11th Sunday after Pentecost, August 9th, 2026

Scriptures: 1 Kings 19:9-18; Psalm 85:8-13; Romans 10:5-15, Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon by Chip Camden

Proper 14

In today's lesson from Kings, we find the prophet Elijah in a cave.  Elijah is fleeing for his life again, because King Ahab of Israel and his wife Jezebel, who are promoting Canaanite religion, want to have him killed.  Elijah, a prophet of Yahweh, is a thorn in their side.  In the previous chapter of Kings, Elijah has convinced a large crowd of people by means of an impressive display of power that Yahweh is the true God and Baal is a fraud -- inciting the people to kill the prophets of Baal and return to Yahweh.  This episode followed three years of drought that Elijah had predicted, demonstrating the impotence of the rain god Baal.  He also predicted the very day that the drought would end.  You would think the royals would be convinced.  Instead, Jezebal threatens Elijah with immediate death.  

The throne is not as interested in religion as it is in cultural and political uniformity.  Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, the Phoenician king of Tyre and Sidon.  Ahab's marriage to her cemented an alliance between the kingdom of Israel and the Phoenicians.  The worship of Baal had been a key element of Phoenician culture for centuries, since at least the Bronze Age.  It spread throughout the region and embraced many forms.  Before and during the time of David, it appears that even Yahweh was sometimes called Baal.  Coincidentally,  that was also a time when relations between Israel and Phoenicia were strong and friendly.  So when Elijah preached an exclusive, anti-Baal Yahwism, he was probably seen as an exclusivist, separatist radical.  That version of the worship of Yahweh even came with its own anti-Canaanite origin story.  Elijah needed to be silenced in order to consolidate cultural unity and political power across the region.

Elijah flees to the place where that origin story begins: Mount Horeb, the mountain where Yahweh appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and later gave the ten commandments to the Israelites. In this holy place, Elijah should be able to get a clear answer from God about all that has gone wrong.

But instead of an answer, God asks a question: "What are you doing here?"  Literally, the Hebrew says "What is here for you?"

Elijah responds with a litany of everything that's gone wrong with the nation.  Instead of responding to this, God tells him to go stand on the mountain and wait.  

Being on Mount Horeb, Elijah is ready for something big.  A great wind kicks up, so great that it splits rocks!  But God is not in the wind.  Then comes an earthquake!  But God is not in the earthquake either.  A fire!  Now we're talking Horeb-style!  But God isn't even in the fire.

Finally, a still, small voice.  Our translation says "a sound of sheer silence" (which might evoke the words of prophets that are written on subway walls and tenement halls rather than in the Book of Kings).  Either translation is reasonable; literally "a voice, silent, tiny"

In any case, it's not at all what Elijah expected.  Yet he recognizes God in it, because he wraps his face in his mantle, just as Moses had hid his face when he realized that God was speaking from the burning bush.

God repeats his question: "What are you doing here?"  Elijah repeats his litany of wrongs.  God doesn't say "I'm sorry" or offer comfort -- rather, God gives Elijah new marching orders:

1. Anoint Hazael king of Aram (roughly Syria).  After murdering his predecessor, Hazael will brutally invade Israel, taking all of the territory east of the Jordan as well as the city of Gath.

2. Anoint Jehu king of Israel.  Jehu will utterly destroy the family of Ahab and Jezebel, and will purge Israel of Baal worshippers.

3. Anoint Elisha as your successor.  This is the only one of the three tasks that Elijah performs -- he leaves the other two to Elisha.

All three of these tasks will work towards the elimination of the worship of Baal.  "Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill, and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill."

Not your typical Sunday school lesson. 

Seriously, though, what can we take away from this story?  Certainly we don't believe that we should execute those whose religion conflicts with ours.  Religious tolerance is a natural extension of the teachings of Jesus.   But one lesson we can take is against the state appropriation of religion for political ends.  That lesson is confirmed by other accounts where even pro-Yahweh kings are chastised for taking religious matters into their own hands.  God does not serve the state.

“But wait!” I hear you cry. “At least two of God’s action items for Elijah are political!”  Yes, that is true. God does not serve politics, but God can inspire us to political action in accordance with God’s will. “But…Hazael and Jehu are going to kill a lot of people!”  Part of the incarnational nature of God’s action is that it occurs in the context of our broken human systems. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t want to change them for the better, though. When Elisha later tells Hazael that he will become king, Elisha weeps over the destruction that Hazael’s reign will bring. Hundreds of years after that, Jesus will teach us non-violence, and two thousand years later we still haven’t learned that lesson!  God always wants to move us towards the Way of Love, but it takes a long time due to our human limitations. Fundamentalists mean well when they insist on fidelity to God’s word, but they fail to recognize that God’s revelation comes to us through human filters. We often misapply God’s call in ways that are distorted by our brokenness. So two things can be true: we can be following God’s call at the same time that we are failing to do so in significant ways.  May God grant us discernment and growth. 

Another lesson can be drawn from the way in which God speaks to Elijah.  The "still, small voice" seems to call us to quiet contemplation, silencing the noise in our lives so that we can hear God speak in our hearts.  While that is true and a good practice, I don't think that is the only, or even the best, lesson here.  If we stop with this, we might expect God to speak to us every time we sit down and quiet ourselves.  No, I think the real point here is that God spoke in a way that Elijah wasn't expecting, yet Elijah heard.  One repeating feature of the prophetic narratives in the Bible is that God does the unexpected.  To hear God speak, you have to be out of your mind — your usual mind, that is.  The Greek word that is translated “repentance” in the New Testament is “metanoia”, which literally means “think differently”. That idea pervades Jesus' teaching, with "the first shall be last," "blessed are the poor" and other counter-intuitive sayings, not to mention mind-shattering deeds like walking on water and rising from the dead.  Whenever we try to put God into a box, to circumscribe what is God’s way of doing things versus what is not, then we are placing ourselves above God.  If we do that, we will be disappointed, perhaps even angered, by the unexpected.  If instead we open ourselves to God's surprises, we will find freedom and joy.

10th Sunday after Pentecost, August 2, 2026

Scriptures: Isaiah 55:1-5; Psalm 145: 8-9, 15-22; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21

Reflection by Nancy Jo Bleier, Worship Leader

8/2/26 10 Pentecost Morning Prayer
Matt: 14: 13-21
I read “the rest of the story” in the Daily Sitka Sentinel this week about a boat coming down Sitka Channel and anchoring off the UAS ramp. Some scruffy fishermen rowed ashore. Pretty soon the whole area from the Coast Guard on both ends, thru MEHS and SEARHC were filled up with people - families, women, kids, men. Some brought chairs they still had out from a local parade. UAS brought out more chairs plus tables. Many put the word out on FaceBook that some guy called Jesus was healing the sick at SEARHC.

I happened to be at an appointment at SEARHC so decided I better go down toward the water to see what was happening. I had heard that Jesus had been preaching good news in other villages in SouthEast Alaska. As we know rumors move quickly thru social media, amateur/
HAM radio and CB radio.

An obituary was in the paper this week for his cousin, John the Baptist. John who was in prison had his head cut off on the order of Herod. His disciples had buried him and let Jesus know. The word was Jesus had gone away on a boat most likely to grief the loss of this great man.

It became evening so his fishermen friends said “let’s send everyone on their way to find their own food and we’ll go to the Pioneer Bar”. Jesus said “they don’t need to go; we’ll feed them. But the fishermen said “all we have is 5 sourdough loaves and 2 leftover fish.” So this Jesus blessed the food, broke it up and asked his friends to hand it all out. Somehow this guy doesn’t believe in scarcity as there were 12 totes full of leftovers that went to Sitkans Against Family Violence, Salvation Army and other places. They had folks counting the crowd and they came up with most of Sitka plus another 2,000 from the ships in town came down to hear this Jesus.

There were no picket signs, no flags flying and no guns reported. Everyone was happy and grateful for the words of hope and food. Those who felt their own healing were ecstatic. 

One woman told the newspaper reporter she couldn’t believe how humble this Jesus was. He was quite outstanding she said because you could feel his aura, like a light shining all around him. And he was appropriately wearing Xtra-tufs. She said he made his message clear that God was the one everyone could count on.

The reporter noted he quoted the Psalmist; 'The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great kindness…The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open wide your hand and satisfy the needs of every living creature…”

Later I heard after the meal he insisted his fishermen friends go back to the boat to move back up Peril Strait. They said he took off walking up Gavin Hill to be by himself.

So it's now Sunday in our present day ordinary time…how do these scriptures affect each one of us.. We are in a church sanctuary built to honor God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Are we witnesses to his stories today? Would we be grateful for hearing in person his parables or irritated that he talked in circles.

What jumped out to me reading Matthew was Jesus’ compassion for healing of the ill wherever he traveled. Most of all for knowing everyone was hungry and the community needed to be fed not just with words but with real food. And he had a Divine Power to make this happen. 

Did you know this story is found in all four gospels?
Matthew 14:13-21
Mark 6:31-44
Luke 9:10-17
John 6:1-15

The story varies some in each gospel. In John this story is considered the 4th sign in Jesus’ ministry. The 1st sign was Turning Water into Wine, the 2nd sign Healing the Royal Official’s son and the 3rd sign was Healing the Man from Bethesda.

Historical context - the time period of the miracle of feeding the 5,000+ occurred during the early ministry of Jesus, in the first century AD. This was a time of Roman occupation in Judea, with significant social and political tensions.

Jesus' Ministry - Jesus was gaining recognition as a healer and teacher, attracting large crowds. His teachings often focused on compassion, mercy, and the Kingdom of God.

Cultural Context - The event took place near Bethsaida, a rural area known for its natural resources. The setting was significant as it was a desolate place, emphasizing the miracle's impact.

Social Dynamics - The crowd consisted of thousands, including men, women, and children, highlighting the communal aspect of Jesus' ministry. The miracle reflects the cultural importance of hospitality and sharing food in Jewish tradition.

Religious Significance - The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels, underscoring its theological importance. It demonstrates Jesus' compassion for the needy and serves as a sign of his divine authority. (Suggestions from CSLewis Institute and Wikipedia.)

So let us be challenged to feed as many as we can in this world where starvation is real every day for so many children and adults.

Locally we can donate food to the Salvation Army Food Bank and SAFV. St Peter’s also collects to give to these groups. In Sitka for those who are facing food insecurity, ALFA (alfafish.org) is donating locally caught fish in late July/early August.

Those of you on Zoom elsewhere will have local places to give too. Other well known groups are: No Kid Hungry; World Central Kitchen; Feeding America; Food for the Poor; Catholic Relief Services; Episcopal Relief & Development; World Food Program USA; and UN World Food
Programme.

Famine is real as it's related to climate change and wars. These groups have been trying to get rid of the famine that exists in our world but they need help.

So going forward: How will you help in giving out the good news of love which includes food?
Amen.
Nancy Jo Bleier, Worship Leader

9th Sunday after Pentecost, July 26, 2026

Scriptures: 1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

Reflection by Kit Allgood-Mellema, Worship Leader

26 July 2026, 9th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 12A

I once attended a talk given by an ‘expert’ in his field, but a few moments into the session I realized I could not follow his train of thought. It was almost like being in a Peanuts movie when the adults start talking but all you hear is a muffled ‘wah, wah, wah.’ All around me, participants were smiling and nodding. I was embarrassed, not wanting to admit I was lost and confused. Months later I met up with a friend who had also attended that talk; during our visit she confessed she also hadn’t understood the speaker’s reasoning but was embarrassed to admit it.

Today’s gospel reading from Matthew is a continuation of the parables we’ve heard the last few weeks. In this week’s Sunday Musings column, Diana Butler Bass calls this string of stories a ‘parable lightening round,’ a ‘parabalooza!’ I agree. And when I hear the readings from the last three Sundays, I always think about attending that lecture. Why? Because more than once, Jesus paused and said, ‘Let anyone with ears listen!’ Or as we heard today, he asked ‘Have you understood all this?’ The response was ‘Yes.’ Wow!

They heard seven parables, some of them 1-liners, with only a couple of explanations. And those listening said they understood them. I think I’d be stuck around the second one trying to figure it all out! But remember. speaking and listening were the main forms of communication during those times. One source I found estimated that about 3% of the people in 1st century Palestine could read and write. People knew how to listen; it was the only way to learn and communicate for most. The act of speaking could be life-giving, and the act of listening could be lifesaving. Did everyone in the congregation when Jesus spoke, hear and understand? Matthew didn’t tell us in his gospel. And we can hazard a guess that many of them didn’t understand at that moment, given the reactions to Jesus that follow in the remainder of Matthew. I wonder if, like me at the lecture, they were embarrassed, or afraid to admit they were at a loss. Often even the disciples didn’t understand what Jesus said in the moment.

Why does this matter, this phrase, ‘Have you understood all this’? I’ve always wondered if Jesus was expecting another answer to this question, an answer that would free up those listening to hear more, to question Jesus, to go deeper into what was happening, and what might be coming. Just one person answering, ‘No, I don’t understand. Please help me.’ After all, the last words of this reading tell us Jesus was preparing those around him for their place and role in the kingdom of heaven by giving them everything they needed, to have it within their reach.

Why does this phrase about understanding matter to us? These days we have all our technology available 24/7, along with huge numbers of ‘experts’ offering us advise to solve problems we didn’t know we had. We have quick and easy access to all the answers. Well, maybe. But that quick and easy access comes with a price. We have to know exactly how to word our questions. We may not know the source of an answer, or the intent of the author. We have many more ways to communicate than those available in the 1st century, but do we really use them to the fullest? How well do we listen? Are we prepared to understand everything we hear, everything we read, everything we see? There’s a lot of information out there. Are we prepared to carefully and lovingly discern and use the information for the good of God’s people? Most importantly, are we prepared to say to Jesus, ‘No, I don’t understand! Please help me understand’?

The good news is these are the words Jesus was waiting to hear - is still waiting to hear! Jesus, wants to answer the questions we struggle to put into words, the questions technology can’t answer. If Jesus walked through these doors todayß, and asked us if we understood all we’ve heard, he’d be happy to hear us reply, ‘No – help us understand!’ We are not meant to be left out, lost and embarrassed. We are here to be part of God’s kingdom, here on earth and for ever, to hear, to learn, to share, to love.

How do I know this? Think about our readings today. Solomon asked God to give him an understanding mind, to be able to discern between good and evil and govern God’s people, and God said, ‘you have asked for help understanding what is right, and I will give you a wise and discerning mind.’ Solomon’s request and God’s response were all about God’s love for us. The author of Psalm 119 wrote in praise of God, ‘when your word goes forth it gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.’ God loves us enough to pour light into our world, our lives. In his letter to the Romans – yes, it was written, but it was always read aloud to those gathered! – Paul gives us another vision of God’s love found in the work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that helps us in our weakness, the Spirit that helps us pray, and supports us in all times and places, in all we do in the name of God and God’s love.

So again, how do I know this? Well, honestly, sometimes I’m not sure I do know it. I sometimes lose my way and may not want to admit it. As Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers says in ‘The Church Cracked Open,’ ‘Look to Jesus. He made plain the way to follow him . . . No matter how many times we’ve turned the other way, Jesus stands before us full of grace and hope, offering opportunities to follow him . . . ‘

In my moments of uncertainty, I try to ask Jesus to help me understand. And then I try to listen. I remember that I’m supported by a community who loves me and each other even when we don’t have the answers. There’s always an answer, although it may take a while to hear it. When I hear it, I always hear, ‘because you are loved, because you share love, and because you are love.’ And then I know that’s what Jesus wants us to understand. Wow!

Thanks be to God! Amen!

8th Sunday after Pentecost, July 19, 2026

Scriptures: Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

Reflection by Rev. Kathryn Snelling, Deacon

8 Pentecost July 19,2026

Almighty and gracious God, open our ears to hear your word and open our hearts to receive it. In the name of he who is the Word, the truth and the life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

I expected that you noticed I didn’t read the full portion of scripture we had today, but stopped when Jesus had finished telling the parable and had gone back into the house.

And that was intentional.

Because I would like us to sit with just the parable this morning and not the explanation, the allegory offered in the text.

I know it’s hard to un-hear something we have heard over so many years, but l would like us to try.

And this is not to say that the allegory offered in the text isn’t viable. It certainly is and there is truth there.

But in general, Jesus did not give explanations to his parable. He left it with; “Let those with ears, listen.”

That’s one of the beauties and challenges of parables and gives them their timelessness.

Every generation hears it within the context of when it was first spoken and in the context of the world of their own times and perhaps even from where they are in their own lives.

So, please join me in exploring this parable.

Jesus uses common items and events in his parables that people could easily relate to. Things and circumstances  his listeners would be familiar with.

How many of you grew up around wheat fields?

I did not. Growing up in southeast Alaska, the closest wheat fields are thousands of miles away. So other than seeing pictures and reading about it, my knowledge of wheat was scant.

So I decided I should look up wheat and refresh my knowledge about the plant and how it grows. See what that might offer in reading and understanding this parable.

And I did learn a few interesting facts;

— Wheat seed does not need a well fertilized soil to grow in.

Unlike here, where serious gardeners gather the seaweed and fish heads and work it into the soil to add more nutrients to it before they plant — wheat grows in the soil as it is - it just needs to be well tilled and raked out so there are some groves for the seed to fall into and germinate. And after it is established it doesn’t even require regular or frequent  watering. 

— And one more thing, the wheat will get what it needs to grow and produce grain in spite of the weeds. The wheat will outcompete the weeds.

And now the weeds. Our translation from the New Revised Standard Version uses the broad term weeds, while in other translations such as King James they are called tares and others they name the weed - the darnel.

The darnel is a weed that looks very much like wheat and so much so that it is very difficult to tell the difference when it is first growing.

 And if that wasn’t sneaky enough, the darnel wraps its roots around the roots of the wheat.

And darnel is very poisonous to both humans and animals.

Which is something that the farmer apparently understood about the plants, but not so the workers.

They are ready to go into the field and pull up the weeds. So it is fortunate that they checked in with the farmer first. If they had acted on their own it would have caused a worse situation by damaging the wheat.

So perhaps there is a message in this. That before we assume we are right, we make sure our hearts and actions are in line with our Master.

So what about the farmer? How would you describe him, what attributes would you apply? 

wise - knew his business - patient - willing to wait, give it time - flexible - didn’t panic, no knee jerk reaction

It’s something to note here what he did not do - he did not accuse the workers with any wrong-doing - such as, “you didn’t tilled the soil deep enough” - or 

He knew what the seed was and where it came from; “an enemy has done this.”

Any other thoughts to add at this point?

So the wheat and weeds are left to grow together.

What happens when the wheat is ripe? 

Now I also read that wheat turns a golden brown and the heads get heavy with the ripped grain and that causes the wheat head to bend over.

The darnel, on the other hand, turns black when it matures and stays straight so it towers over the wheat. Showing itself for what it is. Making it easy to tell it from the wheat.

One can fool the eye for a while but the truth shows in the end.

So harvest time comes. 

And who does the farmer send into the field to harvest? The Reapers.

Not the workers — those who tilled the soil and planted the wheat.

But reapers who are under the authority and instructions of the farmer. And have the skill to separate the weeds from the wheat.

I was chatting with a couple of friends last week and one was telling us how she had been busy weeding her garden and she had more to do —- and the other friend spoke up and said;

”You know, a weed is just another flower growing in the wrong place.”

It is a saying I have heard before. And it kept surfacing as I pondered this parable.

Using the wider term of “weeds” and not just “darnel”, widening my thinking.

It could be that more than one weed was growing among the wheat. Ones that weren't poisonous. But whose final outcome and worth are not recognized.

And if we look at the parable allegorically - meaning you give a persona to each of the characters in the story - and the wheat and weeds are characters  - and say the wheat and weeds are people - we know that unlike seeds, which can only grow into the plant they came from - humans can change, with God’s help. 

We see examples of this in the Bible and throughout history.

Can you think of some examples?

We read a portion of his letter to the Romans this morning. Saul from Tarsus, persécuter of the new Jesus followers, became Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles. 

Another is John Newton the author of the hymn Amazing Grace. He was a slave trader and later became an outspoken abolitionist against slavery.

And we all probably know of people who have struggled - struggled against addictions to substances or harmful activities, or of being led down a wrong path. And through hard work and conviction and help, they have overcome and changed. 

So perhaps there is another harvesting - or maybe it’s a winnowing - one that is done only by the farmer.

The farmer says that all will be taken care of at harvest time. I will see to it.

I think Bishop Mark summed it up nicely in his reflection, and I quote:

Weeding can be a dangerous activity: an exercise in judgement, bias, control; a violence against what one sees as out of place or unknown; unrecognized or believed to be wrong.

Perhaps this is why Jesus suggests that weeding be left to angels - to himself, the master gardener.

Let the business of growing and bearing fruit be ours, the work of weeding be left to divine love. 

Unquote

Ultimately, from beginning to end, the farmer is in charge of the field. Weeds and all. 

 Amen

7th Sunday after Pentecost, July 12, 2026

Scriptures: Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 65: (1-8), 9-14 (or BCP 672); Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

Reflection by Kit Allgood-Mellema, Worship Leader

12 July 2026, 7th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 10A

Spending time this last week pondering the readings, I let my mind wander around the words, waiting for something to jump out at me. Then Wednesday morning, I checked my email inbox and saw a post from Farmer Sam, and her first words jumped up! I love when that happens.

Farmer Sam is Samantha Burns, who in 2018 bought 53 acres to farm in rural Maine. In 2020, putting into place a safety net to help her continue her work on the farm, Sam signed a 50-year Natural Resources Conservation contract with a provision in the contract that 40 acres of the land would be protected from development and preserved for conservation of the resources on the land – the stream that runs through it, the brook trout and freshwater mussels in the stream, the lynx and other wildlife, the grove of Northern Larch, the Common Nighthawk that the grove shelters. She sustainably works the remaining 13 acres with the help of her son, in the hope that her small farm will provide them with the income needed to keep the farm going and profitable enough for them to live comfortably while also providing affordable fresh food to a community in need of food basics. She is the fertilizer bringing life to the land and to her community.

Sam began her Wednesday email with, ‘Feeding the soil, not the plant . . .‘ Those six words took me back to today’s gospel, and left me asking a lot of questions. Why is it so vital to focus on the soil? Well, we know plants growing in well-fed soil have a long-lasting and supporting foundation, a good start. I wondered, if I was a farmer, how could I make soil fertile for planting the word of the kingdom?

The gardeners among you know that in an earthly garden, it takes many different elements to create healthy, well balanced, fertilized soil. Get a group of gardeners together, and they’ll start talking about the fertilizers they prefer and how to use them.

Today, I’m inviting you to join me in thinking about creating fertile soil, the mix of elements that create healthy soil, and specifically how we can make soil fertile to nourish the growth of God’s word, God’s kingdom here on earth, our very beings. We are the farmers caring for the soil. So, I’m inviting you to take some time to ponder a few of the questions that came up for me this week, thinking as a farmer might as they work to enhance their soil. As I ask the questions, I’ll give time and space to let the words settle in and allow the thoughts to come. You might feel moved to say those thoughts out loud – please do! As we listen to our own thoughts and the thoughts of others, please remember these are the words that God has already planted in us. They are sacred. This is the Spirit speaking. Honor what you think and say as you honor what others think and say. Simply listen. Learn. Grow.

For the good growth of God’s word, what does fertile soil look like – in our church, in our community, in our world?

In God’s kingdom, what makes soil fertile? Is it compassion? Joy? Hope? Love? Food? Shelter? How can we, the farmers, make the soil of St. Peter’s fertile, a place where people can plant themselves, grow, flourish?

As a farmer, if you look at the soil of your soul and your life, what makes it fertile? Is it study? Prayer? Worship? Music? Is it taking action? Is it finding and seeing God in all things – large and small? Is it finding and seeing God in all faces, even the faces of those you don’t know or the faces of those you aren’t sure you can love?

Think about what happens when a seed sprouts and grows. In a fertile, moist environment, a seed will begin to swell as a small crack forms around the middle. The seed begins to push a small root down and a small sprout up as the crack widens and creates space for the new living plant to grow. Imagine – a seed has to crack open to grow new life. Have you ever nourished the soil that allowed someone to crack open and grow?

Have you ever felt yourself crack open and grow? How did it feel?

We are more than just the seed or the soil that makes up the kingdom of God here on earth. We are the farmers. Every day we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others by our intentional feeding of their bodies, hearts, minds, souls. The nourishment we can offer as God’s ‘fertilizer,’ not just the soil they are planted in, but the very food that gives them sustenance, is lifesaving for those who are searching for God and God’s kingdom. It is lifesaving for those who feel lost and alone, helpless and hopeless, those hungering for love, safety and a recognition of their human dignity. And it is lifesaving for us.

Thanks be to God! Amen!

6th Sunday after Pentecost, July 5, 2026

Scriptures: Psalm 145:8-15; Zechariah 9:9-12; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19,25-30

Reflection by Nancy Jo Bleier, Worship Leader

7/5/26 Reflection Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Morning Prayer

Today I want to respectfully acknowledge that we are meeting in Sheet’ká Ḵwáan on Lingít Aaní, also known as Sitka, Alaska. We acknowledge that the Lingít Peoples have been stewards of the land on which we worship, work and reside since time immemorial, and we are grateful for that stewardship and incredible care.

In the verses before our Gospel reading John the Baptist is in prison so he sends his disciples to find out what Jesus is doing. Jesus says for them to tell John: “The blind see, the lame walk, leapers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.” So they go back to report to John about Jesus.

The verses we read today (Matt. 11: 16-19, 25-30) Jesus is talking to a crowd about John. Explaining he is a prophet and John has been preparing the way for the Messiah. I am going to continue our gospel readings from two more translations.

From The Message translation, Jesus asks “Are you listening to me? Really listening? How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.’ John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a boozer, a friend of the misfits. Opinion polls don’t count for much do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

In the missing verses that our lectionary insert does not give us, Jesus goes on to be furious with all the places he has been preaching that they are not interested in his words. And maybe this is what is happening with the crowd he’s talking to as he breaks into saying a prayer. “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”

He goes on to talk to the people and explains that this Father-Son relationship is being intimate and knowing each other. Jesus says he’ll share this with anyone who listens.

He asks “Are You tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

From the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament I read:

“My Father has put everything into my hands,” he said with a solemn voice. “Only the Father knows the Son and only the Son knows the Father. No one can know the Father in his fullness unless the Son makes him known.”

“Come close to my side, you whose hearts are on the ground, you who pushed down and worn out, and I will refresh you. Follow my teachings and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest from your troubled thoughts. Walk side by side with me and I will share in your heavy load and make it light.”

Wow, I like how all of these translations we have heard sound. They make me feel taken care of, being wanted, loved and maybe with a little hope thrown in.

Forward Day by Day’s author, Tina Francis offered this for 7/5/2026: “I’ve tried to quit hope—swore it off in whispered prayers I never finished. But it keeps finding me: through cracked windows, under locked doors. Hope has teeth. It doesn’t knock. It barges in, unshowered, humming a half-forgotten song. And God, thankfully, doesn’t mock us for holding on too long. God says: Return. I will restore what was lost. Twice over. Maybe not on your timeline. Maybe not how you imagined. But restorative somehow. Hope is not a mood. It’s a calling. Not optimism, but fidelity. You don’t have to feel confident for it to be true. You just have to limp your way toward it.”

This week I pondered the Statue of Liberty that my Swedish ancestors came through and the sonnet Emma Lazarus wrote in 1883:

“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips.

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Let’s end with “A Prayer for Our Nation” by James Martin, SJ, Jesuit priest.

Loving God,

on our 250th

anniversary

as a nation,

help us to be

just,

loving,

merciful,

grateful,

compassionate,

and, above all,

kind.

Help our nation mirror

the kind of people

we want to be.

And help us to avoid

envy,

cruelty,

violence,

boasting,

prejudice,

nationalism,

scapegoating,

and malice towards anyone

Help us to be loving,

As you are, Loving God. Amen.

Nancy Jo Bleier, Worship Leader

5th Sunday after Pentecost, June 28, 2026

Scriptures: Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4,15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42

Reflection by Rev. Kathryn Snelling, Deacon (there is no written copy)

4th Sunday after Pentecost, June 21, 2026

Scriptures: Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69: 8-11, (12-17), 18-20; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39

Reflection by Nancy Jo Bleier, Worship Leader

Reflection June 21, 2026 4 Pentecost

Today Chip Camden had planned on coming to Sitka for the weekend and he was going to give the Reflection/sermon and help in this service. Unfortunately his sister’s husband, Jerry Cann in Virginia died and he needed to be with her and family. We continue to send our prayers for comfort to Chip and family and the repose of Jerry Cann’s soul.

I started thinking about our readings a couple of weeks ago. I was stymied. So I went to read what Rev. Noah Van Niel, Rector at Christ & St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk, VA, wrote for Sermons That Work about today’s reading from Matthew.

Rev. Noah expressed that Jesus is trying to offer reassurance to the disciples that God continues to care for them even when they are going to be maligned for following him. That there will be “ruptures” in their families. Rev. Noah relates Jesus saying: “‘Look, if you are going to follow, you need to understand this is not a part-time thing, it is not a convenient thing, it is not an easy thing. It is going to cost something…it’s going to cost because it will lay claim to every part of your life—your relationships, your passions, your very self.’”

Wanda White suggested I look over the readings on how they relate to hymns in our Hymnal 1982. This was over tea and cookies. Kit gave me the hymn list for this 4 Pentecost Sunday. So I have chosen three different hymns to read to you today.

Each hymn has so much meaning as we read the words. It is poetry in motion using old English with “thy and thee”. Our hymnal is richly divided up into categories. From The Christian Responsibility section comes an old favorite I have heard since I was a child. If you want to read along as I read this out-loud turn to page 595 in the red hymnal. Think about how when we commit to following Jesus things are going to change and we need to be prepared.

“God of grace and God of glory on thy people pour thy power; crown thine ancient Church’s story; bring her bud to glorious flower. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour.

Lo! The hosts of evil round us scorn thy Christ, assail his ways! From the fears that long have bound us free our hearts to faith and praise: grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of these days.

Cure thy children’s warring madness, bend our pride to thy control; shame our wanton, selfish gladness, rich in things and poor in soul. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, lest we miss thy kingdom’s goal.

Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore; let the gift of thy salvation be our glory evermore. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, serving thee whom we adore.“ ( Words: Harry Emerson Fosdick).

Rev. Noah says “if our encounters with God in Jesus Christ do not alter the trajectory of our life, do not transform our understanding of ourselves and how the world is meant to operate, if we walk out of the doors of our church the same as we walked into them then we’re doing it wrong. Being a disciple costs something. And it asks us to seek and embrace being changed. That is what discipleship looks like.”

Please turn to page 660 in the Christian Life section as I read another old nugget:

“O Master, let me walk with thee in lowly paths of service free; tell me thy secret; help me bear the strain of toil, the fret of care.

Help me the slow of heart to move by some clear, winning word of love; teach me the wayward feet to stay, and guide them in the homeward way.

Teach me thy patience; still with thee in closer, dearer company, in work that keeps faith sweet and strong, in trust that triumphs over wrong,

in hope that sends a shining ray far down the futures broadening way, in peace that only thou canst give, with thee, O Master, let me live.” ( Words: Washington Gladden)

As we follow Jesus, Rev. Noah relates “we radiate the peace and strength and love that come from being in tune with the great heartbeat of the universe, even when it makes life more difficult. When we choose to follow Jesus it makes us more like Jesus, which in turn makes the world more like the one Jesus called us to create.”

That’s what I think makes it wonderful to have a community of believers to help one, as myself and each of you, get through the trials and tribulations of life. A community that is strong and cherishes the love of God for one another.

My last hymn today is a blessing to you from Lift Every Voice and Sing, page 158. Let us pray:

“Out in the highways and by-ways of life, many are weary and sad; carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, making the sorrowing glad. Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine; make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.

Tell the sweet story of Christ and his love, tell of his power to forgive; others will trust Him if only you prove true, every moment you live. Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine; make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.

Give as ’twas given to you in your need, love as the Master loved you; be to the helpless a helper indeed, unto your mission be true. Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine; make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.” AMEN. ( Words: Ira B. Wilson)

Nancy Jo Bleier, Worship Leader

3rd Sunday after Pentecost, June 14, 2026

Scriptures: Exodus 19:2-8a; Psalm 100; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Reflection by Rev. Hannah Moderow, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Anchorage, AK

Unfortunately, there were technical issues with the video recording and it’s not available.

THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE: A VACATION SERMON

It is such a joy to be here among you today. This is my fourth year coming to Sitka with my kids for the Sitka Fine Arts camp, and I love wandering into your sanctuary each year… finding home in this place… and out in the forest and beaches and sea beyond. 

I almost didn’t reach out about presiding today because I thought: no, Hannah, you’re on vacation. Don’t sign up to work.

But that’s the thing about coming to the table on Sunday mornings. It’s a calling—for all of us—not a job, and I felt a strong pull to be here… I also have felt connected and supported by your parish over the years. Your former rector, Julie, was on the Standing Committee that approved my ordination earlier this year, and I love how our churches across the state of Alaska lift up one another, no matter the geographical distances between us.

We are one Body. That is one of the great mysteries of our faith.

We are all one body.

It’s the mystery that we reenact at our tables, across time, space, and even the generations.

We are one Body.

Last Sunday in the lectionary, we heard an intense miracle passage from Matthew’s gospel: the story of the girl restored to life and the story of the woman healed after twelve years suffering from hemorrhages.

Two stories of women who experienced Jesus’ transformational healing.

I preached last Sunday at St. Mary’s, my home church, on the passage, highlighting just how tricky it can be to interpret Jesus’ miracle stories to our world today…

Our world where we don’t typically witness people restored back to life…. and our world where medical technology is significantly more advanced than in the ancient world.

When reading these so-called “miracle stories,” it’s also critical to remember that, in the ancient world, it was a common belief that illness and disability came as a result of sin. And therefore, those who were sick or disabled were outcasts in society.

If we’re not careful with the miracle stories, we can inadvertently adopt ancient beliefs about illness and disability… or oversimplify what we mean by healing and prayer.

Like when a well-meaning Christian says to someone in the hospital: “I’m praying only for a complete recovery” which insinuates that anything less than a complete recovery would reflect God’s judgment.

And so, while the miracle stories we heard last weekend, and also this weekend, are something to celebrate and bear witness to in our lives of faith, I think we can and must also face the hard theological questions that they stir up. Like:

·        How should we apply these miracle stories to our world today where we have a very different understanding of disability and illness?

And

·        What does it mean when some of us do not experience the healings that we desire and faithfully pray for?

These healing stories call us to look beyond the ‘spectacle’ healings of the ancient world and to consider:

What the miracle stories tell us about God’s healing presence, in and among a suffering community, even today.

Healing today doesn’t necessarily unfold like the spectacles that we read about in the gospels; often healing is quieter, more spiritual, and yet always in faithful community.

And, in our faith tradition, healing repeatedly returns to the table.

Where we gather to break bread… and give thanks.

***

Since I’m on vacation this week, I vowed not to spend a lot of time researching gospel passages and writing an academic sermon. I purposefully did not go down the rabbit hole of our gospel for today, and the continuing healings and miracles… and the wild complexity of what it meant when Jesus told his disciples: “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves;” 

Instead, I gave myself permission to take a deep breath… to acknowledge the complexity of Jesus’ healing stories, and to instead write a summer vacation sermon.

That’s right, a summer vacation sermon.

And there it was Psalm 100. Isn’t Psalm 100 a perfect vacation Scripture?

The joy.

The gladness.

The singing.

A perfect description of Sitka as I have experienced it with my family this week: Joy, Gladness, Singing.

In our opening hymn for today, “All People That on Earth Do Dwell,” we sang a version of Psalm 100 that captures a deep and abiding sense of gratitude to God.

This Psalm and hymn felt like the permission I needed—and maybe all of you need it, too—to take a deep breath in summer—and simply be joyful and give thanks.

Thanksgiving. Eucharist.

These words are interchangeable.

Eucharist. That’s what we call our meal at the table, and Eucharist comes from the Greek word which literally translates as “thanksgiving.”

Thanksgiving. That’s what we do at this table in the sanctuary, and the tables of our lives.

We bring our whole selves—the parts that have been already healed, and the parts of our selves still in need of healing—and we break bread and give thanks in community.

Always in community.

Jesus shows us, again and again in the gospels, that Thanksgiving doesn’t happen when we break apart into separate groups, but when we come together—a whole ragtag bunch—and insist on a bold and inclusive Way-of-Love community.

A Love that sits at table with tax collectors and sinners and anybody else that wanders in in need of healing.

This week, during my time away from home and work, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the tables of our lives…

Tables that hold our best moments and worst, our joys and our sorrows.

These tables hold it all—and I don’t think it’s any accident that in our faith tradition, we come to a shared community table to give thanks to God.

I’d like to close with a beautiful poem, written by former U.S. poet laureate, Joy Harjo. Her poem about tables… and all they hold.

PERHAPS THE WORLD ENDS HERE, by Joy Harjo[1]

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.

Thank you for welcoming me to your wild and beautiful community—and welcoming me to this table, that connects us mysteriously, across time and space.

This table that restores us, in community, again and again and again.

A miracle to behold. Amen.

 [1] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49622/perhaps-the-world-ends-here

2nd Sunday after Pentecost, June 7, 2026

Scriptures: Hosea 5:15-6:6; Psalm 50:7-15; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Reflection by Kit Allgood-Mellema

7 June 2026, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5A

When I have a lot going on at one time, I tend to become very focused on the task at hand or the person I’m with, to the point that I sometimes lose sight of what’s going on around me. Those moments can consume a lot of energy, and those are the times I wished I’d planned my schedule a little better. That’s what I thought about when I read today’s lesson. It’s an exhausting lesson to read, and by the way, who overbooked Jesus’s schedule and managed his calendar? This might be a gospel lesson in organization. Or maybe it’s a lesson about love?

The gospels of evangelists Mark and Luke include passages similar to the one we heard today, but Matthew is the only evangelist who also includes Jesus’s call to the tax collector named Matthew in the same setting as the other people of this gospel reading: the woman who was bleeding, the leader of the synagogue and the daughter who had died. Unlike Mark and Luke, Matthew minimizes the mention of the crowds found in Mark and Luke; if you pay careful attention though, you get a sense of the numbers of people gathering around Jesus wherever he went. Somehow in the midst of the throngs and commotion, Jesus managed to stay focused on one thing.

In today’s reading, we are introduced to four people. Three of them were among those who were most often found on the margins of society. Tax collectors were shunned as traitors of their own people. They worked for – or in reality they were used by - the Roman occupiers and were known to take more than what was due in order to line their own pockets, always at the expense of those who bore the burden of taxation, especially the poor.

Women were at best third-class citizens who had very few rights. They were not allowed to associate with men outside their families. The woman in today’s reading, physically exhausted and emotionally depleted, was even more of an outcast because of her illness. No selfrespecting man would allow himself to be touched by her. Even her family would have been forbidden to embrace her.

The synagogue leader, known as Jairus in the other two gospels, was one of a group opposed to Jesus’s activities. In spite of his influence, he was helpless in the face of the loss of his daughter. And as a female child, his daughter was fully under the control of her father and not allowed to make decisions for herself or associate with people outside her family on her own. Four different people.

Four different circumstances. One response.

Each of these four, whether they came to Jesus or Jesus came to them, whether they were packed in a bustling crowd or in a small gathering, became the center of Jesus’s attention, the focus of his gaze and his space. These were intimate moments, those times when even in a crowd, there were only two people facing each other. At that moment they were open and honest and vulnerable. And at each of those moments, the only response was love. Love passing from one person to another and back. Love passing from Jesus to Matthew and back, the despised tax collector, the only one named in this reading, who was offered a place among Jesus’s closest followers, to the horror of many. Love passing from Jesus to the outcast woman and back to Jesus, when she was made whole and well, and could rejoin her community and loved ones. Love passing from Jesus to the synagogue leader and back, as the leader accepted that Jesus spoke truth to power and brought compassion and mercy to a heavy, cruel world. Love passing from Jesus to the little girl and back to Jesus as he restored her breath and health, fully alive and in the arms of those who loved her.

This reading from Matthew’s gospel so beautifully illustrates this most amazing love, this love that could be given and accepted and given back and given forward. And this love didn’t stop in Matthew’s gospel. This love is how Jesus meets each of us today - directly, face-on, open, honest and vulnerable, holding us in his sight, loving us just as we are. This love is how we are to love one another.

It’s the love of Creation, the love of baptism. It’s the love of Jesus suffering and dying on the cross and the love of the resurrection. It’s the love of sharing the good news. It’s the love we find in the eyes of every person we see. It’s the love we find in spite of the noise and crowds and turmoil that often surround us. It’s the love that brings light in the midst of darkness and peace in the midst of chaos. It’s the love that guides us through the hard times as we do all we can to help the most vulnerable everywhere. It’s the love that gives life and changes lives in ways we may not comprehend.

There was one more thing that each of the four people in the gospel shared. They all said, ‘yes!’ At a singular moment, when Jesus invited them to join the sacred journey of life-giving and lifechanging love, they all said a holy Yes! And we can as well, say yes to this love that cannot be held in one place and one time. We can say yes to this love that is so precious and so dynamic it cannot stay still. We can respond with a holy Yes! and together keep it moving!

Thanks be to God! Amen!