Seen by God: Hagar, Ishmael, and the Call to Imagine Others

Seen by God: Hagar, Ishmael, and the Call to Imagine Others

This is a recording from the sermon preached at St. David's Episcopal Church on Sunday, June 21st, on the Fourth Sunday in Pentecost. Rev. Jordan Rippy begins by acknowledging Father’s Day as both joyful and difficult, then turns to the challenging Genesis story of Hagar and Ishmael, emphasizing how Abraham and Sarah use, discard, and endanger them. Rev. Rippy asks why this “side story” remains in Scripture and draws on a Reform Jewish insight: that God sees and cares for the foreigner, stranger, and outsider, and calls God’s people to do likewise. The sermon argues that Christianity is not merely self-improvement but should change how the congregation lives, urging parishioners to enlarge their imaginations—like reading fiction as a “mental flight simulator”—to grow empathy and reflect God’s love in their choices.00:00 Father’s Day Welcome00:37 Hagar’s Harsh Story01:47 Genesis Context Recap03:27 Surrogacy and Jealousy04:32 Cast Out in Desert05:25 Why This Story Matters06:10 God Sees the Outsider07:08 Faith Changes Behavior07:54 Imagining Other Lives09:53 Hagar Remembered10:14 Closing Amen This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com [https://stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Called and Sent: “Here I Am, Send Me”

Rev. Daniel Bentley preaches his final Sunday at St. David’s Episcopal Church, thanking parishioners and expressing love while reflecting on the biblical pattern of God calling people and sending them, from Abram, Moses, and Isaiah’s “Hineni” (“Here I am”) to Mary and Jesus sending the disciples early in his ministry because “the harvest is plentiful.” He argues that calling and sending is the rhythm of Christian life and even reflects God’s own movement in the Trinity and in the Father sending the Son and the Spirit. He shares how he was called from a parish in New York to Virginia Seminary and then to St. David’s, and hopes to carry what he learned of welcome and beloved community to the wider church. He notes worship gathers, feeds, and deliberately sends congregants into the world to love and serve, discerning where God is sending them through prayer, need, and joy.00:00 Final Sunday Thanks00:24 Called and Sent Theme01:37 Isaiah Here I Am02:54 Jesus Sends Disciples04:14 Trinity in Motion05:04 Personal Call Story06:50 Worship Then Mission08:07 Where Are We Sent09:01 Hineni Send Me This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com [https://stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Circle of Mercy

This is a recording from the Children’s Sermon preached by Rev. Kristen Hawley at St. David’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, June 7th, on the Third Sunday in Pentecost, the First Sunday and last of the program year. Rev. Hawley teaches the congregation about God’s mercy, describing it as God’s help that enables people not only to think about what is right but to do what is right. Reflecting on the Gospel story of Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector to share a meal, she emphasizes that Jesus chooses to include someone widely disliked, not to condemn him but to show kindness that can change a heart. Using a ribbon “circle of mercy” and a pretend picnic, she demonstrates how exclusion and “earning” belonging are unmerciful, and she encourages parishioners to leave space to welcome others rather than exclude them.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:10 What Mercy Means02:06 Matthew the Tax Collector03:46 Why Jesus Invites Outsiders04:46 Ribbon Circle Activity06:00 Who Gets In07:49 Opening the Circle09:28 Mercy for Everyone11:27 Build Your Own Circle12:18 Wrap Up and Creed This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com [https://stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Trinity as a Key Change & Finding the Current of God

Rev. Kristen Hawley preaches for Trinity Sunday at St. David’s Episcopal Church, noting the Church’s long, often confusing attempts to explain the Trinity (including the Athanasian Creed) and emphasizing that people come to understanding in different ways. She connects the Trinity to delight, inspiration, and praise, referencing a staff Easter project in which each person wrote about what helps them notice and engage God (from biscuits and words to trains, shoes, gardening, dance, and music). Describing the Trinity as a never-ending relational “dance” and current, she urges congregants to find their way into it through what moves them. She offers the musical key change as an image of Trinity and creation, using Beyoncé’s “Love on Top” and the repetitive, building pattern of Genesis—God said, saw, created, blessed, and it was good—as examples of “home” and surprise. She encourages parishioners to listen for life’s key changes that draw them into deeper connectivity and remind them “it is good.”00:22 Trinity Sunday Explained00:58 Athanasius Creed Deep Dive01:58 Is Trinitarian Language Helpful01:18 Different Paths to Truth03:10 Praise and What Moves Us03:20 Easter Staff Reflections04:01 Delightful Examples and Takeaway05:00 Entering the Trinity Current05:44 Delight as Spiritual Compass00:05 Trinity as Key Change06:30 How Key Changes Work07:29 Beyoncé Demo Love on Top09:35 Genesis as Refrain and Shift11:18 Finding Your Holy Spirit Stride12:43 Music Memories and Everyday Modulations14:26 Listen for the Key Change This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com [https://stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Branded by the Holy Spirit: One Spirit, Many Gifts

On Pentecost Sunday at the Celtic Service at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., Rev. Kristen Hawley reflects on why people come to church by comparing church identity to honest branding and slogans. She recounts teaching the Pentecost story in children’s chapel, where a child defines church as “whenever two or three are gathered” with God, and connects this to the Pentecost reading in which the Holy Spirit breaks down barriers of language and division. Drawing on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, she emphasizes that many different gifts come from one Spirit and are meant to complete, not compete with, one another. She points to congregants stepping in when staff were absent as evidence of Spirit-filled community marked by love, shared burdens, welcome, and joy, and offers a simple slogan: “St. David’s, not perfect, working on it together.”00:00 Welcome and Pentecost00:33 Church Branding Ideas02:09 Kids Chapel Definition04:22 Pentecost Story and Unity05:39 Corinth and Many Gifts07:40 Spirit in Action Today10:35 Love Across Divisions12:09 Our Slogan and Sending This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com [https://stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]