Sermons – St. James' Episcopal Church: Recent Episodes
Saint James Episcopal Church, Fremont, CA
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for August 9 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21. Sermon by Jan Scrutton.
The post Sermon for August 2 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28. Sermon by John Wagas.
The post Sermon for July 26 2026 – Feast of St. James’ appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for July 19 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for July 12 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for July 5 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 10:40-42. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 28 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 10:24-39. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 21 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 9:35-10:8. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for June 14 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 7 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for May 31 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 20:19-23. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for May 24 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 17:1-11. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for May 17 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 14:15-21. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for May 10 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 14:1-14. Sermon by Jan Scrutton.
The post Sermon for May 3 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 10:1-10. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for April 26 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 24:13-35. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for April 19 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 20:19-31. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for April 12 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 28:1-10. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for April 5 2026 – Easter Sunday appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for March 29 2026 – Palm Sunday appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 11:1-45. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for March 22 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 9:1-41. Sermon by John Wagas.
The post Sermon for March 15 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 4:5-42. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for March 8 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for March 1 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for February 22 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9. Sermon by Canon Sierra Reyes.
The post Sermon for February 15 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for February 8 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 15:12-15. Sermon by the Rev Canon Carla Robinson, Canon for Multicultural Ministries and Community Transformation, Diocese of Olympia
The post Sermon for the Feast of Absalom Jones appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for February 1 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for January 25 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 1:29-42. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for January 18 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for January 11 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12. Sermon by Jan Scrutton.
The post Sermon for January 4 2026 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 1:1-14. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for Christmas Day 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 2:1-20. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for Christmas Eve 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 1:18–25. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for December 21 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Held on December 20 2025. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for the Priestly Ordination of Ingrid Jacobson appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Join the Bishop of California and the people of St. James’ Episcopal Church in the Priestly Ordination of Ingrid Jacobson held on Saturday December 20 2025.
The post The Ordination of Ingrid Jacobson appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 1:1–16. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for December 14 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 1:5–17, 24–25. Sermon by Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for December 7 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 24:32-44. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for November 30 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 23:33-43. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for November 23 2025 – Christ the King appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 21:5-19. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for November 16 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 21:1-4. Homily by members of the vestry.
The post Homily for November 9 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 6:20-31. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for November 2 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 18:9-14. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for October 26 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 18:1-8. Sermon by John Wagas.
The post Sermon for October 19 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 17:11-19. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for October 12 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 17:5-10. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for October 5 2025 – Feast of St Francis appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 16:19-31. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for September 28 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Friday September 26 at 11amJoin family and friends of Beth Phillips for a celebration of her life at St. James’ Episcopal Church, Fremont, held on Friday September 26 2025.
Join us in person at St. James’ on Friday morning at 11am followed by a reception – registration is not required. If you are not able to attend in person, you can join our live-stream at 11am on Friday by clicking the image below. The service can be joined online at any time on Friday from 11am or later.
Donations in Beth’s name can be made to Pathways Home Health and Hospice.
Beth’s obituary can be found here.
Watch services onlineClick here to download the bulletin.
The post A Celebration of the Life of Rev Beth Phillips appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 16:1-13. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for September 21 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 16:1-13. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for September 14 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for September 7 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for August 31 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 13:10-17. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for August 24 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 12:49-56. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for August 17 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 12:32-40. Sermon by Jan Scrutton.
The post Sermon for August 10 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 12:13-21. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for August 3 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for July 27 2025 – Feast of St. James’ appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 10:38-42. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for July 20 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37. Sermon by Rev Ingrid Jacobson.
The post Sermon for July 13 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20. Sermon by Rev Beth Foote.
The post Sermon for July 6 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 9:51-62. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 29 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 8:26-39. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 22 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 16:12-15. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 15 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 14:8-17, 25-27. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 8 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 17:20-26. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 1 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 5:1-9. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for June 1 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 13:31-35. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for May 18 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Psalm: 23, Gospel: John 10:22-30. Sermon by Jan Scrutton.
The post Sermon for May 11 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 21:1-19. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for May 4 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 20:19-31. Sermon by John Wagas.
The post Sermon for April 27 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 20:1-18. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for April 20 2025 – Easter Sunday appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 19:28-40. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for April 13 2025 – Palm Sunday appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 12:1-8. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for April 6 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for March 30 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 13:1-9. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for March 23 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 13:31-35. Sermon by Caren Miles.
The post Sermon for March 16 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 4:1-13. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for March 9 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 9:28-36. Sermon by John Wagas.
The post Sermon for March 2 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 6:27-38. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for February 23 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 6:17-26. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for for February 16 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 5:1-11. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for February 9 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for February 2 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 4:14-21. Sermon by Jan Scrutton.
The post Sermon for January 26 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: John 2:1-11. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton. This service follows our Annual Meeting with the Rector’s address as part of the sermon.
The post Sermon for January 19 2025 – Annual Meeting appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for January 12 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
The post Sermon for January 5 2025 appeared first on St. James' Episcopal Church Fremont California.
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12. Sermon by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
This sermon was offered on November 1, 2020 in the run-up to the 2020 General Election and is shared by the Washington National Cathedral.
Gospel: Mark 10:35-45. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
Hamas attacked Israel and Israel attacked Hamas. Russia invaded Ukraine and Ukraine struck back. Elon Musk gave $75 million to fund a campaign, the Pope called for Roman Catholics to choose the lesser of two evils, and with a statement, Taylor Swift got over 300,000 people to register to vote. These are all examples of power, the ability to influence or control situations or people’s lives. Sometimes power is used for good like the Civil Rights or the Black Lives Matter movements. Sometimes power is used for evil like the murder of 6 million Jews, the displacement of indigenous people, or the Hutu extermination of the Tutsis in Rwanda.
Power is how the world works, and it can be intoxicating. Often, people in power are sought after, photographed, attacked, and cheered. It isn’t the actual person that is the draw, it’s the power they hold, and the influence it wields. People with power, people at the top, can make significant changes in a landscape that effects everyone downstream.
It is why elections are so important. We have a common life in Christ, and we have a common life in this country. And while there is a separation between church and state, as there should
be, in my opinion, there really is no separation between religion and politics. That would be like trying to separate the ministry of Jesus from the Roman Empire. If you take your Christianity seriously, there wouldn’t be a separation between your religion and the rest of your life. Just like the disciples, just like Jesus, our religion should inform our politics. And there are only so many head tables in this country, and we want those who use power rightly to be sitting at them. We want those who use power rightly to make good decisions for us, and hopefully, for the common good.
James and John, they are not immune from this attraction to power, they understand its impact. They see the power of Jesus in his healings. They feel the power of Jesus in his presence. They hear the power of Jesus in his teachings. They know Jesus is going places, they know he’s going to the top, whatever that means, and they want to be a part of it, they want to go with him. “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. Let us sit at your right hand and on your left hand. Let us sit in the seats of power.” Who can blame them, really? At this point, they’re thinking of the glory, not the crucifixion. They’re thinking this new world with Jesus will have the same power
structures as the old world. They are thinking the bad people will be removed from the table, and the new order, Jesus and his closest followers, will take their places in the seats of power, and finally, they will be able to impact the world from the top down, change the landscape to affect everyone else downstream.
Jesus, in his infinite patience, explains to them, again, that it doesn’t work that way, explains to them that the new order, the new Kingdom, won’t be a top-down model, where the mighty sit at the head of the table and exercise their power over others, making decisions to suit their own will. Instead, this new world will be the reverse, a world where true power lies not in dominance over others, but in serving others, in empowering, lifting, and caring for others. Not a top-down model, but a bottom-up model where the strength is found in the many, not in the few.
There are many problems, many imbalances in today’s world. One of them is that power is being claimed and magnified through deception, a twisting of reality to confuse, to fool, to hoodwink those who have little power.
The bishops from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America addressed this. They issued a statement lamenting the use of deception, condemning the hateful, deceptive, violent speech that has found a place in our common lives and has negatively impacted innocent people. In part, they said, “in a perfect garden, created by God for the sake of humanity, evil entered in the form of deception and lies. Christians refer to this story in Genesis as the fall of humanity. This foray into human sin began when Adam and Eve, the first humans created in the image of God were deceived [by the serpent].”
And humans have had to contend with the powers of deception ever since, and in our national discourse, deception is at an all- time high, so high, it is difficult to tell the difference between truth and lies, between reality and artificial intelligence, between those who genuinely want to help and those who pretend to want to help, but really just want to harm.
But there is a sure-fire way to tell whether power is good or corrupt, to tell if we are looking at Gospel power given to us by Jesus or crooked power given to us by a fallen humanity. The
way to tell the difference is to ask yourself – is this power is coupled with love? Is this power coupled with love?
The theologian, Richard Rohr says that power that stands alone, divorced from love, is mere brutality. But the two necessary building blocks of God’s peaceful realm on earth are power and love, and when they are held together, there is new hope and healing for the world. This is what Jesus means when he says “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant.” In other words, whoever wants power must start with love.
This is the last time I will be preaching before the election on November 5, so I want to take a moment to acknowledge the weight of our decision and the anxiety most of us are feeling about what the outcome might end up being. It has been a long year and a brutal election cycle. Power has been used in the form of propaganda, gas lighting, misinformation, and outright lies.
Power divorced from love.
And when we cast our vote, regardless of who we vote for on the entire ticket, or what measures we vote for, it is my hope and
prayer that each of us will hold Christ in our hearts and the peaceable Kingdom in our imaginations when we are making decisions about who should or should not be in power, about who should or should not have influence over our lives and the lives of the vulnerable.
But let me say this. Regardless of what our world looks like on November 6 or whenever the election is decided, there will always be two kinds of power in this world. One election does not erase one kind of power. There will be the kind that serves the few and the kind that serves the many, the kind that tears down and the kind that lifts up, and these two forces will always be at odds, will always be pushing against one another.
The kind of power wealign ourselves with, I hope, is informed by the one who came not to be served, but to serve, the power that is wrapped in love for the whole human family, the power that will redeem and heal the world. That power, it is not going away, no matter what. I promise you that. That power, the power of Jesus Christ, the power of love, the power of life, the power of resurrection, that will always be, and it will always be the greater power of the two. We know this because we worship the Living
God, the one who reminds us that “he is the way, the truth, and the life” to the ends of the earth.
Amen.
Gospel: Luke 24:36b-48. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton.
It was a while ago that Ron and I were in Minnesota visiting his mother, and we saw the most amazing thing. Right outside of his mother’s front window was a tall, thin juniper bush. And in that bush, right at eye level, was a robin’s nest. And in that nest were five baby birds and a momma bird.
Now, we stayed at his mother’s for about a week that time. And every morning Ron and I would get up and we grab our coffee or tea and we’d go to the window and we’d stand there and we would just stare, watching this momma bird and her babies. The momma would fly off and she would return with the day’s food and she would flutter around her babies and take she would take care of them.
Soon it was clear that the babies were ready to fly. One by one, the baby birds would waddle to the end of the nest with a mother right behind them. And ever so gently, she would nudge them out and off they would go. And they would fly, a little clumsy at first, but soon they’d start flying like they had always been flying. For each maiden flight, the momma bird would fly near them until she was sure that they were going to be okay. And then she would return, and she would patiently wait until the next baby was ready to leave the nest.
It took about three days for all five birds to fly, and when they were gone, the mother bird flew off as well. She didn’t come back because her work was complete.
Today, we are given two stories that occur after Jesus has been resurrected that illustrate Jesus empowering the disciples, empowering us to fly. The first happens when the disciples are discussing the miracle of Jesus, showing up to break bread with Cleopas and his partner on the road to Emmaus. And while they’re in the room talking about this thing that had already happened, Jesus appears to them as well, and he shows them the two undeniable signs of his identity so that there would be no mistaking of who he is. The first thing he does is he says, “Peace be with you”, which is the familiar greeting of Jesus.
“Peace be with you.” And then he shows them the marks of his suffering, the wounds on his hands and his feet.
When they realize that they are with the risen Christ, he then offers to them the thing that Jesus offers to all of us, which is the invitation to let go so that Christ can be let in; to trust that with God they can fly.
And how does he do this?
He does this by opening their minds. That’s a such a strange phrase, but such an important phrase. He “opens their minds” to understand the scriptures. He opens their minds. And in turn, he opens their hearts. He empowers the Holy Spirit to move and to speak within them, to guide them towards this deep understanding that can only come when they let go and let Christ in.
I mean, this is how it works. We surrender to the living God, and Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit works in us and through us. And then Jesus reminds the disciples that the reason for him empowering them is for them to tell the whole world about the forgiveness and love of God. That’s the whole reason. That’s the whole point of the resurrection –
to tell the whole world about the forgiveness and the love of God.
And this leads to the second post resurrection story in Acts. The portion that is given to us today, for some reason, the lectionary cuts out one of the most important parts of the story. You need to know about that in order for what we read in Acts to make some sense.
So just before Peter is talking to the crowds, he is actually with a paralyzed man to whom he says, “in the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk!” And what do you think happens? The man gets up and walks. He jumps to his feet and he walks, and praising God, he follows Peter to the temple, jumping and dancing all along the way.
And when they get to the gate called Beautiful, as the story tells us, the crowds recognize this man as somebody who used to be sitting at that gate begging. The crowds are then filled with wonder and amazement at what has happened to him. That’s where we enter the story. In a word, the crowds were astonished.
Peter has astonished the crowds by doing exactly what Jesus commanded him to do – heal others in the name of Christ. Make this world a better place because Jesus made this world a better place. Witness to the presence of God in the here and now.
Now it’s important to notice that Peter makes it clear to those watching that the works that he does is not through his own power, but through the power of Jesus Christ that is now within him. Peter has surrendered his life, his will to Christ, and in doing so he has more power than he would ever have alone.
Both of these stories demonstrate the power of God in the lives of those who not only believe, but who also make their experiences of God foundational to their actions in the world. The disciples, both in Luke and Acts, recognized Christ in their lives because they had the ability to set down their egos, their control, their fears, their uncertainty.
And then they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they are able to do the most amazing things. And their lives became exponentially larger or not smaller, and they began transforming the world.
Richard Rohr, the great Franciscan theologian, says “When you see people going to church and becoming smaller instead of larger, you have every reason to question whether the practices or the sermons or the liturgies are opening them to an authentic God experience.[1]”
We are meant to be larger, like those birds in the nest, who, with the love and guidance of their mother, spread their wings and flew. Our time in this place is meant to prepare us, to form us, to be bigger, to be expansive in our actions and in our vision as to how the world can be.
If what we learn here, if what we experience here makes us smaller, like what Richard Rohr cautions, if it causes us to hold on to our answers too tightly or to reinforces our tendency to build theological walls and doctrinal gates, limiting access and therefore limiting our potential, then we are not living large enough. We are not living into the purpose of the resurrection, that all people on the earth will be blessed, that Christ draws all things unto himself, that all things are restored and reconciled to the living God.
But, you know, sometimes we Christians, we sometimes think too small, forgetting that the Gospel does not privilege any one nation or people as exceptional. It is one of the many issues that I have with our current culture. Christianity is being defined as the property of white people for the benefit of white people. A special religion for a “special” people. And you know, that’s about as anti-Jesus as I can imagine.
You see, when we look around us, when we look around the world, the gift of Christ is given everywhere for everyone. It is found in the mansion on the hill as well as in a cardboard box under an overpass. Christ is found in the cafes and in the bars, in the church and in prison. Christ is found in India and South Africa, Iceland, Russia. Iraq. In cities and towns and farms. God’s love is shown by rich people and by poor people and by everybody in between. Because the gift of God’s love is for all people. Period.
And Jesus Christ is the great equalizer. Not because he reduces us to a finite set of rules and doctrines, a book contained between two covers. But because he opens our minds and he opens our hearts, he expands, not constricts us. The Gospel is not dead and stale, but is alive and fluid, freely moving in and out and through creation, always growing, never shrinking.
When it comes to our faith, now is not the time to be timid. Now is not the time to be timid.
As tempting as it might be to back away from Christianity because of our current culture, now is not the time. Quite the opposite. Now is the time for us to run headfirst with all that we have into our faith, into the Jesus we know to be true, into the message that authentic religion builds people up, wraps every person in love and mercy and compassion.
I mean, how would it be if our actions as Christians astonished the crowds in the way that Peter’s actions astonished his contemporaries? How astonishing would it be if we were proud to say that we are Christians? And then we showed everyone the love of God, showed others that the Christianity that has been hijacked by a few is really not Christianity at all. How would it be if we showed people that true Christianity draws a wide circle around the whole world, not just a small sliver of humanity.
How astonishing would it be if we were really to work to heal the world? How astonishing would it be if Christians came together to be a force of good instead of focusing on who is in and who is out? How astonishing would it be if every path was clear, if every door was opened and if every altar was laden with food for a hungry world?
Just as Peter was able to astonish through the power of Christ within him, so can we. The power of God before us is greater than any fear, limitation, or uncertainty that we might have within us. This allows us to fly. This allows us to be expansive, to empty ourselves for the work of Christ in the world, so that in the here into now, the love of God is known to all people in all places.
In this Easter season and beyond May, each one of us have the have the guts to stand up for the true Jesus Christ.
And may our actions in the name of that Christ change this world. Amen.
[1] Quoted from “Following Mystics through the Narrow Gate”, MP3, Center for Contemplation and Action Conference 2010
Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30. Homily by Vestry members Vivienne Paratore & Charisma Pangilinan.
Gospel: John 10:1-10. Sermon by The Rt. Rev. Dr. Marc Handley Andrus, Bishop of California.
Gospel: Luke 13:10-17. Sermon by Amy Cook, Canon for Formation at the Diocese of California.
Gospel: Luke 4:14-21. Sermon by Rev Lori Walton. This service is part of our Annual Meeting with the Rector’s address as part of the sermon.
Gospel: John 18:33-37. Sermon by The Right Reverend Dr. Marc Andrus, Bishop of California.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James' with a sermon from Rev Bill Hale.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James'.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James', with a sermon from Rev Bill Hale.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James'.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James'.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James', with a sermon from Rev Bill Hale.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost from St. James'.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’, with a sermon from Jan Scrutton.
Join us in person on Sunday morning at 8am or 10:30am, or join our live-stream at 10:30am on Sunday by clicking the image below. The service can be joined online at any time on Sunday from 10:30am or during the week.
The Service Bulletin can be found here for you to join in.
The hymns and lessons can be found here.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Feast of St. James’ from St. James’, with a sermon from Dan Carlson.
Join us in person on Sunday morning at 8am or 10:30am, or join our live-stream at 10:30am on Sunday by clicking the image below. The service can be joined online at any time on Sunday from 10:30am or during the week.
The Service Bulletin can be found here for you to join in.
The hymns and lessons can be found here.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’.
Join us in person on Sunday morning at 8am or 10:30am, or join our live-stream at 10:30am on Sunday by clicking the image below. The service can be joined online at any time on Sunday from 10:30am or during the week.
The Service Bulletin can be found here for you to join in.
The hymns and lessons can be found here.
Join Rev Bill Hale in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’, with a sermon from Brian Cochran.
St. James’ is holding a single Sunday service at 9:30am. Registration is required to attend in-person. To request a seat, please visit this page. We continue to offer our services on-line.
Join our live-stream at 9:30am on Sunday by clicking the image below, or join our Zoom “watch party” on Sunday morning at 9:30am to worship with others (click this link). The service can be joined at any time on Sunday from 9:30am or during the week.
The Service Bulletin can be found here for you to join in.
The hymns and lessons can be found here.
Join Rev Canon Debra Low-Skinner, the Diocese of California’s Canon to the Ordinary Pro Tempore, in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’, with a sermon from Rev Bill Hale.
St. James’ is holding a single Sunday service at 9:30am. Registration is required to attend in-person. To request a seat, please visit this page. We continue to offer our services on-line.
Join our live-stream at 9:30am on Sunday by clicking the image below, or join our Zoom “watch party” on Sunday morning at 9:30am to worship with others (click this link). The service can be joined at any time on Sunday from 9:30am or during the week.
The Service Bulletin can be found here for you to join in.
The hymns and lessons can be found here.
Join Rev Bill Hale in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’.
St. James’ is holding a single Sunday service at 9:30am. Registration is required to attend in-person. To request a seat, please visit this page. We continue to offer our services on-line.
Join our live-stream at 9:30am on Sunday by clicking the image below, or join our Zoom “watch party” on Sunday morning at 9:30am to worship with others (click this link). The service can be joined at any time on Sunday from 9:30am or during the week.
The Service Bulletin can be found here for you to join in.
The hymns and lessons can be found here.
A Sunday School video for this Sunday can be found here.
Who is your neighbor? Jan reads the story of the Good Samaritan and talks about our neighbors being not just those we already know well.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’.
St. James’ is holding a single Sunday service at 9:30am. Registration is required to attend in-person. To request a seat, please visit this page. We continue to offer our services on-line.
Join our live-stream at 9:30am on Sunday by clicking the image below, or join our Zoom “watch party” on Sunday morning at 9:30am to worship with others (click this link). The service can be joined at any time on Sunday from 9:30am or during the week.
The Service Bulletin can be found here for you to join in.
The hymns and lessons can be found here.
A Sunday School video for this Sunday can be found here.