Kay Sylvester
Sermons and Bible Studies
The Work of Easter, Easter 3 (C) – 2013
In today’s gospel story of breakfast on the beach, we enter further into the Easter season, and the work of Easter: working out what it means to have Resurrection set loose in the world, in the church, and in our lives. One of the oddest experiences of Easter is that it can feel empty, after […]
The Gospel Is a Verb, Proper 18 (B) – 2012
Where is the Good News in today’s gospel? Jesus casts out a demon and heals a deaf man, and that might be enough good news; but this lesson begins with a woman getting rough treatment from Jesus. In our current age of political spin, it’s hard to imagine why the author of Mark included this […]
Love One Another As I Have Loved You, Easter 6 (B) – 2012
This is my commandment, Jesus tells his disciples, that you love one another, as I have loved you. The language of commandment is deliberate; the author of John’s gospel is making an explicit reference to God as law-giver to accomplish at least two purposes: to affirm Jesus’ divine mandate, and to help readers to understand […]
The Celebration of…, Christ the King (A) – 2011
The celebration of Christ the King Sunday arose when Pope Pius XI found the increasing secularism of modern society eroding people’s faith. This was in 1925, and the Fascists under Mussolini were making their presence felt in Italy. Pius thought it was necessary to remind the faithful that whatever political powers might hold sway, ultimately, […]
The Wages of Sin…, Proper 8 (A) – 2011
“The wages of sin is death.” Pulled out of the context of the majestic letter to the church in Rome, this short statement sounds ominous; we have all sinned, according to the same letter. If we read this standing by itself, we might conclude that there is no hope for us. Or we begin to […]
Here’s an Experiment…, Last Sunday in Epiphany (A) – 2011
Hereâs an experiment: read the gospel appointed for today to a group of friends, all of whom have jobs, places to live, and automobiles. Then â at least in your imagination â read this gospel to the 800,000 or so people in Haiti who have been living in refugee camps for a year. This message […]
God’s Continuing Gift, Christmas Eve – 2010
On this holy night, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who, according to Luke, was born in Bethlehem, in a stable, because the town was full of out-of-town visitors who had come to pay their taxes. But if you look around, you will see that we’ve made much more of this celebration than the observance […]
Make Friends for Yourselves…, Proper 20 (C) – 2010
âMake friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth.â Jesus didnât really say that, did he? Imagine the disciples hearing this story. They probably ask Jesus to repeat himself, clean the wax out of their ears, and look at each other for verification: did he really just say that? It seems he did. Someone remembered […]
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