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Chrism Mass & Renewal of Ordination Vows, Christ Church Cathedral, March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

“’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Rev. 1:8). Somewhere in the course of my theological education, I picked up a version […]

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Palm Sunday: the Sunday of the Passion, Year B, St. Andrew’s Church, New Johnsonville, March 24, 2024

“Truly this man was God’s Son” (Mk. 15:39). When we get to the end of the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, we really have reached the summit of the Gospel. It’s not the end of the story, as we […]

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The Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year B, St. Philip’s Church, Donelson, March 17, 2024

March 17, 2024

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” (Jo. 12:27-28). Old-time Episcopalians […]

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The Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B, Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Fayetteville, March 10, 2024

March 11, 2024

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (Jo. 3:14). The season of Lent is forty days long: […]

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Saturday in the Third Week of Lent, Bishop’s Day with Wardens, Vestries, and Treasurers, St. Peter’s Church, Columbia, March 9, 2024

March 09, 2024

“After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up” (Hos 6:2). Here we are, mid-stream in Lent: deep enough into it to have found our footing and hit our stride, but […]

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The Second Sunday in Lent, Year B, Church of the Redeemer, Shelbyville, February 25, 2024

February 27, 2024

“Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mk. 8:33). Peter can never get it quite right. No sooner has he confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, just […]

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Wednesday in the First Week of Lent, Church of the Epiphany, Lebanon, February 21, 2024

February 25, 2024

“For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation” (Lk. 11:30). What is the “sign of Jonah”? There are three versions of Jesus’ saying about […]

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The First Sunday in Lent, Year B, St. Augustine’s Chapel, Vanderbilt, February 18, 2024

February 18, 2024

“Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). The morning after Monday night’s “wintery mix” this past week, I snapped a picture of […]

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The Last Sunday after Epiphany, Year B, St. Matthew’s Church, McMinnville, February 11, 2024

February 12, 2024

“Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here…’” (Mk. 9:5). Peter was speaking the truth: it was good for the disciples to be with Jesus, to see the glory of the Lord. […]

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The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year B, St. Peter’s Church, Columbia, February 4, 2024

February 04, 2024

“In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed” (Mk. 1:35). Our Gospel today is taken from the first chapter of Mark, from the […]

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Celebration of New Ministry, St. Michael’s, Cookeville, the Rev’d T.J. Azar, January 31, 2024

February 01, 2024

“They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority” (Mk. 1:22). In our Gospel reading, we catch Jesus at the beginning of his ministry: fitting enough, as tonight we celebrate the new ministry […]

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The Second Sunday after Epiphany, Year B, Holy Trinity Church, Nashville, January 14, 2024

January 14, 2024

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me’” (Jo. 1:43). Jesus called twelve apostles to be his followers, to be his inner circle or small group. He was […]

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Commemoration of William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, Communion Partners Meeting, Canterbury Conference Center, Oviedo, FL, January 10, 2024

January 12, 2024

“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39). The court is still out on William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury: the court, that is, of […]

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The First Sunday after Epiphany: The Feast of the Baptism of Christ, Year B, Church of the Epiphany, Sherwood, January 7, 2024

January 07, 2024

“The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders” (Ps. 29:3). “Onomatopoeia”: that’s a spelling bee word for a particular phenomenon where the word that’s coined resembles the sound that’s made. You know […]

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Christmas Eve, Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville, December 24, 2023

December 26, 2023

“Light has sprung up for the righteous, and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted” (Ps. 97:11). They say that when the universe came into being with a big bang, the explosion was accompanied by an initial flash […]

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The Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B, St. Mark’s Church, Antioch, December 24, 2023

December 24, 2023

“Let it be with me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38). Every so often, things pivot on a single moment. Our Gospel reading is a case in point. When the angel appeared to the Virgin Mary with the […]

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