SERMONS

"Jesus Prays" Sermon by The Rev. Cindy Carter June 1, 2025 Like me, you probably read or heard many words of sympathy and remembrance following the death of Pope Francis – words from politicians and government officials, monarchs, religious leaders, celebrities, and everyday, ordinary people around the world. But one statement I saw began in a deeply personal way. “Pope Francis changed my life.” These words came from John Boehner, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. Some of you may know about the experience on which Speaker Boehner’s statement was based. I first learned about this experience several years ago when I listened to the Audible version of the book, On the House , read by Speaker Boehner. I had Heard a reporter I respect say that this book, subtitled A Washington Memoir ; was the funniest political book that she’d ever read. And, it is indeed a very funny book. I’m sure my neighbors wondered why I was laughing out loud as I took my daily walks with my airpods in my ears. If you’ve read it, you know what I mean. If you think you might be interested in reading it, one warning – the language is, shall we say, salty. While Mr. Boehner and I may not agree on many things, as I read the book I discovered many ways in which we are more alike than I would have expected. For example, I had not known that the former speaker is a person of faith. A devout Roman Catholic. In On the House , he described a day on which he said he had never seen Congress more happy. It was the day that Pope Francis, at Speaker Boehner’s invitation, addressed a joint session of Congress. In a moment when the Speaker found himself alone with the Pope, Francis embraced him and said, “Mr. Speaker, pray for me.” Boehner’s response was, “Holy Father, who am I to pray for you?” But, he added that he prayed for the Holy Father then and still does. That is the moment that Speaker Boehner said changed his life. Pray for me. Such important words in a life of faith. This morning we have heard about one of Jesus’ prayers. This prayer, recorded in the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John, is the final scene in Jesus’ farewell meal with his disciples, just before his arrest. It is the prayer of one on the verge of willingly laying down his life and in that willing death completing the work that the Father had given him to do. It is the prayer of one who knows he has come from glory and is totally confident of returning to that glory. Jesus is speaking to God, the Father, on the eve of his death. And, at such an intense moment as this, with the agony of the cross looming right in front of him, what is of utmost concern to Jesus? What is he speaking with the Father about in his prayer? As we heard in the reading from John’s Gospel, Jesus was praying for those the Father had given him. Praying that the Father would protect them as they continued on in the world after Jesus and ascended to the Father. At that moment, Jesus is concerned about his followers, the community of believers. And, it is on behalf of that community Jesus prayed that as he faced death. He prayed for those who were his followers that night in Jerusalem; he prayed for those who would become his followers in other places following his death, resurrection, and ascension; he prayed for us. Jesus entrusted the hope for the future of all his followers to God. It’s amazing, isn’t it? Literally, the last thing John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus did before he was betrayed and arrested was to pray for his followers. He didn’t hurriedly give his disciples a bunch of last minute instructions; just to be sure that they knew exactly what to do in his absence. No check list of items to insure church unity or to tell his followers exactly how to carry out their mission and ministry. No rules for how to remain faithful in the world, where evil is indeed a reality. No, instead, his last words before his betrayal and arrest were directed, not to the disciples – but to the Father. In that moment, Jesus turned the future of his followers over to God. Over to a God who Jesus knew could be trusted with that future, because of God’s great love for these followers. He entrusted our future to the hands of God – this one whose hands are absolutely sure, absolutely good, and absolutely full of love. Jesus’ prayer modeled how we are to understand and receive our identity. Our life as individual followers of Jesus and as the faith community, the church, depends completely on God’s care; our future rests in God’s hands. Our identity is in God alone. Knowing that God’s grace, presence, and love surround us and uphold us surely gives us confidence that we – as individuals and as the faith community - can face challenges and opportunities with boldness and courage, with patience and faith. You see Jesus’ intercession for us did not end with that prayer following his farewell meal with his disciples in Jerusalem so many years ago. In his Letter to the Romans, Paul assured us that it is “Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.” And, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews described Jesus as an eternal priest - one who lives forever to make intercession on our behalf. This morning, can we get our minds around the fact that Jesus - this one who is the only Son, so close to the Father’s heart; this one who loves us so much - prays for us? He prayed for his followers just before his own death and he continues to intercede for us. He has entrusted us to God’s trustworthy care and our future is in those sure, good, loving hands. Knowing that people pray for me is incredibly sustaining for me. Having people ask me to pray for them builds bonds between us that perhaps never existed before. Pope Francis’ request for Speaker Boehner to pray for him changed his life. But, frankly, when I really think about the fact that Jesus- this one who loves me so much, more than I can even imagine - prays for me and for the church, when I really try to take that into my head and my heart, it absolutely takes my breath away. How might our definition of who we are as followers of Jesus and who we are as a faith community change, how might our understanding of the idea of church unity change, how might our faithfulness in a world where evil is a reality change, how might our life together, ur mission and ministry, change– if we took as our beginning point this statement - We are a community for whom Jesus prays. We are a community for whom Jesus prays.. For indeed, we are that community. And, my friends, that changes everything. AMEN.

"How Is Your Vision?" Sermon by The Rev. Brad Landry May 25, 2025 “Vision” in scripture comes in many forms—dreams, trances, revelations—and the Greek language gives each one a distinct meaning. The speaker shares how their love of Greek began in college and now deepens weekly through study. Visions appear often in Acts—from Peter’s trance on a rooftop to Paul’s nighttime vision of a man from Macedonia, which leads instead to Lydia, a wise woman by a river. Like Paul's experience, our own vision often sharpens over time. At All Saints, this means living into the vision of “embodying Christ’s transforming love”—moving beyond the city gate to the river, and ultimately toward the New Jerusalem, where one day we will see God face to face and be healed.

"Lines" Sermon by The Rev. Cindy Carter May 18, 2025 I first encountered this little poem more years ago than I’d like to say in a course titled “The Social Psychology of Organizing.” That course would go on to change the direction of my studies, my career, and me; and I have always thought there is a great deal of wisdom in this little poem. I even used to keep a copy of it taped above my desk, but who knew that poem would end up in a sermon. I certainly didn’t. I’ve thought a whole lot about that poem, as I’ve considered today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles. To set the context for today – in last week’s reading from Acts, we left Peter, in Joppa (a coastal town, present day Tel Aviv), staying “with a certain Simon, a tanner.” He had come to Joppa at the request of the Christian community there when Dorcas, a beloved disciple in that community, became ill and died. But when Peter prayed next to her body and called her name, she returned alive to the community that loved her so much. So, how how did we get from a joyful, pleasant stay in Joppa to where we are in the story today? Today, it sounds like Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, had been called on the carpet by the Jews who made up the Christian community in Jerusalem. Called to account because they had heard that he was in table fellowship with Gentiles. And, this was a serious problem in the minds of the Jerusalem church. Unthinkable! Unimaginable! Now Peter had to explain himself. And, explain himself he did. First, he told these Jewish Christians about a vision he had when he was staying with Simon, the tanner, in Joppa. One day at noon when it was about time for lunch and Peter was hungry, he had gone up to the roof to pray while we waited for lunch to be prepared. As he prayed, he saw a large sheet coming down from heaven, and the sheet was filled with all kinds of animals and birds. All were part of God’s creation but some had been declared in Jewish law as unclean – that is, not to be used for food. With the sheet full of animals there in front of the hungry Peter, a voice told him to kill and eat what was there. But, Peter being a good observant Jew, said, “no.” Absolutely no, in no uncertain terms. Three times the sheet filled with all kinds of animals came down and he was told to kill and eat, and three times he said, “no.” But each time Peter said “no,” the voice responded that what God had pronounced clean, Peter had no right to call profane or unclean. And, just as the sheet in Peter’s vision was pulled back up into heaven for the third time… KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Three men arrived from Caesarea, just up the coast, and said they had come to get Peter. They had been sent by Cornelius, a Roman centurion. An officer who commanded 100 soldiers in the Roman Army. Now, Cornelius was a good man; he feared God and gave alms and prayed constantly. Cornelius was a good man, but Cornelius was a Gentile. Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, went with these men who were at his door. He went to Cornelius’ home in Caesarea. As he spoke with Cornelius and the people in his household, Peter could see that the Holy Spirit had come upon these Gentiles just as the Holy Spirit had come upon Peter and the other Jewish believers on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit at work, unleashed in the world, as uncontrollable as a strong wind and a raging fire. That was Peter’s defense. His account to these Jewish Christians who had called him on the carpet. And, as we heard in today’s reading from Acts - When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.” An unexpected outpouring of God’s grace and love, providing evidence that the inclusion of Gentiles in the Christian community was indeed God’s will. Now, Peter and Cornelius may have been principal human characters in this story, but I believe the Holy Spirit was the main character. It was the Holy Spirit who was instigator of the action, the one who had erased what had seemed like an indelible line between Jew and Gentile. And, remember that line I mentioned earlier which told us where Peter was staying when he had the vision he described. The house of a certain Simon, a tanner. Simon’s trade would have caused him to carry the odor and blood of animals and made him “unclean” according to some Jewish laws. Perhaps this seemingly throwaway line was Luke’s hint to his readers and to us that the Holy Spirit was already at work in Peter, even before the pivotal vision occurred.  Our choicest plans have fallen through, our airiest castles tumbled over, because of lines we neatly drew and later neatly stumbled over. There are still so many lines in the church, aren’t there? Churches don’t only stumble, at times they actively tear themselves apart over lines that have been drawn. Who can sit at Christ’s table together, who has the correct interpretation of scripture, who “fits” in our congregation, who is inside the line and who is outside the line. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I see these lines and all the separation, division, pain, and destruction they can cause, it can be downright frustrating. It can even make me angry. But, then in my clearer moments, I realize that I, too, am guilty of line drawing. Much of the time I am simply blind to the lines I draw, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. So, what are we to do and think about all these lines? Well, I think we can be certain that God does have choice plans and airy castles in mind for us. God has a dream for the world that God has created and a dream for the church, the Body of Christ in the world. I think we can also be certain that God doesn’t care much for lines. I don’t think God is a line-drawer. You see the lines we draw – lines of race, sexual orientation, right and left, liberal and conservative, denomination or faith tradition, gender, class, however you want to draw them, those lines can prevent the plans and castles that God has in mind for us from coming to fruition or at a minimum those lines can definitely slow them down. Those lines can trip us up and cause a whole lot of stumbling. But, thanks be to God – I believe we can also be certain that the Holy Spirit is still at work. Still preparing the Peters and Corneliuses among us. Still speaking and leading. Still instigating the action that will erase those lines that seem so firmly in place. The Spirit is still working out God’s will, God’s plan, God’s dream for us. As a Gentile, I would have been on the side of the line there with Cornelius two thousand years ago. The side of the line where Jews thought God’s love and mercy could not gush forth in a new, abundant outpouring. But, that line was erased. As a woman, only fifty or so years ago, I would have been on the side of the line where no matter how strongly I believed I was being called by God to ordained ministry, God’s will for me would have not been possible in the Episcopal Church. But, that line was erased. I believe the Holy Spirit, the gift of the resurrected Jesus, continues to lead us, to guide us, and at times, squarely to kick us in the seat of the pants to help us get past our stubborn desire to keep the lines we’ve drawn right where they are. Loving and active God, may we be open to the winds of your Spirit. May we know that you have a dream for us, a choice plan, an airy castle, better things can we can imagine or pray for. And, as we seek to follow you toward that dream, may we not stumble over the lines we ourselves have drawn. Alleluia! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

"The Ongoing Work of Love" Sermon by The Rev. Ranie Neislar May 4, 2025 We have been invited, privileged, to be part of an ongoing work — to be lovers of people, fishers of men, and part of reconciling God to God’s people. It’s about being part of something bigger, loving outside yourself, and continuing the hard work of tending to one another. Please continue to be part of loving our children and loving one another.

Youth Sunday Sermons April 27, 2025 These are the four sermons given by our youth at the 8:30am and 11:00am services. In order they are: Hattie Landry & Kylie Peerson (8:30am) and then Sadie Busbee & Ada McElroy (11:00am).

"What We Bring to the Tomb" Sermon by The Rev. Brad Landry April 20, 2025 Whatever it is that you have brought with you today to church—car keys, coffee, a child, grief, expectations, or precious hopes—the tomb is a place to be unburdened by the weight of expectation, to have transformed that which is precious to you, and to find that which has been lost. Just as these women carried with them costly, precious spices to the tomb, surely they brought also with them their grief and their tears, their shattered hopes of all they had expected Jesus to be—then they did remember his words.

"If the Dead Don't Stay Dead, What Can You Rely On" Sermon by The Rev. Cindy Carter April 19, 2025 The unexpected joy of a pregnancy announcement mirrored the disbelief of the apostles, who, like the women at the tomb, found resurrection news too impossible to accept—because “if the dead don’t stay dead, what can you rely on?” Yet through memory of Jesus’ words and presence, they moved from doubt to belief, inspired to hope and trust that it was true.

"Down on the Ground" Sermon by The Rev. Brad Landry April 18, 2025 Down on the ground is where we do our best work, with preschoolers, in the garden, at burials, washing feet, kneeling to hear a child's question, and in prayer for those in power and those who are suffering. I believe Jesus does his best work down on the ground, and I believe that we can too.

"Learning to Love Like Jesus" Sermon by The Rev. Cindy Carter April 17, 2025 Going to seminary was challenging and distressing, especially as some things I thought I absolutely knew to be true were shattered. I learned that Jesus’ command to “love one another” in John’s Gospel was not a universal call, but a specific directive to the Christian community—showing love as he did, even through humble service, disagreement, and forgiveness.