the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

The Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers In her sermon, the Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers discusses discomfort around the term "Christian" due to its association with Christian nationalism, a movement that seeks to impose Christian values on the United States and is tied to white supremacy, anti-immigrant views, and political violence. The Episcopal Church has opposed this ideology, promoting instead the Gospel’s values of love, justice, and peace. She reflects on Jesus’s call to "take up your cross," interpreting it as a call to embrace the challenges of fighting for justice, not passively accepting suffering. The sermon emphasizes the need to reclaim Christian identity as followers of Jesus’ way of love and service, rather than political dominion.