Sunday Sermons

In: Abiding in Christ Through Life’s Transitions

In: Abiding in Christ Through Life’s TransitionsRev. Kristen Hawley greets parishioners on Mother’s Day and reflects on last year’s sermon word “with,” introducing this year’s word from the Gospel: “in,” or “abide.” Drawing from Jesus’ promises (“I am in my Father,” “the Spirit will be in you”) and Paul (“In him we live and move and have our being”), she describes “being in” as the central lens through which life is interpreted, like a marriage serving as the nucleus that steadies everything else. She situates the Gospel in the disciples’ anxious transition before the Ascension, noting Jesus offers not a “spiritual GPS” but presence through the Holy Spirit, continuing Christ’s life among them. Using C.S. Lewis and nesting dolls, she emphasizes God’s indwelling closeness and invites congregants to remember they are already in God, live in love, and be a welcoming, life-giving church amid life’s changes.00:00 Mothers Day Welcome00:12 Last Years Word With01:24 Todays Word In02:33 What It Means To Be In03:36 Marriage As The Center04:36 No Map Just Presence05:21 Gospel Context And Transition07:26 Promise Of The Advocate09:08 Indwelling Not Distance10:55 C S Lewis And Nesting Dolls13:03 Abide In Me Looks Like Love14:11 Steadiness Through Transitions15:02 A Church Alive In Christ17:25 Final Invitation To Live In 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]

Never Lost to God: A Children’s Sermon and Roadmap Home

Rev. Jim Quigley offers a children’s sermon at St. David’s Episcopal Church (May 3, Fifth Sunday of Easter) using an object lesson about a priest’s stole. He shows a stole made for his ordination by South Sudanese boys, decorated with small feet to remember the “Lost Boys of the South Sudan,” who walked for three years to reach safety; he explains they disliked the label because, though they didn’t know where home was, they were “never lost to God.” Connecting this to Jesus as “the way and the truth and the life” and to Isaiah (“I have called you by name… I have written your name on the palm of my hand”), he gives congregants a “roadmap” home with five routes: Forgiveness Place, Generosity Boulevard, Compassion Avenue, Prayer Street, and Kindness Lane, encouraging them to practice these paths when they feel lost to God.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:14 What Is an Object Lesson01:03 Why Priests Wear Stoles02:24 The Stole With Feet03:50 Lost Boys Journey05:03 Never Lost to God06:14 Roadmap to Home07:34 Five Roads to Jesus08:23 Practice the Five Roads09:32 Handing Out Maps10:33 Closing Blessing 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]

Grace Under Pressure: Jesus as the Gate

This is a recording from the sermon preached at St. David's Episcopal Church on Sunday, April 26th, on the Fourth Sunday in Easter. On Good Shepherd Sunday, Rev. Kristen Hawley reflects on John 10’s image of Jesus not yet as “the good shepherd” but as “the gate,” setting it alongside the earlier story of Jesus healing the man born blind and the Pharisees’ fearful exclusion of him. Using the theme “grace under pressure,” Rev. Hawley contrasts systems that manage access and create chaos with Jesus’ “vulgar grace”—an offensively generous openness that refuses credential-checking and offers abundant life. Through everyday stories about family dynamics and a recent car accident, she invites the congregation to resist blame and gatekeeping and instead “be the gate” by extending God’s grace under pressure.00:00 Welcome Good Shepherd Sunday00:51 I Am the Gate01:42 Seminary Story Setup03:49 Grace Under Pressure Theme05:36 Healing the Blind Man07:48 Pharisees and Exclusion10:12 Everyday Pressure Seltzer13:13 Vulgar Grace Explained15:31 Car Crash Compassion17:25 Be the Gate Closing 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]

Abide With Us: Recognizing Christ in the Stranger

This is a recording from the sermon preached at St. David's Episcopal Church on Sunday, April 19th, on the Third Sunday in Easter. Rev. Jim Quigley reflects on Luke’s Walk to Emmaus, emphasizing that the Christian story must be known “by heart,” not merely by intellect. He describes Cleopas and his companion walking away in sadness until the risen Christ joins them as an unrecognized stranger who questions them, interprets scripture, and is finally known in hospitality and the breaking of bread—then vanishes. Rev. Quigley connects this fleeting recognition to moments of insight and argues that faith is “recognition” that comes when trust is offered through hospitality, even amid fear. He shares a personal seven-mile walk where he noticed strangers he did not stop to engage, challenging the congregation to see Christ in others.00:00 Love From the Heart00:29 Why This Story Matters02:16 Walking Away to Emmaus03:04 The Stranger Explains04:46 Scripture and the Least06:31 Stay With Us07:18 Recognized in the Breaking07:59 When Insight Vanishes09:10 Recognition Through Hospitality10:15 A Seven Mile Challenge00:16 Closing Blessing 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]

Justice for Thomas: Doubt as a Companion to Faith

This is a recording from the sermon preached at St. David's Episcopal Church on Sunday, April 12th, on the Second Sunday in Easter. In this sermon, Rev. Daniel Bentley argues for “Justice for Thomas,” challenging the “Doubting Thomas” label and presenting Thomas as an exemplar of faith who insists the risen Jesus’ wounds matter, showing that Easter does not undo Good Friday but glorifies and vindicates it. Rev. Bentley notes Thomas’ confession, “My Lord and my God,” and links Thomas’ discernment to a story attributed to St. Martin of Tours about recognizing a false vision of Christ without wounds. He then addresses doubt as normal and generative for faith, offering a “doubt toolkit” for the congregation: talk with clergy, look to martyrs, and read writers like Rachel Held Evans on faith as risk and continued trust.00:00 Justice for Thomas01:31 Wounds and Resurrection02:40 My Lord and My God03:14 St Martin’s Vision04:42 Why Doubt Matters06:21 Doubt as Companion07:24 A Toolkit for Doubt08:22 Rachel Held Evans on Risk09:53 Jesus Meets Our Doubts00:03 Final Blessing 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]