Sermons from St. John’s Episcopal Church

The Cosmic Prayer. Fr. Louis Harris. May 18, 2026.

From the propers this week, Father Harris unpacks John 17 where Jesus, facing the looming, ugly inevitability of the cross, turns his eyes to heaven and prays for his disciples. Father Harris explores the cosmic principle of "glory," illustrating how we are created not to glorify ourselves, but to reflect God's goodness, truth, and beauty in our everyday lives. Rather than giving in to the modern anxieties of scarcity and isolation, we are challenged to move past fear and embrace our highest calling: finishing the work God has given us by building a society of friendship, self-offering, and true Christian unity.

The Holy Spirit and you. Fr. David Houk. May 10, 2026.

John 14:15-21. The Holy Spirit is not a mystery to be understood but a gift to be received.

Troubled. Fr. Louis Harris. May 3, 2026.

From the propers this week, Father Harris discusses the reality of living in a world that gives us every reason to be troubled. He reminds us that when Jesus commanded his disciples to "let not your hearts be troubled," he wasn't speaking from a place of naivety, but from the shadow of the Cross, offering a way through the darkness rather than an escape from it. By examining our tendencies to avert our gaze from the suffering of our neighbors or the critiques of our loved ones, we are invited to trade the paralysis of anxiety for a deep, intuitive trust in the trustworthiness of God.

Abundantly. Fr. David Houk. April 26, 2026.

John 10:1-10. Jesus offers life abundantly but we need to be willing to change our mindset of scarcity.

Youth Sunday Talks. (Henry R., Henry R., and Fr. Houk)

At our annual Youth Sunday service, two teenagers reflect on Acts 2:14a,36-41 and Luke 24:13-35.

New Creation. Fr. David Houk. Easter Day: April 5, 2026.

John 20:1-18. John's Gospel frames the event of Jesus’s resurrection as the beginning of a new world. Can we see and believe?

The curtain. Fr. David Houk. March 29, 2026. Palm Sunday.

Matthew 26:14- 27:66. The tearing of the temple curtain means that God is no longer a fearful mystery, that there is no separation to be breached, and that the love of God is for everybody.

The Resurrection of Hope. Fr Louis Harris. March 22, 2026.

From the propers this week, Father Harris addresses the exhaustion we often feel by the fifth week of Lent. As the "path of least resistance" beckons us to give up or skip the demanding rituals of Holy Week, this sermon reminds us why our presence matters: we are in church to remember the vision of a Kingdom of love in a world that feels increasingly hopeless.
Drawing on Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of Dry Bones and the resurrection of Lazarus, Father Harris explores the agonizing moments when God seems silent or delayed. He reminds us that even when our hope feels "dried up" and our prayers go unanswered, God is often preparing something far more magnificent than we can imagine. If you are feeling discouraged by the weight of the world, take heart: the Spirit is at work in the "dry bones" of your life.

Born Blind. Fr. David Houk. March 15, 2026.

John 9:1-41. Jesus heals a man born blind and everybody misses the point. The only way to see what God is up to is to admit that you, too, are blind.

The Woman at The Well In the Middle of Things. Fr Louis Harris. March 8, 2026.

From the propers this week, Father Harris speaks to those of us stuck in the "uncomfortable middle"—whether of Lent, or of a life that feels unfinished and messy.
Drawing on the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, he reminds us that Christ does not wait for us to be "good enough" or "cleaned up" to meet us. Just as Jesus saw the woman’s five failed marriages and her present lies, He sees our half-hearted disciplines and our deepest anxieties. Whether you are playing Lent on "Hard Mode" or have forgotten it’s Lent entirely, the message is the same: Take heart. The God of the universe meets us in our lowest conditions to offer living water that finally satisfies.