Sermons from St. Francis

Sermon by Father David Price July 5, 2026 In this sermon, Father David Price reflects on the relationship between Christian faith, the American experiment, and the call to holy living . Drawing on a prayer attributed to George Washington, the writings of St. Paul , the prophecy of Zechariah , and the words of Jesus , he explores how a nation flourishes not through power alone, but through the virt...

Sermon by Father David Price - June 28, 2026 In this sermon, Father David Price reflects on the call to trust and obey God through a life of faithful self-offering. He invites listeners to see themselves not as passive observers of worship, but as active participants in God’s work, presenting their lives as instruments of righteousness. Drawing on the story of Abraham and Isaac, the sermon explore...

Sermon by Father Stuart Bates June 21, 2026 In this sermon, Father Stuart Bates reflects on the meaning of grace as God’s active and loving work to rescue humanity from the consequences of sin. He presents holy baptism as a decisive turning point in the Christian life, where the old self dies and a new life begins in Christ. Yet this new life is not passive or easy. Father Stuart reminds listeners...

Sermon by Father Stuart Bates June 14, 2026 In this sermon, Father Stuart Bates reflects on the biblical meaning of shalom , a peace far deeper than the absence of conflict. Shalom is the wholeness, harmony, and reconciliation God offers through Jesus Christ. Drawing from the writings of Saint Paul, Father Stuart explores how this peace is not reserved for a select few, but given freely to all peo...

Sermon by Father Bob Wismer June 7, 2026 In this sermon, Father Bob Wismer reflects on why we come to church and what it means to seek a real encounter with God. Beginning with the physical importance of sacred spaces, he moves toward the deeper purpose of worship: to be comforted, challenged, healed, and changed. Drawing on the stories of Abram, Matthew, the synagogue ruler, and the woman who rea...

Sermon by Father Stuart Bates — May 31, 2026 In this sermon, Father Stuart Bates reflects on the Holy Trinity as a living reality rather than an abstract theological concept. He explores how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reveal a God whose very nature is relationship, love, and communion. Drawing on the imagery of St. Patrick’s Breastplate, Father Bates describes the Trinity as a source of stre...

Sermon by Rev. Katie Gould May 24, 2026 In this Pentecost sermon, Rev. Katie Gould reflects on the movement of the Holy Spirit through the imagery of wind and fire , connecting the biblical story with themes of transformation, belonging, and renewal found even in contemporary works such as The Greatest Showman . Drawing from Scripture, from Genesis to the New Testament , the sermon explores how Go...

Sermon by Father David Price May 17, 2026 In this sermon, Father David Price reflects on the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus and its place within the unfolding story of Holy Week and the Church’s liturgical life . Christ’s prayer to the Father is presented as a deeply personal expression of love and unity, standing at the threshold between the intimacy of the Last Supper and the suffering of the cro...

Sermon by Father Stuart Bates May 10, 2026 In this sermon from the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, Father Stuart Bates reflects on four enduring spiritual gifts offered through Christ: the way to the Father, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the life of the Church, and the gift of divine peace. Drawing on the language of John’s Gospel, the sermon explores how Christ’s death, resurrection,...

Sermon by Father Bob Wismer – May 3, 2026 What if faith isn’t about having the right answers, but about being willing to be redirected? In this sermon, Father Bob Wismer uses the image of a GPS recalibrating after a wrong turn to describe the purpose of worship. Church, he suggests, is where we are reoriented. Prayer and reflection reset our perspective, helping us see that even life’s disruptions...

Sermon by Father Stuart Bates — April 26, 2026 The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a past event. It is the beginning of a different way of living. In this sermon, Father Stuart Bates explores how the risen life takes shape in ordinary people, focusing on the restoration of Peter. His failure was real. His denial was public. Yet it was not the end. Through forgiveness and grace, he is call...

Sermon by Father David Price — April 19, 2026 In this sermon, Father David reflects on the quiet shift from confusion to clarity that comes through encountering the risen Christ. Drawing on the Road to Emmaus, he points to how easily Christ can go unrecognized until scripture is opened and bread is broken. The message confronts the “futile ways” that still shape modern life—status, control, and se...

Sermon by Father Bob Wismer – April 12, 2026 This episode presents a sermon on the search for direction and meaning in life. Drawing on the Artemis program and the spiritual awakening of Blaise Pascal, Father Wismer contrasts human technological progress with the deeper demands of faith. He examines the reliability we place in modern systems alongside the need for spiritual guidance, urging a shif...

Sermon by Father Stuart Bates — April 5, 2026 In this sermon, Father Stuart Bates reflects on the resurrection of Jesus as the center of Christian hope. He acknowledges the reality of suffering and death, but frames the resurrection as a turning point that reshapes how both are understood. He distinguishes between a return to ordinary life and the new kind of life revealed in Christ, one that is n...

Sermon by Father Bob Wismer — March 29, 2026 In this sermon, Father Bob Wismer reflects on the tension at the heart of Passion Sunday, where the triumphal entry of Jesus stands alongside the reality of the crucifixion. He contrasts the expectations of victory with the path that Jesus actually takes. Drawing on the imagery of Roman power, he describes how public displays of force were meant to inti...

Sermon by Father David Price — March 22, 2026 In this sermon, Father David Price reflects on God’s power not simply to repair, but to bring new life out of what seems beyond recovery. Drawing on Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones and the raising of Lazarus, he presents both as moments where death is not the final word. He lingers on the tension in the Lazarus story, where Jesus shares in human grief wh...

Sermon by Rev. Katie Gould - March 15, 2026 In this sermon, Rev. Katie Gould reflects on the gap between human perception and the way God sees. Drawing on the anointing of David and the healing of the man born blind, she shows how people tend to judge by appearance, status, or easy explanations rather than attending to what is deeper and more true. She challenges patterns of faith that rely on ass...

Sermon by Father Stuart Bates — March 8, 2026 In this sermon, Father Stuart Bates reflects on Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, traditionally known as Fotini. He contrasts the necessity of physical water with the “living water” Christ offers, pointing to a deeper source of life grounded in the Spirit. He focuses on Fotini’s honesty and transformation. By speaking truthfully ab...

Sermon by Mother Emily Hylden — March 12, 2026 In this sermon, Mother Emily Hylden reflects on the tension between human effort and divine grace during Lent. She questions the motives behind religious discipline, noting how easily it can become a pursuit of self-justification or approval rather than genuine transformation. Drawing on the stories of Abraham and Nicodemus, she shifts the focus away...

Sermon by Bishop Hector Monterroso — February 22, 2026 In this sermon, Bishop Hector Monterroso draws on his experience of learning English to describe the role of discipline in the life of faith. Just as language becomes natural through repetition and practice, he suggests that scripture must be internalized until it shapes instinct and response. Reflecting on the temptations of Jesus in the wild...

Sermon by Mother Emily Hylden — February 15, 2026 In this sermon, Mother Emily Hylden reflects on the difficulty of real change. Using the image of a child unwilling to let go of a toy, she describes how people often cling to familiar patterns of grief, anger, and hurt, even when they no longer serve them. Drawing on the Transfiguration, she presents a contrast between God’s revelation of glory an...

Sermon by Rev. Katie Gould — February 8, 2026 In this sermon, Rev. Katie Gould addresses the gap between outward religious practice and genuine spiritual integrity. Drawing on Isaiah and the Gospels, she challenges forms of faith that rely on routine, performance, or cultural expectations. She calls listeners to move beyond surface-level worship toward a lived righteousness that takes seriously th...

Sermon by Father Stuart Bates — February 1, 2026 In this sermon, Father Stuart Bates reflects on the difference between a successful life and the blessed life described in the Beatitudes. Drawing from the Sermon on the Mount, he presents Jesus’ teaching as a redefinition of what it means to live well. Rather than pursuing power, status, or recognition, the Beatitudes point toward humility, mercy,...

Sermon by Father Bob Wismer - January 25, 2026 In this sermon from St. Francis Episcopal Church, Father Bob Wismer reflects on the theme of light in the season of Epiphany. Drawing on the Gospel of Matthew, he describes Christ as a light that reaches into places of uncertainty, fear, and spiritual blindness. He explores the meaning of repentance, not simply as regret, but as a real change in direc...

Sermon by Mother Emily Hylden - January 18, 2026 In this sermon from St. Francis Episcopal Church, Mother Emily Hylden reflects on the opening chapters of the Gospel of John, drawing connections between its unfolding narrative, the seven days of creation, and the movement toward the resurrection. She highlights the “second and third days” of Jesus’ ministry, linking his baptism to the separation o...