James Liggett
The Rev. James Liggett is the retired rector of St. Nicholas’ Episcopal Church in Midland, Texas. He is a native of Kansas and a graduate of the University of Houston and the Episcopal Divinity School. He has served parishes in Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma and has been a contributor to Sermons That Work since the 1980’s.
Sermons and Bible Studies
To Be the Beloved, Epiphany 1 (C) – January 12, 2025
[RCL] Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 I want to talk a bit about the Baptism of Jesus, about what it means. And the place to start, […]
Death, Lent 5 (A) – 2023
[RCL] Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45 These long readings from John’s Gospel during Lent have a depth and a power to them that can, if we take […]
Surrender, Lent 1 (A) – 2023
[RCL] Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11 Seldom does our lectionary give us such richness in Scripture—two of the most powerful and evocative stories in the Bible […]
Locked Doors, Easter 2 (C) – 2022
[RCL] Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 150; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31 Today’s sermon illustration is that odd picture that’s included. It’s an old Charles Addams cover from a 1981 […]
Behold My Servant, Good Friday – 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42 At no time do we stand closer to the mystery, the hiddenness, the total otherness of God […]
Pearls and Grit, Easter 7 (B) – 2021
RCL: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19 Everybody knows that oysters sometimes make pearls; that little tidbit has been used to illustrate many a point. But […]
Showing Up, Easter 2 (B) – 2021
RCL: Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31 Alleluia, Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia. The Second Sunday of Easter is very dependable. (Not just […]
Who Sinned?, Lent 4 (A) – March 22, 2020
[RCL]: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 That long reading from John about the man born blind is always very current. We only need to look at […]
The Same Story, Christmas 1 – 2019
[RCL]: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 147 or 147:13-21; Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7; John 1:1-18 Have you ever noticed that when you get together with your family and start telling stories about when […]
Outstretched Arms, Easter Day – 2019
Note: This sermon includes references to an icon that can be downloaded via a link at the bottom of this page for distribution to the congregation. Alleluia, Christ is Risen! […]
How to Be Beloved, Epiphany 1 (C) – 2019
I want to talk a bit about the Baptism of Jesus, about what it means. The place to start, of course, is with the story we just heard. We heard […]
Sacred Mysteries, Proper 22 (B) – 2018
Sometimes we are so familiar with something that we don’t even notice it anymore. The little bit from the second chapter of Genesis that we just heard, and that we […]
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