Stay Salty, My Friends
nature of a covenant. No wonder Jesus is a priest in the line of Melchizedek forever and that he will reign on David’s throne, forever. Continue reading Stay Salty, My Friends
Category: Porter C. Taylor
Boasting of God’s Mercy
This sermon is from Sunday, September 5, 2021 and it was originally preached at St. David’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in Cocoa Beach, FL. where I serve as Rector. The lessons were Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23, Psalm 125, James 2:1-17, and Mark 7:24-37. From the ages of 9-17, I attended a Christian summer camp … Continue reading Boasting of God’s Mercy
Peter’s Contrition – Tuesday Homily
Lessons: Psalm 28, 1 Kings 8:65-9:9, James 2:1-14, Mark 14:66-72 (NRSV) Our Gospel text today is one of those “difficult” passages with almost no words of hope or comfort. I say almost because I actually think there is a great deal of comfort to be found in the final verse, but we don’t get the … Continue reading Peter’s Contrition – Tuesday Homily
The Baptism of our Lord – Sermon
John isn’t here to simply immerse people in water…he’s here as a herald of the eschaton; he baptizes in the Jordan as a proclamation that YHWH is on the move once more. Continue reading The Baptism of our Lord – Sermon
Christmas Eve Sermon: Questions and Answers
There will be a time when darkness is replaced by light, when death is replaced by joy, when oppression is replaced by deliverance.
There will be a day when peace will reign over the throne of David and his kingdom.
There will be a day when the yoke of burden, the rod of the oppressor, and the bar across their shoulders are broken. Continue reading Christmas Eve Sermon: Questions and Answers
Advent 3 Sermon – Year B
This was written and preached for the people of St. David’s by the Sea Episcopal Church for the Third Sunday in Advent, December 13, 2020. The lectionary texts were Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, Psalm 126, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, and John 1:6-8, 19-28. I’d like to begin with a quote from two great 20th century philosophers, Simon … Continue reading Advent 3 Sermon – Year B
All Saints and All Souls
This was originally published in 2018 for our (then) parish blog. It has been altered and updated for St. David’s by the Sea Episcopal Church where I now serve as Rector. Memory and thanksgiving. They are part and parcel of the Christian life, friends. One could sum up the whole of Israel’s life in the … Continue reading All Saints and All Souls
A Return to the Familiar
My boys are growing up. Sure, they’re still little— not even teenagers at this point!—but they are getting older. The bittersweet reality of parenting is that children grow and transform before your very eyes and while you are excited about who they are becoming, you are also left with a sadness over each closing of … Continue reading A Return to the Familiar
It Is Finished…
This week we have journeyed across the spectrum of human emotion from the joyous song of “Hosanna!” to the command from Jesus to love one another, and ultimately to the crowd crying out “Crucify him!” We find that the emotional progression of Holy Week mirrors the depths of our own hearts; we are confronted with … Continue reading It Is Finished…
Orientation, Disorientation, Reorientation – A Maundy Thursday Sermon
This sermon was written and preached for Church of the Apostles, Kansas City where I serve as Theologian in Residence. You can watch the whole Maundy Thursday liturgy, including the sermon, here. Everything is different. There is no other way to describe our present reality: overarching, overwhelming, overactive change. We have had to change the … Continue reading Orientation, Disorientation, Reorientation – A Maundy Thursday Sermon
Porter C. Taylor 