Sermons from St. John’s Episcopal Church

The propers for this week invite us to reflect on the season of Advent as a time of preparation for the profound reality of God’s arrival in our lives. Amid the noise and distractions of the holiday season, we are reminded of John the Baptist’s call to a baptism of repentance—a purposeful turning toward God, aligning our lives with His will and purposes. This preparation is not about guilt or anxiety but a quiet awareness of our need for God’s grace, helping us to hear His voice in the moments of life and respond with faith. As we anticipate Christmas, Fr Harris invites us to ready our hearts, not just for festivities, but for the transformative presence of God among us

Jesus’s words in Luke 21:25-36 sound like the end of the world. What if they’re actually about a better world being born?

Fr. Casey Shobe, Rector of Church of the Transfiguration, is our guest preacher on Celebration Sunday.

In the propers for this week, we confront the nature of holiness and the reality of the Saints, especially amid our struggles with virtue and a broken world. The story of Lazarus invites us to face our doubts about hope and death. Jesus' distinct weeping points beyond despair, revealing that death is not an end but part of God’s plan of restoration. As we observe All Saints' Day, surrounded by the signs of death in autumn, the Church urges us to see the Saints as present and active in our lives. They teach us that suffering can be transformed into joy and death into life. This reminder calls us to believe that holiness is possible and to join the communion of those who live in hope and faith.