St. Thomas Episcopal Church Sermons

On this Ascension Sunday, Father Edmund explores the tender threshold between absence and presence. As Jesus ascends, his friends are left grieving and afraid, feeling alone. But in this in-between space—this space of uncertainty—the Spirit draws closer. Father Edmund invites us to see how our own places of fear and vulnerability become sacred ground, where God breathes new life and whispers, “You are not alone.”

On Youth Sunday, Cate Fitzgerald, a graduating senior, shared her heartfelt reflections on change, faith, and the journey to college. Drawing on personal experiences with anxiety, transitions, and questions of faith, Cate shows us that an “imperfectly perfect faith” is one that welcomes doubt, embraces uncertainty, and still believes. In her vulnerability, Cate invites us to trust that God’s love holds us steady through every new chapter.
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What practices—spiritual or practical—help you resist systems that define people by wealth, productivity, or success?
In a world that runs on exhaustion, profit, and performance, Rabbi Daniel Weiner brings a timely and powerful word: We were never meant to live this way.
Drawing from the ancient Jewish practices of Shmita and Jubilee—sacred pauses for the land, for laborers, and for debtors—Rabbi Weiner calls us to imagine a different kind of world. One where the land gets to rest. One where people are freed from systems that dehumanize them. One where every person is treated with sacred worth.

"Love one another as I have loved you."
These words from Jesus—simple, familiar, often sentimentalized—land differently in today's world. In this sermon, the Rev. Liz Costello explores what agape love actually looks like in practice: tender, embodied, and sometimes controversial. From washing feet to resisting unjust systems, this kind of love doesn’t avoid the mess—it kneels down in the middle of it. Drawing on the Gospel of John and a powerful example from the Episcopal Church’s recent refusal to participate in a discriminatory refugee program, this sermon invites us to see love not as a feeling, but as a radical, daily commitment.
📖 Scripture: John 13:31-35 | Revelation 21:1-6 | Acts 11:1-18 📍 Preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA 🕊 Learn more at www.stthomasmedina.org

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, Father Edmund Harris explores what it means to hear and follow the voice of Jesus in a world full of competing noise. Through penguin parenting, childhood obsessions, and the call to resist the narratives of productivity and consumerism, we’re invited to remember the deeper truth: the Good Shepherd still speaks. Are we listening?
#GoodShepherdSunday #RecognizingHisVoice #StThomasMedina #EpiscopalChurch #ListenAndFollow #FaithInAChaoticWorld #ChristianFormation #EasterSeason #MothersDaySermon #Eastertide

In this second Sunday of Easter sermon, the Rev. James McEachran invites us into the story of resurrection through the eyes of Mary Magdalene, Thomas the Doubter, and our own trembling hearts. In a world often shaken by fear, uncertainty, and disbelief, Father Jim reminds us that Easter is not just a moment—it’s a wake-up call. From the alleluias of sunrise to the quiet wonder of “my Lord and my God,” this sermon is both tender and triumphant, full of humor, honesty, and spirited hope. Gather with us to remember, be renewed, and leave ready to say: We have seen the Lord.
🕊️ Delivered at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA.
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In his final sermon at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, the Rev. Shane Carlson reflects on the sacred beauty of being loved well—and what it means to love like Jesus. With tears, laughter, and deep wisdom, Father Shane explores John 21’s “charcoal fire” moment, where Peter is invited not only to confess his love for Christ but to grow into it. This is more than a goodbye; it’s a sending. As Father Shane and his family prepare to move to Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Flagstaff, Arizona, he invites us to follow Peter’s path from philia to agape—toward the sacrificial, unconditional love that Jesus modeled. Through storytelling and scripture, he challenges us to live with the mind of Christ: seeing Jesus in everyone and feeding his sheep. Whether you've known Father Shane personally or are hearing him preach for the first time, this message is a powerful reminder of what it means to lead, to serve, and to love like Christ.
📖 Gospel Reading: John 21:1–19
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Alleluia! Christ is risen! In this radiant Easter sermon, the Rev. Liz Costello invites us into the heart of Easter hope—fierce, defiant, and deeply needed in today’s world of uncertainty. Drawing from scripture, real-life disappointments, and the enduring witness of figures like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mother Liz preaches a resurrection hope that doesn’t deny struggle, but rises in the midst of it. Whether your confidence has been shaken by the markets, elections, illness, or fear, this Easter message is an anchor in the storm. Come be reminded that the tomb is empty, death is defeated, and hope is not a naïve feeling—it is a faithful practice rooted in the risen Christ. This is a sermon for anyone who needs to remember: we are not at the end of the story. We’re living in the middle of God’s redeeming love.
#Easter2025 #ChristIsRisen #DefiantHope #EasterSermon #ResurrectionHope #StThomasMedina #EpiscopalChurch #ProgressiveChristianity #Alleluia #EmptyTomb #FaithInUncertainty #GodOfLove #HolyWeekToEaster #HopeintheWilderness

At the Easter Vigil, we step into the ancient story of God's promise to bring life from even the driest bones. The Rev. Shane Carlson invites us to move through the valley of despair into the dawning hope of resurrection. Through the voices of the faithful women at the tomb, the wind through the bones, and the light of the risen Christ, we are called to remember: hope is alive. Christ is risen! Alleluia! Join us as we journey from darkness to light, from death to life, from exile to homecoming—because God is in the business of resurrection.
📖 Scriptures: Ezekiel 37:1–14 (The Valley of Dry Bones) Luke 24:1–12 (The Women at the Tomb)
🔔 Worship with us at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, Washington: Sundays at 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM PT | www.stthomasmedina.org
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On this Good Friday, Rev. Jim McEachran invites us into the quiet gravity of the cross—a place of sorrow, yes, but also of unspeakable love. From Golgotha to the garden tomb, this meditation walks us through the loneliness, courage, and divine grace that pulses through the Passion story.
Through memory, scripture, and personal reflection, Rev. Jim reminds us that Jesus breathed his last so that we might breathe our first. That we are the beloved—each one of us—claimed by the One who loved us to the end. What does it mean to live at the foot of the cross, to see God in action even now? Come with your questions.
Come with your gratitude. And tremble, if you must.