Sermons from St. John’s Episcopal Church

Scattering Seeds in the Sea. Fr. Louis Harris. July 12, 2026.

From the propers [https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp10_RCL.html]this week, Father Harris takes us into the chaotic, restless sea, the symbol of primordial disorder that God is always in the process of ordering. The parable of the sower discloses three conditions of the soul that hinder our reception of God's scattered seeds: the hardened soul that has stopped listening, the shallow soul that springs up with joy but cannot endure hardship, and the divided soul choked by cares and the lure of wealth. But rather than treating these as separate categories of people, they are stages along a pilgrimage; parts of the spiritual journey that we all must make. We begin hard and self-protective; we pass through trials that test our roots; and we constantly fight against the thorns of anxiety and beguilement. The key, he insists, is not finding the right textbook or teacher, but cultivating an interior disposition of attentiveness; an abiding inclination to love, such that we might bring our desire for understanding to the altar and to wade into the tossing sea with Jesus.

The Wolves and Masters. Mother Laura Warner Gilmer. July 5, 2026.

From the propers [https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp9_RCL.html] this week, Mother Laura Warner Gilmer takes up the Apostle Paul's honest confession in Romans that choosing righteousness is far harder than simply deciding to do it. Why? Because there is war going on within each of us. Pairing Paul's struggle with the well-known Native American parable of the two wolves, she gently pushes the wisdom further: the question isn't only which wolf we feed, but which wolf we're fed by. What desires, what definitions of success, what sources of identity are we allowing to sustain us? With her characteristic warmth and wit, Mother Laura reminds us that every choice carries an invoice that will come due. While we will all fall short, we are called to strive for the better part, the kinder approach, the more considerate response. And she leaves us with Bob Dylan's unmistakable refrain: you're gonna have to serve somebody. The only real question is which master we'll serve.

What's in a Name? The Right Reverend Robert Price. June 28, 2026.

From the propers [https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearABC/HolyDays/NatJohn.html] this week, our guest and esteemed Bishop - the Right Reverend Robert Price - offers us a deeply personal and stirring reflection on the power of God's gracious act of naming. Beginning with the story of his own family origins, Bishop Price shows how God's grace ultimately breaks through every box, boundary, and expectation the world places on us. In recognition of our patron, he reminds us that the name "John" means "God is gracious," and that graciousness becomes our true surname, overriding family pressures, past failures, and fears of scarcity. God's claim on us has the last word, calling us away from fear and into joy, away from death and into new life. It is a word of hope for us on our parish's 80th birthday, for the confirmands coming forward to receive God's extended grace, and for anyone who needs to remember that God's grace will always surprise, redirect, and sustain us.

The God Who Sees. Fr. Oliver Butler. June 21, 2026.

From the propers [https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp7_RCL.html] this week, Father Oliver Butler speaks to the truth that the God who made us in His image is also the God who sees us and never forgets us. Weaving together Hagar in the wilderness of Genesis who names God El-Roi ("the God who sees me") and Jesus' promise that not one sparrow falls unnoticed and even the hairs of our head are numbered, he reminds us that life is lived not on the refreshing mountaintop but down in the valley, where the Good Shepherd chases us down and meets us right where we are.

The Kingdom of the Jaded. Fr. Louis Harris. June 14, 2026.

From the propers [https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp6_RCL.html] this week, Father Harris unpacks a single, easily-overlooked Greek word that bridges "harassed" and "jaded," revealing the deep wound at the heart of our common humanity. As Jesus looks upon the crowds with compassion, He sees people flayed by life, layer after layer worn down, and His response is to send out the Twelve with a radical, counter-cultural mission: give without payment, fear no loss, and let your peace rest on others. It’s a high and difficult calling, but one that is deeply practicable, and it begins with coming to the altar to ask for the strength to become truly generous citizens of the kingdom.