St. Gregory's Sermons
Dec 17, 2023 |
Odd Duck
| Rev. Dan PuchallaOdd Duck
Just as we’re starting to feel all Christmassy right about this time of year, this Sunday we are interrupted by that reliable buzzkill, John the Baptist. John screeches about repentance, right when we’d rather be baking cookies and wrapping presents. John is an odd duck. He did and said weird things. Each of the gospel writers struggled to figure out how he fit into the story of Jesus, and they all came up with different answers. But John also seemed to be doing something that many people didn’t know they needed until he did it. This Sunday we talk about odd ducks, and how they show us the way, and why this matters in the Christmas story.and divine?
Dec 10, 2023 |
Who are we waiting for?
| Max SmithWho are we waiting for?
The Savior is coming! That's the message of Advent. In our very own particular, personal life, what would it mean to have a savior arrive? What would you want the savior to do for you, change for you? Transform? Fix? Eradicate? Establish? Jesus the Savior is coming and his people are expecting one set of circumstances but are about to get another—or so it seems to them. We, too, await the coming of our Savior, the embodiment of hope. But what does that hope mean to us now? Wars, poverty, hate, loneliness continue unabated, so who are we waiting for?
Dec 03, 2023 |
Light and Dark
| Rev. Dan PuchallaLight and Dark
I absolutely love the season of Advent, a brief yet beautiful season when we befriend waiting, expectation, and hope. But I also struggle with one of the principle metaphors of this season: light and darkness. The gathering of candlelight on the Advent Wreath is contrasted with the growing darkness of approaching winter, just as the approaching light of Christ at his birth dispels the darkness of a sinful world. But what are the broader consequences of equating light with goodness and darkness with evil? What is this metaphor really about? Are there ways in which we can also talk about darkness as holy and divine?
Nov 26, 2023 |
Topics to Avoid
| Rev. Dan PuchallaTopics to Avoid
A blessed Thanksgiving to you all! When we gather with family during the holidays, we tend to know which topics to avoid talking about. At the top of most of our lists: politics. Why ruin the peace and mirth of the season by getting into heated debates? And yet, this Sunday, we are confronted by Jesus as an unavoidably political figure, as we celebrate the Feast of the Reign of Christ, also known as Christ the King. This Sunday, we will explore the history of this feast and its changing meaning over time. The image of Christ as King will challenge us not to avoid politics in church but to approach political discussions very differently from how other institutions do. In short: this Sunday, we will not talk about politics, but we will talk about how to talk about politics.
Nov 19, 2023 |
The Gifts We Fear
| Max SmithThe Gifts We Fear
Sunday’s Gospel is part of Matthew’s report of the final discourses of Jesus. Here Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time when he will no longer be present physically to guide them. Without Jesus physically present, how should they act? respond? be in the world?
All of this chapter is permeated by the end times – the time to come when Jesus will return in glory. When EVERYTHING will come to its final conclusion. Sunday’s passage implores us to use all of our gifts and talents wisely and fully. Not be guided by fear, or scarcity, or timidity. What gifts do you have which lie fallow and could be brought to fruition? Which gifts are you afraid to manifest?
All of this chapter is permeated by the end times – the time to come when Jesus will return in glory. When EVERYTHING will come to its final conclusion. Sunday’s passage implores us to use all of our gifts and talents wisely and fully. Not be guided by fear, or scarcity, or timidity. What gifts do you have which lie fallow and could be brought to fruition? Which gifts are you afraid to manifest?
Nov 05, 2023 |
The Feast of all Saints and All Souls
| Rev. Dan PuchallaThe Feast of all Saints and All Souls
View PDF - All Saints is one of the seven Principle Feast days of the Church year. Feast Days are days that interrupt our regular rhythm of life where we are reminded that holy time always interrupts our lives – and this is an important reminder of God’s presence. The Rt. Rev. Neil Alexander explains that All Saints “celebrates all the saints of God – those whose names we remember and those whose names we do not know – whose lives have given witness, great or small, to the resurrection of Jesus.” Pope Gregory the Great (our patron saint) played an important part in making this feast what it is – he expanded the theme of the day from all martyrs to all saints, and set the date as November 1st. We now celebrate the “martyrs and saints of ages past and the remembrance of the saints of our own time who have entered the joy of the Lord, in a new way, through the gate of death.” It is an Easter liturgy in which we celebrate the resurrection, so the liturgical color we use is white. At St. Gregory’s, we observe All Saints by bringing pictures and physical reminders of loved ones to remind us that we always celebrate the sacrament of Eucharist with all the company of Saints in heaven physically present with us when we receive the sacrament. We read their names, and honor their lives, while acknowledging how they have given witness to the resurrection of Jesus. It’s also a good day to learn about and honor the named saints of the church from ages past who the church acknowledges for their faith and witness.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Oct 29, 2023 |
Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost
| Rev. Dan PuchallaTwenty Second Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - Sermon for Deuteronomy 34:1-12.
The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Oct 22, 2023 |
Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost
| Rev. Dan PuchallaTwenty First Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Oct 15, 2023 |
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
| Max SmithTwentieth Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Oct 08, 2023 |
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
| Rev. Dan PuchallaNineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Oct 01, 2023 |
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
| Rev. Dan PuchallaEighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory. The first 15 minutes are missing because of wifi issues.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Sep 24, 2023 |
Seventeen Sunday after Pentecost
| Rev. Dan PuchallaSeventeen Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Sep 17, 2023 |
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
| Rev. Dan PuchallaSixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Sep 10, 2023 |
The Feast of St Gregory
| Max SmithThe Feast of St Gregory
View PDF - A note from the Music & Engagement Minister: Longing for a place to belong is a universal part of the human experience. In John 14, Jesus entreats, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” As StGs celebrates our patronal feast today, all of the music for the service has been chosen to remind us that we always have a spiritual home with each other and with God.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Link to view photos from the event
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Link to view photos from the event
Sep 03, 2023 |
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
| Max SmithFourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Aug 27, 2023 |
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
| Rev. Dan PuchallaThirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Aug 20, 2023 |
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
| The Rev. Charlotte JohnsonTwelfth Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Aug 13, 2023 |
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
| The Rev. Dr. Kyle OliverEleventh Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Aug 06, 2023 |
Transfiguration Sunday
| Thomas S. Rogers III, MDivTransfiguration Sunday
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
Jul 30, 2023 |
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
| Thomas S. Rogers III, MDivNinth Sunday after Pentecost
View PDF - The Season after Pentecost is often called Ordinary Time, and this season connects the Paschal cycle (the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus) from the gift of the Holy Spirit to the celebration of the Second Coming when Christ comes in glory.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.
All of our music is covered under our CCLI license #11167839.