The Sermons at St. Paul's

In this sermon, the Rev. Lucy Strandlund reflects on our culture of constant critique—from social media to celebrity culture—through examples like Amy Poehler, Billie Eilish, and poet Andrea Gibson. Drawing on Jesus’ words in the Gospels, she invites us to move from jaded detachment to wholehearted openness, learning to see one another—and ourselves—as miracles bearing the goodness of God.

Preacher: The Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas Occasion: 150th Anniversary of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Date: June 28, 2026 Location: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina In this powerful anniversary sermon, The Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas invites St. Paul’s—and all who listen—to consider what it means to carry forward the gospel legacy of Jesus in an anxious and disorient...

Sermon by  The Rev. Nancy Vaders  · June 21, 2026 In this sermon on Matthew 10, Rev. Nancy Vaders begins with her own “bird nerd” fascination and focuses on the humble house sparrow mentioned by Jesus

In a world that often calls us “weeds,” the Rev. Erika Takacs looks to the humble dandelion and to Scripture to proclaim an “invasive hope” that refuses to die. Drawing on Paul’s words that “suffering produces endurance… and hope does not disappoint,” she invites us to see that our hardest seasons are not the end of the story, but the soil where God’s relentless, expansive love takes root and spre...

Listen now to this sermon preached by The Rev. Dixon Kinser at St. Paul's Winston-Salem at the 10 AM service on June 7, 2026. Drawing on the story of the bleeding woman and Jesus’ healing touch, this sermon explores how our culture resists public grief—and why God meets us precisely in those vulnerable, “leaky” places. Our tears can be a doorway to deeper trust and wholeness together.

Listen to The Rev. Nick VanHorn preach on May 31, 2026. On Trinity Sunday, we reflected on how God’s story shapes our own—through resurrection and doubt, memory and hope—and how ordinary people are sent to carry an extraordinary story into an “ordinary” world hungry for good news.

Listen to The Rev. Lucy Strandlund preach on May 24, 2026, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Drawing on scripture and the feast of Pentecost, this sermon reflects on the miracle of breath in our bodies and the breath of God in our lives, sending us out from the safety of the church into a fearful world with gifts of peace, hope, and new life.

Preached on May 17, 2026, for  St. Paul’s 150th Anniversary , this sermon by  Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry  weaves Scripture, storytelling, and joyful exhortation around a simple truth:  we are God’s family . Bishop Curry invites the church to live God’s dream by treating every person as kin and working to transform the world into a place of love, justice, and hope.

A sermon preached by  The Rev. Erika Takacs  at  St. Paul’s Episcopal Church  on  Sunday, May 10, 2026 , reflecting on 1 Peter’s seemingly reassuring question,  “Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?”  Rev. Takacs explores how this “failed” rhetorical question exposes the real suffering of early Christians and of our own fear-saturated world, and proclaims the call, drawn from Isa...

Recorded on  Sunday, May 3, 2026  at  St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, NC , this sermon by  The Rev. Lucy Strandlund  reflects on Jesus’ words, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” and what they mean for us today.

The Rev. Jane Patterson, PhD preaches on April 26, 2027.

This Sunday, April 19, 2026, St. Paul's welcomes The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson. The Bishop joined us for confirmations.

On Easter Day 2026, The Rev. Dixon Kinser proclaims that God has already acted in the resurrection of Jesus and that changes everything. Moving from Mary’s grief at the empty tomb to the hope of a world being made new, this sermon invites us to trust that renewal doesn’t rest solely on our efforts and to look for where the risen Christ is already at work in our lives and communities.

Palm Sunday is not just about palms: it’s about cloaks, clothing, and the God who claims everything we are. In this sermon,  The Very Rev. Andrew McGowan, PhD  traces the journey from cloaks thrown before Jesus in triumph, to his stripping in humiliation, to the white robes of baptism that signify being “clothed with Christ.” He invites us to consider what it means to throw our whole lives—our pos...

Preached at  St. Paul’s Episcopal Church  on  Sunday, March 22, 2016 , this sermon by the  Rev. Nancy Vaders  weaves together a hospice chaplain’s story, the fierce compassion of nurses, and the raising of Lazarus in the Gospel of John.

The Rev. Erika Takacs  preaches on John 9 and the man born blind, asking who in the story can truly see. She names the many forms of spiritual blindness—fear, judgment, exclusion—and proclaims that our blindness is exactly where God’s grace goes to work. Not through our effort or theological precision, but through Amazing Grace, God opens our eyes to see our neighbors, ourselves, and God’s kingdom...

In this sermon on the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), we look beyond the usual assumptions about her “shameful past” and discover a rich, nuanced conversation between Jesus and a thoughtful, influential woman. Exploring wells as biblical meeting places, Jesus’ first “I am” statement, and the woman’s role as a bold witness, this message invites us to see Christianity not as judgment, but as l...

In this sermon, Rev. Nick VanHorn weaves together the chaos of a family holiday, the timeless lessons of scripture, and cultural traditions to urge us toward spiritual readiness.  This sermon was preached on Sunday, November 30, 2025, at 11:15 AM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC, for the First Sunday of Advent. You can watch more sermons at: https://vimeo.com/showcase/923731...

In this sermon, Tim King explores the Feast of Christ the King by tackling the divisions of our world and our lives, from politics to personal relationships. Through the metaphor of “defying gravity,” he invites us to look beyond the pull of anger and division, urging us to find hope, unity, and the kingdom of God within ourselves and even those with whom we most deeply disagree. This sermon was p...

In this thought-provoking sermon, The Rev. Nancy Vaders weaves together the story of Galileo, the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, and the iconic 'Pale Blue Dot' image from Voyager One. Through these powerful examples, she challenges us to embrace an enduring, dynamic faith—one that looks beyond structures and traditions, and finds God's presence in the ever-changing beauty and tri...

 In this powerful sermon, Rev. Lucy Strandlund explores the profound mystery of resurrection through the lens of human uncertainty. Drawing from a biblical passage about the Sadducees' challenge to Jesus, she reflects on the limits of human knowledge and the deeper truths of faith. Preached on November 9, 2025, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC, for the Twenty-second Sund...

In this powerful All Saints' Day sermon, The Rev. Erika Takacs explores the profound unity of human experience through the lens of water, from scientific molecular connections to spiritual baptismal transformations. She weaves together fascinating insights about water molecules, historical connections, and the Christian understanding of collective humanity, challenging listeners to recognize t...

This sermon explores the biblical story of Jacob, highlighting his complex character as a trickster who maintains a persistent and intimate relationship with God. The Rev. Lucy Strandlund uses Jacob's narrative to illustrate that faith is not about perfection, but about ongoing dialogue, wrestling with doubt, and maintaining a deep connection with the divine, even through life's challenges...

In this sermon, the Rev. Nick VanHorn explores the difference between being "cured" and being "well," challenging the notion of God as a transactional vending machine. Drawing from the Gospel story of the ten lepers and personal experiences, he reveals how gratitude and faith can bring healing even in moments of pain, trauma, and uncertainty. This sermon was preached at St. Pau...

Rev. Erika Takacs weaves together the story of two Jewish cousins creating a comic book superhero during World War II with biblical teachings about faith, hope, and the power of seeing the world as it could be. The sermon encourages listeners to embrace their ordinariness and use even a tiny amount of faith to make meaningful change in the world.