Sunday’s Sermon with the Rev. Michael Mayor - Christ Episcopal Church of Puyallup

In this sermon Fr. Mike emphasizes that while many feel burdened by expectations of perfection and fear of divine judgment, Jesus offers a different way rooted in God’s unconditional love. By embracing this love and living in its reality, followers in the way of Jesus can find transformation, compassion, and true rest for their souls.

Jesus words in Matthew 10:40-42 are all about hospitality. In this sermon we explore the hospitality to which each of us is called and the challenges we face in doing so. How might we live into the radical hospitality of God and overcome the fears that keep us from receiving the rewards of doing so? 

In this sermon, Fr. Mike explores Jesus' challenging words about discipleship, fear, and divided loyalties. He reminds us that following Christ means more than admiring his teachings—it means shaping our lives after his example, even when doing so creates tension or discomfort. Jesus calls his followers to place their trust in God above their fears and to make the Kingdom of God their highest prio...

With the words “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few” Jesus sends out his disciples to accomplish what for us would seem to be an all but impossible mission. Cure the sick and cleanse the leper? Maybe. But raise the dead and cast out demons? Not so much. Perhaps the call isn’t so much to perform miracles, but instead to be a source of care and healing in the face of darkness and despa...

Set in a series of three acts, Jesus calls a tax collector, heals a woman with hemorrhages, and raises a dead girl. But all of them are framed by his early remarks to the Pharisees, and specifically by his quotation of Hosea: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” The gospel story we address is about insiders and outsiders. It is about power. It is ultimately about mercy. Who are the outsiders of our da...

The reality of one God who exists in three persons is nothing less than a mystery. Whether speaking of God as revealed in the Old Testament, God as revealed in Jesus, or God as revealed in the Spirit, God’s very nature calls us beyond the certainty of our intellect and into the realm of imagination and experience. Such mystery, approached with an open hand and an open mind, allows us to encounter...

When we move beyond the miracle story, Pentecost is primarily a story about evangelism. Not evangelism as we have come to understand it, but a way of communicating that honors the mystery of the other and seeks to speak primarily in their language and not our own.

The story of the ascension of Jesus into heaven reminds us that we are in a time in between Jesus' earthly life and his return. To what are we called in this time of memory and anticipation? How are we to respond to participating in the in-breaking of God's reign on earth?

Julian of Norwich received a mystical vision from Jesus that "All shall be well." Who among us doesn't want to hear this assurance? Jesus promises that we shall not be alone and comfortless, but will send an "Advocate" to be with us. How might these two visions inform one another and give us hope in the days in which we live?

This week we hear Jesus' words "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places." In this Gospel passage we are promised more than a home in heaven. We are also promised hope in this life even in the midst of difficulty and loss.

On the Fourth Sunday of Easter we hear Jesus refer to himself as a shepherd and a sheep-gate, but who is the gatekeeper and what is their role? Come explore what our role is as we follow the shepherd of our souls.

In the Gospel passage this week we hear of Jesus walking unrecognized with two of his grief stricken disciples, and yet their hearts were burning within them as he taught them. Christ comes to each of us as well in the faces of those around us bringing transformation and hope.

Alleluias abound as shouts of joy ring out. Christ is Risen! Explore the mystery of Jesus' resurrection as we wait with anticipation for our own transformation in God.

In his passion Jesus neither violently rebelled against nor capitulated to the principalities and powers that sought his destruction. Instead he chose what he had always chosen, a path of non-violent resistance that embodied the Kingdom of God and offered transformation and new life.

Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and the world is never the same. Crossing lines of patriarchy and racism he brings wholeness to the life of someone on the margins of society. How might we cross such lines and make Christ manifest in our own day?

Nicodemus asks in the Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent about being born a second time and Jesus replies with the now classic line about God's love and believing in him. What does it mean to believe in Jesus? And what are the implications for our life today? The answer may not be what you think.

The Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent presents us with Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. How did Jesus respond to temptations to the flesh, to ego, and to power and what will our response be to the same?

In the Gospel for the Last Sunday after the Epiphany we see a transfigured Jesus and his disciples caught up in mystery. In this sermon we explore the question of what it means to get out of our boxes and listen to Jesus, and what the implications are for our faith.

"You are the light of the world." With these seven little words Jesus challenges the assumption that faith is something wholly personal and private. In this sermon we explore the implications of being light for the world.

Are the beatitudes to be believed? In an age so marked by violence, and economic and social injustice, what are we to make of Jesus' words? In this sermon we explore this central text to Jesus' teaching and its implication for being a follower in his way today.

This morning we hear and see in the Gospel the shape of Jesus' public ministry. How are we in the present age called to make our lives congruent with his? Even as he calls Andrew, Peter, James and John he calls us to to leave our nets and follow after him.

In today's Gospel reading we hear John the Baptist's proclamation that Jesus is the Son of God as we examine the deep mystery of God becoming one of us and its implication for all of us.

On this first Sunday after Epiphany we hear about the baptism of Jesus, how it was a radical act of solidarity with humanity and the human condition, and what the implications are for us as followers in his way.

We continue our Christmas celebration today hearing the Gospel of John's proclamation of the incarnation of God in Jesus. Because of that we take hope. Christ is the light of the world and because of that no darkness is dark enough that it can quench the light that God brings to the world.

On this Christmas Eve, we explore the classic story of Christmas with a baby in a manger and shepherds in the field. But do we know the story or is there something going on we haven't considered? Tonight we examine what this well known Gospel has to say about when and where we might find the Christ and what it means for us.