Our practice of Lenten almsgiving is not just about raising money (although the Food Cupboard certainly does need our consistent and generous support). It is also about softening our hearts toward those in need.
During the months of June and July, during the 10 AM Adult Education hour, we will once again take a deep dive into the Bible. Together, we’ll be doing a close reading of First Corinthians. The Yale Divinity Bible Study has this to say about First Corinthians in its general introduction to the Letter: “Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians is …
Dear St. Peter’s Family, Good tidings of great joy! We have now entered the season of festivals and feasting — what is, for many, “the most wonderful time of the year.” From Thanksgiving through to Christmas, there seem to be delicious meals around every corner and so very many things to celebrate. But, as you …
Good tidings of great joy! We have now entered the season of festivals and feasting — what is, for many, “the most wonderful time of the year.” From Thanksgiving through to Christmas, there seem to be delicious meals around every corner and so very many things to celebrate. But, as you well know, not everyone …
A Sermon Preached by the Rev. Sean Lanigan on the Feast of Pentecost. [sermon static=”true” url=”//www.buzzsprout.com/22019/521655-joining-the-spirit-s-rhythm.mp3″] Happy Pentecost, St. Peter’s! Now Pentecost is probably not a holiday that you celebrate as publicly as Easter or Christmas. You probably don’t go around wishing strangers a “Happy Pentecost.” Pentecost is one of those church-only holidays. Which I …
We experience salvation by and through Jesus’ courageous refusal to participate in the power games of Empire…even though it means putting his own life on the line. Through Jesus refusal, a space for alternative possibilities is opened. And in that open space, where the boundary between heaven and earth thins, all manner of things become imaginable. Life beyond death becomes imaginable. “Enough for all” becomes imaginable. Living in peace becomes imaginable.
We do not serve because other people are needy. We serve because we are ALL needy. Because we all need the kinds of relationships that only happen when we consent to becoming resident aliens – when we become people who are willing to put our bodies, hearts, and minds in places that are uncomfortable, in places that might not seem like they have much to offer, in places where human need is palpable and seemingly endless. Because even, and maybe especially, in these places – there is always something to receive, as well as something to give.
What if Lent is actually nothing more than an opportunity to start again? To re-receive all that we are and all that we have as gifts? To be reminded that we are dust, and to dust we will return. And with the loosened grip made possible by the fact of our mortality, by the fact that we are not God and don’t have to try to be God – to inquire about what is really necessary. About what is really of worth and value. And then to pare our lives down to the basics, and learn to receive all over again. Learn that everything is gift. Gift upon gift upon gift.
A Sermon Preached by the Rev. Sean Lanigan on the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany. [sermon static=”true” url=”//www.buzzsprout.com/22019/479968-get-yourself-a-bigger-world.mp3″] We have heard some tough words today. Turn the other cheek; go the extra mile; love your enemy; pray for those who persecute you. These challenging words from Jesus make Christianity out to be something of a …
Bishop Gutierrez will be visiting St. Peter’s on Sunday, December 4. He will baptize, confirm, and receive people into the Episcopal Church during the 11 AM service that day. Baptism, the sacrament of initiation into Christ’s body by water and the Holy Spirit, will be offered on December 4 as well as on November 6, which …
Baptism, Confirmation, and Reception with Bishop Gutierrez Read More »
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