St. Mark's New Canaan

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany.  It’s Super Bowl Sunday and the Winter Olympics have begun. What if faith requires the same grit and discipline as elite athletics? Learn how Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount becomes our playbook for life. This isn’t about winning. It’s about practicing love. And we do it together.

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. What does a healthy church really look like in 2026? In Fr. Peter’s State of the Parish Address, we hear why this moment matters, how momentum has been built over decades, and what it means to be strong, steady, and ready for what God is calling next. 

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany.  Jesus didn’t come with credentials, connections, or clout. He came with a look that changed lives. What happens when a “nobody from nowhere” sees you and calls you anyway? In this sermon, Fr. John invites us to drop our nets and discover the freedom found in being truly seen.

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany.  What does it mean to be on the Jesus side of history? On MLK weekend, the question before the church is not whether injustice exists, but whether Christians will align their lives, policies, and daily habits with the eternal law of love taught by Jesus of Nazareth.

The First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord.  What if God hides cosmic truth in the smallest, most ordinary things?  Explore how water, oil, bread, and wine shape us into people of love, courage, and justice. In a world driven by fear and force, this sermon invites us to rediscover a quieter, embodied way forward, one practiced daily at the table and in the world.

The Second Sunday after Christmas.  What if faith isn’t about believing a fairy tale, but about recognizing a signal that keeps calling us home? In this Epiphany sermon, Fr. John explores the power of sacred storytelling, doubt and devotion, and the moments of clarity that quietly guide us through darkness toward light. Like the Magi following a star, we reflect on how faith often unfolds not as c...

The First Sunday after Christmas.  At Christmas, the Gospel of John proclaims a profound paradox: the Word who created the world enters it unable to speak. This sermon reflects on the Word made flesh, present among us in vulnerability and silence, from the manger to the cross. In a world that often feels anything but peaceful, Christmas insists that peace has already been given, not by escaping su...

The Fourth Sunday of Advent.  What if God doesn’t come through perfection, but through protection? On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we encounter the often-overlooked courage of Joseph, a man who chose mercy over fear and sanctuary over shame. As Mary and Joseph face public judgment and social risk, we discover a God who enters the world not through moral policing, but through brave compassion. In...

Christmas Day.  What if the most powerful disruption in history came not with force, but as a newborn baby? In this Christmas Day sermon, Fr. Peter reflects on the birth of Jesus as a divine interruption that still reshapes lives 2,000 years later. Through stories of parenthood, wonder, and love, we’re invited to see how the Christ child gently reorients our hearts, our priorities, and our lives.

The Third Sunday of Advent.  We’re good at hustling. We’re bad at waiting. But what if waiting is exactly where God is at work? Fr. John invites us to slow down, resist instant gratification, and trust the unfinished work of God.

The Second Sunday of Advent.  Advent begins with a call not just to repent, but to metanoia — a lifelong turning of heart, mind, and spirit toward new life. Fr. Peter invites us to pray maranatha (“Come, Lord Jesus”) as a daily Advent mantra that quiets the soul and makes room for transformation.

The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King.  Christ the King Sunday asks us to take a final look back before Advent begins. But the King we celebrate is nothing like the rulers of this world. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is crowned not with gold but with suffering love — serving, healing, reconciling, and welcoming all as friends and children of God. His Kingdom isn’t a place we wait for; it’s a...

The First Sunday of Advent.  What happens when the life we’re living starts to feel like “all there is”? On the first Sunday of Advent, Fr. John invites us to hear Jesus’ urgent call—“Keep awake”—and to wake up to the deeper life God is offering now.

As Advent approaches, The Rev. Dr. Maggi Dawn invites us to step out of panic and polarization and into faithful presence. Jesus warns of falling stones—but promises we will not be overcome. What does it mean to live with courage, mercy, and justice in uncertain times? The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost Questions for Discussion & Reflection: 1. Jesus shifts attention away from disaster an...

Many of us wonder what happens after we die…so what Jesus meant when he said we “will be like angels.” Fr. Peter takes us beyond the grave, into the mystery of divine life that never ends — and shows how living with angelic love today prepares us for eternity. The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

Fr. Peter explores Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow — a story that reveals what real faith looks like when life gets hard. When we’re weary, anxious, or unsure, Jesus calls us to pray always and never lose heart, reminding us that the strength of our faith is not in perfection, but in perseverance. The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

In a world divided by judgment and contempt, what does Jesus teach us about the posture of our hearts? Fr. John reflects on the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, and how humility, honesty, and love—not self-righteousness—lead us to true healing. Discover how the way of Christ can mend hearts and communities, starting from within. The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

The Golden Rule seems like common sense. But Jesus takes it further. In this sermon, Rev. Elizabeth explores how Christ calls us into Golden Love — a divine, grace-filled love that expects nothing in return and loves even our enemies. How do we live this love in a world that rewards self-interest? All Saints' Sunday

The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost.  The Rev. Elizabeth Garnsey explores how gratitude is more than good manners—it’s medicine for the soul. Modern neuroscience confirms what Jesus taught centuries ago: gratitude heals us and makes us whole. When we live with thankful hearts, we shift from isolation to interdependence, from scarcity to abundance, and from fear to love. Discover how daily gratit...

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost.  What if faith as small as a mustard seed could move more than mountains — what if it could move your ego? In a world obsessed with image and achievement, Fr. John invites us to rediscover who we really are — not our false selves shaped by comparison and pride, but our true selves, alive in God.

The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost.  Eternal life is not a far-off promise, but a way of living here and now. Drawing on the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Rev. Elizabeth reminds us that God’s kingdom begins in the present moment. Eternal life is lived when we open our eyes to those in need, bridge the chasms of injustice, and embody daily acts of kindness, mercy, and love.

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost..  What happens when we’ve never truly experienced God’s love? The Rev. Peter Walsh unpacks one of the hardest parables in the New Testament to reveal a God whose mercy is shocking, unreasonable, and outrageously generous—and what that means for our lives.

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost.  In a world that so often looks for someone to blame, exclude, or sacrifice, Jesus offers a radically different way. Christ calls us to resist the divisions of our age, especially the scapegoating fueled by political and cultural hostilities, and instead embody the church’s mission: embracing all people with the love that saves and heals.

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost.  What happens when a runaway slave is welcomed back, not as property, but as a beloved brother in Christ? Paul’s radical life and death letter to Philemon shows us the shocking power of the gospel—and how we are called to live it today.

The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost.  We spend so much of life climbing ladders—seeking recognition, approval, and a better “seat at the table.” But what if true freedom and joy are found not in climbing higher, but in stepping lower? Take a closer look at Jesus’ upside-down way of humility.