Sunday’s Sermon with the Rev. Michael Mayor - Christ Episcopal Church of Puyallup

With the words “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few” Jesus sends out his disciples to accomplish what for us would seem to be an all but impossible mission. Cure the sick and cleanse the leper? Maybe. But raise the dead and cast out demons? Not so much. Perhaps the call isn’t so much to perform miracles, but instead to be a source of care and healing in the face of darkness and despair. How might we embrace the vision and the mission the Kingdom of God, so that we bridge the gap between the real and the ideal? That’s the challenge and the hope of both our and the world’s transformation.

Set in a series of three acts, Jesus calls a tax collector, heals a woman with hemorrhages, and raises a dead girl. But all of them are framed by his early remarks to the Pharisees, and specifically by his quotation of Hosea: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” The gospel story we address is about insiders and outsiders. It is about power. It is ultimately about mercy. Who are the outsiders of our day and what does it look be about the work of crossing the boundaries that polite society puts up to keep us apart?

The reality of one God who exists in three persons is nothing less than a mystery. Whether speaking of God as revealed in the Old Testament, God as revealed in Jesus, or God as revealed in the Spirit, God’s very nature calls us beyond the certainty of our intellect and into the realm of imagination and experience. Such mystery, approached with an open hand and an open mind, allows us to encounter a radically present God in ways we might never have conceived.

When we move beyond the miracle story, Pentecost is primarily a story about evangelism. Not evangelism as we have come to understand it, but a way of communicating that honors the mystery of the other and seeks to speak primarily in their language and not our own.

The story of the ascension of Jesus into heaven reminds us that we are in a time in between Jesus' earthly life and his return. To what are we called in this time of memory and anticipation? How are we to respond to participating in the in-breaking of God's reign on earth?

Julian of Norwich received a mystical vision from Jesus that "All shall be well." Who among us doesn't want to hear this assurance? Jesus promises that we shall not be alone and comfortless, but will send an "Advocate" to be with us. How might these two visions inform one another and give us hope in the days in which we live?

This week we hear Jesus' words "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places." In this Gospel passage we are promised more than a home in heaven. We are also promised hope in this life even in the midst of difficulty and loss.

On the Fourth Sunday of Easter we hear Jesus refer to himself as a shepherd and a sheep-gate, but who is the gatekeeper and what is their role? Come explore what our role is as we follow the shepherd of our souls.

In the Gospel passage this week we hear of Jesus walking unrecognized with two of his grief stricken disciples, and yet their hearts were burning within them as he taught them. Christ comes to each of us as well in the faces of those around us bringing transformation and hope.

Alleluias abound as shouts of joy ring out. Christ is Risen! Explore the mystery of Jesus' resurrection as we wait with anticipation for our own transformation in God.

In his passion Jesus neither violently rebelled against nor capitulated to the principalities and powers that sought his destruction. Instead he chose what he had always chosen, a path of non-violent resistance that embodied the Kingdom of God and offered transformation and new life.

Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and the world is never the same. Crossing lines of patriarchy and racism he brings wholeness to the life of someone on the margins of society. How might we cross such lines and make Christ manifest in our own day?

Nicodemus asks in the Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent about being born a second time and Jesus replies with the now classic line about God's love and believing in him. What does it mean to believe in Jesus? And what are the implications for our life today? The answer may not be what you think.

The Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent presents us with Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. How did Jesus respond to temptations to the flesh, to ego, and to power and what will our response be to the same?

In the Gospel for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany we see a transfigured Jesus and his disciples caught up in mystery. In this sermon we explore the question of what it means to get out of our boxes and listen to Jesus, and what the implications are for our faith.

"You are the light of the world." With these seven little words Jesus challenges the assumption that faith is something wholly personal and private. In this sermon we explore the implications of being light for the world.

Are the beatitudes to be believed? In an age so marked by violence, and economic and social injustice, what are we to make of Jesus' words? In this sermon we explore this central text to Jesus' teaching and its implication for being a follower in his way today.

This morning we hear and see in the Gospel the shape of Jesus' public ministry. How are we in the present age called to make our lives congruent with his? Even as he calls Andrew, Peter, James and John he calls us to to leave our nets and follow after him.

In today's Gospel reading we hear John the Baptist's proclamation that Jesus is the Son of God as we examine the deep mystery of God becoming one of us and its implication for all of us.

On this first Sunday after Epiphany we hear about the baptism of Jesus, how it was a radical act of solidarity with humanity and the human condition, and what the implications are for us as followers in his way.

We continue our Christmas celebration today hearing the Gospel of John's proclamation of the incarnation of God in Jesus. Because of that we take hope. Christ is the light of the world and because of that no darkness is dark enough that it can quench the light that God brings to the world.

On this Christmas Eve, we explore the classic story of Christmas with a baby in a manger and shepherds in the field. But do we know the story or is there something going on we haven't considered? Tonight we examine what this well known Gospel has to say about when and where we might find the Christ and what it means for us.

We live in an empirical age where dreams and imagination are often suspect. This morning we explore the important place of Joseph's dream in the birth of Jesus and the ways in which we encounter the divine.

Do you believe or do you have faith? In this morning's sermon we explore the difference between the two as we explore yet another story of John the Baptist and Jesus, and as we enter this third Sunday of Advent and wait with anticipation for the coming of our Lord.

This morning in the Gospel John the Baptist cries out for us to prepare the way of the Lord. As we continue our Advent journey, how might we be the light and prepare the way of Christ's in-breaking into our lives and the lives of those around us?

Today we hear Jesus talking about the return of the Son of Man. As we enter this Advent season we explore how and when Christ comes to us both now and in the future.

What does it mean to claim as our king a man whose throne is the cross and for whom the power to control and coerce are antithetical to his reign? Today we explore the idea of Christ as King and the Reign of God on this our patronal feast day.

The Rev. Terry Kyllo of Paths to Understanding explores a enigmatic gospel passage about marriage and resurrection and exposes God's concern for all of humanity and Jesus solidarity with all of us.

On All Saints Sunday we hear Jesus say that those who are poor, hungry, weeping, and hated are blessed, and that those who are rich, full, laughing, or well respected are in a state of woe. Is this simply a reversal of fortune or is Jesus getting at something deeper. In today's homily we explore the idea of impermanence and our need to rely on the grace of God. By relying on God we participate with the saints of our faith and we may just find ourselves in their company.

Today we hear the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. What does it mean to have faith and are we called to more than prayer? Explore the implications of being an agent for justice in the face of a power imbalance and Jesus' call to be a people of faith who embody that justice.

Sometimes life with God is really not that complicated. This morning we hear the story of Naaman, and the cure of his leprosy. How he had to overcome his pride and do nothing more than bathe in the river Jordan.

"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can say to this mulberry tree 'be uprooted and planted in the sea' and it will obey you." Come explore this word of comfort that embraces the truth that all things are possible with God.

Jesus' parable this morning confronts us with the sharp divide between the wealthy and the poor and all the assumptions that come with it. Explore with us in today's sermon the call to justice and the need to respect the dignity of every human being.

What does Jesus mean when he says "you cannot serve God and wealth"? In today's sermon we explore what consitutes wealth and our relationship to it.

Canon Carla Robinson joins us to share insight into Jesus' parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. God still seeks us out, regardless of life's circumstances.

Does Jesus really want us to hate all that we love? This morning in the sermon we explore one of the hard sayings of Jesus and the call to non-attachment as a pathway to meaning, purpose, and joy.

Reflecting on the teaching of Jesus in Luke 14:1,7-14, we explore the practical implications of living into the Reign of God.

Is it enough to simply believe and worship? What is the cost of discipleship? This morning we reflect on the words of the prophet Isaiah as we wrestle with being a Christian in the world today.