8 Pentecost/Proper 13 Sermon

8 Pentecost/Year C – August 3, 2025

Track 2 Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-11; Luke 12:13-21

Rev Julie Platson

Opening Prayer: (Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion)

Holy God, allow us your wisdom. By the power of the Holy Spirit, open the Scriptures to us today that in the Word read and proclaimed we might know your truth. Amen.

I admit I chuckled to myself a bit, as I first read the gospel reading that was assigned for today. My mind immediately returned to the gospel reading several weeks back, when Martha wanted Jesus to intervene, as she was calling out Mary, for sitting at his feet, while she was busy doing all the physical tasks to prepare for the dinner and visit from him and his disciples.

Only today’s lament and wanting Jesus to intervene was about a different topic; and Jesus responds as he does in the Mary and Martha gospel, with a teaching and reminder, that it’s about putting God first, it’s about centering our lives, our work, our hearts and minds on Jesus and his love…and by doing so…we come to understand what truly matters in this world…loving one another, caring for one another, serving one another, sharing the abundance of our riches with one another for the well-being of all God’s people…

Today’s readings help us think more about that…focusing on what we are working for…

Do you ever stop to think about your views on work? What you always liked about it? What you didn’t like about it? What kind of work you would still be doing, if you had the opportunity?

Perhaps, you’ve been retired for a long time now, or just recently retired…and now these questions fall fresh on your mind…did you give yourself to work so fully, that it was difficult to find that balance of work and rest that Jesus was trying to teach us, as commanded by God…Or perhaps now that your “usual day job” is done…you don’t really know who you are any more…or what it is you are supposed to do with this new rhythm of a different kind of work and rest…

Work often consumes our life and takes over every ounce of our being…either because we have a strong passion for what we are doing or sometimes because we have an obligation to work to make sure we can pay all the bills that we never seem to be able to catch up on…and to take care of our families….sometimes, we work ourselves to the bone so we can pay for all the extra “stuff” we want…and then the day comes and we look around at all this “stuff” we accumulated over the years and ask ourselves this question: “And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

Most of us could probably identify with having a job that we didn’t particularly like…or at least know someone personally who held a job who for years grudgingly went to work every day, and came home and collapsed from shear exhaustion…and vented for a time every evening, about how much they despised their job…only to have to get up the next day and start all over again…

In our first reading this morning, from Ecclesiastes…we hear these words of grumbling about work…

I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me -- and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish?

The writer, Solomon, in his old age, who became so immersed in the everyday world, forgetting his connection to God, seemed to be focusing on “I, me” and thinking that whatever work he did should be for the benefit of himself only…why should any of this work “I do”…benefit anyone else? Perhaps the frustration comes with the thinking that it is he alone who is responsible for doing all the work….or perhaps the frustration comes because of his focus and attention to his own needs and his own wants…and not seeing the connection between his work in relation to his neighbors or for the needs of his neighbors?

Then Solomon gives us a glimpse of a change of focus and attitude about all the toil and work when he says this: So, I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it.”

The shift in focus and attention…appears to show us that Solomon turned his heart once again back to God’s abundant gifts and acknowledges “the others” in God’s family...understanding…that we are part of a community…and that all the work we do today for our family, and church, and communities… we may never see the fruits of our labors in our lifetime…

By our baptisms…we are a New Creation…our work in this world is about building up God’s Kingdom rooted in love and abundance of plenty for everyone…working from the center of our hearts by loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves…

By our baptisms, we are called to put God, Jesus and his love, first, and at the center of our lives…being obedient to the work they are calling us to do, for the well-being of all God’s people…today, and for future generations…

In the book, St Benedict’s Toolbox:  The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living…one of the chapters talks about listening and obedience…and its’ influence of putting God at the center of our lives, of all that we are working for…and it has nothing to do with storing up an abundance of possessions and treasures for ourselves…

Giving our Life to God…pg 72

St Benedict gathered ordinary people around him, giving them a new way of looking at the world that put God at the center of their lives. This is key, for once this starts to happen we see and experience life differently.

The work which was boring and tedious takes on a new resonance and significance. Deeds which are performed, not out of love of self, but out of love for God, have an infinite depth of meaning and value of the deeds themselves, which may be quite small.

But, be careful. It is much easier to talk about obedience than to live it. So, to do more than talk, we need to place our lives in the hands of God. When we choose to give away our lives to God, we begin to realize that we’re co-collaborators with God and are not responsible for everything. We use what’s been given to us creatively, attentive to our lives and to God’s presence. Through obedience we grow. Listening and responding in love, we take our part in furthering Christ’s kingdom in the world. (end of book excerpt)

“This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, (for yourself),whose will they be?”

What are you working for?

Who are you working for?

Who are you working with?

Who will benefit from your toil under the sun? or the rain…which is more relatable to us here in Sitka…

Will your persistent prayers and whatever work you are led to do, illuminate what truly matters to God in this world…loving one another, caring for one another, the hungry, the poor, the unhoused, the suffering, the lonely, the oppressed, the refugees…

Will your persistent prayers and whatever work you are led to do, enliven what truly matters to God in this world, by leading you to serve one another, and share the abundance of our riches with one another for the well-being of all God’s people…in this time, and in this place…and for future generations…

This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, (for yourself), whose will they be?”

Let us pray: For the Right Use of God's Gifts (BCP 827)

Almighty God, whose loving hand has given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor you with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today’s a new day…morning has broken….let us begin again…and turn to the one who gives purpose and meaning to the work we are called to do throughout the ages…

Closing Prayer/Hymn: Morning is broken (H) 8

7 Pentecost/Proper 12 Sermon

7 Pentecost/Year C – July 27, 2025

Scriptures: Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Luke 11:1-13

Rev Julie Platson

Opening Prayer: (d365.org, The Rev. Jennie Barber, adapted)

Eternal God, Open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds so we can be led by the prayer Jesus taught us. Let his words spark faithful action in every one of us, as we live and work together for the coming of God’s kingdom here on earth, as in heaven. Amen.

Lord, teach us to pray…as John taught his disciples…

When reading and reflecting on this week’s gospel…another familiar scripture this week for many of us sitting here this morning…I kept reading and re-reading it throughout the week…looking for the words and phrases that were jumping out at me this time around…

I kept going back to some of the opening verses, when one of the disciples asks Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

We don’t really have any scripture references or details that speak about exactly how John taught his disciples to pray…we only know that it seemed to be something important to note…that John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray.

And from what we know about John the Baptist…we know he was preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…he was preparing others for the coming of the Messiah…the One who would bring the very presence of God among the people…who would bring God’s kingdom here on earth…

One other important thing that stands out for me about John the Baptist…is that he was persistent…he was persistent in calling people to repent and turn their hearts and their lives towards the One who was to come.

When I think about John and his persistence today…I can see how he ends up in today’s gospel reading…I see where his ministry of proclaiming the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and preparing others for the coming of the Messiah…is an important part of Jesus’ teaching about prayer, when the disciples ask him to teach them to pray…as John taught his disciples….

I think of John’s life and ministry as a way of praying in the world…and I think about how his life of prayer was rooted in eternal life…focused on the One who would lead us and guide us through the temporal things of life…so that we lose not the things eternal…

Jesus begins his teaching about praying… acknowledging the Holy one to whom we are praying…to whom we are putting our trust in, for this life and the next, Father, hallowed be your name.

John taught his disciples to do the same…to repent and return to the Holy One, God...and to the one who grounds us, and roots us in the eternal presence of God…

Jesus continues with the prayer….Your kingdom come…praying that God’s kingdom would come…here on earth...

John taught his disciples this, too…preparing them, for the coming of this new kingdom…

Give us each day our daily bread…Jesus prays…a part of the prayer that reminds us of the daily bread we ask for and are given, the promise of our daily needs being taken care of…

John is persistent in calling people back to this truth…that by turning and returning to God…we will be given what we need...

Jesus continues….And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.

John, as we heard…preached a baptism of the repentance of sins…Preparing our hearts and minds for a clear path ahead…John baptized the people with water in the Jordan river…being clear, that repentance and forgiveness was just the beginning…that turning our hearts and minds towards the Holy One to come was just the beginning…And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

And the last line of the Jesus’ teaching about how to pray….

And do not bring us to the time of trial.

Isn’t that always our hope and prayer…a universal hope and prayer…to not be overcome by times of trial and suffering?

Isn’t that the part of the prayer that often takes the most persistence in believing as we are praying?

That’s where I’m encouraged by John’s example of persistence…and Jesus’ story about the friend who comes to ask for bread in the middle of the night, after everyone was sleeping…which teaches us about the need to be persistent in our prayers…our prayers of lament, of longing, of hoping for some kind of grace and mercy and relief in the midst of all that is troubling us and our neighbors…

They remind us… to never give up…to keep praying with our lips and in our lives….to:

Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

We are called to be persistent…with our prayers…persistent in asking, searching, and knocking on doors…that will be opened for us, and for our neighbors in need…

Who are those people throughout your lives…who have taught you to pray? Who have taught you to pray with persistence…Who are the ones who continue to inspire you and encourage you to keep hoping and praying to not be overcome by the trials and sufferings of this day…Who are the ones who have gone before you, and live among you today…that say, not only with their lips, but with their lives… that there is one among us, to whom we can pray and be grounded in for eternal life…the one who will lead us and guide us through the temporal things of life…so that we lose not the things eternal…

I am thankful for the forerunners of the faith, and the saints before us who have taught us about persistence in prayer…and for Jesus’ teachings about prayer, and the promise of life eternal to those who believe in Him….

Who will be looking to us now…to pass on those teachings about prayer…about persistence with our prayers…through our words, and in our lives…

Who will we pass on this gift of being persistent in prayer…teaching others…as we ourselves have been taught?

Our need to pray with persistence never ends…

In Bishop Mark’s e-news reflection this week…he invites us to consider the Lord’s Prayer as an invitation to a life of persistent prayer as ministry…

He writes:  I think it is safe to say that most people who identify as Christian know the Lord’s Prayer in one form or another. Whether one uses trespasses, debts, or sins the overall structure is the same and ends the same: Amen.

Just as Jesus taught it.

Except that Jesus didn’t include an ‘amen’ as if the prayer he was teaching was over. Instead, in Luke, he talked about seeking, and knocking on doors, and asking persistently. He talked about being constant in prayer and, as I hear his words, he taught the Disciples to be active in prayer.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about prayer as part of the Sermon on the Mount. In (today’s) setting, the Lord’s Prayer is part of Jesus’ broader message about praying and seeking the Kingdom, serving as he served, loving as he loved—-including our enemies.

What if the Lord’s Prayer included seeking and serving the Kingdom? What if the prayer didn’t end with ‘amen’, but instead was an invitation to a life of persistent prayer as ministry?

Persistent prayer as ministry is an invitation to all of us to enact prayer not only with our lips, but in our daily lives, for us, and for our neighbors…so that the love of God, God’s kingdom will indeed come to light here on earth, for all of God’s people…

Closing Prayer/Hymn: (H) 711

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Allelu Alleluia

Ask and it shall be given unto you
Seek and ye shall find
Knock and it shall be opened unto you
Allelu Alleluia

6 Pentecost/Proper 11 sermon

6 Pentecost/Year C – July 20, 2025

Scriptures: Genesis 18:1-10a, ; Psalm 15; Luke 10:10:38-42

Rev Julie Platson

Opening Prayer: (Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals))

Lord, grant us the ability to think with your mind, to hear with your ears, to see with your eyes, to speak with your mouth, to walk with your feet, to love with your hearts. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

In today’s gospel, Jesus and his disciples are still on the move and traveling from place to place…

Today, they arrive in the village of Bethany and are welcomed into the home of Martha and Mary.

And it is in these few, short familiar verses, that we might instinctively turn our thoughts to identify closely with either Martha or Mary…and could probably easily come up with some remembrances of when you were in the same position, and places of preparing for a group of visitors…and once they arrived, you and others of your household, would have had different “tasks” in welcoming your guests.

We often default to that type of reaction when we listen to Jesus’ teachings in the gospel…we are quick to align ourselves with the various parts and people of the story…often unintentionally, perhaps…falling into that “us vs them” narrative that I spoke about a couple of weeks back.

While I believe it can be a helpful practice, to consider where we find ourselves in the stories and teachings we hear in the gospels…I’m not sure the intention is to set us up into separate categories that can lead us to judge one another...but rather to help us see where God is, where Jesus is, in the midst of our interactions with one another, in the midst of our tasks that distract us from one another, and in all the variety of ways we will be called to welcome one another, and walk in love with one another, throughout our days here on earth.

So, this week, what’s jumping out at me…is a reminder that we need not focus our attention on who is doing what or not doing what…but to ask ourselves a few questions…

Is Jesus and the love he has proclaimed to us, in our midst…what we are focusing on, when we welcome others into our homes, our churches, our communities?

Is it Jesus and his love that we allow to guide us, move us, and strengthen us to do the things we do to stand up and advocate for the oppressed, and the vulnerable in our communities?

Is it Jesus and his love that we believe with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind, is the “better part”, the one thing we believe can help us to love and serve one another, as we have been so loved?

Jesus is always calling us forward in ways that encourage us to be mindful of others, to hold fast to the hope for co-creating a world when it’s no longer about us vs them…but us…all of us…

He is always encouraging us to go…to go and walk in the way of love…yet he teaches us time and time again, about setting time aside for prayer, for stillness, to be loved by God and inspired by the Holy Spirit, to be nourished by his presence and a relationship with him, to be enabled, and equipped to go in love and peace to serve one another.

I leave you with this today.

There is need of only one thing to focus on in all of our worries, anxieties, fears, and in all of our endings and new beginnings…Jesus and his love. Whether we are sitting at his feet, or whether we are prepping the meal for him and all the guests we will welcome to the table:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace. Amen.

Closing Prayer/Hymn: (Praise Chorus Book #97) - Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace. Amen

5 Pentecost/Proper 10 Sermon

Today’s sermon was written by Chip Camden!

May God grant us a true and lively respect for the dignity and worth of every human being, and teach us to love all of our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.

2 Pentecost - June 22 sermon

2 Pentecost/Year C – June 22, 2025

Scriptures: Isaiah 65:1-9; Psalm 22:18-27; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39

(written by Rev Julie Platson)

Opening Prayer: (Feasting on the Word: Worship Companian)

 Almighty God, creator of all things seen and unseen, through your Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, you show your power and mercy. You cast out evil, tear down walls of division, comfort and challenge your people, and show signs of your kingdom coming into the world. Grant that we may lift up the discouraged, strengthen the doubting, and join with all who seek to thank you for your goodness. Amen.

What struck me, initially, in this morning’s gospel, was the depth of someone’s despair and suffering…I couldn’t turn away…I just kept going back and back again to the man in today’s gospel reading who we heard was filled and tormented with many demons…

It made me wonder…what was it throughout his life that kept him captive to such despair and suffering? What were the demons in his head and those around him constantly telling him? What was the tipping point…for him, and for others who find themselves in such despair, when it felt like they were dying a slow death, when they saw no chance of ever escaping the depths of their deep-seeded fears, and persecution…when they saw no chance of ever being loved and accepted by God or others…

We don’t really know much about the man with demons, before his interaction with Jesus…other than, for a long time he wore no clothes, and lived in the tombs…and that from time to time, even in shackles and being chained up…he would break the bonds and be driven out by the demons to the wild…

But, we do get a glimpse in today’s gospel, what happens after he meets Jesus…

We see what happens when Jesus notices him, responds to him, and asks him, “What is your name”?

We see what happens when the demons tormenting the man beg Jesus, to set them free….

We see what happens to the man, when his demons are set free…

We see what happens to the man, when Jesus heals him…

We see a new man, a man transformed by the love and mercy and grace of God, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed, in his right mind again… with stillness in his body and mind, for the first time in years, with no demons tormenting him…only a new hope…eager to follow the one who finally healed him and set his spirit free…

But Jesus tells the man…this is how you can follow me: “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you."

Go out and proclaim the good news to someone else…go tell it…. everywhere!

So, he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

That’s how we can follow Jesus, too…. by giving thanks for the mercy and grace and love of God in our own lives and those close by us that we have been witness to, and then we go… we go out into the world, our neighborhoods, proclaiming the good news to someone else…wherever our hearts, and hands, and feet may take us…

Why? Because we have seen for ourselves, how this love and mercy and grace of God has the power to uplift, to heal and to transform one’s life.

And we all know someone, somewhere, right now…whose spirits need a boost, and some encouragement, and hope…that all will be well…that we will get through these troubling and despairing times, together…

We need not stretch our imaginations at all to bring to mind, in these unsettling times, how many people, worldwide are anxious, afraid, deeply troubled, suffering needlessly, and on the brink of giving up perhaps, because they see no chance of ever escaping the depths of their deep-seeded fears and persecution they are faced with every day…and they are struggling to see any signs around them that affirm they are worthy to be loved and accepted and respected, and will not be forgotten or cast aside by God or their community.

Now, more than ever…we must not look away…or give up on the idea that anything will ever change…With God, and one another working together…walking together in the way of love, we will pave a way forward together…that will restore God’s dream of the beloved community, it was created to be…

We need not re-invent the wheel for walking the way of love that has the power to uplift people out of their despair, and promote healing and transformation of people’s lives…because Jesus has already shown us the way…

It’s up to us now, to go…to go out into the world, proclaiming hope, with the healing power of God’s love and mercy and grace, made known to us in Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us now…

Us, as in it will take every one of us…to do something…just one thing…one day at a time…

Retired Bishop, Steven Charleston sums this thought up quite simply…

A single person can alter the course of history.

A single word can heal a broken heart.

A single act of kindness can restore a community to hope and health.

We may be ordinary people, but every single one of us can be an agent of transformation…

Yes, every single one of us can do something. But, we aren’t meant to only do things alone.  That is the gift of gathering together each week for worship services. It’s a time to come together as a community for our spirits to be lifted, nourished, replenished, encouraged through the scriptures, story-sharing, music, prayer, communion, fellowship…and to strengthen us to go out into the world to be agents of transformation, to be bearers of God’s love and mercy and grace…bringing hope, and healing, and peace, and love, and joy into to the lives of all God’s people.

Let us pray with the words of WLP hymn #772… to be grounded once again in the mercy and grace and love of God, made known to us in Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us now…

Closing Prayer/Hymn: (WLP) 772

 1       O Christ, the healer, we have come

          to pray for health, to plead for friends.

          How can we fail to be restored,

          when reached by love that never ends?

2        From every ailment flesh endures

          our bodies clamor to be freed;

          yet in our hearts we would confess

          that wholeness is our deepest need.

3        How strong, O Lord, are our desires,

          how weak our knowledge of ourselves!

          Release in us those healing truths

          unconscious pride resists ourselves.

4        In conflicts that destroy our health

          we recognize the world’s disease;

          our common life declares our ills:

          is there no cure, O Christ, for these?

5        Grant that we all, made in one faith,

          in your community may find

          the wholeness that, enriching us,

          shall reach the whole of humankind.

The Day of Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost/Year C Sermon/June 8, 2025

Acts of the Apostles 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17

(Rev Julie Platson, with BISHOP MARK LATTIME’S E-NEWS REFLECTION ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST)

Today, I’m changing things up a bit…I usually end my sermon, with a closing prayer using hymn lyrics, and inviting you into a time of reflection as I play the hymn.

But today, I begin with a prayer/hymn inviting the Holy Spirit into our lives once again on this Day of Pentecost, on this Day of Celebration when we are reminded of the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, that has been given to us to empower us and unite us to one another, through loving God and one another, as revealed to us in Jesus Christ. This gift of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, is the Spirit of truth, that abides in us, and will be with us, forever. This, we believe.

Let us pray: Opening Prayer: (H) 513

Like the murmur of the dove's song, like the challenge of her flight,

like the vigor of the wind's rush, like the new flame's eager might:

come, Holy Spirit, come.

To the members of Christ's Body, to the branches of the Vine,

to the Church in faith assembled, to her midst as gift and sign:

come, Holy Spirit, come.

With the healing of division, with the ceaseless voice of prayer,

with the power to love and witness, with the peace beyond compare:

come, Holy Spirit, come. Amen.

This morning, I decided that I wanted to share Bishop Mark’s message that was sent out this past week about the Day of Pentecost...because it felt like it picked up where we left off last Sunday with my sermon…when I highlighted the theme of prayer infused with the Holy Spirit’s presence, and when I closed with the words to pray: Pray for the day, when God’s kingdom will come, here on earth, as in heaven…pray for the time when we will all be One…One in love with God and another…one body, one spirit, one hope, one family, one creation…now and forever…

FROM BISHOP MARK – JUNE 6, 2025 E-NEWS

(Today) is the Day of Pentecost. It is our annual celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit, “like the rush of a violent wind filling the entire house where the disciples were sitting.” The story from the Acts of the Apostles goes on to describe divided tongues, as of fire, appearing and resting on everyone in the room. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

And what happened next? They spoke. They communicated. They talked in many languages so that everyone could hear and understand. There was purpose to this extraordinary gift of the Holy Spirit--purpose to their words. It wasn’t to prove they were special. It wasn’t to prove a special personal gift of power given by God. The purpose was unity—community.

On the Day of Pentecost, the Church was born--the Body of Christ on earth drew its first breath. The many became one, unified in and by the Holy Spirit.  And the Church’s first birthday gift was the ability to communicate, to speak so that others could hear. To speak so that all might know the welcome, the universal hope we have and we share in Christ Jesus, even in our diversity. 

We are one in the Spirit regardless of our language, our ethnicity, our identity, our background, our history, or our culture. We are one in the Spirit even if we prefer Rite I over Rite II, or Hymns versus Gospel Songs.

The Holy Spirit unifies; it does not divide. The gift of the Holy Spirit draws us into deeper communion and community with God and each other. 

And that is the Lord’s Prayer. Last Sunday, The Seventh Sunday of Easter (known by some as The Sunday after the Ascension) we learned the Lord’s Prayer. No, not that one. Not the one that Jesus taught his disciples—the “Our Father.” Last Sunday in the Gospel of John 17:20-23, we heard Jesus’ prayer—our Lord’s Prayer, the night before his crucifixion. And our Lord’s prayer was that we may all be one. Jesus prayed: “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

The Day of Pentecost—the gift of the Holy Spirit is the answer to our Lord’s prayer. May the Spirit’s power fill us with love, grace, and strength that we remain devoted to the unity and the ministry of the Body of Christ, so that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair.* (*BCP 429)

And now, I invite you to stand as you are able, as we renew and reaffirm our baptismal vows, that give us an outline, that give us some words, that give us the reminder of what we say we believe about God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And how with God’s help, and empowered by the Holy spirit, and in community with one another, we can transform the world around us through our loving actions that reflect what we say we believe.

BCP 292 The Renewal of Baptismal Vows

Celebrant

 Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and
renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?

People I do.

Celebrant

 Do you believe in God the Father?

People

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
     creator of heaven and earth.

Celebrant

 Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

People

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
     He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
          and born of the Virgin Mary.
     He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
          was crucified, died, and was buried.
     He descended to the dead.
     On the third day he rose again.
     He ascended into heaven,
          and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
     He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Celebrant

 Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

People

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
     the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
     the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Celebrant

 Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the
prayers?

People I will, with God's help.

Celebrant

 Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever
you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

People I will, with God's help.

Celebrant

 Will you proclaim by word and example the Good
News of God in Christ?

People I will, with God's help.

Celebrant

 Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving
your neighbor as yourself?

People I will, with God's help.

Celebrant

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people,
and respect the dignity of every human being?

People I will, with God's help.

The Celebrant concludes the Renewal of Vows as follows

May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins, keep us in eternal life by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen

You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own for ever. Amen.

7th Sunday of Easter - Praying with Love

7 Easter/Year C Sermon/June 1, 2025

Acts of the Apostles 16:16-34; Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-14,16-17, 20-21; John 17:20-26

(Rev Julie Platson)

Opening Prayer (Feasting on the Word Worship Companion)

Holy God, whose voice is heard in the thunder and in the silence, speak to us now, by the power of your Spirit, that we may hear your word for us today; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Today’s scriptures have given us so much to ponder. Almost too much, it can feel like at times. But, as I spent time with these scriptures over the past couple of weeks, there was one word, one image that kept coming into clear focus…and that was the word “PRAYER”.

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we continue to be witness to the power of prayer enacted by the disciples, and specifically today, the bold witness of Paul and Silas…to bring about healing and transformation of peoples’ lives through their prayers in word and actions, and songs and persistence…

Psalm 97, as today’s response to our first reading, is a prayer of praise and thanksgiving…

The reading from the book of Revelation today, is a prayer of invitation to draw us  closer, to focus on the One who has been with us from the very beginning, and will be us, in the ages to come…It’s a prayer inviting us to hold on to that vision and hope…that believes that Jesus will come again…There’s a simple prayer in the reading that we can carry with us this week…. “Come, Lord Jesus!”
Maybe begin and end your daily prayers this week, in whatever form they take…with these three words: “Come, Lord Jesus!”

As we continue with our reading from the Gospel of John chapter 17…today’s verses are part of a full, larger prayer that Jesus prays for his disciples on his last evening with them in the upper room, on the eve of his arrest and crucifixion.

He prays with so much love and empathy for them, and with so much love and hope for them to experience for themselves and for those whose lives they will impact, that the love of God made known to him, would be in them too…and that it would be through the revelation of the love of God, made known to them and us, in Jesus Christ, that they would come to believe in the One who truly binds them together with love as one body, one family, one creation

Jesus gives us a pretty clear message about the importance of prayer, in all forms, and styles, and times and places. Not just as we heard in today’s readings, but throughout the scriptures. He’s regularly modeling and leading his followers through a balance of prayer and action…and one of his final teachings for those who will carry on his mission long after he leaves his earthly footprint, would be the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit that would be sent to us after his ascension to heaven, to teach us, guide us, empower us, comfort us, and strengthen us to show us the way to pray and walk in love as one body, one spirit, one hope, here and now, in this time, and in this place…

Yet, Jesus doesn’t go into all kinds of itty-bitty details about how we should pray…sometimes he used words and parables to teach us, and other times, it was through his quiet, loving, compassionate silence, presence, and actions that were a form of prayer, and praise and thanksgiving to God…

In our Book of Common Prayer, we have a section of the Catechism about prayer and some different kinds of prayer…it begins on pg 856 if you want to explore that section further sometime…but, for now, I just call your attention to the very 1st question and answer regarding one of the basic Episcopal Church’s teaching on prayer:

Q.      What is prayer?

A.      Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.

        Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.

This teaching for me…gives us infinite possibilities as to how we can include prayer in our daily lives, in such a way that captures Jesus’ clear message about the importance of prayer, and its’ impact on our own lives, and the lives of those we will encounter throughout our lifetime.

Looking back over the few general things I noted in today’s readings about prayer as the Holy Spirit can teach us now: they are infused with healing and transformation, words and songs, praise and thanksgiving, invitation and visioning, love and empathy… for ourselves, for others, with the love of God, at the very center, made known to us in Jesus Christ, who is revealed throughout the scriptures as the One who can truly bind us all together as one body, one family, one creation…now and for the age to come…

So, pray…pray as Jesus has taught us to pray…pray wherever you are this summer - for yourself, for those you love, for those who anger and frustrate you, and for those you have yet to meet face to face: pray at the beach, on a boat, fishing, walking through the park, at camp, or at a concert, traveling on the highways, the airways…standing at the roundabout to advocate for the most vulnerable…pray for those at AA meetings, when visiting with elders, pray in the quiet of your home, or at church…pray with songs of praise and thanksgiving, pray with the summer psalms, pray at every meal, pray as you open your eyes at the start of the day, pray as you close your eyes at the end of the day, pray with empathy and love for those you hear about on the news…pray for those suffering in places of war and conflict, pray with your tears, to give you a clearer vision of a world where people of all walks of life and cultures can truly be welcomed and respected for who they are…Pray for the day, when God’s kingdom will come, here on earth, as in heaven…pray for the time when we will all be One…One in love with God and another…one body, one spirit, one hope, one family, one creation…now and forever…

Closing Prayer/Hymn: They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love

6th Sunday of Easter

6 Easter Day/Year C Sermon/May 25, 2025 Acts of the Apostles 16:9-15; Psalm 67; John 14:23-29 (Written by Rev Julie Platson)

Opening Prayer (Feasting on the Word Worship Companion)

Living God, you sent your apostle to preach the gospel to women gathered by a river, in a secluded place of prayer. There a businesswomen named Lydia was led by the Spirit to hear your word as truth. You opened her heart in love, and she opened her home for the spreading of the gospel. By the power of your Holy Spirit, fling wide the doors of our hearts this day, as we hear your word of life, that we too may open our lives to serve your world in love; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

The words in today’s gospel reading, are a healing balm for the soul.

A healing balm…that is available to all of us, as we learn to trust in Jesus’ promise of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, that would be sent after his leaving…a promise of the Holy Spirit to remind us of all that we have heard and learned from him…A promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us…to help us know and believe and trust…that God is always with us…the peace of Christ that the world cannot give, will always be with us…

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is lovingly acknowledging and validating the disciples’ confusion, fears, and sorrow, as he has been preparing them for the time he would be leaving them, preparing them for the events that will be leading up to his death on the cross…preparing them for the news of his resurrection that would take place three days after his death…preparing them for the time that he must leave, so that the Holy Spirit, the Advocate could be sent, to deepen theirs (and our) relationship with him, and help us to be the hands and feet of Jesus now, bringing hope and peace and love as a healing balm to a hurting, broken, divided world.

Jesus’ words today about going away, are not meant to add more anxiety to our lives. They are an opportunity for us, to hold fast to the word of truth that Jesus has made known to us in the scriptures. To learn to trust, that all Jesus has been teaching us, showing us…has given us a pathway to healing and reconciliation with God, and one another. His teachings, and promises made to us, have revealed the love of God, the peace of God that surpasses all of our “logical” understanding…

We learn to trust in those promises and the call to walk in the way of love we have been shown through a lifetime of practice…by spending time alone and together with others, in prayer, listening for the Word of God spoken to us in the scriptures (through the power of the Holy Spirit), getting to know Jesus and the peace he can give that’s different from the peace the world gives, getting to know Jesus and the love he has shown us, that is often different than what the world teaches us, getting to know Jesus and the ways he has taught us to reach out and care for the most vulnerable, those on the margins, those who the world sometimes tells us…to exclude, instead of the radical welcome of God that says all people are worthy to be loved and cared for…and as our baptismal covenant reminds us of a few of Jesus’ core teachings…we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, and we are called to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being…

All of this is possible, with God’s help, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, to teach us, guide us, empower us, and strengthen us to show us the way, here and now, in this time, and in this place.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Believing in Jesus’ words and his presence among us, in life and in death, can be a healing balm for us now that has the power to bring comfort and peace and hope in the midst of all our fears, confusion, and sorrows that come with being alive in this world. They are a healing balm for our souls that can strengthen us to do whatever we can, wherever we are, whenever we can, to bring hope and peace and love to as many people as we can, for as long as we ever can…

My prayer for all of us today, is that the Holy Spirit will fling wide the doors of our hearts, transforming us by the living word of life proclaimed to us in the hearing of today’s scriptures… so that we too, like Lydia, may open our lives and our hearts to serve God’s world in love.

Closing Prayer/Hymn: (H) 505 - O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God

1       O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,

         in every need thou bringest aid;

         thou comest forth from God’s great throne,

         from God, the Father and the Son;

         O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.

2       O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,

         increase our faith in our dear Lord;

         unless thy grace the power should give,

         none can believe in Christ and live;

         O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.

3       O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,

         make us to love thy sacred word;

         the holy flame of love impart,

         that charity may warm each heart;

         O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.

4       O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,

         enlighten us by that same word;

         teach us to know the Father’s love,

         and his dear Son, who reigns above;

         O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.

5 Easter Sermon

Easter 5/Year C/May 18, 2025

(Written by Chip Camden)

Readings: Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35

The Gospel of John presents some challenges for Biblical interpretation.  It differs greatly from the other three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke -- which are called "synoptic" because they "see together", often in contrast with the account in John.  Many important events in the synoptic gospels (for example, the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper) are missing in John.  Conversely, some of the most powerful moments in the Gospel of John (washing the disciples' feet and the raising of Lazarus, for example) occur only in John.  John makes a much stronger case for Christ's divinity than anything that can be gleaned from the synoptic gospels.

John also gives us lengthy speeches from the mouth of Jesus.  Because there were no quotation marks in ancient Greek, it can sometimes be difficult to tell where Jesus' speech ends and John's commentary begins, but perhaps that distinction wasn't of as much importance to the author as the content of the message.  That content, however, can often seem inscrutable.  Any logical thread quickly becomes tangled or leads to some unexpected terminus.  The Jesus of John's gospel seems to use words much like Jackson Pollock used paints.  His monologues appear especially crafted to challenge and confuse, and John often records that kind of response from Jesus' auditors: "How can these things be?" (John 3:9) "This is a hard saying, who can listen to it?" (John 6:60) "Now we know that you have a demon." (John 8:52)

Nevertheless, many of Jesus's sayings that are unique to John strike such a deep chord of truth that they have become definitive of Christian consciousness: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16), "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35), "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5), "It is finished" (John 19:30).

In today's gospel lesson, the scene is the Last Supper.  Judas has just departed to carry out his betrayal of Jesus.  Jesus says, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If we read further, we find that Peter, at least, was again confused by what Jesus has said.  He asks where Jesus is going, and why he can't follow him. Jesus replies, in effect, that Peter isn't ready for that -- yet.  But Peter seems to have ignored the more difficult point in what Jesus said: that they should love each other as Jesus has loved them.

This phrase "as I have loved you" interests me.  We might have expected present tense (“as I love you”) or at least continuing action, in the verb "love" (which is the Greek agapao αγαπαω).  But John uses the aorist tense here, which usually indicates a past action at a specific point in time -- thus it is translated "have loved".  This probably refers to Christ's incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection, which within the narrative hasn't been completed yet, but for the readers of the gospel would be the defining act of Christ's love.  This is made clear in the Johannine epistles, which were written by the same author or group of authors. "By this God's love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atonement for our sins.  Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another." (I John 4:9-11)

Perhaps the greatest truth that Christianity offers the world is the realization that the limitless, all-powerful God has such a limitless love that this God enters deeply into our experience, suffers everything that we suffer, and ultimately redeems it all.

What does it mean, then, for us to love each other in the same way?

Sacrificial love means that nothing is more important than caring for each other.  It means setting aside selfish goals when they get in the way of helping others.  And even that must not be done in order to "check a box" or accrue brownie points -- it must proceed from genuinely loving our neighbors as ourselves. It means seeing others’ wrongdoing not as an offence that needs to be punished, but rather as a sickness that needs healing.  It means that we do not measure another's worth by the number of dollars they can put under their name, or the family they come from, or the talents they display, or even the good work they've done, but rather by the fact that they are fellow children of God, no matter how messed up their lives have become.  It means having the humility to see that we are no better than anyone else, and that God loves us as we are.  It means believing and desiring that all can be redeemed.

This kind of love is in direct conflict with the individualist materialism that we are taught from a young age in this world, so we need grace to unlearn those lessons and to grow in love.  As Jesus says in another passage from John's gospel, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

4 Easter Sermon Reflection

4 Easter Day/Year C Sermon/May 11, 2025 Acts of the Apostles 9:36-43; Psalm 23; John 10:22-30 (Rev Julie Platson)

Opening Prayer (Collect of the Day  - 4 Easter)

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today’s gospel reading always makes for a good discussion…There’s always the questions and concerns about how we hear God’s voice…some say...that they haven’t actually heard their name spoken….some say, they don’t know if they’ve  ever heard God’s call in a clear and audible way…some ask…how do we know it’s the Good Shepherd calling our name…how do we know whose voice it is we hear and not our own thoughts and ideas speaking to us?

When we get to the end of the discussion…there is never one clear answer…it seems as though the Lord call us each by name…in a variety of ways…but it is the one voice that is behind the call that we strive to discern…Jesus said… “The Father and I are one.”

Several years ago, in a book study during Lent, one of the participants shared a video with us, with a shepherd calling his sheep….we could hear him calling them…but it seemed like quite awhile before they started coming…but little by little they came running to the shepherd…a few of them…then masses of them…

I couldn’t help but wonder…if there were other shepherds not too far off, who were also calling for their flock…how would the sheep know which voice to follow?

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”

The Jewish authorities gathered around Jesus in today’s gospel reading said to Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you and you do not believe.”

“I have told you, plainly”…I imagine Jesus saying to them…

Just last week, in our gospel reading…Jesus asked Simon (Peter) – three times…

"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

And each time, Simon (Peter) answered him…"Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

Jesus responded to Simon (Peter) three times, plainly…

"Feed my lambs."

"Tend my sheep."

"Feed my sheep.”

I would say, that’s speaking pretty plainly…

Sometimes, we have a way of complicating things pretty well. Someone could be standing right in front of us, telling us and showing us something…yet we still don’t “hear” what is being said. It doesn’t sound familiar, it doesn’t make logical sense, it’s not what we’ve known before….so we don’t “hear” what’s being said.

The Good Shepherd’s voice is not always “heard” with our ears…or understood through “seeing”. It goes much deeper than that.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.”

We’ve heard similar words before…

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

We have a Good Shepherd among us, always…His Name is Jesus…and He calls us each by name…

The Good Shepherd’s voice is a voice that dwells within us…When we make it a daily practice to quiet ourselves long enough, to just “be” in His presence and listen for the voice who speaks to us…we will begin to recognize it, and hear his call to rise up and follow where he is wanting to lead us…

Therein, lies the challenge these days...how do we quiet ourselves…how do we open our ears, our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to hear what the Spirit is saying to us…How do we get past all the distractions?... the worries, the concerns, the unbelief, the busyness of daily life…

How do we get past all the beautiful distractions in Sitka?… the mountains, the trails, the ocean, the fishing, the birds, the animals, the beauty of the night skies and the long days of sunlight…We can get pulled in so many directions…

But are these really distractions?…or perhaps in those distractions…the troubling ones and the beautiful ones, nestled deeply within…the voice of the Good Shepherd is calling out…

The sea calls out to many… there are those whose fishing work provides food for many of us, whose work provides food for those children in the schools, who perhaps have only one meal that day...could that be the voice of the Good Shepherd calling out: "Feed my lambs." Take care of the young ones, and the vulnerable, among you.

The trails and the wooded areas that surround us in Sitka, beckon many to walk among the trees, the birds, and the animals… could that be the voice of the Good Shepherd calling out: "Tend my sheep." Take care of this beautiful creation…take care of one another…

The music that is played and sung throughout the year here, in a variety of forms, with a variety of instruments, and with a variety of voices…brings abundant joy, and often healing, and peace of mind and heart…could that be the voice of the Good Shepherd calling out: "Feed my sheep." Love one another, be hope-bearers, joy-bringers…

Jesus is the Good Shepherd...do you hear him calling? Will you rise up and follow him, and go wherever he leads you?

All we need in this life can be found in following him and trusting him to show us the way of walking in love with one another…the Lord, who is our Shepherd…

He will lead us to a place of rest and quiet, when the day feels too full…

He will revive our souls, gives us hope again, and guide us in the way we should go…

He will walk with us through the hills and valleys, he will keep us safe, he will comfort us in times of trials and fear…

He has prepared a special place for all of us, at the feast…with overflowing abundance…

And surely His goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Amen.

Prayer/Music after sermon: “You Hear the Lambs a-Cryin” (LEVAS II - #110)

You hear the lambs a-cryin’ hear the lambs a-cryin’,

 hear the lambs a-cryin’ O Shepherd, feed my sheep.

1 My Savior spoke these words so sweet,

O Shepherd, feed my sheep.

Sayin (Simon) Peter, if you love me, feed my sheep."

O Shepherd, feed my sheep.   Refrain

2 O Lord, I love thee, thou dost know;

 O Shepherd, feed my sheep.

 O give me grace to love thee more.

O Shepherd, feed my sheep.  Refrain