A testimony to the power of Christian community.

Collect: Seventh Sunday of Easter

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to that place where our savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen

Acts 1:6-14 . . .  God’s Spirit astonishes and empowers the community.

Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 . . .

1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11 . . . Peter encourages the community to consider the blessing—intimacy with the Spirit—that is theirs when they suffer for God’s sake

John 17:1-11 . . .  Jesus prays that God would protect his disciples’ unity.

Dr. Jim Somerville, Pastor of Richmond’s First Baptist Church and Co-Founder of A Sermon for Every Sunday, preaches a sermon called, “The Whole World is Watching,” from John 17:1-11. Originally conceived as a meditation for Worldwide Communion Sunday, this imaginative piece focuses on Jesus’ prayer that his disciples “might all be one.”

Collect: Ascension Day

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into heaven, so we may also in heart and mind there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Acts:1-11 . . . the last events and instructions of Jesus’ earthly ministry before he is lifted up to heaven

Psalm 47 . . . Gathering  Before the Throne: a God of order and providence in the midst of a world of chaos.  . . . a sense of rightness with the world.

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Psalm 93 . . . God clothed in Creation: God is both immanence and transcendence.  There is a dynamic quality to the divine Presence that does not leave the creation alone or its creatures in affected. Yes, immanence and transcendence seem to be opposites; it is the Holy Spirit, the advocate, that reconciles, and lets us in on the experience.

Ephesians 1:15-23 . . . Paul gives thanks for the faith and love of the Ephesians and prays that they may see with their inward eyes the power of God, who has raised and enthroned Jesus far above all earthy and heavenly dominions.

Luke 24:44-53 . . . Jesus leaves his followers with the promise of the Holy Spirit and is carried up into heaven.

Let Us  Remain Steadfast in Our Witness to the Good News

Collect: Sixth Sunday of Easter

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promise, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, forever and ever. Amen

Acts 17:22-31 . . . Paul’s address in a public forum to the curious citizens

Psalm 66:7-18 . . . A hymn of praise and thanksgiving

1 Peter 3:13-22 . . .  This is guidance for all Christians, counseling readiness to suffer patiently for doing what is right.

John 14:15-21 . . . Jesus promises his followers that those who love him will be guided by the Holy Spirit and will also see him.

Sermon: The Paraclete. Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter, Year A

Geoffrey Plant

OR

Published on May 14, 2017

We are invited to consider our lives as a journey with Christ to a glorious, final home with God.

Collect: Fifth Sunday of Easter

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Acts 7:55-60 . . . that journey includes both misunderstanding and suffering at the hands of those opposed to the gospel of Christ.

Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 . . . The Hidden Face of Love

1 Peter 2:2-10 . . .  The journeying with Jesus means being joined with him into a spiritual house, members of a holy nation.

John 14:1-14 . . . Jesus assures his disciples that their earthly journey culminates in an eternal home with their heavenly Father

A Homily on “Many rooms in my Father’s house:”  What happens after we die? What are these rooms that Jesus speaks about in today’s gospel?  by Geoffrey Plant   A talk on what “Resurrection” really means, in scripture terms.

Jesus as our shepherd-leader

Collect: Fourth Sunday in Easter

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with your and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Acts 2:42-47. . . Peter’s testimony moves the people to repent and be baptized, acknowledging Jesus as Lord and Messiah.

Psalm 23 . . .  a song from the flock of God

1 Peter 2:19-25 . . . Christ as suffering servant, a leader who is both redeemer and example.

John 10:1-10 . . . Jesus compares his relationship with God’s people to a shepherd’s care for the sheep.

Theme: Recognizing The Shepherd’s voice by Rev. Fr. Theme: Recognizing The Shepherd’s voice 

An Invitation  Into Fellowship With the Resurrected Christ and With Each Other

Collect: Third Sunday in Easter

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Acts 2:14, 36-41 . . . how faith in the resurrected Jesus empowers the fledgling community of believers.

Psalm 116:1-3,10-17 . . . The Offered Cup

1 Peter 1:17-23 . . . A further exploration of Jesus’ redemptive work, the one who ransoms us from emptiness and exile.

Luke 24:13-35 . . . the risen Jesus teaches two disciples from the scriptures and shares a meal with them, establishing a pattern we still follow in our weekly liturgy.

Richard W. Voelz is an Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA. In his sermon from Luke 24:13-35 he asks the question: “Have you ever felt the sting of a broken promise?” Cleopas and his companion had. They walked the road to Emmaus with their heads

Faith in the Risen Christ

Collect: The Second Sunday of Easter

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery  established in the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Hoy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Acts 2: 14, 22-32 . . . Peter attests to the resurrection of Jesus Christ as an act of God, an act that forms the basis for Christian community.

Psalm 16 . . . A Song of the Refugee . . . a deep sense of optimism.

1 Peter 1:3-9 . . .  envisions faith in and a love for Christ as a sign of our salvation

John 20:19-31 . . . Jesus does not leave Thomas behind, but rewards his persistence with faith.

A Sermon about the twin.   MaryAnn McKibben Dana describes herself as “a writer, spouse, mother of three, muffin maker and occasional marathoner.” She says, “I am a Presbyterian pastor whose spiritual inner child is secretly Quaker. (I guess the secret’s out.) I believe in the expansive love of God that knows no bounds.” In this sermon from John 20:19-31 she wrestles with Thomas’s doubt, and the love of God that seeks him out and finds him in an upper room.