identity.
John the Baptist is crystal clear that his identity is not found in himself, in his own ministry, in his preaching, in his followers. Rather, he is clear, it is found in the mighty merciful one who is outside of himself. I belong to Christ, and so do you.
Sermon from 12/13/2020.
What if the message from Jesus this Advent is: do not hope to go back to your life pre-2020. Not that it was bad; it’s that there is more!
Sermon from 11/29/2020.
An examination of Christ’s kingship through the lens of Ezekiel 34.
Sermon from 11/22/2020.
To properly use God’s resources in His Kingdom, we have to shepherd our gifts in light of the giver.
Sermon from 11/15/2020.
Here is common sense wisdom for the life of the church: the best way to ensure a long wilderness experience is to try avoiding it by rushing too quickly and neglecting the gift being offered. This is a time to remember, trust, and pay attention to how the Lord is fortifying you for a new day, a new land lying before you.
Sermon from 11/8/2020
Selections from the All Saints' Virtual Concert presented by St. George's Choir & Choristers on Sunday, November 1, 2020.
Dr. Woosug Kang, Director of Music Ministries Debra Lee Williamson, alto Christopher Stenstrom, cello Gerry Senechal, organ
Music Selections: O CHRIST, WHO ART OUR LIGHT AND DAY, Robert Whyte (c.1538 – 1574) PIE JESU (FROM REQUIEM), Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) THEY ARE AT REST, Edward Elgar (1857-1934) LUX AETERNA (FROM ENIGMA VARIATIONS), Edward Elgar (1857-1934) PSALM 23 (FROM REQUIEM), Herbert Howells (1892-1983) HYMN: ROUND THE LORD IN GLORY SEATED, Rustington
Program Credits: Sarah Bailey, sound engineer Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #11176 Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, License # M-400528. All rights reserved.
From All Saints' Sunday, 11/1/2020
On All Saints Sunday, we celebrate the “Communion of the Saints.” What is the “Communion of the Saints?” And why do we celebrate it on this special Sunday?
“Jesus offers his listeners these commands to impossible loves. But because he first loved us with that very same impossible love, he opens us up to be able to love impossibly.”
Sermon from 10/25/2020.
Give Caesar absolutely no more than his due. Do not make the myriad concerns of this world to be like Caesar to you, ruling you.
Sermon from 10/18/2020.
"Our Pattern of Unity is established in Jesus, the one who gave his life for ours." The Rev. Margery Kennelly
Sermon from the 9:00am service on 10/11/20.
"There is a pervasive lie that repentance will hurt you, but in truth it is so good."
Sermon from the 9:00am service on 10/4/20
What if a secret to the Christian life were letting go of all our prescriptions of how we think the world should go and accepting with gratitude how it actually does go according to this One who brings water from the rock – life from the Rock who is Jesus.
Sermon from 9/27/2020.
The Book of Jonah teaches that God is slow to anger and full of compassion. His heart is for the Ninevehs of the world. If we are to be God’s people, then our hearts must also be for the Ninevehs of the world.
Sermon from 9/20/2020.
The Book of Jonah teaches that God is slow to anger and full of compassion. His heart is for the Ninevehs of the world. If we are to be God’s people, then our hearts must also be for the Ninevehs of the world.
Sermon from 9/20/2020.
God’s mighty hand, this life-force we know as grace, opened a path for the fleeing Israelites, it opened a tomb for Jesus, and it opens the way for us.
Sermon from 9/13/2020.
The main focus of our Christian social engagement is not in winning power but in winning relationships… Relationships trump issues.
Sermon from 8/30/2020
The church is the visible expression of Christ to the world. Each one of us has been equipped by God in a unique way as we manifest Christ as a community.
Sermon from 8/23/2020.
While God chose Israel to be his own people and made a special covenant with them, he hinted throughout the Bible that his intention all along was that his special chosen people would be the instrument for drawing all the rest of the world into relationship with him.
Sermon from 8/16/2020.
God’s righteousness is absolutely clear. It is given in the perfect life of Jesus, the Word that has drawn near, and the one who is the perfect image of the invisible God — the perfect image of God’s own righteousness.
From sermon on 8/10/2020.
The question is not “Can I overcome my past?” The question is, “Can God be overcome by my past?” And the answer is “no.”
Sermon from 8/2/2020.
"Do you feel inadequate as a Christian? Sometimes our expectations for ourselves are too high. Jesus does not call us to live an extraordinary life. He calls us to be faithful in the responsibilities that God has given us. If we fulfill our part, God will do the rest."
Sermon from the Rev. Colin Ambrose at the 10:00am service on 7-26-20
It is in the nature of how Jesus wins the gospel for us that it is birthed on the other side of the Cross. We look in eager expectation even as, for now, we groan.
Sermon from 7/19/2020.
Do you have a garden that doesn’t seem to be producing? You and David have that in common! With just tiny little cucumber to show for his efforts, his first attempt at a backyard garden seems to be fruitless. But don’t be discouraged — the kingdom of God is still at work in big and wonderful ways. David’s sermon from Sunday offers us encouragement as he explores the Parable of the Sower.
In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus offers us a strange invitation—he calls us to enter into the very rhythm of the life of God.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 7/5/2020 from Cody Turner, our Duke Divinity Intern for the summer of 2020.
Now some of you may be thinking , this is all very informative, but when are you going to get to that dreadful story we just heard from Genesis where Abraham was tested by God...
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 6/28/2020.
Jesus doesn’t say what we want him to say today. But Jesus is the ultimate truth-teller and he wants to be clear about the real calling before us: to represent a contrast to the dominant ways of the world is a gift to the world.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 6/21/20.
God tells the Israelites, “If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples.” Is God telling the Israelites that they must earn His favor and blessing? Why do we obey God? And what is the outcome of our obedience?
Sermon from 6/14/2020.
While I have had eyes to see black suffering, I have lacked the heart to feel it as my own.
Sermon from 6/7/2020.
What is revealed when we realize that what we’ve been missing in life is bigger than what we thought?
Sermon from 5/24/2020.
During difficult times our idols are threatened. How can we use the coronavirus to turn back to the God who draws near to us in Jesus? Sermon from 5/17/2020.
Leigh Spruill has been featured by Day1 Radio as a guest preacher for their weekly podcast. Listen here to his sermon and interview with Day 1 host Peter Wallace. This program titled The Promise of Heaven for Here and Now aired on Sunday, May 10, 2020.
Learn more about Day 1 at day1.org.
The thing is, Luke knows that what is important about Paul is not his innate goodness, or his linguistic powers or even his devotion; all of which will eventually play a part in his ministry, but the thing that is important about Paul is the way God redeemed him.
Sermon from 5/10/2020.
Leigh Spruill has been featured by Day1 Radio as a guest preacher for their weekly podcast. Listen here to his sermon and interview with Day 1 host Peter Wallace. This program aired on Sunday, May 3, 2020.
Learn more about Day 1 at day1.org.
Our life together is the criterion our neighbors and our city will use to judge whether our message is truthful, whether we really know abundant life and in whom it is found.
Sermon from 5/3/2020 at the 10:00am service.
This is a time to be touched by God’s Spirit, galvanized in his word, and pushed out with his good news.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 4/26/2020.
It takes courage to be honest about your doubt. The disciple Thomas teaches us how to have an authentic faith, and how to deepen our trust in the resurrected Jesus.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 4/19/2020.
What an opportunity we all have right now to ask the God-questions and take time to see if this Easter God, whose image is finally a crucified and risen Jesus, will respond.
Sermon from Easter Sunday on 4/12/2020.
We must not abandon ourselves to the great lie that our actions, however limited, are futile.
Sermon from the Palm Sunday service online at 10:00am on 4/5/2020.
Sermon from the 10:00am online service on 3/29/2020 by the Rt. Rev. John C. Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee.
Though we pray to avoid it, often a crisis serves as a medium of grace, the means through which - in bad things happening - people nevertheless begin to recover their sight.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 3/22/2020.
The last two weeks have left us feeling powerless. With the coronavirus and the tornado it is clear that we are not in absolute control of our lives. During these times we must remember that God is faithful and reliable. He is with us and will meet our needs.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 3/15/20.
Jesus unveils the woman at the well and we see vulnerability; Jesus unveils himself and we see God.
Sermon from The Table on 3/15/2020.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 3/8/2020.
Our lives do not hang together by our own creative wills, nor do they expand outward into some cosmic chaos, But they take on the very shape of God’s pursuit of his beloved.
Sermon from The Table on 3/8/2020.
The central truth of Christianity is that humans must be born again to connect back with God in the spirit and to be able to enter God's kingdom after death. God's Spirit must come into a willing person's heart, through total repentance, surrender and by personal invitation to make that person born again, or a child of God. That is how eternal life, which is the life and nature of God, is introduced from God via his Spirit into a person, and the person automatically becomes totally transformed from a regular-helpless sinner, into a saved-Godly practitioner. Only when that happens to a person can that person be qualified to enter the kingdom of God, says Jesus to Nicodemus. Each of us must come to Christ for this, by ourselves. (John 3:4-10, 16-17)
On this Sunday we read the story of “The Fall” found in Genesis. Whatever else it may signify, this story speaks of our failure to accept the world as a gift from God. In this sermon we examine our reluctance to give thanks and how God calls us back into relationship with Him.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 3/1/2020.
In this disenchanted world that has largely forgotten even to ask the God questions, we may discover in the most mundane moments, the most ordinary interactions, a ray of bright light piercing the cloud of our unknowing with something that actually can be known: the incandescent aliveness of God both near and mysterious who knows and loves us.
From the 8:45am service on 2/23/2020, the last Sunday of Epiphany.
Because of Jesus you can stand in the presence of God.
From The Table on 2/23/2020, the last Sunday of Epiphany.
The Sermon on the Mount is not a list of requirements. It is a vision of Jesus.
Sermon from The Table on 2/16/2020.
It is the human condition to be restless—to long and search for something to assuage that unmet desire.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 2/16/2020.
We welcome the Rev. Dr. Mark Clavier, Residentiary Canon of Brecon Cathedral in Wales and featured expert in Bloomsbury’s Reading Augustine series.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 2/9/2020.
Christian wisdom is grounded in seeing the cross for what it truly is: the power of God.
Sermon from The Table on 2/9/2020.
There is a light at the center of reality who is Jesus the Christ, dedicated and lifted high to God in his dedication to coming low to us, wherein our hearts – with Mary’s, with God’s, with his – are pierced but our lives saved, our futures secured. Sermon from the 11:15am service on 2/2/2020.
Maybe it’s hard to see your life with Jesus as more than a self-contained part of life, like a country touching but not crossing the borders of all the other realms of your life.
Sermon from The Table on 1/26/2020.
Jesus tells us that if we follow him, he will make us fish for people. What does it mean to fish for people?
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 1/26/2020.
Sermon from The Table on 1/12/20.
Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and baptized into the body—the church—that belongs to him.
Sermon from the 8:45am service given by our guest preacher, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Wandera from the Anglican Diocese of Mumias, Kenya.
Holding a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town, Bishop Wandera taught for several years at St. Paul's University, Limuru, Kenya, a leading ecumenical university. In addition to teaching courses in Religious Studies and Mission, he also co-founded and coordinated the Centre for Christian Muslim Relations in Eastleigh (CCMRE).
St. Paul says that God has an inheritance. Something described as glorious and rich that he will receive in the future. What is the inheritance of God?
Sermon from The Table on 1/5/2020.
If we have eyes to see, we might imagine all of Scripture not as a law court where God stands as an aloof and detached judge, but as the story of a family court that finds us justified in Christ our new brother as we are given a new Father, a new Spirit in our hearts, and yes, even a new mother, Mary, the new Eve.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 1/5/2020.
In the beginning was the Word ... and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and lived among us ... But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born ... of God.
On Christmas we celebrate Christ who became human to save us from sin, Satan and hell. By becoming human, he made it possible for humans to become divine (gods - Psalm 82:6; John 10:34) through him. Those who receive him and believe in his name are born of God (John 1:12-13). It's time to see ourselves as we are - sons and daughters of God. (1 John 3:2, 17b). Let's rise up in our spirit and live with confidence and strength, to defeat Satan and conquer in every trial, temptation, test and struggle, through praying and believing firmly in what the WORD (scriptures) says we are.
Sermon from The Table on 12/29/19.
What power usurped Caesar’s? We worship tonight, remembering not only how it happened but where it happened… and where it might be happening still.
Sermon from the service on 12/24/19 at 10:00pm.
Joseph is representative of this truth: “God with us” means life disrupted for us. Conversely, “God without us” means life as you please, perhaps even a normal-seeming life, but not a life that really is LIFE.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 12/23/19.
Jesus is both the sun that nourishes the vineyard and he himself is the vine that we can abide in. Sermon from The Table on 12/22/19.
In the very place and at the very time that nothing is possible—when it seems we have arrived at a complete dead end, God’s salvation provides a way of life that is characterized by extraordinary beauty and joy.
Sermon from the 11:15am service on 12/15/19.
When Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, she sings the Magnificat, a song of praise which promises a radical reversal of fortune. (Luke 1:46-55)
Sermon from The Table on 12/15/19.
The reality of life is that we will all prepare for something: we’ll prepare for a marathon; we’ll prepare for a date or a meeting; we’ll prepare for our loved ones arriving. The Question posed to us by Advent and by John the Baptist is, will we — in hope-filled anticipation — prepare our hearts for God’s arrival?
Sermon from The Table on 12/8/19.
Bishop Allen completed his undergraduate degree in Theology from the School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee. He was awarded a Master’s Degree in Theology and the Doctorate of Divinity from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1991 and to the episcopate in 2001.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 12/8/19.
To be Advent people is to cast our weary eyes out for signs that in spite of our world being terribly amiss, the Lord reigns, is not absent, does not leave his subjects without resources to live fully abundant lives, and does not leave us orphaned to the future. He comes.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 12/1/19.
Jesus tells the criminal on the Cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” He doesn’t say, “Tomorrow you will be with in Paradise.” He says, “Today.”
Sermon from the 11:15am service on 11/24/19.
The only way our lives will be renewed, and we will be preserved from inflicting the ways of violence and death on others, is by realizing and surrendering to the fact that Christ the King has pinned down death and has made it, ‘Say Uncle.'"
Sermon from The Table on 11/24/19.
The Lord God says, “I am about to create…” These are the five most powerful words in reality.
Sermon from The Table on 11/17/19.
Our purpose is to cause people to give glory to God. It’s a relay position.
Sermon from 11/17/19 at the 8:45am service.
When Jesus walks into Jerusalem and finds rubble, he proves that God will complete his work. Jesus himself becomes the link that enables Israel to pass death on to life.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 11/10/19.
"When Haggai spoke from the Lord he shook things up in Jerusalem... challenging us also to consider what are our Christian priorities. Has being a disciple slipped down the list?"
Sermon from The Table on 11/10/19.
I am more and more convinced the future of the church will need to characterized by a posture of humility and hospitality, mercy and service, rather than a defensive posture protective of what we have for fear of losing it. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 11/1/19, All Saints' Sunday.
When we see how heaven breaks into our present activity, then we are like the Saints, whose work on earth are so united to God’s purpose that they are acts of praise. And I believe that when the Church has understood this, it has been a source of cultural renewal on every level. Sermon from The Table on 11/3/19.
We are never more human than when we make our humble way before God with nothing to offer except our need for righteousness only Christ can give.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 10/27/19.
Life is full of requirements. You apply for college, there is a list of requirements. You put your name in for a new job, there are requirements you must meet. According to Jesus, this is true of God’s Kingdom. So…who qualifies for the Kingdom of God.
Sermon from The Table on 10/27/19.
How you think of God will directly impact how and if you pray. From The Table on 10/20/19.
So we don’t read the Bible primarily to gain knowledge, or wisdom, or life-coaching, or trivia and answers for life’s questions...we read the Bible to know Christ. The sacred words point us to the Word, and so it makes sense that we will feel disconnected from God in Christ, if we are never connected to the story of Scripture. If we do not know the Script, we will not know the script-writer.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 10/20/19.
To be saved means sensitivity to our diseases that only Jesus can heal. Sermon from The Table on 10/13/19.
It is one thing – and a very good thing – to want more faith. But I think the worst thing we can do is merely to despair that our faith is too small and will never change.
From the 8:45am service on 10/6/19.
How do we fail to notice the needs of our neighbors?
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 9/29/19.
What is it to deliver a hard message of inevitable judgment when your heart aches with supreme compassion? Ask anyone who has ever truly loved an addict.
From the 8:45am service on 9/22/19.
Sermon from the Rev. Chris Royer, Executive Director for Anglican Frontier Missions. He was the guest preacher at The Table on 9/15/19.
It might be that for many of us, in order to take up our cross, we need to put down our phone. In order to take up our cross, we need to put down the cocktail glass. And yes, in order to take up our cross, we need to let go of our children, family or our friends. But if we do this in the way that God envisions, we will gain them back again, and more. They will not then be products of our making, but vessels of God’s divine providence, whom we have nourished and loved and discipled, to be sure, but for whom we have also modeled an ultimate allegiance to Jesus Christ, and the requisite humility and repentance when we fall short, which is inevitable (at least, for me). Sermon from 9/8/19 at 8:45am.
We are never closer to Christ than when we come before him stripped of pretense, confessing that our lives are filled with all kinds of waywardness, and trusting that this is precisely when we stand closest to the cross. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 9/1/19.
The call of the Church is rooted in the gracious hospitality of God the Father, who has invited us into his household of Faith, which has Christ as the chief cornerstone. This call especially takes on substance in our midst when we practice the theological virtue of hospitality — of welcoming the stranger.
Sermon from The Table on 9/1/19.
We will be rightly excited and proud of what’s going on at St. George’s. Yet that does not give us a pass from humble obedience, persistent prayer, committed discipleship, and listening to what God wants us to do with this facility that God has given to us. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 8/25/19.
A worship service or liturgy is meant to connect worshipers to the spiritual dimension of the real presence of God. This is where communion takes place between mortals and the Immortal. Through communion with the Holy Spirit, miracles occur, the sick receive healing, the depressed and oppressed receive relief and freedom, and the demon-possessed receive liberation of their body and soul. Sermon from The Table on 8/25/19.
The ultimate measure of success will be this: a faithful local community that feels like family willingly, courageously, generously, lovingly, trustingly joining together with each other and with those who have gone before us, knowing there are those who must come after us; committing to this ministry for the sake of Christ, for the future of his church, for the future of God’s mission for the world, for the sake of the world. And I cannot think of anything more inspiring or more exciting than that.
From 10:00am service on 8/18/19.
In light of a suicide epidemic, and a mental health crisis, and off the charts loneliness, we must recognize that we need each other! There is much to celebrate as we break ground today, but let’s commit also to breaking open the ground of our hearts. Let’s build a church that gives up on performance, and looks instead to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Sermon from The Table on 8/18/19.
It pleases God to give us the infinite gift of the kingdom. But it does not always please us to accept this gift. To accept it, we know we must make room in our hearts. W.H. Auden once wrote that “The desires of the heart are as crooked as corkscrews.” As we push deeper into our hearts, we discover that what we desire spirals back and forth between God and the things that keep us from God.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 8/11/19. Micah Latimer-Dennis served as our 2019 summer intern.
The real failure of the Rich Foolish Farmer in all of us is that despite the big barns we have built for ourselves, despite the countless days devoted only to storing up figurative crops to secure our futures, we fail in thinking to take off our shoes, having forgotten we are always walking on holy ground, to trust the presence and provision and purposes of God in all of life.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 8/4/19.
The only way to be free in the present is to trust God, because God is our loving parent, from whom we came and to whom we will return.
Sermon from The Table on 8/4/19 on Hosea 11:1-11.
"Prayer is a mystery; an inexplicable fact. It was John Wesley/St. Augustine who said "without God, man cannot, and without man, God cannot." Wesley also says that it appears as if God cannot intervene in human history without prayers from humans. Prayer has effects and bears marks on the one who prays. The effects of prayer are positive changes in the atmosphere, environment and human lives within the vicinity of prayer. The marks of prayer are positive changes in the character of the one who prays. They develop peace, patience, self control, love, joy, endurance and faithfulness. A simple form of prayer is 'The Lord's Prayer' - "Our Father." A simple format of prayer is the acrostic ACTS - A = Adoration of God (worship); C = Confession to God for our sins to be forgiven; T = Thanksgiving to God for his blessings; S = Supplication to God for our needs to be met."
Sermon from The Table on 07/28/19
“When Jesus taught his disciples how to approach God, he wanted them to know that despite God’s power and perfect holiness, he loves us tenderly and personally and gently.”
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 7/28/19
“You see, the problem with distractions is that we cannot cultivate a contemplative life—one established securely in Christ, like Mary—if we are not present to the world as it is right in front of us. If I am always itching to be somewhere that more nearly matches my own desires, then I simply reinforce what is going on internally, and I don’t have a relationship to what is going on externally in my immediate surroundings. Distractions play into our unsettled hearts. A restless and relentless extension of superficially new experiences actually stunts our maturation and mires us in a kind of perpetual childishness.”
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 7/21/19
God has an extraordinary purpose for us in these times: to be as the Good Samaritan to those near us, to help heal the wounds in our fractured society. More than ever, we are called to the places that we can actually influence – the people God has physically placed around us, next door and across the street, literally! – such that isolation gives way to neighborliness, loneliness gives way to friendship, and habitual absence gives way to faithful presence.
Sermon from The Table and the 10:00am service on 7/14/19.
How is it that Jesus is calling to you, “Come, follow me?” He loves you, and so surely he is calling you to come closer to him. And how is he calling you, “Go forth for me?” The world needs you – it needs the healing, the binding up, the setting free, the new life that your words and your life can bring.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 7/7/19.
The power of God’s kingdom is so amazing, so life-transforming, Jesus is saying, “Do not let anything stand in your way of being a part of it.” Jesus is calling us to leave behind our old lives and follow him to a new life. What’s standing in your way? For this new life, what is Jesus challenging you to do – to give up – to leave behind?
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 6/30/19.
The deep irony is that when we become free in God, we become free for others. Our job is no longer our salvation. Our kids are not our messiah. Our body is not our greatest hope. Our prestige is not where our identity is found.
Sermon from The Table on 6/30/19.
“Ultimately the call of the Christian is not merely to sit all day at the feet of Jesus, but to be sent out—like the healed demoniac—to bear witness to what we have seen and heard, to speak unambiguously about how God is making us new.”
From Clint's sermon at the 10:00am service 6/23/19
"The place to live out your relationship with Christ is not “out there” in some idealized new life. . . The best place to look for the power of God at work in your life is to your right and to your left, across the table from you, in the bed with you, under your roof with you, next door to you, in your office with you, and here in the church. Jesus says, 'Go home, and tell what God has done for you.'"
From Leigh's sermon at The Table service on 6/23/19
"I wonder if the opposite of joy is not sorrow as we may assume. I wonder if the opposite of joy is a failure to join life where it is really happening; to sit out the dynamic life of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 6/16/19
"Who God is, is a relationship. And it’s a relationship that God wants us to be a part of – this relationship marked by the love the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit have for one another and live-out together in a joyful dance. And through Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is this life, this joy, this love into which God is drawing us ever deeper. The joyful life of love that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share – this is the life that truly is life. "
Sermon from The Table on 6/16/19
The witness of Scripture is that the Holy Spirit is power given to us so we can respond to God’s response to us - God’s response in Christ to our voids and darkness and scattered souls, to our sin and death. To respond to that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 6/9/19.
The gravity of the grace of the Gospel pulls us towards unity—not a false uniformity, but a spirit empowered community where God’s Spirit unites what the world never can.
Sermon from The Table on 6/9/19.
"We are called to witness to the world by the quality of our life together, so that the world may know that God loves the world even as much as he loves his Son, Jesus Christ."
Sermon from The Table service on 6/2/19
“Christianity has always created upheaval by declaring that Jesus incarnated himself into our world of space and time; he entered the story he was writing as a character and lived, died and rose again, and has ascended in that same body. This is a rock of truth that cannot be mythologized away; like blood it is not a metaphor. One can either build upon it or break against it, but it will not go away.”
Sermon from the 10:00am service on 6/2/19
Are you willing to die to anything that prevents you from real, genuine, loving relationships? Are you willing to die to any or all of that? Get up. The path may seem hard or daunting, but Jesus shows us the way. And is there anyone’s promise that is more trustworthy than his?
After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. (John 5:1-9)
From The Table on 5/26/19.
Jesus reminds us today that those who keep his words, he and the Father will come and make their home in them. How will he do this? By the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. How wonderful it is for us to be the home of God. How many of us are truly experiencing our bodies as the home of God? When we allow the Holy Spirit to make our bodies the home of God by allowing Him to control our lives and direct our desires, our choices, our decisions and our actions, we will find true peace even in the midst of a world of turbulence and troubles.
From the 10:00am sermon on 5/26/19.
Dante Alighieri depicted heaven in nine spheres of planetary worlds, each hosting specific category of peoples, Saints, Angels and God. The Apostle John in Revelation described a different New Heaven(sky) and New Earth, which replaces this old (present) ones that are passing away because of sin, corruption, violence and pollution. The saints, like a glorious city indwelt by God himself, shining bright and coming down from heaven to the New Heaven(sky) and New Earth as their permanent home. A New World with no sea, sorrow, sickness, pain or death. Are we preparing for that New World? Our repentance and commitment to Christ, and contributions towards the furtherance of his gospel on earth show how well we are preparing for that New World of Christ, and determine our place in it.
Sermon from The Table on 5/19/19.
We’re not called to observe what Jesus does but to receive what he gives us. The latter requires that we actually encounter Jesus’ love for us, ourselves: a matter of the heart, not the head.
Sermon from the 11:15am service on 5/19/19.
In an age like this one with reasons abounding for deep concern about our society’s prospects, can there be any better time to make great investment in strengthening our community for the sake of others, as those who hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, and turn again to him… and into our future?
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 5/12/19.
The relationship between the shepherd and the sheep is almost symbiotic — the shepherd knows the sheep and what they need, perhaps even before they realize they need it, and the sheep respond to the shepherd. They know and trust his voice, responding to his glance or the intake of breath, perhaps even without realizing how intimately they follow. This kind of intimacy, this kind of daily mutual connection and responsiveness, this is the way God means it to be between himself and us. It is God’s design and dear desire that we will hear his voice, that we will be known by him and trust him, and that we will follow him.
Sermon from The Table on 5/12/19.
This is the work that Jesus is inviting us all into. In the midst of our confusion and doubts and wanderings, in the midst of guilt and shame that keeps us alienated from the fullness of life and all that God is calling us into — in the midst of all that — the resurrected Christ comes to us, tenderly meeting us with his knowing gaze of love. And though we sometimes fear what he might say or ask us, we can also trust that he knows what we most need, and he delights to draw us deeper into his abundant life.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 5/5/19.
The Rev. Billy Cerveny is the founder and Executive Director of Redbird and a long-time Nashville resident. Billy preaches, teaches and offers pastoral care to individuals, couples, and groups. His sermon is from The Table on 5/5/19.
God takes what is broken and puts it back together in ways beyond our imagination.
Sermon from The Table on 4/28/19.
When we experience Good Fridays in our lives, Christ is still working behind the scenes to bring a new Easter for us – even when we know nothing about it. We are sealed and marked as one of Christ’s own forever. There is not one crown of thorns that can keep Easter from coming. Not a scar, not a nail, not a sin, not a failing that can keep Christ from being the Lord of your life.
From the 8:45am service on 4/28/19, during which we celebrated the relationship with St. George's and Church of the Resurrection, where the Rev. Canon Chad Jones is Priest-in-Charge.
What is it that we miss when we aren’t quite sure what we miss, but we nevertheless intuit a gap, a space, a hole in our lives, in the world? What we miss may actually be a lingering presence of sorts: the living God poised perhaps yet again to do a new thing.
From Easter Sunday 4/21/19.
At Easter the Gardener calls each of us, like Mary from the Tomb, so that we might grow like a plant around the Trellis of his Cross, emerging out of the ground towards the life-giving Son.
From The Table on Easter Sunday, 4/21/19.
Here is the promise of Easter. Here is the reality that baptism immerses us in. The age old story, the story of failure and fear, the story that has haunted our days and, for so many of us, has defined our old selves – that story, and we along with it, have been put to death. We’ve been buried, plunged deep, with Christ in his death. And with Christ’ resurrection, a new story is being written.
From the Great Vigil of Easter on 4/20/19.
Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, knowing that evil, pain, and death were being defeated, knowing that salvation was coming into the world to rescue the shipwrecked, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
This is what glory looks like. This is how the shipwrecked are saved. This is God dealing in sovereign, rescuing love. This is how your new life is given to you –
It is a gift of love. It is a gift of grace. It is a gift for the world.
From the Good Friday service on 4/19/19.
When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. (Luke 22:14)
Here in this meal, Christ takes simple elements of the earth, and transforms them into the bearers of the kingdom of God. The bread and wine—taken, blessed, broken, poured out, and given—they bespeak his redemptive work: his mingling with this broken Creation, his submission to it unto death, his transformation of it by his sacrifice, and his reweaving and renewing of it through his resurrection. And we are invited here to encounter this mystery—not just to observe it or ponder it—but to participate in it.
The Passion Narrative presented by members of St. George's Church, followed by a short homily. From the 8:45am service on Palm Sunday, 4/14/19.
I believe that Christian communities most committed to faithful worship are those that end up doing the most good for the world. You rarely start with “do-goodism” and end up at the feet of Jesus, at the foot of the cross. You end up with works-righteousness and a lot of burnout and frustration when you realize “the poor you will always have with you”… and the rich too and all their problems. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 4/7/19.
John 12:1–8 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
If God does not exist, then we have what we have and we should fight tooth and nail to protect it and to get more, because life is a zero-sum game. But if the God revealed in the cross and resurrection is real, then even bread and wine—and all the stuff of life—can become vehicles for his infinite and abundant grace; we are free to give, to serve, to love without hope of a return on our investment. Sermon from The Table on 4/7/19.
“This is more than a poignant fable encouraging us to be better parents. This is more than a tug at the heartstrings in order to get us to be more gracious and more forgiving. This is a shocking story about the lengths to which the father will go in order for his children to experience reconciliation and restoration and life.”
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 3/31/19
What I have come to learn - and what I hope the elder son comes to learn as well - is this: I am powerless to root out my feelings of resentment and unfairness about the way life sometimes goes… Only God can root out feelings of resentment and unfairness. But I can take responsibility. For what I can do is place myself in a position for God to do that work of rooting out. I can make the decision over and over to return to this story, this gospel, this church, this worship… to return to this Father, and to that other Son whose welcoming embrace extends from the hard wood of the cross. And in that perpetual homecoming, undying gratitude defeats standoffish resentment every time.
Sermon from the Table service on 3/31/19
Lent is a time in the church year when we attend to the rocks in our lives: the rough spots in our personalities, the unwanted habits, thoughts, and behaviors, the rocky relationships. We ask God to disentangle them from the roots of our lives. As those rocks surface and are removed, we realize we can breathe again. After being pressed down for so long, we can stand up again. After carrying so much for so long, we can rest again. This is the beginning of a new flourishing. This is the beginning of a new season of fruitfulness.
(Luke 13:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13) Sermon from 8:45am on 3/24/19.
The gospel and epistle readings today speak of challenges. Whether of the fig tree or of Israel in the wilderness. Challenges come in two ways: as temptation and as a test. Temptation is the strong desire to sin or do wrong. A test is a tough situation to prove our love for God, and our trust in him. Temptation is usually from Satan. Test is usually from God. To deal with temptation; go away from the individual, object and venue of temptation, and stay away. To deal with a test; confide in your pastor, family or friends. In both cases of temptation and test, always pray together, read the Bible more and get attached to church group and activities. (Luke 13:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13) Sermon from The Table on 3/24/19.
The return of trust after a “dark night of the soul,” after the experience of deep disappointment and grief, may be the hardest reality to realize. Yet it is a great miracle God can give us. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 3/17/19. (Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18)
As Jesus goes to Jerusalem, he is not only following in the trail of all the faithful prophets who have gone before and been killed; he is blazing a new trail, transforming that vicious cycle into a virtuous one, one that calls forth greater and greater flourishing and abundance as we follow in his path. Sermon from The Table on 3/17/19. (Luke 13:31-35)
John 3:16–21
The Rev. Dr. Jeremy Begbie is Director of the Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts (DITA) and a long-time friend of St. George's. This sermon from March 10, 2019 at 8:45am is part of the St. George’s partnership with DITA.
Jesus isn’t merely our model, he is our message. He is uniquely the one who could fulfill God’s vocation, defeating Satan, because he was God incarnate, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Sermon from The Table on 3/10/19.
"Ash Wednesday is not about glitter, it is about ash. If we understand this, we understand the way to true freedom, true life, true love, and true grace - the grace that saves sinners who cannot save themselves. We fast in Lent to learn to feast on God alone."
Sermon from the Noon Ash Wednesday Service on 3/6/19
We cannot see the tree that is latent in the small seed being sown into the ground. Had it not happened before, we could not imagine an acorn becoming an oak tree. So it is with the resurrection, this new creation reality. Had it not happened before, we could not imagine any other life, any other world, than that which requires us to exact vengeance on our enemies, and to see relationships as transactional enterprises, or as threats or fears to manage. But resurrection, it has happened before—in Jesus Christ, who sowed the seed of his own body, going into the ground and dying, only to rise again in glory and splendor, transforming his body of dust into the glorious life-giving spiritual body that makes the whole creation new. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 2/24/19.
For me, as for generations and generations of Christians, the Bible tells the story of definitive reality about our world because its entire narrative arc, from beginning to end, leads us to Jesus the Christ. The Bible is not the only place to come near Jesus. But you will not fully recognize him anywhere else if you do not know him through Scripture. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 2/17/19.
As we see in the Gospel, and in Isaiah, and throughout God’s story, God uses people where they are, and with the talents they have.... All of us are called to serve as ministers and members of the body of Christ, and to share Jesus in our boats, in our context, in our neighborhoods, in our studies, in our professions. So where has God strategically placed you? What abilities and opportunities and relationships are around you that God can use? Sermon from the 8:45am service on 2/10/19.
As these stories of Simon Peter and Isaiah show us, encountering this abundant life—this utter glory and magnificence—can be a terrifying thing, as the holiness of God bears a stark contrast to the dividedness of our hearts. But as these stories go on to show us, if we can bear to meet the gaze of this One who reveals his glory to us, if we can let the burning coal touch our lips, it will not only be our undoing, but it will be our remaking, our transformation, our healing. Sermon from The Table on 2/10/19.
Does the Church have the courage to create a culture of life — where the immigrant, the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and the pregnant mother who finds herself between a rock and a hard place — are mystified by the glorious beauty of life in Jesus Christ, as shown forth in the love of the local Church? Sermon from the 11:15am service on 2/3/19.
All Jesus is telling us today from the gospel passage is to believe in him and to believe in the scriptures. He wants us to trust him and to also trust the scriptures for our salvation and also for our healing, just the same way he told his own folks of men and women in Nazareth who were doubtful and skeptical of his mission to save and his power to heal. Some of us are witnesses of how Jesus saved us and changed our lives, and of how he healed us. We are witnesses of how he saved us from things that weighed us down, and of how he brought us out of places we never thought we could ever come out from. All Jesus is asking you to do is to have faith in him, to have faith in the scriptures. Sermon from The Table on 2/3/19.
We don't read the Bible primarily to gain knowledge, or wisdom, or life-coaching, or trivia answers for life's questions. We read the Bible to know Christ, for the sacred words point us to the Word, who is our very life. Episcopalians must pursue being people 'of the Book,' who are nourished by sacred Scriptural words and who live under God's authority. Sermon from The Table service on 1/27/19.
The dying of our wish-dream allows us to move forward and live in real community. As we hold in tension the vision of community God has given us with the reality that is before us, we learn to walk together and take responsibility for making it work. We learn to hold each other with a sort of delicacy, knowing full well that in our love we are holding, not the best and strongest pieces of each other, but the most vulnerable and broken pieces of each other. We come together as people united, not by our goodness and strength, but rather united in our weakness and need. "We are beggars, it is true. Alleluia, alleluia," Martin Luther proclaims. Sermon from the 8:45 service on 1/27/19.
Mary says to the servants, “do whatever my son asks of you.” Do you? What is Jesus asking of you this day? Where has the wine run out? What if the Son’s request of you this day is to open up that part of your life to him with this simple but powerful prayer: “Lord, fill this empty place. Pour yourself into me like water poured into those stone jars. And make in me new wine.” Sermon from the 8:45am service on 1/20/19.
God knows we cannot survive running on empty. And so he is right now filling you. Because he knows you can’t fill yourself. He is filling your jars full. Sermon from The Table on 1/20/19.
It’s not what you do that defines who you are. It’s who you are that defines what you do. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 1/13/19.
"Baptism does not deny our natural family ties—it honors them, and elevates us and ours into a broader family. Indeed, we are designed to love our own flesh and blood, but in this new family, we love even the stranger as family, because as Christ reminds us, in the stranger, we may encounter none other than Christ himself.” Sermon from The Table on 1/13/19.
"The wise men came to visit Jesus, but they didn’t stay. Whatever happened to them? I think we are left to wonder if they were truly converted by this experience or not. Perhaps they came and worshiped and gave presents but didn’t really give their lives to Jesus. Perhaps that sounds a bit like Christmas for us… for me. But I give the wise men great credit: there are a lot of stars in the sky to follow. The wise men chose the right one to go and seek out." Sermon from the 8:45am service on 1/6/19.
"We were made for wonder and joy and love, and this Child that the wise men sought actually came into the world seeking us, giving himself on the cross to restore in us the life and peace we were made for. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” May the light of his love dispel the fog of fear that so often clouds our vision, and may we, with the wise men, come with wonder and joy to find our home in him." Sermon from The Table on 1/6/19.
“The Word became flesh, intermeshed his divine nature with our humanity, so that our lives—so often disparate, confused, muddled with hopes and fears—might be intermeshed with the presence of this One who loved us into being, and who brings all those disparate parts of our lives together in the fullness of grace and truth.” Sermon from the 8:45am service on 12/30/18.
"Jesus’ birth pulls us into the point of intersection between heaven and earth, between God and humanity. We call this place “glory.” Mary and Joseph are in it. The shepherds are in it. We want to be in it too." Sermon from Christmas Eve, 2018 at the 5:30pm service.
"In the presence of this child, I have learned that I am guilty—I am selfish, sinful, and I want my own way. But thanks be to God that in a child, grace overcomes guilt. Those who have received the Christ-child, will learn also as Mary & Elizabeth did and as all true disciples do, that there is only one innocent person on the hill, the one who will hang on the hill of Calvary.” Sermon from 12/23/18 at the 8:45am service.
"What if we believed it were true? What if we believed that the Lord rejoices over us with gladness and renews us in his love? What if we believed that we are loved and nothing, not even sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, or even death can ever take that love away? What if we believed it were true? And what if, being so loved, God invited us to make a change, to come back to him, to step out into new freedom, to walk into a new kind of life? This would be the best gift you’ve ever been given, wouldn’t it? Friends, this is the gift God is giving. This is the gift God has for you. Come and receive it. It’s here for you." Sermon from the 11:15am service on 12/16/18.
“Jesus shows us that we can never find release by hanging on tighter and tighter. Freedom comes from giving ourselves over to his embrace. Salvation does not come through what we accomplish, but is entirely through what Jesus accomplished. Our life is through his death. And in his resurrection, we see that all the things that attack us will never win. Life wins.” Sermon from The Table on 12/16/18.
By and large, our lives here are good. We are full of life and love and energy. But our lives are also fragmented, divided… And we, only partially seeing, work hard to piece together all our colliding commitments into a coherent whole. So we arrive again here, this time of year, daring to hope that these fragmented lives can be different than they are. John the Baptist would want us to know again, that this hope is well-founded. Turn, watch, and wait…. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 12/09/18.
Life’s earthquakes shake us because we have believed and lived as if the world is a certain way. But life’s earthquakes reveal the truth. They show us where our fault lines are. They show us where things are not as they seem, where WE are not the people we have believed ourselves to be. Life’s earthquakes can shake us to our core. It’s hard, but only then will we be able to get to the bottom of things. Only then can we see what our real foundations are. The edifices fall, but when Jesus rescues us, he builds for us an even richer and better life. Sermon from The Table on 12/9/18.
“The hands of this judge are hands that we can trust to ultimately do the right thing and to put all things in their proper place, because these are the same hands that would take on flesh in a womb and would embrace a mother for nourishment. These hands would reach out to care for a despised harlot and would heal the ear of an enemy. Indeed, these very hands were nailed to the cross so that we might be free.” Sermon from The Table on 12/2/18.
Here we are 100 generations removed from Jesus’ day. And even though many of us pray, “Come, Lord Jesus,” we maybe aren’t so concerned about his coming. We’re pretty sure it’s not happening any time soon. So, instead of raising our heads, as Jesus encourages, we just keep our heads down, going about our business and trying to make the best of things here. But the less we think about Christ’s coming again, the less we think about Christ present with us, the more our hearts are weighed down with the worries of the world. All too often, we turn from God in order to put our trust in so many other things that have no power to save. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 12/2/18.
The Truth is not just only an idea, a rule, a philosophy, or a religion. The Truth is a person. His name is Jesus Christ. He says, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Believe in him, follow him, and you will be saved. Sermon from The Table on 11/25/18.
All the presenting problems of the world, which the kingdoms of the world would presume to solve, all these are only symptoms of a world divided and enslaved by Sin and Death, and their resolution cannot come from within. “Nothing can save us that is possible: we who must die demand a miracle” (W.H. Auden). And that miracle comes to us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Sermon from the 8:45am service on 11/25/18.
All our temple complexes crumble sooner or later. That is just the way life is. But such unhoped-for steps may nevertheless offer the way into the real Temple, into knowing who God really is as Jesus, and perhaps, we might pray, into the beginning of the Good News.
Sermon from the 8:45am service on 11/18/18.
The point is that the poor widow had nothing to give. There is no pretense of self-sufficiency in her before God or others whatsoever. And only in the demolition of self-sufficiency or self-sacrifice as the way to the fullness of life do we find the fullness of life. Sermon from The Table on 11/11/18.
We don’t really like to use the term “saved” in The Episcopal Church; this is a word owned by Baptists, or Pentecostals, isn’t it? Well Yes, and no. It is also a term straight from the pages of Scripture, and it is an essential term for us to hold onto as those who are committed to the authority of Scripture.” Sermon from the 8:45am service on 11/11/18.
Jon Meacham served as a guest preacher for our Prayer Service for National Healing and Reconciliation on Sunday, November 4. We are living in a moment of significant social, political, and civic unrest. What would it look like to unite together with others to pursue reconciliation, healing, and hope amidst all the noise? There is more that unites us than what divides us, and we invite you to encounter the hope of God amidst troubling times.
Leigh Spruill: For All the Saints and for the Sake of the World by St. George's Nashville
Deep down we would like to see with new eyes… to be healed by God, to become amazed by some new irresistible attraction to Jesus who may not have previously gotten much of our attention but who now gets our whole life. Sermon from 10/29/18.
We think the way to defeat the demons is to suck it up, be strong, and go it alone. But to keep these things to ourselves, to keep hiding them, is to keep them in the darkness. And the demons love the darkness. It’s their natural habitat. But it isn’t ours. Ours is in the light. The only way to defeat the demons is to shine the light on them. Sermon from The Table on 10/28/18.
Sermon from visiting priest the Rev. Duncan McLea at 8:45am on 10/7/18. The Rev. Duncan McLea is Rector and Team Leader of St. John’s Parish, Wynberg, which is composed of six churches in the southern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa, as well as The Warehouse. Additionally, he heads up the St. John’s Leadership Academy which trains pioneering missionary church leaders.
Sermon given by guest preacher, the Rev. Dr. Malcolm Guite at the 8:45 am service on 9/16/18
Sermon from the 10:00am service on August 5, 2018. Griffin Lamb is our 2018 seminary intern from Duke Divinity School.