Fr. Ed preaches about the tension created by our wanting to draw closer to God but not at the cost of the things we like to do. Enjoy.
Ginny Barry Preaches on Jesus’ Command to love our enemies
The Rev. Canon Daryl Fenton was our guest preacher on Dec. 10. Fr. Daryl is the Canon for Operations of the ACN (essentially the COO). Tayloe Stansbury, our Senior Warden, met him on a recent trip to Pittsburg and discovered that he was going to be in CA in early December. Fr. Ed emailed him and invited him to come to St. Edward’s for a visit. It turns out he can make it. This was a great opportunity to learn more about what is going on with the ACN and to meet a significant person within the head office
Advent is a season of Preparation. We prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth and for his coming again in Glory. On the first Sundays of Advent we begin with the end in mind. It seems odd to be prepaing for judgment as we approach the creche, and yet experience tells us that this is the best way to enter into the mystery and joy of Christmas.
This sermon celebrates the last Sunday of the Church Year: Christ the King Sunday. In this sermon Fr. Ed talks about things that need to be said. If we do not say the things on our hearts we rob the people we love and we rob ourselves. A church that does not proclaim Jesus as King rob’s God of Glory, rob’s their parishioners of the joy of proclaiming Jesus as Lord of all creation, and robs the world of a witness to God’s plan of salvation.
Students of Chess study openings and end games. These are easily studied, and their many variations can be mastered by anyone with a bit of aptitude and enough geekiness to dedicate themselves to the discipline. The part of the game that distinguishes good and great players from the ordinary is the art of the middle game. Here rote learning and situaltional awareness give way to a player with an artistic flair and a deep understanding of the game. It is the middle game that sets up the coup de grace of the end game. This week’s sermon has nothing at all to do with chess. It has to do with Jesus’ description of the end game and way we play out our lives in this: the middle game. Want to play well?
Our Gospel this Sunday is the story of the Widow’s Mite. Jesus was sitting outside the temple treasury watching people come and make their contributions, when a widow came and made the greatest contribution of all…all she had for that day to live on. That’s devotion. We are all devoted to something. That is how we are wired. For most of us, our devotion is something that ebbs and flows to and from various good things: family, hobbies, jobs, God. This Sunday I will be exploring the question of devotion and enjoyment. What condition allows us to best enjoy the objects of our devotion? What can we learn from Jesus’ observation of a widow?
