St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - AND FOOD FOR FELLOWSHIP When Peter realizes that table fellowship includes all, the most basic is made holy, and all are invited. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Food for Thought-And Food for Felowship is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

COME TO THE TABLE Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Christ in the garden connects to Jesus's ministry during his life: his embrace of and love for the people he met, and his invitation that they come to the table in communion and fellowship. This is the abundant life, eternal life that [...] This post Come to the Table is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND God repeatedly call us to care for the foreigner and stranger...but also calls us to be "resident strangers" in our own land in order to follow his commands to love, care and welcome our neighbors - all of them. Subscribe [...] This post Strangers in a Strange Land is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

WHO ARE YOU? Jesus' test in the wilderness was not so much about what he would do is about who he would be, we face the same challenge every time we are tempted to let the means justify the ends. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post Who are you? is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

FACING THE WOES In fact, much as we see the sorrow of the world, many of us don't want it to change too much. Practicing compassion is the key to changing that. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Facing the Woes is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

CANDLEMAS There is latent light and promise in the smallest things, as recognized by the watchful and faithful Anna and Simeon. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Candlemas is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

FOLLOWING THE SAINTS AND HEARING MY CALL January and February celebrate many beacons of Christian faith, including Florence  Li Tim-oi, Absalom Jones, and Anna Julia Haywood Cooper. They – and contemporary saint Mariann Budde— show us how to keep the gospel as our Northstar, and what it is to step forward with [...] This post Following the Saints and Hearing My Call is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

PREPARING FOR SCANDAL Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth is a tender - and shocking - encounter between two pregnant women rejoicing in their coming babies, and rejoicing in turn the world-as-we-know-it upside down. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Preparing for Scandal is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO? John the Baptist's response to repentant sinners asking "what should we do?" has much in common with lessons learned in kindergarten: be generous, be kind, be honest. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post What Should We Do? is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

PRAYER FOR PREPARATION The Collect for Purity is an ancient prayer of the church that matches John the Baptist's summon that we go into the wilderness of our lives and take stock in order to prepare to follow Jesus. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post Prayer For Preparation is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

NAMING WHERE WE ARE Advent, the beginning of the church year, invites us into growing dark and quiet so that we can say where we are, rather than be distracted by tinsel and trappings. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Naming Where We Are is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

THE GIFT OF CONNECTION Celebrating the feast day of Saint Andrew, we realize the profound gift of our patron saint. Although mentioned only a few times, Saint Andrew shows us how to step up, people around us, and make connections for the greater good. Subscribe [...] This post The Gift of Connection is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

LIFTING THE VEIL In Jesus' last visit to the Temple before his crucifixion, he tries to help the disciples see things clearly, to dis-illusion them, rather than trusting that things in our world will stay the same. He continues to point to the gestures of love and inclusion that marked his ministry, [...] This post Lifting the Veil is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

TWO SIDES OF A COIN: HALLOWE'EN AND ALL SAINTS' DAY Hallowe'en and All Saints' Day both look at what we fear. Hallowe'en focuses on external threats; All Saints' Day on the internal on All Saints Day. We gather to support each other in our grief and loss, to grapple with our fear [...] This post Two Sides of a coin: Hallowe'en and All Saints' Day is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

LEARNING TO SEE Following Jesus, we learn to see, recasting focus and purpose. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Learning to See is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

FREEDOM AND DANGER The Book of Job does not directly answer the question of why humans suffer. Instead, it paints a picture of creation that includes a creative chaos that gives us freedom, as well as the likelihood of hurt. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post Freedom and Danger is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

FULLY KNOWN, AND FULLY LOVED The "Song of Songs" is scripture that reminds us of the power and beauty of love, and that we are created for sheer joy. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Fully known, and fully loved is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

LIVING BREAD In John's Gospel Jesus invites us to step into the slipstream of abundance and eternity right now, and to share bread now, in our daily lives, not simply as an active of remembrance. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Living Bread is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SERMON SERIES: KING DAVID HEALING, HEALER, AND LAMENT Popular imagination, celebrates David's power, charisma, and success. But he is more complex: and his lament in times of brokenness lead us to necessity and the gift in lament and brokenness. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post Sermon Series: Healing, Healer, and Lament is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SERMON SERIES: KING DAVID WHY "SIN IS OUR ONLY HOPE" When King David confesses his terrible crimes, we see the devastation of sin, but also a possibility of turning back to the good. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Sermon Series: Sin Is Our Only Hope is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SERMON SERIES: KING DAVID SEEING THE SHADOW SELF; BELOVED OF GOD The narrative of king David includes his very worst. It also assures us that God will continue to reach out to us, even as we need to change. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post Sermon Series: Seeing the Shadow Self is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SERMON SERIES: KING DAVID THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG The Bible reminds us that even the most revered human is flawed. Under the iceberg we see the complete David. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Sermon Series: The Tip of the Iceberg is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SERMON SERIES: KING DAVID THE PROBLEM WITH KINGS After what looks like a fairytale about a young prince, the story of King David begins to look more like the Game of Thrones, and we hear the echo of Samuel's warnings about the problem with kings. [...] This post Sermon Series: The Problem with Kings is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SERMON SERIES: KING DAVID DAVID THE SHEPARD We see a full expression of God's work in our lives, and of human faith and failings in the life of King David. David is called as a young shepherd boy, and we are reminded that God sees with the heart, not the eyes, and [...] This post Sermon Series: David The Shepard is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

HIS LAST MESSAGE Jesus's last message to his disciples includes an act of love and compassion: to pray for them. We follow Jesus's example to focus our hearts and minds those who need love and compassion, and to increase our capacity to notice and care. [...] This post His Last Message is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

ROGATION SUNDAY We celebrate God and God's gifts to us. May we be blest in Word made flesh, in Word made soil. The creative Word of God that has brought about this good earth and all that is in it. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post Rogation Sunday is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SHEEP & GENEROSITY FOR SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM The Summer Enrichment Program provides positive developmental, educational, recreational and social interventions to meet the needs of elementary school-aged children in Putnam County. Beth's Sermon Text Subscribe to Podcast feed This post SHEEP AND GENEROSITY FOR SUMMER ENRICHMENT is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM The Summer Enrichment Program provides positive developmental, educational, recreational and social interventions to meet the needs of elementary school-aged children in Putnam County. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Summer Enrichment Program is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

SUNDAY AFTER EASTER Do something that won't compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. Love people who do not deserve it. Ask the questions that have no answers. Practice Resurrection. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Easter1 is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

EASTER SUNDAY - PRACTICE RESSURECTION We may be like the disciples, who look on in disbelief at the claim of the empty tomb and the risen, Christ, but we, like they, can change the world if we practice resurrection. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post Easter Sunday – Practice Resurrection is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

MAUNDY THURSDAY Reflections on Maundy Thursday and loving one another. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Maundy Thursday is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

NONE BETTER Observing both Palm and Passion Sunday at the same time, reminds us of our limitations, and that those limitations do not stop us from being Jesus's hands and heart in the world. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post None Better is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? On this fourth Sunday of Lent we are urged to look with raw honesty at our sin, and to look with thanksgiving at the abundant mercy and saving power of Almighty God. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post What are you looking at? is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

Freedom To and Freedom From The Ten Commandments are the basis of our freedom—our freedom to live lives of depth, purpose, and righteousness.  Living such a life requires guidelines and dedication, all freely chosen and practiced through a lifetime. Subscribe to Podcast feed [...] This post Freedom To and Freedom From is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

The Other Kind of Temptation Peter's temptation of Jesus at Caesarea Philippi, warning Jesus away from his path to the cross, is the kind of temptation we might meet at any moment in daily life.  It can come in the voice of a friend, a teacher, a family member who [...] This post Lent – The Other Kind of Temptation is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

Embracing the Wilderness Ash Wednesday and Lent bring us again and again to a subject most of us want to avoid:  our mortality.  But the invitation to a holy Lent should fill us with hope and optimism:  we can change, we can have richer relationship with God and with each [...] This post Lent – Embracing the Wilderness is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

ASH WEDNESDAY One of the wonderful truths of Ash Wednesday - Dust is not our curse, dust is our blessing. Subscribe to Podcast feed This post Ash Wednesday is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

CLIMBING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN Even harder than making it to the mountain top is following Jesus back into our everyday lives.  But we are called to do just that.  This year, Transfiguration Sunday falls close to the day we honor blessed Absalom Jones, a saint of the church who followed [...] This post Climbing Down the Mountain is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

Walk in Faith Sermon by Rev Jennifer Oldstone-Moore This post Walk in Faith is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.

We continue looking at the life of Moses, specifically how he was called by God to face the greatest fear of his life: Pharaoh. In this sermon, Father John explores how Moses overcame his fear, and asks the question - "Why does God ask us to face our greatest fear?" It turns out the answer [...] The post Exodus: Facing Your Fears appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

Today we push past Genesis and look at a familiar story at the beginning of the Book of Exodus: Moses' encounter with God in the burning bush. This story asks the fundamental question: How do we see ourselves? Do we view ourselves as weak, limited, unimportant? Or do we see ourselves as God sees us [...] The post Exodus: Becoming God’s Champions appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

What is your birthright as a child of God? Today's story from Genesis invites us to consider that profound question as Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for nothing more than a bowl of stew. In this last installment of our sermon series on the book of Genesis, Father John explores what it means to [...] The post Genesis for Today (IX): Birthright appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

Have you ever been confronted with an idea or a possibility that seemed outrageous - that you may have even laughed at when it was suggested to you? Today's story from Genesis focuses on Sarah's response to God when it is suggested that she will bear a child in her old age - she laughs [...] The post Genesis for Today (VIII): Laughing at God appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

Today we look at the story of Abram expressing frustration to God, and the strange vision that followed. What we learn from this encounter is that God responds when we are real in prayer. Father John encourages us to talk to God in ways that are raw and unfiltered, while still reverential in today's sermon [...] The post Genesis for Today (VII): Entering Sacred Spaces appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

The story of Noah and the flood occurs early in Genesis as one of a series of vignettes illustrating the impact of the Fall on humanity and the world. This sermon asks the questions of this text from the perspective of a literary analyst - with some very practical results in what the Flood story [...] The post Genesis for Today (V): When we are Overwhemled appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

Today's sermon explores the meaning of the story of the Tower of Babel. Is God against progress? Why would God interrupt the construction of a city and a tower, dividing and scattering people by confounding their languages? You might be surprised at how relevant this story is considering our current political atmosphere in the United [...] The post Genesis for Today (VI): The Tower of Twitter appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

Immediately after the Fall, the Creation story proceeds to illustrate one of the primary results of a broken fellowship with God: broken relationships with one another. The story of Cain and Abel asks us to consider how we respond to those people who trigger us, make us angry - and whether we will decide to [...] The post Genesis for Today (IV): Conflict appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

What do we make of the final part of the Creation story? It certainly requires us to face a painful truth about ourselves: We are all broken people. But there is hope and grace embedded in this story. In this sermon, Father John looks at the nature of temptation, but also the compassionate response of [...] The post Genesis for Today (III): Broken appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

After God ceased creating in the Genesis account, God entered wholly into the joy of that creation - inviting humankind to do the same, and God called this experience "rest." Later, after the Israelites had learned to survive as slaves for generations in Egypt, God had to remind them that they needed time for rest [...] The post Genesis for Today: Sabbath appeared first on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

Special thanks to John Clodfelter for sharing his music gift with the parish on June 5, 2016. He is continuing graduate studies in music at the University of North Dakota. This post “War March of the Priests,” from Athalie, Op. 74 by Felix Mendelssohn – Played by Saint Andrew's Organist Emeritus, John Clodfelter is on the Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church website.