What if the empty place in a church pew belongs to someone we simply haven't met yet? Our guest preacher begins with the image of God's generous banquet and the difficult wedding feast parable in Matthew 22. The invitation is open to everyone, but accepting it asks more of us than showing up. It asks how we live, how we make room for others, and whether we take God's call seriously without mistaking righteousness for perfection.

A childhood memory of being called home for supper brings that invitation into familiar territory. So does the reality of being busy, exhausted, or discouraged. Reflecting on Trinity's newly launched food outreach, which reached about 92 families the day before, the preacher reminds us that hospitality is not about numbers. It is about the people who need food, friendship, hope, or simply someone willing to invite them in. Nearly 50 years ago, an invitation brought him into church. Who might be waiting for one now?

Season of Pentecost

When we come to the altar, what are we actually expecting to happen? James begins with an unforgettable Christmas Communion experience with his new family in Texas, when not knowing the system led to a mistake that was equal parts mortifying and memorable. But beneath the humor is a serious question about what Communion means to us. Are we simply doing what we see everyone else doing, or do we come expecting to encounter something holy?

For James, the answer is a glimpse of the heavenly banquet, with heaven and earth joined anew as we receive the bread and wine and are sent back into the world with renewed strength. We are standing on holy ground, and we have been called here for something. In Matthew’s Gospel, some answer the call to the vineyard immediately and others take longer, but the invitation remains.

That invitation reaches beyond the altar and into the mission of the Church: restoring people to unity with God and one another in Christ. Drawing on Philippians 2, James reminds us why we continue proclaiming Christ and why worship matters. Whether someone comes early, comes late, or is still waiting for the invitation, our calling is to remain open to the Spirit and faithful in answering God’s call at Trinity Van Buren.

Season of Pentecost

What does cinnamon toast have to do with the Kingdom of God? In this sermon, James begins with a childhood memory of mornings at his grandmother’s house, where four boys raced to the table for cinnamon and sugar toast, and uses that familiar story to open up Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard.

The Gospel challenges our ideas about justice, equality, reward, and what we believe we deserve. The workers who labored all day struggle with the fact that those who came later receive the same daily wage, but James invites us to see the vineyard not simply as a place of labor, but as a gift and a call from God. The work we are given is itself a gift, and what we bring to that work was God’s before it was ever ours.

The sermon connects that teaching with the Lord’s Prayer, the offering at the altar, and the response that reminds us that all things come from God. It also asks whether we sometimes pray for God to do something while forgetting that we have a place in the work ourselves. The closing invitation is simple: trust that God hears our prayers, but be ready to head into the fields and use the gifts God has given us, for that is where we receive our daily bread.

Season of Pentecost

What are we holding against one another that is keeping us from living into the full stature of who God made us to be?

This week’s Gospel puts forgiveness right in the middle of discipleship. Jesus tells Peter that forgiveness is not about keeping score, and the parable of the unmerciful servant makes the contrast hard to miss. A man receives mercy for a debt he could never repay, only to turn around and demand repayment from someone who owes him far less. The question is not simply whether we have been forgiven, but whether we are willing to extend that mercy to others.

The Episcopal tradition gives us a powerful reminder of this in our prayers and worship: before we bring our gifts to the altar, we are called to be reconciled with one another. That is not always easy. Sometimes holding on to anger can feel good, especially when we believe we are in the right. But this season of discipleship asks us to live differently. As we forgive, we are also reminded that God’s mercy is infinite and full of grace. So what are we holding onto that we may finally be ready to let go?

Season of Pentecost

In this sermon, we look at what it means to be God’s people when two or three gather in his name. Jesus reminds us that our words, actions, and relationships have real power in the life of the church. We can bless one another, or we can hurt one another, and how we respond when conflict happens matters.

But the story of Trinity is also a story of what can happen when people gather in God’s name and say yes. From the earliest days of this parish to the work happening here today, we see worship turning into service, and service becoming a way of recognizing that God is in our midst. The invitation is simple: open wide the doors of your heart, come to worship the living God, and remember that God is here and we are God’s people.

Season of Pentecost

In this sermon, we look at Jesus preparing his disciples for a road that will not be easy and Peter struggling to understand why suffering and sacrifice are part of that journey. The call to follow Christ means more than simply giving money. It asks us to consider what we are willing to give of our time, our talents, our comfort, and our lives for the sake of Christ and the children of God. Like the Jesuits and so many faithful people who came before us, we are called to make room for those on the margins and to ask not only what is best for us, but what serves the needs of the many. The question is not whether we are called to sacrifice, but how we will faithfully live into that call.

Season of Pentecost

That question goes beyond knowing His name or calling Him a good teacher. In this sermon, we look at Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and what that answer means for the way we live, serve, lead, and love.
Paul reminds us that we each have a different part to play in the body of Christ. Our gifts, our work, our leadership, and the way we serve others should reflect what we believe about the One who sends us.
So who is Jesus to you? Your teacher, your Savior, your rock, the one who brings light into your darkness, or the one you walk with every day?
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. That is more than a statement of faith. It is our hope, and that hope should change how we live today. And if that is who you believe Jesus is, what does it change about the way you live? That is the question worth carrying with us this week.

Season of Pentecost

What if the things that make us unclean have less to do with what we consume and more to do with what comes from our hearts?

Jesus challenges us to look beyond outward appearances and pay attention to what is happening within us. The story of the Canaanite woman takes that even further, she comes to Jesus knowing her need, trusting His mercy, and refusing to let unworthiness keep her from grace. Romans reminds us that God’s mercy is wider than the boundaries we create. We may come to Christ knowing we have fallen short, but we come to a God whose mercy is greater than our failures. So where do we go when we need grace? We go to Christ. We come to the table. And we discover that God offers not scraps, but the bounty of grace.

Season of Pentecost