Sermons Archive March 31, 2019-January 6, 2019

4th Sunday in Lent
3/31/19
​Will You Go to the Party?
Analyzing Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son the Rev’d. D. Rebecca Dinovo wants us to be clear about our Church: “You are welcome – you
are invited – no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, said, or thought- God loves you, God forgives you, and God welcomes you
with open arms. The invitation to grace is always
there – you have been invited to the party. Will you go?”
​Read it.

Evensong, 3rd Sunday in Lent
3/24/19
Godly Newness
At a special Evensong a new altar frontal by artist James Hubbell was dedicated in honor of our former rector Robert Wolterstorff, the
first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. In her homily Assisting Bishop of San Diego The Rt. Rev’d Katharine Jefferts Shori asked “What godly newness is calling you? What invitation is
luring into the future? … Look lively and lean into the new possibility that God lovingly offers. God is luring us into a future of unbounded love.
Magnify the God of Love.”
​Read it.

3rd Sunday in Lent
3/24/19
Call me Abba
God told Moses to tell people He is I AM. But in this season of Lent, when contrition and repentance are top of mind, the Rev’d Mark Hargreaves allows that the metaphor of “Father, Abba” is a better description for our God “…who longs to forgive, who made us and loved us and wants to draw us into closer relationship to
Him.”
Read it.​

2nd Sunday in Lent
​3/17/19​
The Opposite of Fear
What for you is the opposite of fear?
Calling to mind all the real things we may have to fear in this world, the Rev’d. Mark Hargreaves examines how King David reached his conclusion: “Though an army should camp against me, yet my heart shall not be afraid and though wars should rise up against me, yet will I put my trust in Him.”
What
is that trust?
Read it.

1st Sunday in Lent
3/10/19
Your Wilderness
As we begin our journey through the Lenten season, the Rev’d. Mark Hargreaves invites us into the wilderness with Jesus, calls us to identify our own wildernesses, guides us to the Psalms, and asks  “…as we remember the temptations of Jesus…let’s remember that we don’t journey
alone.”
​Read it.

8th Sunday after Epiphany
3/3/19
Carpe Diem
Guest speaker Mikah Meyer, visiting San Diego as part of his record setting continuous tour of all 418 National Park Service sites, speaks to us about what God had in store for him, a discovery of sameness amid differences: sameness in reaching out for God’s love and hoping to receive God’s love in return, and differences, finding in the end
that “not only are those differences holy, but
those differences, perhaps the things that you felt make you most unworthy in this world, are actually what is allowing God to be seen in this world.”
​Read it.

7th Sunday after Epiphany
2/24/19
Forgiven People
Drawing parallels between the Old Testament tale of Joseph and his brothers, and our Gospel reading following the Beatitudes, the Rev’d. Mark Hargreaves offers how Joseph “…did good to those who hated him and he practiced the art of forgiveness. May we be given the grace to live the same
way.”
Read it.​

6th Sunday after Epiphany
2/17/19
God’s Upside-Down World
On this baptism Sunday the Rev’d. D. Rebecca Dinovo explores the upside-down logic of the Beatitudes and sees a “vision of a world where we can all live in radical generosity and self-giving; a world in which we no longer fear being “without;” “. . . a world where we trust God to meet our deepest needs and in doing so, find we are
blessed beyond our wildest imaginings.”
Read it.

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
2/10/19
The Secret of Life
Catching a theme from all three readings appointed for the day the Rev’d Mark Hargreaves delves into the sense of unworthiness Isaiah, St. Paul, and St. Peter felt, and maybe all of us feel at some point. He concludes “The secret of life is to stop striving. To listen to God’s voice. To be obedient to Him. To receive God’s grace. And it’s
as we do that, we’ll discover our true worth.”
Read it.

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
2/3/19
What Is Enough?
Simeon saw the Christ child and didn’t need to see any more. That was enough for him. The Rev’d. Mark Hargreaves explores this theme, and asks “What is enough for us? How much of God do we need to see and experience before we find peace? What counts for us as
fulfillment?”
Read it.

Third Sunday after Epiphany
1/27/19
Be the Change
Leaning heavily on the day’s epistle, the Rev’d D. Rebecca Dinovo discusses
how as different as all our Christian religions and people may be, we are
all one in Christ, …”and you and I have the amazing opportunity to witness
to that unity, that radical unity in diversity, to show others what it
looks like in our fractured and broken
world. To be the change we so need.”
Read it.

Second Sunday after Epiphany
1/20/19
Drink up!
On the day of our annual meeting the Rev’d Mark Hargreaves takes the gospel reading of John describing Jesus’ miracle turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana, and asks us to see parallels to our lives at St. James, that by recognizing His glory and turning to Him as the source of abundant life, we are able to turn the Christian life we
share “into a life of abundance and transformation.”
Read it.

First Sunday after Epiphany
1/13/19
Practicing Resurrection
What’s it like to “practice resurrection”? On this Outreach Sunday the Rev’d Colin Matthewson, visiting us from St. Luke’s North Park, and swapping pulpits for the day with Fr.  Mark, speaks to us about their experiences, and encouraging us to “…watch your world, your life, and those around you
bend deeper into the arc of God’s irrepressible glory.”
Read it.

Feast of Epiphany
1/6/19
Your Life Journey?
The wise men set off on a journey. Where are you going on your journey this year? Taking us into Epiphany, the Rev’d Mark Hargreaves, pointing to the wise men, suggests “We can learn from their attentiveness, their humility, and their purpose.
“
Read it