Guest Preachers
John, Beloved Disciple: SSJE Patronal Festival – The Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori
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Isaiah 44:1-8; Psalm 92:1-2, 11-14; I John 5: 1-13; John 20:1-9
Well, beloved, it is a blessed day to celebrate. It’s hard not to know oneself beloved in the midst of a community gathered in love, enfolded by the warmth of the sun/son and the tender wind of God. The greenness all around us is evidence of the promise of resurrection to restore all creation. The greenness within us is equal evidence of connection with the source of belovedness.
We opened by praying those remarkable words about Jesus, who drew the beloved disciple into deep intimacy, giving him the grace of resurrection in his inmost being. That is also the prayer for each one here.
The mystery of the beloved disciple is his identity, and the blessing is that it’s not quite fixed. The debates over whether it’s John bar Zebedee, or Lazarus, or even Mary Magdalene make a place for others to enter in. As Jesus is ‘the son of the man,’ the beloved disciple becomes a way we may be the human disciple, beloved of God. Read More
The Feast of Saint John the Evangelist, the Beloved Disciple
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Preached by the Rt. Rev. Arthur E. Walmsley
“God is what we have not yet understood, the sign of a strange and unpredictable future.”
– Rowan Williams
We begin in the ancient world. Go not to Jerusalem, but Athens. The 5th century BCE was the Golden Age of the Athenian democracy. The Athens city-state created a unique version of governance by the citizenry. Its high point was reached during the leadership of Pericles from 449-431, during which the great buildings on the Acropolis were constructed.
Running to the Empty Tomb
Preached by the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
Sermon for the Feast Day of St. John, The Beloved Disciple
Isaiah 44:1-8 1 John 5:1-13
Psalm 92:1-2, 11-14 John 20:1-9
Friends, I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be back in this chapel and to share this service with you. One of my great losses in moving away from Cambridge four years ago was the loss of easy contact with this place, and with you Brothers, and with this community of faith. I rejoice to be with you today and to have a chance to reflect on this morning’s Gospel. Read More
I Do Not Give To You as the World Gives
Preached by the Rev. Dr. Sarah A. Coakley
The Rev. Dr. Sarah A. Coakley is a friend of the community and the Edward Mallinckrodt Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School.
John 14:27-31a
‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives’ (John 14:27) Read More
Feast of Saint John the Evangelist
Preached by the Rt. Rev. Joseph Clark Grew II
The Rt. Rev. Joseph Clark Grew II, is the retired Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio, a member of the Fellowship of Saint John and a long-time friend of the community. The brothers were honored to welcome Bp. Grew as the guest preacher on the Feast of Saint John the Evangelist (FSJ Day), our patronal feast, May 6, 2006.
When Curtis invited me to preach at this festival service, I decided that I had a couple of options. Given that I am preaching, as Curtis gently reminded me, to the choir, I could speak directly on great matters of faith by reading extensively from “the Book of Homilies.” Read More
Feast of Saint Joseph
Preached by the Rev. Wendel “Tad” Meyer
Rev. Meyer is Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church
Beverly Farms, Massachusetts
Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to
expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
Joseph was a righteous man, a just and law-abiding man with a finely- tuned sense of right and wrong. Mary was his betrothed and according to Jewish law, a betrothed woman was already legally bound to her intended husband. Read More
You Are the Light of the World
Preached by The Rev. Christine Whittaker
Matthew 5:13-16
The Reverend Christine Whittaker, Rector of St. Michael’s Church, Holliston, and a regular participant in the Muslim-Christian Dialogue sponsored by the Massachusetts Council of Churches and the Islamic Council of New England. She has recently returned from a three-month sabbatical focused on Muslim-Christian relations, which included worshiping at the Islamic Center in Wayland and travel in Ethiopia and Iran Her sermon will reflect on her experience as a professing Christian in a context where Islam and Christianity are often seen in conflict. Read More
Fellowship of St. John Day
Preached by the Most Rev. Michael G. Peers
John 20:1-9
The Most Reverend Michael G. Peers, a long-time friend of the SSJE community and member of our Fellowship of Saint John, retired from office as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada on February 1st after having served as Primate since 1986. A hallmark of his tenure as Primate has been his witness for greater inclusiveness in the life of the church. Archbishop Peers is a linguist – fluent in French, German, and Russian as well as English – and has traveled widely on behalf of the Church. He continues to serve as President of the Metropolitan Council of Cuba, providing a personal link between the Cuban Episcopal Church and the rest of the Anglican Communion. He and his wife, Dorothy, live in Toronto and have three grown children and two grandchildren. Read More
Easter Tuesday
Preached by the Rev. Dr. Ellen Aitken
John 20:11-18
If you have traveled up the coast of New England , passing through one seaport after another, you will probably have noticed any number of large late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century houses overlooking the harbors and bays. Many of these houses have, at their very tops, small, square porches fenced around by a railing. Read More