Sermons from Trinity Cathedral Portland

"They'll know we are Christians by our love." Sermon by the Rev'd Canon Linda Potter, recorded live at the 10:00am service on Sunday, March 16, 2025.

Nikki Grimes reads her poem "Fuel for the Journey," commissioned by Trinity Arts, on the First Sunday of Lent, March 9, 2025.

"Jesus shows us how to refuse to be trapped by evil that would use our values against us."   Sermon by Canon for Spirituality Education & Arts Liz Harlan-Ferlo, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the First Sunday of Lent, March 9, 2025.

"Ashes are much more than a reminder of our mortality." Sermon by Priest Associate VJ Sathyaraj , recorded live at the 7:00 pm service on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

"Love is a transfiguring truth." Sermon by Canon Vicar Shana McCauley, recorded live at the 10:00am service on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

"Loving your enemies can be complicated." Sermon by Canon for Intergenerational Ministry Charissa Simmons, recorded live at the 10:00am service on Sunday, February 23, 2025.

"The trouble is already here." Sermon by Canon for Spirituality Education & Arts Liz Harlan-Ferlo, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Sunday, February 16, 2025.

"These days, I worry for my immigrant mom." Sermon by Canon Vicar  Shana McCauley , recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Sunday, February 9, 2025.

"God intervenes in the world through individuals, not cosmic events." Sermon by the Rev'd Vijendran Sathyaraj, Priest Associate, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Sunday, February 2, 2025.

"Trinity does not exist without all of us." Sermon by Canon Vicar Shana McCauley , recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Sunday, January 26, 2025.

"John was writing to a devastated community." Sermon by the Rev'd Vijendran Sathyaraj, Assisting Priest, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Sunday, January 19, 2025.

"The voice of God is serious business." Sermon by Charissa Simmons , Canon for Spiritual Formation, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Sunday, January 12, 2025.

"Let us remain open when things unfold differently than we assume they will." Sermon by Liz Harlan-Ferlo , Canon for Education & the Arts, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Sunday, January 5, 2025.

"And the Word became flesh." Sermon by Chris Craun, Missioner for Thriving Congregations for the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Sunday, December 29, 2024.

"Find your own place in this story." Sermon by Nathan LeRud, Cathedral Dean, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024.

"She has been there all along."   About the speaker: Nathan LeRud is the dean of Trinity Cathedral in Portland, OR, the oldest Anglican/Episcopal congregation in the Pacific Northwest. A fifth-generation Oregonian and native Portlander, Nathan holds a BA in English and Theatre from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA and an M.Div from the General Theological Seminary in New York City. He was ordain...

"The practice of using the word 'men' to stand in for all humankind hurts us all."   About today's speaker: Elizabeth Schroeder is a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Tacoma, WA, and her work is in home health nursing. ________________________ Join us throughout the Advent season for Divine Feminine, a daily podcast Advent Calendar. How are we changed if we pray, "Our Mother, who art in Heaven,...

"She knows she couldn’t control what the dust / would become." — from "Eden: Diastasis Recti" About the speaker: Liz Harlan-Ferlo is Canon for Education & the Arts at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. Her writing, both poetry and prose, has been published in journals and magazines both online and in print. " Eden: Diastasis Recti " was published in Christian Century in November 2024.  ___________...

*Note: sound quality improves at 0:30* "Trinity dares to be different." Sermon by Elizabeth Braatz, Catechesis Class of 2024, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2024.

"O Strength of Wisdom."   About the speaker: Katie Webb serves as Canon for Cathedral Music at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. She is sought after as a clinician, guest conductor, and recitalist across the country, and she serves on the board of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) in America. Her choral works are available through Selah. ________________________ Join us throughout the Advent se...

"We need to be careful, lest we trap our God like a genie we let out when we have wishes."   About the speaker: Shana McCauley is the Canon Vicar at Trinity Cathedral in Portland, OR. Canon Shana consults for parishes in discernment, facilitates the new clergy group, and is the Dean of the Columbia Convocation for the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon. Before Trinity, she was the vicar of St. Edw...

"The humanity of women is too often sacrificed on the altar of the maleness of Jesus." About the speaker: Maria Gwyn McDowell is a priest in the Episcopal Church, a teacher, and public theologian in love with the God who calls all to liberation and compassion. Currently the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Tacoma, Washington, she brings a deep focus on gender, sexuality, and women through the...

"Our own Divine Mother, carries us / still wrapped by her body, the Universe." — from "Advent Eve"   About today's speaker: The Rev'd Alla Bozarth is an Oregon native who was one of the groundbreaking Philadelphia Eleven—the first women to be ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church in July 1974. Alla is also founder of Wisdom House, an interfaith non-profit center for spiritual growth in Sandy...

"How can I be created in the image of God if God is male?"   About today's speaker: Charissa Simmons is Canon for Spiritual Formation at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. She is passionate about helping children to articulate their innate sense of God’s presence, and loves to create opportunities for children and adults to experience and wonder about God together. Charissa holds a BA in biology from...

"In the wilderness, we must encounter the past – and the unknown future." Sermon by Elaine Stewart Harris, Abbot of the Cornerstone Community at Trinity, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2024.