St. Thomas Episcopal Church Sermons

Always We Begin Again | September 7, 2025 | The Rev. Edmund Harris

In this sermon, the Rev. Edmund Harris explores Jesus’ stark words in Luke about the cost of discipleship. With honesty and hope, he reminds us that following Jesus isn’t about perfection but about daily recommitment—a way of life rooted in justice, compassion, and love. Drawing on Deuteronomy’s invitation to “choose life,” we are called to reorder our lives and begin again, together, in Christ.
#StThomasMedina #Episcopal #WayOfLove #LukeGospel #ChooseLife #Discipleship #AlwaysWeBeginAgain

Hospitality That Reorders the World

This week’s sermon explores Jesus’s radical vision of hospitality, not as charity or obligation, but as a reordering of power. Drawing from Father Edmund's experience with Church Beyond the Walls in Providence, Rhode Island and the words of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel, we consider what it means to welcome those who cannot repay us, and to recognize Christ’s presence in every person.

Love and Law Together

On Sunday, Father Edmund reflected on Jesus’s healing of a woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13) and the prophet Isaiah’s call to justice. Far from dismissing the law, Jesus fulfills it by embodying compassion and love in flesh and blood. Sabbath is not opposed to justice; both are central to our faith. Drawing on the witness of Pauli Murray—lawyer, priest, and prophet—Father Edmund reminded us that faithfulness means practicing rest and justice, week by week, together as the church.
#StThomasMedina #Episcopal #SabbathRest #JusticeAndMercy #LoveAndLaw #PauliMurray #FaithInPractice #EpiscopalChurch #LivingTheGospel

When the World Is on Fire: Bearing Witness with Courage | The Rev. Liz Costello | August 17, 2025

In this week’s sermon, the Rev. Liz Costello reflects on Jesus’s fiery words in Luke’s Gospel—“I came to bring fire to the earth”—and what it means to follow Christ when the world feels like it’s burning. Drawing on the “great cloud of witnesses” from Hebrews, and the example of modern martyrs like Pastor Wang Zhiming of China, Mother Liz reminds us that God’s kingdom often stands in contrast to the powers of this world. Through perseverance, love, and courage, we are called to bear witness to Christ’s kingdom—even when it brings division, tension, or sacrifice.
#StThomasMedina #Sermon #Faith #Luke12 #BearWitness #WayOfLove #Courage #Perseverance #GreatCloudOfWitnesses #ChurchCommunity

By Faith: Trusting in God’s Promises | The Rev. Liz Costello | August 10, 2025

This week, Mother Liz begins our sermon series on the book of Hebrews, exploring what it truly means to “live by faith.” From the roll call of saints in Hebrews 11 to Jesus’s call to readiness in Luke’s Gospel, we are invited to hold our possessions lightly, trust God’s provision, and place our deepest longing in our heavenly home. Even when we cannot see the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lifetime, we are called to trust—just as generations of believers have before us. How might living by faith be the balm your soul needs today?
📖 Hebrews 11:1–3, 8–16 | Luke 12:32–40
#ByFaith #SermonSeries #StThomasMedina #EpiscopalChurch #FaithAndTrust #Hebrews11 #SaintsBeforeUs #GospelLiving #ChristianFaith #GodsPromises #Luke12 #MainlineChristianity #Episcopal #FaithJourney #ChurchCommunity

Rich Toward God | August 3, 2025 | The Rev. Canon Carla Robinson

In this heartfelt sermon, the Rev. Canon Carla Robinson challenges us to consider what it truly means to be “rich toward God.” With wisdom, humor, and deep theological insight, she explores the spiritual poverty of self-centered living and offers an alternative vision: One rooted in gratitude, conversation, community, and eternal perspective. Drawing on Jesus’s parable of the rich fool, Paul’s epistle, and our own lived realities, Canon Carla reminds us that we are already rich in God’s grace, and invites us to live like it.

Our Truest Passport | July 27, 2025 | The Rev. Liz Costello

What does it mean to carry a spiritual passport? In this sermon, the Rev. Liz Costello explores identity, allegiance, and the call to resist false teachings—ancient and modern. From Colossians to the Barmen Declaration, we are reminded that Jesus is Lord, not nation, race, or ideology. Our faith affirms the sacredness of bodies, communities, and the work of justice on earth as in heaven. This is not a retreat from public life but a radical reorientation: toward love, humility, and hope.

Hospitality, Holiness, and the Hope of Small Acts | July 20, 2025 | The Rev. Mary Bol

On July 20, 2025, guest preacher the Rev. Mary Bol invited us to reflect on how seemingly small acts—offering a meal, welcoming a stranger, showing kindness—can become sacred encounters. Drawing on Abraham’s story in Genesis 18 and Jesus’ visit with Mary and Martha in Luke 10, Rev. Mary reminded us that hospitality is not just about what we do, but how we listen, care, and respond to God’s call in our daily lives.
Her sermon challenges us to treat one another—and the earth—with reverence, because love in action is a blessing in itself.

Becoming the Neighbor: Mercy in Motion | The Rev. Edmund Harris | July 13, 2025

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” asks the lawyer in Luke 10. Jesus doesn’t just answer—he reframes the question entirely. In this powerful sermon from Father Edmund,, we revisit the story of the Good Samaritan not as a lesson in morality, but as a call to radical empathy and action. True neighborliness, he reminds us, is inconvenient, disruptive, and deeply embodied. The Good Samaritan doesn’t just feel pity—he crosses the road, touches wounds, and offers his life’s resources. In a time of great suffering and social fragmentation, this message is not just relevant—it’s urgent.

It Is the Holy Spirit That Sings | The Rev. Paul Barthelemy | July 6, 2025

Guest preacher Father Paul Barthelemy weaves the beauty of the natural world with the language of Pentecost in this poetic and profound sermon. Drawing on Mary Oliver’s evocative poetry, his personal encounters with the Swainson’s thrush, and the deep power of scripture, Father Paul invites us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit not just in sacred spaces, but in the song of the forest, in wind and fire, in stars and rivers. Is it just birdsong, or is it the Spirit speaking? This sermon offers a sacred invitation to listen more closely, and to live more gently.