Watch, listen to, or read sermons from the North Region of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and get a glimpse into how we engage with the Bible, the people in our congregations, and the world we live in. Subscribe to our podcast and listen to or download audio on the go.
Sermons offer a chance for the preacher to comment on what the congregation has just heard from the Bible. Sometimes, the sermon will relate the different readings to each other; sometimes it will relate one or more of the readings to what may be going on in the lives of people in a particular congregation, and also to what’s going on in the wider world.
Continuing the story
This is the sermon the Very Rev. Ronald D. Pogue preached at the ordination to the priesthood of the Rev. Paula Jefferson, December 15, 2020, at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller. —————– December 15, 2020 Today, Paula, we gather as the Church to affirm your Christian experience, which has led you to discern and accept the call to the Sacred Order of Priests. You stand before us better equipped and with a richer experience than many people receiving Holy Orders in this…
The truth of who we are
This is the sermon preached by the Rev. Canon Linda Taylor on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2020. ———— 3 Advent—December 13, 2020 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 This is the second week in a row that we’ve heard the story of John the messenger. Last week, we heard Mark’s gospel naming John as the messenger referred to by the prophet Isaiah—the messenger who will go ahead of the Lord, preparing a…
Prepare the way of the Lord
This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat preached at the diocesan worship service for the Second Sunday of Advent, December 6, 2020. ———————– Advent 2B.2020 “Prepare the way of the Lord. In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.” These are the prophetic words from Isaiah that are echoed in the Gospel of Mark. “Prepare the way of the Lord.” And just how do we do that? On this Second Sunday of Advent, when we find…
Advent: entering the work of wholeness and healing
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2020. —————————- The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Advent 1B 2020 One of the most important reasons we observe the seasons of a liturgical year in the Episcopal Church is that they ask us to consider our faith and the living of our lives outside of ourselves. Each season brings with it new colors and a new focus.…
“Are you God?”
This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat preached on the Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King, November 22, 2020. —————————- One cold winter’s day a 10-year-old boy was standing barefoot in front of a shoe store, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and asked him what he was doing. “I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” he said. The lady took him by the hand and went…
Bishop’s Convention Address: You are the light of the world
This is Bishop Scott Mayer’s Address to Convention, given as the sermon at the Opening Worship Service of Diocesan Convention, November 14, 2020. It also is the sermon for the Twenty-Four Sunday after Pentecost, November 14, 2020. —————- Fort Worth Convention Address 2020 November 14 I would like to begin this morning by expressing my gratitude to Karen Calafat and the good people of St Luke’s in the Meadow for hosting this diocesan-wide event, and also for my staff for…
A moment of covenant
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, November 8, 2020. ———————– The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Proper 27A 11/8/20 Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the…
Following Jesus to the margins
This is the sermon Bishop Scott Mayer preached at the diocesan worship service for All Saints’ Day, November 1, 2020. ——————— All Saints Day FW 2020 November 1 Today in the life of the Church is All Saints Day, the day we celebrate the communion of saints – the saints past, present, and future. And as we hear the readings from scripture appointed for this day, and say the prayers designated for All Saints Day, a number of images come…
The revolution of love
This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat, St. Luke’s in the Meadow, Fort Worth, preached at the diocesan worship service for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost, October 25, 2020. ———————- Sermon Proper 25A October 25, 2020 I watched a documentary a few days ago that has stayed with me. It was visually stunning – beautiful beyond words. Not only has it caused me to give up calamari forever, but also to consider love in a broader way. Craig Foster,…
Show me the coin
This is the sermon the Rev. Canon Linda S. Taylor preached at the diocesan worship service for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, October 18, 2020. ———————– 20 Pentecost – October 18, 2020 Proper 24A: Exodus 33:12-23, Psalm 99, I Thessalonians 1:1-10, Matthew 22:15-22 We’ve just heard a story about Jesus and the Pharisees. It’s one of many stories of their encounters that are told in the Gospels according to Matthew and to Luke. It’s a good story with a snappy…
The hard work of change
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles, St. Stephen’s, Hurst, preached at the diocesan worship service on the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, October 11, 2020. ——————- Allison Sandlin Liles Proper 23A Exodus 32:7-14 This week I zipped through the seventh book in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series, A Trick of the Light. A central question runs through the entire book: “Are people capable of change?” Every single character wants to believe it’s possible for people to…
“Give us scoundrels your grace”
This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat preached at the diocesan worship service for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Sunday, October 4, 2020. ———————- St. Francis’ Day Homily Karen A. Calafat Ah, St. Francis, that nature-loving, joyful saint who frolicked through the forests and fields of the Italian countryside, preaching to the birds and bunnies and any creature that would listen. Stories are told of Francis being in the woods of Mount…
Find a river
This is the sermon the Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner preached at the worship service for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Fourth Sunday of the Creation Series, at 10 am on Sunday, September 27, 2020. ——————- The Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth Creation Season – Year 1, Sunday 4 – River Sunday I speak to you in the name of the living God – holy Trinity, ever one. Amen. As Summer unfolds into Fall, we are wrapping…
Wilderness, a place of encounter
This is the sermon the Rev. Karen Calafat, St. Luke’s in the Meadow, Fort Worth, preached at the diocesan worship service on the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Third Sunday of the Creation Series, on September 20, 2020. ————————- Creation 3:3 – Wilderness September 20, 2020 Today is Wilderness Sunday. I drew the lucky straw in getting to preach on Wilderness for our Creation Series where we set aside the four Sundays in September to examine various aspects of the…
“Us and our kin in creation”
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached on the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the second Sunday in the Creation series, on September 13, 2020. ————————– The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Creation Season 2020 September 13, 2020 The parting of the Red Sea is a miracle performed by God through the prophet Moses. I imagine it to be both awe-inspiring and terrifying. After the Passover which spares the Israelites’ firstborn children but kills those of the Egyptians, the…
In community with Creation
This is the sermon the Rev. Canon Linda Taylor preached at the diocesan worship service on the First Creation Sunday, September 6, 2020. ————————- The Rev. Canon Linda S. Taylor Creation Season 1: Forest Sunday 14 Pentecost – September 6, 2020 Genesis 2:4b-22; Psalm 139:13-16; Acts 17:22-28; Matthew 18:15-20 Welcome to the garden! You’ll hear all kinds of life around us including motorcycles and cars and even lawn blowers perhaps. We’re here in the garden because today and for…