Sermons by Allison Sandlin Liles
In Christ’s family
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the online worship service for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 2, 2021. We are grateful to Trinity Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, for offering the use of their beautiful St. Mary’s Chapel for the service. ———– Easter 5B Acts 8:26-40 There are times when I wonder if the Church — the whole church, not just St Stephen’s or the Episcopal Church in North Texas — I wonder if the…
Maundy Thursday Love
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for Maundy Thursday, April 1, 2021. ———- Maundy Thursday 2021 John 13:1-17, 31B-35 Today we find ourselves in a similar place as we did last year – observing Maundy Thursday in our separate homes rather than together in our church buildings. We hope that this digital service engages you and feels both holy and sacred, even though we couldn’t quite figure out how to virtually…
We don’t walk alone
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 14, 2021. ———- Lent 4B Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21 There are a handful of topics that I typically avoid in sermons: salvation, eschatology, divine judgement, and the New Testament epistles credited to Paul but not actually written by Paul. It’s not that I avoid difficult passages, I actually love exploring misunderstood texts and finding meaning in them for…
An ark of love and mercy
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the First Sunday in Lent, February 21, 2021. ——- The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Lent 1B 2021 Genesis 9:8-17 The story of Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood is one of the most well-known stories of the Old Testament. It’s featured heavily in every children’s bible we own and was a fan favorite of my childhood Sunday School teachers. Two parishes I previously served…
Moving forward into God’s new creation
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, February 7, 2021. ——– The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles February 7, 2021 EDFW Epiphany 5B Isaiah 40:21-31 The 40th chapter of the book of Isaiah is one of my most cherished chapters in the entire Bible. It begins with the well-known words, “Comfort, O comfort my people, says the Lord.” We know these words not only…
Come and follow me
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the Third Sunday after Epiphany worship service, January 24, 2021. ——– Epiphany 3B Mark 1.14-20 “Now after John was arrested…” We’re still in chapter one of Mark’s gospel – in fact, we’re haven’t even reached the halfway point of chapter one. Already John the Baptizer has appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance. Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee to be baptized by John, followed by the…
God still transforms, still calls us
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the First Sunday after the Epiphany, the Baptism of our Lord, January 10, 2021. ——- January 10, 2020 Diocese of FW Baptism of our Lord, Mark 1:4-11 This week we observed the last few days of Christmas, then welcomed in the season after the Epiphany. Epiphany is the day we remember the coming of Magi following the star to visit the Christ child. The word Epiphany means to manifest…
Follow the star
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Feast of Epiphany, January 3, 2021. ————– The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Feast of the Epiphany 2021 Matthew 2: 1-12 The season of Epiphany begins Wednesday, January 6. “Epiphany” comes from a Greek word meaning appearance, revelation or manifestation. Like the appearance of a divine being or the revelation of some essential truth. We use the word “epiphany” when something is suddenly made…
The needs of our hearts
This is the meditation given by the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles at the diocesan Blue Christmas service at 7 pm on December 17, 2020. ————— Each of us has come here tonight bearing our own hurts or carrying the pain of others. We may be immersed in suffering; we may be devastated by the cruelty of this year. We may feel that we are all alone, isolated from friends, forgotten by families. We may even feel that we are beyond…
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.…
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…
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…
“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…
The redemption of tears
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, August 16, 2020. ————————– Proper 15A August 16, 2020 Genesis 45:1-15 Today we continue with stories from Abraham and Sarah’s family tree. For the most part, we have read about the generations as they struggled with even the simplest of human relationships. Last week we were introduced to Joseph, the most beloved of Jacob’s 12 sons. The brothers hated Joseph;…
Untold stories cry to be heard
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, July 26, 2020. ———————— Proper 12A July 26, 2020 Genesis 29:15-28 St. Luke’s in the Meadow Like many of you, our household has watched Hamilton on Disney+ many times over the past 3 weeks. As a result, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lyrics pop into our heads constantly. When people walk into a room in our house, “Well, if it isn’t Aaron…
Looking back in order to move forward
This is the sermon the Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles preached at the diocesan worship service on Trinity Sunday, June 7, 2020. —————- The Rev. Allison Sandlin Liles Trinity Sunday, St Luke’s in the Meadow June 7, 2020 Today we celebrate Trinity Sunday, and as your preacher, I’m called to explain that our one God is also a triune God, expressed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Theological writer Tertullian first used the word “Trinity” in the early 3rd century. Certainly,…
- 1
- 2