Episcopal Sermon

Out Among the Wolves

📖 Scripture: Matthew 10:16-33 Jesus never promised His followers safety. He promised His presence. Drawing from Matthew 10:16–33, Pastor John Howell explores Jesus' startling words: "I am sending you out as sheep among wolves." Throughout Scripture, God's faithful servants speak the truth, endure opposition, and trust the goodness of God in the midst of suffering. Rather than responding to fear with power, control, or retaliation, Christians are called to walk the way of the Good Shepherd—bearing witness to Christ through courage, faithfulness, and love. The way of the disciple is not the way of the wolf. It is the way of the cross. As followers of Jesus, we are called to trust God's goodness, resist fear, and remember that our victory is found not in cultural dominance, but in Christ alone.

The Calling & The Sending

📖 Scripture: Exodus 9:1–8, Matthew 9:35–10:15 God has always called His people for a purpose. In this sermon, Fr. Luis traces the connection between God's call to Israel at Mount Sinai and Jesus sending out His disciples in Matthew's Gospel. The same God who called Israel to be His treasured possession continues to call and send His people today. As followers of Christ, we are invited into God's Kingdom and sent into the world to proclaim His presence through lives marked by faith, generosity, peace, and service. The Kingdom of God is not merely a future promise—it is breaking into the present through the work of Christ and the witness of His people. What does it mean to live as one who has been called and sent? And what "golden calves" might be keeping us from fully embracing God's mission?

What God Desires

📖 Scripture: Hosea 5:15–6:6; Matthew 9:9–13 What does God truly desire from His people? Fr. Michael explores Jesus' words in Matthew 9:13: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." Drawing from Hosea 6:6, he unpacks the rich biblical meaning of hesed—God's steadfast goodness, kindness, and mercy—and challenges us to consider whether we truly know God or simply know things about Him. As Christians enter the ordinary rhythms of life and discipleship, we are invited to move beyond self-righteousness and religious performance toward a life shaped by the same mercy God has shown us.

Anything but Ordinary

What is Ordinary Time, and why does the Church spend so much of the year there? On Trinity Sunday, Fr. Michael Strachan explores the meaning of Ordinary Time within the Christian calendar. Far from being a spiritual "off-season," Ordinary Time is where Christians live out the reality of Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Following the great celebrations of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, the Church enters a season focused on faithful discipleship, spiritual growth, and participating in God's ongoing work in the world. This message invites us to see our everyday lives as part of God's greater story and to consider who God is calling us to be through the power of the Holy Spirit. Whether you're new to the liturgical calendar or have followed it for years, this reflection offers a deeper understanding of why Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary.

Always Pentecostal

📖 Scripture: Acts 2:1–11, 1 Corinthians 12:4–13 What if Pentecost is not an appendix to Easter, but the climax of the story of salvation? Preaching on Pentecost Sunday, Fr. Michael Strachan reflects on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 and why the Church is, and always will be, Pentecostal. From Eden to the tabernacle, temple, incarnation, and finally the Church, Scripture tells the story of God dwelling with His people through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Acts 2:1–11 and 1 Corinthians 12:4–13, Fr. Michael explores how the Holy Spirit forms the Church, transforms believers into the image of Christ, and bears fruit through a Spirit-filled community rooted in worship, prayer, Scripture, and love.