Saint Paul's Episcopal Church - Walla Walla

Thomas says to Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" In this moment, Thomas' question is more real than ever. But we know Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and glorified - so we will find the way. (Preached by The Rev'd David Sibley)

For so many of us, "Jesus was known to his disciples in the breaking of the bread" is the story of the walk to Emmaus. In a time when we can't gather to receive the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, where do we find good news in the Emmaus story? Perhaps it's along the road. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Thomas' inability to believe in Jesus' resurrection is not strange - it's perfectly normal. But Jesus comes to Thomas, and Jesus comes to us - over and over and over again - so that we might believe in the power of his resurrection, and in our belief, have life in his name.

On Easter Morning, Mary Magdalene and Mary journey to Jesus' tomb fully expecting him to remain dead. It is in the moment they most need him that they see he is risen; and it is in the moments that we expect to lie in our own tombs that Jesus raises us to new life through his resurrection. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

The Passion of Jesus is a story that resonates because it's true. It's true not only as Jesus' story, it's true because it's our story, too. And we find that no matter where we find ourselves in the passion story, it is good news because God is with us in our confusion, struggle, and despair. (Includes the Reading of Matthew's Passion) (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Martha speaks these words to Jesus after Lazarus has died, she speaks the anxieties of our own hearts. Yet Jesus promises full and abundant life in the kingdom of God - right now. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

In the story of the Healing of the Man Born Blind, John's gospel asks us to examine what we see when we look at Jesus. Who is Jesus to you? And what do you see? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

"The well is deep, and you have no bucket." What does it mean for the Samaritan Woman to encounter Jesus at Jacob's Well? What is it for us to meet Jesus there? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; in the Sermon, the language of Jacob' Well and the Samaritan Woman originate from a sermon given by John Green at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis on 25 March 2014; they speak well to the present time, and citation is appropriate.)

Nicodemus comes to Jesus a seemingly good guy - knowing who Jesus in his heart of hearts. He leaves utterly confused. What does this tell us about our life of discipleship? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

The story of the the Garden of Eden in Genesis is among the stories from the Bible we know best, and also among the stories we know least. What does it have to tell us about who we are - and who God is? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

When he imposed ashes as a first year seminarian, Fr. David recalled being completely perplexed when people would reply to "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return" with "thank you." In hindsight, perhaps that response was more apt than met the eye. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Nobody seems to talk about the Transfiguration. But the Transfiguration is a story for here and now - of God's glory meant for all people. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

A difficult reading from Matthew's gospel speaks of murder and anger, lust and adultery, hands cut off and eyes plucked out. But at the heart of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is an invitation to more - an invitation to growth and abundant life. (Preached by The Rev. Ryan Fleenor)

Salt and light are ordinary things - things we truly don't notice until they are gone. But they are essential to life itself. Jesus says "you are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world." When he does so, he tells us something about our call as his disciples. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Jesus' Presentation in the Temple is an incredible, world changing event - the light of God's purposes revealed for all the world to see. And yet that revelation happens not with a bang, but in the midst of the ordinary life of faithful people. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

We might like our world to be dramatically different from the one where Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John away from their nets on the Sea of Galilee. But in reality, it isn't so different after all. Jesus is calling you to follow him - what is your response? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

The first words Jesus speaks in the gospel of John are "What are you looking for?"; the second words he speaks are "Come and see." When paired together, we find an incredible invitation into the life of discipleship. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Jesus didn't have to be baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, but his baptism gives new fulness of meaning of his ministry in our own lives as God's people. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Wise men from the east journey far, seeking the home where a young child lay. When faced with the choice of danger or righteousness, they chose the harder path - and went home by another way. What path do you take? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Christmas isn't a fairy tale to be remembered once a year. Because to celebrate Christmas is to rejoice that there is absolutely nowhere that God won't go, and absolutely no one that God won't love. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

King Ahaz of Judah is promised a living sign from God of his kingdom's deliverance - but chooses to keep his eyes closed to God's power unfolding. Do we do the same? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

John, from prison, asks Jesus - "Are you the one who is to come? Or are we to wait for another?" His questions echoes the desires and longings of the hearts of many disciples who find ourselves in "in-between" time - between the kingdom of God revealed at Jesus' first advent, and awaiting God's restoration of all things at Jesus' second advent. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Matthew tells us that people travelled for hours from Jerusalem, all Judea and all along the Jordan River to hear John the Baptist in the wilderness; yet few today would find a message of coming judgment and a call to repentance. Why is John's proclamation good news? In Advent, how do we embrace God's judgment, accept God's call to repentance, and live in God's grace? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks in apocalyptic terms about the advent of the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet when we look at the Advent of God's Kingdom, we find both anger and hope. And we find that in the history, mystery, and majesty of Advent is always good news for God's people. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

On the Last Sunday after Pentecost, our prayers and readings name Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But if we would call Jesus king, that means that nothing else - family, friends, neighbors, countries, rulers, wealth - can occupy that place in our lives. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Apocalyptic scriptures are strange, terrifying, and often we wonder how they're good news. Yet, even when Jesus' message in our gospel isn't the "nice" message we'd want, Jesus' message of a world turned upside down is always good news for the people of God. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

At the core of Paul's letter to the Thessalonians is fear - fear they have missed the coming of God's Kingdom, and fear that what they have done is not enough. We often carry that own fear to our call to be generous disciples, and followers of Jesus. So what are we to do? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

On All Saints' Day, we celebrate the saints, both known and unknown, who gladly and generously point to the same truth that Jesus proclaimed in his ministry: "the Kingdom of God is at hand." If we are to grow as disciples, we must strive to be saints - mirroring not only their devotion, but also their generosity. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; Sermon series inspired from A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, Westminster John Knox Press.)

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is about far more than judging others - in fact, it may be about what happens when trust God to use our gifts to create spaces where others can grow.(Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; Short Stories by Jesus is by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, HarperOne; Sermon series inspired from A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, Westminster John Knox Press.)

In the sixth sermon of a series on the practices and actions of discipleship, we examine how Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon shows us much of how we live as disciples in a world often removed from the goodness of God's Kingdom - as strangers in a strange land. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; Sermon series inspired from A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, Westminster John Knox Press.)    

In the fourth sermon of a series on the practices and actions of discipleship, we examine how cultivating a generous heart leads to the "life that truly is life" - a life that reflects the life of Jesus Christ. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; Short Stories by Jesus is by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, HarperOne; Sermon series inspired from A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, Westminster John Knox Press.)

In the third sermon of a series on the practices and actions of discipleship, we see that as confusing as the Parable of the Dishonest Manager may be, the lesson about the relationship disciples are called to have to wealth is crystal clear. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; Sermon series inspired from A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, Westminster John Knox Press.)

In the second sermon of a series on the practices and actions of discipleship, we explore how the parables of the lost sheep and last coin point to how disciples are called to notice, count, and call new disciples - to evangelize with authenticity. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; Short Stories by Jesus is by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, HarperOne; Sermon series inspired from A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, Westminster John Knox Press.)

In the first sermon of a series on the practices and actions of discipleship, we explore how Jesus calls us to count the cost and move beyond a nominal, easy faith - to pick up our cross, and follow him. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; Sermon series inspired from A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, Westminster John Knox Press)

Jesus eats at the house of a pharisee leader, and reminds those present that to be present to the feast of the Kingdom, they must give themselves wholly and completely to God. And that lesson isn't just for those gathered, it's for you as well. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

God calls and appoints Jeremiah to be a prophet, even when Jeremiah believes he is unable. But answering God's call is never about resumé checks and qualifications. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Worship lies at the center of the Christian life, but the words of the Prophet Isaiah remind us that if our worship of God does not result in transformed lives lived for others, our praise of God will ring hollow. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Jesus says in today's parable that life does not exist in the abundance of possessions. All too often the things we possess are more than material goods, and we are willing to hold them not only at the expense of others, but at the expense of God. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

The Prophet Hosea's personal relationships were, to say the least, unconventional. But Hosea's embodied and lived prophecy points to a larger point: prophets were and are not called to speak easy truths. Their message - God's message - will always provoke and challenge us. (Preached by the Rev. David Sibley)

The story of Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha is one we often try to wiggle our way out of - but the simple reality is that if we wish to be disciples, no amount of doing will save us; we must listen to Jesus. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is familiar; the contour of the stories are well known. But when we focus on what happens when Jesus tells the story, we learn that it challenges our own complacency and defensiveness, and charges us to mercy on the roads we travel in this world. (Preached by the Rev. David Sibley)

A potential disiciple asks Jesus to bury his father before following him; Jesus tells him to leave the dead to bury their own dead. What is it that we must leave behind to answer Jesus' urgent call to follow him? (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

To approach the Trinity is to approach mystery; and yet God wishes to be known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and remains everything we need. (Preached by The Rev. Ann Howard)

The power of the Holy Spirit moving in and through our lives assures us that we will never be alone as we answer God's call. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

Jesus tells his disciples, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid," and promises them the gift of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. But for our hearts not to be troubled, we need to ask for the Spirit's help - and asking for help can be among the hardest things to do. (Preached by the Rev. David Sibley)

The Book of Revelation, with its apocalyptic imagery and fantasy-like text, may seem foreign and exotic. But it is a text centered in the persistent power of the Good News of Jesus in a difficult world, of a God who is making all things new. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

The Acts of the Apostles recounts a visit by Peter to the church in Joppa, where Tabitha, a leader in that church, is brought back to life. One word in the story has profound implications for the whole church - then and now. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

The Risen Jesus appears to Simon Peter in the midst of ordinary daily life in Galilee. But in the midst of the ordinary, he calls Simon Peter, the fisherman, to a new vocation: to tend his ship. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley)

As Saint Paul's marks a milestone with its Celebration of New Ministry, Bishop Gretchen reminds us that all of us - together - are called to the work of ministry in our community. (Preached by the Rt. Rev'd Gretchen Rehberg)

After the resurrection, Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene, then to most of the disciples, and then to Thomas - and drives out their fear. As his disciples today, Jesus comes to us  over and over again to give us the peace that away all our fears.

"If we hope in this life only," Paul writes, "we, of all people, are most to be pitied." But we need not hope in this life and order of things. In the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, God chooses us as we are, and raises us to new hope and new life in the Kingdom of God where love is stronger than death itself. (Preached by The Rev. David Sibley; Series inspiration drawn from Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, Westminster John Knox Press).   The image referenced in the sermon of the Icon of the Resurrection may be viewed online at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Anastasis_fresco_(Chora_Church)#/media/File:Saint_Savior_in_Chora_@_Istanbul_-_8322181754.jpg.