Christ Episcopal Church

June 1, 2025: “Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen Indeed.  Alleluia! It's the final Sunday of Easter today, so just because, let's do that again – Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen Indeed.  Alleluia! That never gets old to me, and hopefully not for you too. Next Sunday, during our “Mass… The post “The Most Powerful Force” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

May 25, 2025: Alleluia! Christ is risen!  Yes, we are still in Eastertide.  And, it is also Memorial Day Weekend in our country. A time when we remember those who gave the last full measure for the freedoms we hold dear.  And in today's scriptures, we hear two passages that have a lot to say… The post “Hurricane's Approachin'!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

May 11, 2025: Alleluia! Christ is risen!  Welcome to Good Shepherd Sunday, always the fourth Sunday of Easter, when we hear the gospel message of Jesus as our shepherd, whose voice we hear and whom we follow.   It is also Mother's Day in the secular world. I hope to get lots of licks and meows… The post “God Loves All Of Us, And Evil Will Not Prevail!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

May 4, 2025: Alleluia!  Christ is risen! Now, you'll know I am a bit of a geek; and, as this is a special day for Star Wars fans, I suppose I should begin by saying: May the 4th be with you! You know, you can always tell when an Episcopalian is watching a Star Wars… The post “E Pluribus Unum” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

April 27, 2025: Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Happy Easter!  Now, for all of you that thought Easter was last Sunday…today is Easter…too, or 2. Easter is not just a single day on the calendar.  We are still celebrating Easter and we are in Eastertide until the day of Pentecost, this year falling on June 8th. … The post “Sede Vacante” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

Easter Sunday – April 20, 2025: The Lord is risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia! And “Χριστός Ανέστη!” “Αληθώς Ανέστη” “Καλό Πάσχα!” “Christ is Risen!” “Truly [he is] risen!”  “Happy Easter!” to all our Eastern Orthodox sisters and brothers in Christ, who today are also celebrating Easter Sunday.  This doesn't happen all the time, that we… The post “Remember” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

April 13, 2025 – Palm Sunday: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Somehow, I feel like this Palm Sunday feels more real than ever before.  But before we get to that, I need to remind everyone that it is in fact Palm Sunday. We shouldn't be reading the passion gospel… The post “First They Came For Jesus” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

March 23, 2025: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Today The Episcopal Church does a thing.  We usually go right along with the Revised Common Lectionary – the assigned readings for a Sunday followed by Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, and a whole lot of others, and also the Roman Catholic Church… The post “Time To Get Your Hands Dirty” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

February 23, 2025: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”  Seriously Jesus?  I mean, seriously?  Have you SEEN what is going on here in the US?  Sometimes I can imagine… The post “Love Is The Ultimate Resistance” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

February 2, 2025 – Candlemas: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. “Two turtledoves, and a ground hog who sees his shadow.” What, not right?  Well, at any rate, Merry Christmas everyone!  And you thought all that was over weeks ago when those crazy wild guys from the East showed up. … The post “A Light For All The World” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

January 26, 2025: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Heard any good sermons this past week…or at least a snippet of one?  I have no doubt that most, if not all, of you did.  And today, we heard the beginning of another one, though we only got the opening sentence… The post “Preach!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

January 19, 2025: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Eleven years ago this very day, on January 19th 2014, I stood in this pulpit for the very first time as your Rector.  Neither you all, nor I, could never have known what was to be when we first began to… The post “The Time Is Always Ripe To Do Right” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

January 12, 2025: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Hello everyone!  I sure missed being among you these past two Sundays.  I especially missed being able to welcome those strangers from the East who came to offer gifts to the child Jesus.  But, now we move away from Jesus as… The post “A Bond Of Love” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

December 15, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Okay, here's the thing…the gospel you just heard isn't the one prescribed for this Sunday.  The church would have us hear another passage about John the baptizer, and never hear the annunciation of Mary (except if you come to Lessons &… The post “Choose, Go On With It, Wherever It May Lead You!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

December 8, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Well, we have made the annual Advent turn.  You know, the turn our gospel just took for us.  Today, we are not hearing about the second Advent, but the first.  After weeks of his return, we are heading into weeks of… The post “Is Advent Possible For You?” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

December 1, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Welcome back from the great Thanksgiving feast-a-thon!  I hope yours was as wonderful as mine was – filled with good food, good friends, and a rainy parade. In the gospel (cheery again, right) Jesus says “There will be signs in the… The post “Stand Up And Raise Your Heads!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

November 24, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. This Sunday we enter into a week of thanksgiving to God for all of life.  We gather with family and friends, and laugh, cry, cheer for our favorite teams, and argue over some thing or another.     Perhaps though, you are… The post “Now Thank We All Our God” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

November 17, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard. Amen. Well, that's a cheery gospel, isn't it?  If you ever doubted if the church's lectionary was in Advent in this time, this text ought to be perfectly clear about that, because Advent always begins with the second coming of Christ –… The post “Lift Every Voice And Sing!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

November 3, 2024 – The Feast of All Saints – May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. As I have said before, I just love that phrase from our collect of the day today: “ineffable joys.”  Ineffable, which means “too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.”  I… The post “Souls To The Polls!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

October 27, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. The lesson we heard from the letter to the Hebrews started with “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.”  Nice, right?  As you might guess, this priest isn't planning on preaching… The post “Disturbance In The Darkness” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

September 29, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. In our first reading, from the book of Esther, we got to hear a small part of this incredible woman's story.  For the life of me, I cannot understand why our lectionary, the readings chosen for each week, and used by… The post “For Just Such A Time As This” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Gosh it is so good to be back here with all of you!  While I really enjoyed my vacation, and needed it so very much, I missed you'all!  I missed the choir too!  And it is so awesome to be returning on Choir Appreciation… The post “The GOAT” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

August 18, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. One phrase we often hear, particularly in political punditry or business consulting, is that of “splitting the baby.” Have you'all heard that?  Now, why on earth would anyone talk about doing such a gruesome thing?  Well, glad you asked… because it… The post “Dream A Little Dream” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

August 11, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Somehow I wish we were hearing more about Jesus calming the storm rather than being bread, given the weather lately.  Lordy.  We offer our prayers to all those who have been affected by Hurricane Debby and all the other crazy storms… The post “Going For The Gold” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

July 21, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” This is what we just heard Jesus say in our gospel reading from Mark. “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” Now,… The post “The Webs We Weave” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

July 14, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. I don't know how many of you got a chance to watch the movie Barbie when it was out, or streamed it online, but if you did, then you know it wasn't about a doll – not really.  It was a… The post “Transporting The Ark Out Of Kendom” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

July 7, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Well, it is really good to be back from General Convention and here in this pulpit again.  I missed you'all! Gee – did I miss anything?  Did anything happen these past few weeks– you know, in the country, in our church? … The post “Don't Look Back!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

June 16, 2024 – LGBTQ+ Sunday: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. For the past three weeks, I have been trying to live into our State nickname – you know, The Garden State.  As you know, I live up in Sussex County, where there are farms, cows, sheep, and horses. … The post “Vergogna & Compost” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

June 9, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. I love our Mass on the Grass…With Brass!  Of course this year, we are missing “the grass.”  Still, we do this each year, not only because we can be surrounded by the beauty of God's creation, but because when we move… The post “Temporary Insanity” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

June 2, 2024: May God's words be spoken.  May God's words be heard.  Amen. Like many of you, I was glued to the television taking in the monumental news this week of a former President of the United States being convicted of 34 felony crimes by the people of the State of New York.  Of… The post “Jesus Is My Influencer” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

May God's words be spoken.  May God's words be heard.  Amen. The Feast of Pentecost doesn't get the same attention as Easter or Christmas.  We don't hold big family gatherings (though for some, that may be a good thing).  It isn't a typical day for exchanging gifts or sending Pentecost cards proclaiming a windy day… The post “Spirit In The Sky?” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

May 5, 2024: Alleluia, Christ is Risen!  The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!  Amen. Some of you know that I received my Master of Divinity from the seminary of Drew University, a Methodist institution.  I am very proud of that, as the classes were filled with people from many denominations, cultures, languages, races, and theological… The post “Sing A New Song” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

April 28, 2024: Alleluia, Christ is Risen!  The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!  Amen. While it happens more often than we realize, how strange it is to hear two places in one of our scripture readings that feature so heavily in our news cycle today: Jerusalem and Gaza.  Stranger still is what takes place. In… The post “Eunuchs & Evangelists” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

April 21, 2024: Alleluia, Christ is Risen!  The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!  Amen. It is Good Shepherd Sunday, which always is the fourth Sunday of Easter.  Of course, the obvious clues to this are Psalm 23 and the passage from the Gospel of John.  Many, even those who have never been to church, know the… The post “Shepherds Through The Valleys” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

Easter Sunday – March 31, 2024: Alleluia, Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!  Amen. Well, that's a really strange ending to this gospel's resurrection narrative!  Is it any wonder why later scribes added a tweak or two to the ending?  Just look at that last part, where it says that Mary Magdalene, Mary… The post “The Beginning Of The Good News” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

Good Friday-March 29, 2024: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Jesus says before he gives up his spirit “It is finished.” “It is finished.” God became incarnate, became human in Jesus through Mary his mother.  Jesus breathed in the air with us, felt the warmth of human touch, tasted the… The post “Let The Whole World See And Know” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

Palm Sunday – March 24, 2024: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”  Amen. Just a reminder, as I say every year, this should be only Palm Sunday.  The passion should not be read here – on Palm Sunday where it really doesn't belong.  Some say that we have always… The post “Now Is Not The Time” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

March 3, 2024: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O God, my strength and my redeemer. Amen. Well, here we are again, now in part 3 of this lectionary trilogy on covenant. Two weeks ago, it was God's unconditional covenant with all creation following the… The post “Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

February 11, 2024: Arise, shine! For your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.  Amen. This is a busy day in the Episcopal Church.  It is World Mission Sunday, which is always on the last Sunday of Epiphany.  It is a time when the church comes together to focus… The post “We Will Not Be Silent! appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

February 4, 2024: Arise, shine! For your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.  Amen. Hey – did you'all see that bright thing in the sky?  NJ.Com, a local news source, posted on their Facebook page this important bulletin: “Strange glowing orb spotted over New Jersey Saturday. Remain calm.” … The post “Raised, Called, Restored” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

January 28, 2024: Arise, shine! For your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Amen. So, today St. Paul is talking a LOT about food. Now, I generally like the guy, but when he says ““Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if… The post “Love Builds Up” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

January 21, 2024: Arise, shine! For your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.  Amen. Yesterday I was privileged to lead a retreat for the vestry of another parish in our diocese. It was a day filled with prayer, dreams, and a yearning to know where God was leading… The post “Religious and Episcopal!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

January 14, 2024: Arise, shine! For your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Amen. Today we celebrate the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. The lectionary appoints this as being celebrated last Sunday, but as we transfer the Feast of the Epiphany to the first Sunday in January,… The post “The Dawn Is Breaking” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

Christmas Eve 2023: Sing a new song to God, who has done marvelous things. Amen. It is often said that Christmas is for children.  Soooooo, what are all you adults doing here?  Well, maybe because it isn't just for children. Perhaps Christmas seems to be for children because they see the world and this night… The post “I Saw Jesus” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

December 10, 2023: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. We just heard the opening verses from the Gospel of Mark, starring that locust and honey eating prophet of fame – John the baptizer, telling us to prepare the way for the one who is to come.  To understand the entire… The post “Disoriented Expectancy” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

November 26, 2023: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Well, welcome to the post-stuffing-our-face-not-gonna-get-on-a-scale-for-weeks season.  I pray you all enjoyed Thanksgiving, and no, we didn't turn off the heat so you could burn more calories sitting in the pews – but hey, that is the bright side I suppose of… The post “Shepherd And Servant” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

November 19, 2023: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. This past Thursday, several of you joined me at the community interfaith Thanksgiving service at Temple Ner Tamid.  The service, attended by Jews, Muslims, and Christians, featured songs led by Cantor Meredith Greenberg, as well as prayers and reflections from local… The post “Take The Risk” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

October 29, 2023: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Bible trivia question:  How did scholars figure out that maybe, just maybe, the tradition that Moses wrote the first five books of the bible, the Jewish Torah, might not be accurate?  Answer: The passage from Deuteronomy we heard today, for a… The post “Let Us Not Tire Of Preaching Love” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

October 15, 2023: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. I don't know if any of you have read the entire bible, but if you haven't, you can always use this Cliff Notes version.  I needed some help, so I asked our fabulous choir to play along here.  I'll play the… The post “We Did The Things” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

October 1, 2023: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Well, happy 165th birthday Christ Church!  Today is our Fall Founder's Fest Sunday, which we will celebrate in the parish hall following the service.  We hold this on the first Sunday in October, because we were founded on October 4th 1858. … The post “God Is At Work In You” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

September 24, 2023: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Every time this passage from Exodus comes up, I just want to sing “It's raining quail! Hallelujah!”   Never mind.  So, maybe let's focus on the gospel instead, which is one that can often challenge our notion of what is just, what… The post “Our Daily Bread” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.