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The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Life isn't fair. We learn that almost as soon as we're old enough to protest. But what if following Jesus means learning not to get stuck there? Rev. Elizabeth explores Jesus' challenging parable of the workers in the vineyard and a radically different way of looking at fairness, grace, and the Kingdom of God.

The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost What if forgiveness isn’t about excusing what happened or waiting for someone else to make things right? What if it’s about what happens within us when we refuse to let go? Fr. Peter explores a shocking lesson and the surprising freedom that might be waiting on the other side of forgiveness.

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost What if the conflict we avoid is sometimes the very conversation we need to have? Fr. Peter explores the difficult work of reconciliation and reflects on how unresolved hurt escalates, why our triggers matter, and how seeking to understand can help us become instruments of peace.

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost In the life and legacy of Dolly Parton, Rev. Elizabeth finds an unlikely spiritual icon: a woman whose generosity, humility, empathy, and love embodied Paul’s call to “overcome evil with good.” Her example helps us hear Jesus’ command to Peter (and to us) to get behind him and follow a way of power defined not by domination, but by sacrificial love.

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost What happens when Jesus becomes more than someone we believe in and becomes the organizing principle of our lives? Fr. Peter explores how our answer to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” shapes who we are becoming. Through St. Peter’s own imperfect journey of faith, we discover a discipleship marked not by instant perfection, but by transformation, course correction, and a relationship in which Jesus keeps hanging in with us.

The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost What happens when faith refuses to accept the limits we’ve inherited? In Matthew 15, a Canaanite woman challenges ancient divisions, refuses to take no for an answer, and becomes an unexpected model of fearless faith. Rev. Elizabeth explores what her encounter with Jesus can teach us about mercy, persistence, changing our minds, and finding the courage to imagine something new when fear tells us nothing can change.

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost What keeps us in the boat, even when we know something needs to change? In the story of Jesus walking on water, Peter does something extraordinary: he steps out. This sermon explores faith, doubt, the comfort of the familiar, and what we discover when we risk moving into the unknown and trust that Christ will meet us there.

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost What does it mean to leave home, and can we carry a sense of home with us wherever the journey leads? On his final Sunday as Associate Rector of St. Mark’s, Fr. John reflects on the places and people that shape us, the deeper journey toward our truest selves, and the grace that sustains us along the way. In a deeply personal farewell sermon, Fr. John considers what it means to venture forth while discovering that the journey away from home may also be a journey more deeply toward it.

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Where do you expect to find God at work? Rev. Elizabeth explores a set of surprising parables and reveals how these familiar stories challenge our assumptions about power, belonging, and where God's Kingdom takes root, inviting us to look again at the people and places we might otherwise overlook.

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Baptism is often seen as a beautiful family tradition. But it's far more than that. Fr. John explores Jesus' challenging parable of the wheat and the weeds to reveal baptism as a lifelong decision about who we are, what we stand for, and how we choose to live.

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost What if the clearest evidence of God's presence isn't found in one dramatic miracle, but in a lifetime of ordinary moments? Celebrating nearly sixty years since his ordination, Fr. John Schultz shares stories of ministry, loneliness, unexpected turns, family, and grace. Through these deeply personal memories, we're invited to look back on our own lives and discover the quiet ways God has been present all along.

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Freedom is one of America's defining ideals. But what if the deepest freedom can't be found in unlimited choices? Fr. John explores St. Paul's surprising vision of freedom, the example of Jesus, and why becoming "a slave to love" may be the most liberating invitation we'll ever receive.

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost What does Jesus mean when he says we must love him more than our own families? In this Father's Day sermon, Fr. Peter reflects on parenthood, divine love, and one of Jesus' most difficult teachings. Discover why Jesus isn't calling us to love our families less, but inviting us into a love so expansive that it transforms every relationship we have.

The Third Sunday after Pentecost (Youth Sunday) What shapes a person's faith? On Youth Sunday, graduating senior Chloe Perkins reflects on growing up at St. Mark's, navigating the pressures of achievement, discovering faith as her own, and learning that God is often found in the quiet moments we usually overlook.

The Second Sunday after Pentecost Why do Christians sometimes look so little like Christ? Fr. John explores Christianity's "alignment problem": the gap between the teachings of Christ and the behavior of his followers. What if the greatest obstacle to faith isn't disbelief, but religious people who have forgotten mercy?