Epiphany 3 Year A—January 26, 2020

“You speak in my heart and say, ‘Seek my face.’ Your face, Lord, will I seek.”  Perhaps Simon and Andrew as they were casting their nets into the sea were reflecting upon their faith, their lives, and their trust in God.  Maybe James as he sat at the shoreline mending his broken net was listening for an answer, listening for…"

Epiphany II Year A—January 19, 2020

"During this season of Epiphany, a time when the Christian Church celebrates Jesus being God’s Son and the Light of the world, we have been reflecting both intellectually and spiritually on both the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ and how at the deepest levels Jesus can affect our humanity—in essence, become your life…"

Epiphany 1 Year A—January 12, 2020

"The prophet Isaiah proclaimed that we do not choose God—God chooses us.  God takes us by the hand and keeps us.  It is because of God that you…"

Christmas Sermon 1 2019

"One of my favorite Episcopal authors, Madeleine L’Engle in her book, The Glorious Impossible, wrote: “Possible things are easy to believe.  The Glorious Impossibles are those things that bring joy to our hearts, hope to our lives, songs to our lips.”  Each year during the 12 Days of Christmas, we face …"

Christmas Sermon 2019

"There is a holiday song that I love by country musician, Alan Jackson, called: “Let it be Christmas.”  The lyrics go like this:…"

Advent 3 Year A

"What I know about the Advent/Christmas season from 34 years of parish ministry and pastoral care is that many people are hurting this time of year. This is a particular kind of hurting that is related to loss in one’s life, and especially that of loved ones that are no longer physically present. The sights, smells and sounds of Christmas, coupled with the expectation of being merry and joyful can be a real emotional challenge…"

September 22, 2019 Year C

"Is it possible for you today not to be anxious; it is not so easy in 2019.  Can you take hold and wrap your arms around those things in your life that matter and will endure?  And what did it mean when Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much…”"

Pentecost 10 Year C

"Often, when I leave the office at the church, I wind up sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the Ravenel Bridge.  Traffic patterns in Charleston are very difficult to predict, which makes it almost impossible to know the best time of day to try and leave the city.  And of course, often we do not have the luxury of a choice.  Sitting on that bridge in the late afternoon or early evening..."

Pentecost 9

"Throughout my adult life and as a priest, one of the places that I have returned to again and again to be close to God is the ocean’s coast.   And more than being close to God, what I most desire in those solo walks at the ocean’s edge is to hear the voice of the Lord above the surf..."

Pentecost 4 Year C

"Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you approach someone that you are meeting for the first time you immediately feel a bad vibe; something is not right, and you feel repelled in that encounter?  By the same token, we also experience those first meetings with people where we right away feel welcomed; there is a sense of goodness, charity and peace..."

Pentecost 3

"My beloved companion and dog Maggie is now heading toward her 13th year of life.  We have had her for six and a half-years of that life, as we adopted her at age six from a shelter in Lexington, Kentucky. Maggie, a mix of black Labrador Retriever and Rhodesian Ridgeback, has been..."

Easter 5

"Although in the Church’s calendar we continue in the Great Fifty Days of Easter leading up to the Sunday of Pentecost, a season of Alleluias, these days in reality while joyful were also troubling for Jesus’ disciples. These were uncertain and anxious times..."

Easter 3 Year C

"English poet and writer, D. H. Lawrence, once said: The great virtue in life is real courage that knows how to face facts and live beyond them.  And we all know that if we live long enough..."

Easter 2019 - ”The Unexpected Response”

"There are many ways in our daily lives in which we encounter things that are empty. One of the most frustrating ways to start your day is to reach in the refrigerator for the orange juice container and find that it is basically empty. Many of us also look with disbelief at the fuel gauge in our cars when it alerts us that we are almost out of gas. How could the tank be empty?

And certainly, there are more serious ways that we encounter emptiness in life. ..."

Epiphany 6

"I have spent most of my adult life searching and working for the “Kingdom of God.”  This has been at times a joyous journey filled with blessings and incredible experiences.  Simultaneously, it has been at other times a most challenging..."

Epiphany 5 Year C

"Simon had not had much luck fishing in the earlier part of the day, when Jesus asked him again to set out into deeper waters.  ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch…’  Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing ..."

Christmas Sermon 2018

"What a glorious night it is to welcome all of you to Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church and the joyful celebration of Christmas! The word “Christmas,” came into common usage in 12th century England, a combination of the two words: “Christ’s Mass.” This is the liturgy that celebrates the birth..."

Advent 2 Year C

"There is a secret that I want to share.  When I go to the beautiful coast of our South Carolina beaches, before I begin to walk by myself to pray, discern, and be with God, I bend down and dip my fingers in the ocean’s waters and place them to my lips to taste its saltiness.  Yet, for me it is not about tasting the salt, it is instead a..."

All Saints

"When we are faced with the death of someone we love, or perhaps contemplate our own mortality, most of us of the Christian faith, as well as those of other faiths and non-believers alike, ask the mysterious question of: “What happens when we die?”..."

Pentecost Year 23B

"Henri Nouwen writes, “There is such an enormous hunger for meaning in life, for comfort and consolation, for forgiveness and reconciliation, for restoration and healing, that anyone who has authority in the Church should constantly be reminded that the best word..."

Pentecost 22 YEAR B

"On my last overseas flight in coach, I overheard another passenger say, The meal always sounds a lot better than it tastes.  Oh, how true.  For the sons of Zebedee, James and John, it sounded a lot better to be ..."

Pentecost 3 Year B

"Within my 58 years of life, one which started in Queens, New York, I have moved many times from one state to another, and from one place to another within many of those states.  Ellen and I still have boxes filled with stuff that..."

Pentecost 2 Year B

"Thomas was a challenging, 10-year-old boy, born into South Carolina’s poverty.  I met Thomas eight years ago this week.  Thomas and I, along with Angela, one of our counselors, spent the better part of a day trying to get him to adjust to being at ..."

Easter Sermon

"I want to welcome all of you to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on this glorious Easter morning!  Whether you are a parishioner, a family member of a parishioner, a part of the wider Charleston community, or a visitor from another place..."

Epiphany 5 Year B

"I want to speak to you today about our spiritual life…our spiritual lives, especially as it relates to our ability to be compassionate Christians and Episcopalians.  I begin by using an image..." 

Epiphany 4 Year B

"From today’s Gospel of Mark, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” This question of the man with the unclean spirit in the synagogue, jumped out at me as...." 

Epiphany 3 Year B

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.  Amen...."