St. Mark's New Canaan

The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Ten bridesmaids. Five extra flasks of oil. One closed door. What are we meant to make of this story and why won’t the “wise” ones share? The Rev. Mary E. Haddad explores a possibility that invites us to hear Jesus’ words with fresh ears.

All Saints' Sunday What if your eternal life is already underway? In this All Saints’ Day sermon, Rev. Elizabeth reflects on what it means to welcome people in baptism and remember those who have died in the same service. She invites us to recognize God’s presence in our everyday lives and hear the Beatitudes afresh. What changes when we see the merciful, the grieving, and the peacemakers as...

The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost What happens when loving others opens us to the very pain we want to avoid? The Rev. Anne K. Bartlett explores Jesus’ command to love God and our neighbors as ourselves—and the transformation it asks of us. From an unexpected moment on a New York subway to an ordinary encounter at a grocery store, she considers how love changes the way we see, the presence...

The Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost What does God want from you? Between work, family, and everything else asking for our attention, giving ourselves to God can sound like one more overwhelming demand. The Rev. Ledlie Laughlin invites us to consider whose image we bear—and how compassion, creativity, generosity, and the gifts we already carry can become expressions of God’s love.

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost What if taking God seriously begins with questioning what we say about God? Preaching on the parable of the wedding banquet, the Rev. Dr. Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones challenges images of God that justify violence, exclusion, and harm. He invites us to embrace mystery, examine our own lives, and consider the difference between praising Jesus and following him....

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost When Jesus tells a story about violent tenants, his listeners supply the ending: revenge. But is that the ending God chooses? Rev. Elizabeth explores God’s response to human violence through resurrection, peace, and forgiveness…and the courage it takes to practice that same love ourselves.

The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost What if the convictions we hold most tightly are the very things keeping us from receiving what God is doing? Through Jesus’s encounter with the religious authorities and the Parable of the Two Sons, Fr. Peter explores the unsettling invitation to change our minds. We may think we’re knocking at heaven’s door—but what if heaven is knocking at ours?

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Life isn't fair. We learn that almost as soon as we're old enough to protest. But what if following Jesus means learning not to get stuck there? Rev. Elizabeth explores Jesus' challenging parable of the workers in the vineyard and a radically different way of looking at fairness, grace, and the Kingdom of God.

The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost What if forgiveness isn’t about excusing what happened or waiting for someone else to make things right? What if it’s about what happens within us when we refuse to let go? Fr. Peter explores a shocking lesson and the surprising freedom that might be waiting on the other side of forgiveness.

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost What if the conflict we avoid is sometimes the very conversation we need to have? Fr. Peter explores the difficult work of reconciliation and reflects on how unresolved hurt escalates, why our triggers matter, and how seeking to understand can help us become instruments of peace.

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost In the life and legacy of Dolly Parton, Rev. Elizabeth finds an unlikely spiritual icon: a woman whose generosity, humility, empathy, and love embodied Paul’s call to “overcome evil with good.” Her example helps us hear Jesus’ command to Peter (and to us) to get behind him and follow a way of power defined not by domination, but by sacrificial love.

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost What happens when Jesus becomes more than someone we believe in and becomes the organizing principle of our lives? Fr. Peter explores how our answer to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” shapes who we are becoming. Through St. Peter’s own imperfect journey of faith, we discover a discipleship marked not by instant perfection, but by transformation, c...

The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost What happens when faith refuses to accept the limits we’ve inherited? In Matthew 15, a Canaanite woman challenges ancient divisions, refuses to take no for an answer, and becomes an unexpected model of fearless faith. Rev. Elizabeth explores what her encounter with Jesus can teach us about mercy, persistence, changing our minds, and finding the courage to imagine...

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost What keeps us in the boat, even when we know something needs to change? In the story of Jesus walking on water, Peter does something extraordinary: he steps out. This sermon explores faith, doubt, the comfort of the familiar, and what we discover when we risk moving into the unknown and trust that Christ will meet us there.

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost What does it mean to leave home, and can we carry a sense of home with us wherever the journey leads? On his final Sunday as Associate Rector of St. Mark’s, Fr. John reflects on the places and people that shape us, the deeper journey toward our truest selves, and the grace that sustains us along the way. In a deeply personal farewell sermon, Fr. John considers what...

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Where do you expect to find God at work? Rev. Elizabeth explores a set of surprising parables and reveals how these familiar stories challenge our assumptions about power, belonging, and where God's Kingdom takes root, inviting us to look again at the people and places we might otherwise overlook.

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Baptism is often seen as a beautiful family tradition. But it's far more than that. Fr. John explores Jesus' challenging parable of the wheat and the weeds to reveal baptism as a lifelong decision about who we are, what we stand for, and how we choose to live.

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost What if the clearest evidence of God's presence isn't found in one dramatic miracle, but in a lifetime of ordinary moments? Celebrating nearly sixty years since his ordination, Fr. John Schultz shares stories of ministry, loneliness, unexpected turns, family, and grace. Through these deeply personal memories, we're invited to look back on our own l...

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Freedom is one of America's defining ideals. But what if the deepest freedom can't be found in unlimited choices? Fr. John explores St. Paul's surprising vision of freedom, the example of Jesus, and why becoming "a slave to love" may be the most liberating invitation we'll ever receive.

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost What does Jesus mean when he says we must love him more than our own families? In this Father's Day sermon, Fr. Peter reflects on parenthood, divine love, and one of Jesus' most difficult teachings. Discover why Jesus isn't calling us to love our families less, but inviting us into a love so expansive that it transforms every relationship we have.

The Third Sunday after Pentecost (Youth Sunday) What shapes a person's faith? On Youth Sunday, graduating senior Chloe Perkins reflects on growing up at St. Mark's, navigating the pressures of achievement, discovering faith as her own, and learning that God is often found in the quiet moments we usually overlook.

The Second Sunday after Pentecost Why do Christians sometimes look so little like Christ? Fr. John explores Christianity's "alignment problem": the gap between the teachings of Christ and the behavior of his followers. What if the greatest obstacle to faith isn't disbelief, but religious people who have forgotten mercy?

The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday The Trinity has confused Christians for centuries. But what if we're asking the wrong question? This Sunday, Rev. Elizabeth explores how the Trinity began not as a doctrine, but as an experience of divine love that transformed the disciples and continues to transform us today. Discover why the Trinity may be less about understanding God and mor...

The Feast of Pentecost “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” On Pentecost, Fr. Peter explores spiritual thirst, the flow of the Holy Spirit, and the living water Christ offers in a restless world. From ancient Temple rituals to powerful stories of transformation inside Sing Sing prison, this message asks: What is flowing through your life?

The Seventh Sunday of Easter What if eternal life is not just something waiting for us after death… but something we can awaken to right now? This week’s sermon explores Jesus’ radical definition of eternal life in John 17 and challenges distorted images of God built on fear, division, and exclusion. Instead, we encounter the God revealed in Jesus: a God of mercy, compassion, justice, and love. Et...