The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15

Maundy Thursday presents itself with a wealth of evocative images, which can make preaching on it difficult. Nonetheless, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, where we are exhorted to “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes,” provides us with the centering motif. Join Peet Dickinson as he remembers the Lord who feeds his disciples, washes their feet, and gives himself to death for their sake and for ours. Love bids us welcome.

The Rev. Patrick Schlabs | Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Surprises are often a good thing, but when they run counter to expectations, they can quickly turn sour. The people of Israel were expecting a deliverer, and the surprise of Jesus presented a sudden solution to Roman oppression. This surprise reaches its climax at Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem, yet how does the following week turn sour, and what does this reveal about Israel’s broken expectations? Join Patrick Schlabs as he walks through Jerusalem’s gate and encounters the great surprise of history.

The Rev. Rob Sturdy | Psalm 51

Our lives have two sides: our public performance and our private backstage. Whereas our outward life is a presentation of our best, our hidden life is the place of our shame. How do we deal with this hidden life? How do we keep it from consuming us entire? Psalm 51 is an external depiction of this internal struggle, one specific to King David in the aftermath of dire sin. Join Rob Sturdy as he pulls back the curtain on the hidden life, enters the struggle of the psalm, and finds within the promise of God’s grace.

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | John 6:1-15

Bread is good, yet it cannot fully satisfy on its own. When Jesus feeds the 5,000 on the mountainside, the point of this miraculous sign is not the feeding itself, but the deeper reality of Jesus’ own identity: he is the Bread of Life. What does this mean, and how do we get it wrong? How does Jesus nourish the human soul? Join Peet Dickinson as he reviews this familiar image, ferrets out its strange resonances, and finds in Jesus the very source of life.

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | Romans 7:12-25

The difference between animation and live-action in film is infinitely wide, yet in our suspension of disbelief can be uncannily similar. Likewise, true life in God and a captive life in sin can seem similar, and yet are utterly different. In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul writes on the struggle between his godly desire and his sin. What resolution can come from this conflict? Is there any hope in his “body of death”? Join Peet Dickinson as he considers Paul’s thought, and finds hope in the God who gives us a resurrection identity.

The Rev. Patrick Schlabs | Mark 8:31-38

Everyone wants to be a winner. Often we identify ourselves by our affiliation with the “winning side,” whether it’s in sports, politics, or ideologies. Jesus’ ministry appeared to his followers as the opening scenes of a huge win, a victory that would lead to his coronation and Israel’s restoration. When, in chapter eight of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of suffering and dying, and exhorts his disciples to take up crosses, his apparent winning is turned upside down. What does this show us about God’s reign and the believer’s life? Join Patrick Schlabs as he peers into the mystery of the cross, and there finds an identity stronger than the power of death.

Mr. Jacob Graudin | Mark 9:2-9

The final Sunday of Epiphany brings with it the remembrance of the Jesus’ Transfiguration, a revelation of God’s presence within him made manifest through light, cloud, and faces from the past. What do we make of the strange, seemingly arbitrary details within this narrative? How do understand the heavenly proclamation of “This is my beloved Son; listen to him”? Join Jacob Graudin as he unpacks this dense divine appearance, and finds, in the man Jesus, both Creator and Redeemer.

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

For every Christian, the gospel is the primary vocation to which we are called. But Christ uses all our various gifts and spheres as a secondary vocation through which his Kingdom advances in the world. Join Peet Dickinson as he charges the Cathedral for 2018 with St Paul’s words to the church at Corinth to become all things to all people, in order to win some.

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | Mark 1:21-28

Over the 2,000 years of Church history, Christians and non-Christians alike have tried to tame the radical power and authority of Jesus. Despite this constant pressure to conform to human expectations, the Nazarene refuses to be domesticated. Mark’s Gospel presents Jesus as possessing an authority beyond the rabbis and scribes. How does this authority impact our world and the forces that rule it? Join Peet Dickinson as he witnesses Jesus’ power bursting through the text and into our very lives.

The Very Rev. Dr. Justyn Terry | Mark 1:14-20

Jesus begins his ministry with a proclamation and an invitation. The proclamation is one of repentance and of God’s Kingdom, and the invitation is to take part in both of these things by following him. What does it look like to turn around and face God? What does it mean to follow Jesus in the workaday world? Join Justyn Terry as he questions what it means to hear the proclamation of Jesus and to follow him, and finds that it’s the true path to purpose and joy.

The Rev. Patrick Schlabs | John 1:43-51

After John’s poetic prologue, his gospel becomes a story of witnesses who invite others to come and see Jesus. In an age where many are disillusioned with typical and stereotyped modes of evangelism, what can these stories of witness teach us about inviting others to come and see? Join Patrick Schlabs as he examines the encounter between Jesus, Philip, and Nathanel, and finds that Jesus’ pursuit of us is the base of all witness.

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | Mark 1:7-11

John the Baptist strikes a singular figure within the Gospel narrative, entering Israel’s culture at a turning point unlike any before. His ministry of baptism was an exposition of Israel’s sin and of God’s mercy, and was a foretaste of the coming Kingdom. What is it, however, that sets John’s ministry apart? What makes the Kingdom he heralds so different? Join Peet Dickinson as he hears John’s cry in the wilderness, and in so doing turns our eyes to the eternal King.

Pastor Ryan Thompson | Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 2:1-6, 9-11

Christmas comes loaded with anticipation of what might be received, yet inevitably brings some measure of disappointment. Did the amazing story of Christmas and Epiphany, which culminated in the witnessing of the infant Jesus, also prove underwhelming for those who originally experienced it? Why does such great expectation often lead to great disappointment? Join Ryan Thompson as he looks back on the Christmas story, explores the tension of the “now” and the “not yet”, and finds the One who is the ultimate fulfillment of all hopes.

Mr. Jacob Graudin | Psalm 96

While we tend to keep politics and religion at arm’s length during the holidays, Christmas deals directly with both. The Incarnation of Jesus brings with it an answer to the perennial question of politics and religion both: “Who’s in charge?” Today’s reading from Psalm 96 announces the kingship of Almighty God with crackling clarity, casting down all rival powers and principalities. Join Jacob Graudin as he revels in this proclamation, and celebrates the reality that, in Jesus, our King has come, and our King is coming.

The Very Rev. Peet Dickinson | Luke 2:1-20

Jesus is born and “laid in a manger, because there was no place for [him] in the inn.” This detail is more than a footnote; indeed, it is a central aspect of Jesus’ Nativity: unnoticed and unknown. Why is the Word of Creation not welcomed by his own Image-bearers? Why would he come, even when uninvited? Join Peet Dickinson as he expounds the story of Jesus’ birth and finds comfort and our commission as followers of the Incarnate Son.