Musings on Faith

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that for Jesus, the kingdom is now, it is "in the midst of us." In this passage (John 14: 1 – 14) he is speaking to his troubled disciples who need both comfort and motivation to sustain the faith. I believe he meant the reality of a peaceful existence, peace of mind, or harmony of body, mind an...

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that Jesus is the doorway to life. He is both the gateway to freedom during the day and the security guard at night. Our challenge is to be able to find that door so we won’t get hurt and we can experience the "abundant" life God wants us to have.  In this life God is the path. God is the doorwa...

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that our call in life, our reason for being, is to make Christ manifested, revealed, known, and seen. Jesus is the image, the exact reflection of God.  So let us manifest Jesus. Let us reveal that we want to “Walk As A Child Of The Light.”, God’s light. As it says in our Communion hymn, “God set the stars...

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that Jesus treats the woman at the well as a whole person. He makes no judgment about her in any way. Jesus crossed barriers with His mission and message. In fact, the disciples were astonished that he was speaking with a woman. Jesus’ encounter impacted her so deeply, she told others, “ Come and see a ma...

In this homily, The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer*, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, discusses the claim that Jesus makes upon us.  What we have control over in our lives is very small.  Church should be a place where we can admit our foibles and know that we can rely on God and his mercy. God sees all of who we are and shows us his love and mercy anyway. We need to know...

In this homily, The Rt. Rev. Patrick Augustine*, Bishop of South Sudan, discusses the temptations that Jesus faced and how temptations can be seductive and beautiful. As Christians we should worship God, trust Him, and leave the results to Him. To fight temptation, we need the word of God. When Christ fills our lives, Satan has no entrance. Email comments to musingsonfaith@gmail.com or leave a voi...

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that God gave us the great gift of memory, and biblical stories to help us to remember that knowing God means knowing God’s glory.  Moses had moved very close to God. He moved closer to God by realizing that he was not in control. He also moved closer to God by learning patience. And finally, he move...

In this homily, The Rev. Janet Richardson, Assistant to the Rector of St. Geoge Episcopal Church,  tells us that as Jesus continued the “Sermon on the Mount”, he expanded on the commandments calling his followers to a higher standard. Jesus emphasized the importance of reconciliation. We must realize that we are a community of sinners and that we can never be perfect. We are God’s creation, w...

In his homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that we are here to love and serve and give glory to God. We need reminders of this repeatedly. It is the easiest thing to forget. Whatever your circumstances might be, when you are called or summoned by God, do not close your heart. The world waits for what only you can provide through your mission and mi...

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that according to the blessings of Jesus, we are blessed when we know we are dependent on God, for everything. We are blessed when we can experience inner peace and be free. We are blessed when we are ready to forgive than hold a grudge. The crucified Christ is true wisdom and power because it is through...

As part of the Parish Annual Meeting, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, shares the successes and challenges that have occurred during his first year as Rector of St. George (one of the fastest growing churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida) and his expectations for 2023. Email comments to musingsonfaith@gmail.com or leave a voice message at: https:/...

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that the invitation from our Gospel to “ come and see ” is an invitation we can’t refuse. God is acting and doing things so much bigger than we can imagine. How do we allow our thinking and attitudes to get stretched and to “come and see”? As we begin a new year recognize Jesus as your teacher and Lord. J...

In this homily, The Rev. Janet Richardson, Assistant to the Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, challenges us to think about what we can lay at the feet of Jesus. There are people that need a faith community and need to know they are loved by God. Sometimes to reach these people we have to think outside the box. Each of us has gifts that we can bring to our church and community. Aside from the...

In this homily given on New Year’s Day, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us why this feast day – The Feast of the Holy Name of Our Lord is important. We have been given a new year and a new life by the grace of God. It is our responsibility to live up to this call by practicing love, forgiveness, reconciliation, and bringing hope wherever we may be. Email...

In this Christmas Day homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that as individuals and as the Church – the body of Christ – we are called to build the kingdom of Heaven on earth. The apostle Paul tells us that the kingdom of God is justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  The prophets tell us that what God requires of us is to do justice, to...

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, says and now, it is God's Spirit that begins something new when the world is exhausted, when our imagination fails and when our lives are shut down in despair.  We pray for God’s Holy Spirit to come. That’s what the Gospel writer is telling us. God's Spirit has stirred and caused something utterly new in the...

In this homily guest preacher, The Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr.*, Rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas, states that we should look at the power of the story of Mary in our daily lives. There were several responses Mary could have given when approached by the angel Gabriel. Yet despite her youth, and the possible scandal her pregnancy would create, she said yes, and that dec...

In this homily on the First Sunday of Advent, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, tells us that the word Advent is derived from the Latin word, "adventure." To submit yourself to the possibility of the reign of God is an adventure. It requires surrender. It is the willingness to walk where we have never walked before, exposing ourselves to the truth and the manifes...

Today will be the final day that St. George Episcopal Church will publish podcasts of the Daily Office. Rev. Janet Richardson started this series in the fall of 2020 to provide spiritual sustenance during the worst of the pandemic and at a time of great need. Now, over 900 episodes later and with most people returning to their places of worship, the time has come to focus on other areas of communi...

This week will be the final week that St. George Episcopal Church will publish podcasts of the Daily Office. Rev. Janet Richardson started this series in the fall of 2020 to provide spiritual sustenance during the worst of the pandemic and at a time of great need. Now, over 900 episodes later and with most people returning to their places of worship, the time has come to focus on other areas of co...

This week will be the final week that St. George Episcopal Church will publish podcasts of the Daily Office. Rev. Janet Richardson started this series in the fall of 2020 to provide spiritual sustenance during the worst of the pandemic and at a time of great need. Now, over 900 episodes later and with most people returning to their places of worship, the time has come to focus on other areas of co...

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church,  says that as we honor Christ the King today, remember that Jesus is relying on us to be Holy Partners with a Heavenly Call in bringing the truth to a world that tries to shut it out, but desperately needs to hear it and embrace it. Email comments to musingsonfaith@gmail.com or leave a voice message at: https...

The Rev. Janet Richardson, Assistant to the Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, leads Compline each weekday evening. It is helpful to have a Book of Common Prayer handy or the online version which can be found at https://www.bcponline.org . Email comments to musingsonfaith@gmail.com or leave a voice message at: https://anchor.fm/st-george-episcopal-ch/message .

The Rev. Janet Richardson, Assistant to the Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, leads Compline each weekday evening. It is helpful to have a Book of Common Prayer handy or the online version which can be found at https://www.bcponline.org . Email comments to musingsonfaith@gmail.com or leave a voice message at: https://anchor.fm/st-george-episcopal-ch/message .

In this homily, The Rev. Dr. James E. Taylor, Rector of St. George Episcopal Church, says that the vocation and calling of the Church, the vocation and calling of you and me is to stand tall in the middle of the chaos and confusion of the world. To maintain our identity as Christians, this is who we are. This is what we’re about. Over and over again to a hungry and thirsty world. Our job is to kee...