Category: Bulletin Inserts

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Gifts to the Church by Episcopal Convents and Monasteries—St. Gregory’s Abbey of Three Rivers, Michigan

St. Gregory’s Abbey describes their offering of contemplative prayer.

What is contemplative prayer?

Contemplative prayer can be defined briefly as: quietly resting in the presence of God without use of words. At St. Gregory’s, time is specifically set aside each day for this practice, but it goes way beyond that. Contemplative prayer is a basic disposition cultivated through attentiveness to God with the goal that it will permeate the whole day and the whole life of the person practicing it. The Daily Office, held seven times a day at St. Gregory’s, is the backbone of the practice of contemplative prayer. By reciting and singing the psalms day in and day out with their pleas for justice and thanksgivings for deliverance, we are taken into the heart of human relationships with God. The Office is itself a contemplative exercise where we use the words of God in scripture to take us beyond the words into the presence of God. Worship in words and beyond words builds up the contemplative disposition that extends to manual labor and human interactions, especially pastoral interactions.

What good is contemplative prayer?

The worth of contemplative prayer cannot be measured by pragmatic considerations. We say and do many things throughout the day, many of which have value. Unfortunately, we tend to rush to get things done. We fill ourselves with agendas for other people and then push these agendas against them with force. This approach, in the end, leads to violence. We leave no room for God when we go on like this. Instead, we need to allow God to make space within us where we can let go of all our agendas and just be with God. The more we wait on God, the more we allow other people to be in God in deep peace. In so doing, we will never know what God does in the silence and it is essential to our surrender that we never know. It is as the Psalmist says: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25).

What is the community involvement?

The whole community participates in contemplative prayer as each member sets aside time for waiting on God, but more importantly, each of us supports one another in contemplative living through the practice of silence, especially at night, so as to create space for each other and for our guests and to create space for God.

Learn more about St. Gregory’s Abbey.

Bulletin Inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Gifts to the Church by Episcopal Convents and Monasteries—The Community of St. Mary, Southern Province

The Community of St. Mary, Southern Province, describes their offering of guest ministry.

What is the guest ministry?

The term “guest ministry” refers to accommodations for visitors in religious communities. Depending on the size of a monastic house, guest accommodations can range from sections of the convent or monastery available for guests to stay in to retreat centers attached to, or nearby, the religious community itself. A guest ministry typically involves a varying amount of contact with the nuns or monks, such as having meals with the Community or separate spaces for guests to eat. Guests are invited to attend chapel services and participate in the monastic life as much as is fitting for a Community, depending on its size and various ministries.

Why is it significant for the Church?

It is significant for the Church because it gives people a welcoming place for retreat and reflection, and a place to grow and develop in their spiritual lives. Guest ministries are havens of rest and renewal. Some places offer spiritual direction as well. This ministry gives the Church areas for stillness in the midst of the noise of their lives. One way to introduce people to the Episcopal monastic life is to have guests come and visit, spend the night, get to know the Community, and be invited into the monastic rhythm and balance of chapel services, work, silence, and rest. Staying at various Episcopal monastic communities allows people to see firsthand the impact of the Religious Life within The Episcopal Church. Visiting a convent or monastery also helps dispel a lot of myths and stereotypes people have about nuns and monks. By providing people with an experience, they can help promote and introduce others to Episcopal religious communities.

How is CSM involved in this ministry?

As Benedictines, hospitality is central to our way of life. St. Benedict wrote in his Rule, “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ who said, ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’” We strive to live that out by greeting the Christ in all who visit and stay at our convent. We have a variety of guest accommodations, including five rooms within our convent walls and a hermitage cabin located beside our chapel. Our hermitage cabin does not have any internet, so guests are particularly drawn to this accommodation as a time to disconnect from their social media feeds and work emails and just enjoy the silence, solitude, and space for reflection within nature. Guests who stay with us enjoy our scenic mountain views and times to slow down, be still, and discern how God is speaking to them during their stay with us.

Learn more about the Community of St. Mary, Southern Province, at https://www.communityofstmarysouth.org.

Bulletin Inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Gifts to the Church by Episcopal Convents and Monasteries—The Community of St. John Baptist

The Community of St. John Baptist describes their offerings of spiritual direction.

What is spiritual direction?

The majority of our Sisters are trained and certified Spiritual Directors. We work with individuals to improve their prayer life in order to deepen their connection with God. We also help directees with difficult theological questions and spiritual struggles.

Why is spiritual direction important?

Now, more than ever, people are seeking to find meaning in their lives. Working with a spiritual director can help people overcome religious trauma, learn new ways of engaging with scripture and ministry, and gain strength and comfort from a close relationship with the Divine.

How is the Community of St. John Baptist involved in spiritual direction?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of people seeking our Sisters out for spiritual direction has nearly tripled. We have shifted from seeing people in person to meeting with directees on Zoom or by phone. Directees can also take walks outdoors with us on our peaceful, prayerful campus or they can stay overnight at our guest cottage for individual guided retreats.

How can someone find a spiritual director?

Those interested in spiritual direction can contact their priest or bishop or contact a local religious community. Most Sisters, Brothers, and Friars are trained in spiritual direction.

To contact CSJB, just email srmc@csjb.org or call +1 (973) 543-4641 ext. 2. Our website is www.csjb.org.

Bulletin Inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Gifts to the Church by Episcopal Convents and Monasteries—The Order of Saint Helena

The Order of Saint Helena describes their commitment to inclusive and expansive language for worship.

What is inclusive/expansive language?

Inclusive language attempts to represent all and to respect the dignity of all human beings created in the image of God. For example:

• Book of Common Prayer: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High….”
  Saint Helena Psalter: “They who dwell in the shelter of the Most High….” (Psa. 91:1)

• Book of Common Prayer: “Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity!”
  Saint Helena Psalter: “Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when kindred live together in unity!” (Psa. 133:1)

Expansive language utilizes the fullest possible expression of human language to represent the infinite being of the Divine. For example:

• Book of Common Prayer: “He that planted the ear, does he not hear? He that formed the eye, does he not see?”
  Saint Helena Psalter: “Does the one who planted the ear not hear; does the one who formed the eye not see?” (Psa. 94:9)

• Book of Common Prayer: “The LORD is King; he has put on splendid apparel….”
  Saint Helena Psalter: “God is sovereign, clothed in splendid apparel….” (Psa. 93:1a)

Why use inclusive/expansive language in worship?

Worship is a highly personal space in which we connect with God and learn of God’s all-encompassing love. Inclusive/expansive language attempts to bring human language as close as possible to describing the comprehensive presence of God and welcomes all into the community of faith.

How is the Order of Saint Helena involved in inclusive/expansive liturgy?

Since our founding in 1945, we have looked to empower women in our community and in the church. We were the first order to promote the ordination of sisters and have provided ongoing support and encouragement for women clergy in the church. Our Sr. Mary Michael was the first religious sister to be ordained.

In the 1990s, we began editing the psalter to replace male designations for God with neutral language. We attempt to stay as close as possible to the Book of Common Prayer translation and the Hebrew original, as well as to retain the beautiful cadence of the language. After editing the text, we prayed with the revised psalter for many months, and then adjusted the text over and over again. We continue to revise the Daily Office and Eucharistic prayers that we use in our chapel. We offer this work to the church in support of inclusive/expansive language for worship. For more information about The Saint Helena Psalter and The Saint Helena Breviary, see www.osh.org/breviary.

Bulletin Inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

The Lambeth Conference, the international gathering of bishops across the Anglican Communion, will take place July 26 through August 8, 2022. This bulletin insert series, produced with The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships, introduces readers to Lambeth and what they can expect from the conference.

Lambeth Conference

The Lambeth Conference planning team has worked with many different experts in many different fields to offer resources for ministry on topics important to the discussion at the conference. These topics include prayer, scripture, ministry in a conflicted world, conversations with bishops, and faith and science. In previous weeks, we took a deep dive into scripture and prayer. Today, let’s look at the other resources and important discussion points for the bishops as they gather in Canterbury.

Ministry in a Conflicted World

This was a formational leadership series that took place between February and April of 2022. It offers theological and practical input on three habits that can shape ministry and leadership in a divided and complex world. The three sessions are on being present, being curious, and reimagining. Learn more at https://www.lambethconference.org/programme/ministry-in-a-conflicted-world/the-course/.

Bishop Conversations

This part of the journey to the Lambeth Conference includes conversations with six different Anglican bishops. All bishops were invited to participate in the conversation and out of those conversations, a series of short films were created for everyone to listen to and learn more. See the videos at https://www.lambethconference.org/programme/the-bishops-conversations/about/watch-the-bishops-conversation-videos/.

Faith and Science

Faith and science will be an important theme at this year’s conference. It is also the focus of a new Anglican Communion Science Commission, co-chaired by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and Bishop Steven Croft. This exciting series begins to look at why the church should care about science and serves as an introduction to the work of the commission. Learn more at https://www.lambethconference.org/resources/talking-about-faith-and-science/.

Further Reading

Finally, there are several books that were written specifically about the theme of the Lambeth Conference. This is a great place to look for a book to read as an individual or study as a group within your diocese or congregation. Find these resources at https://www.lambethconference.org/resources/reading/.

Bulletin Inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

The Lambeth Conference, the international gathering of bishops across the Anglican Communion, will take place July 26 through August 8, 2022. This bulletin insert series, produced with The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships, introduces readers to Lambeth and what they can expect from the conference.

Prayer at Lambeth

Prayer is one of the main components of the Lambeth Conference and praying together is an essential part of the gathering.

Particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and injustice in the world, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has invited the entire worldwide Anglican Communion to join in the Prayer Journey. In a video on the Lambeth website, he explains,

We’ll begin, as we always must, in prayer. Prayer that bring us face to face with our savior. The book of 1 Peter, in chapter four, exhorts us to be alert and of a sober mind so that we can pray, so that we can love one another deeply, and offer hospitality to one another. In such difficult times and with our world facing such challenges, we need to listen to God, to be alert to the needs of the world, and to love one another as we share our prayers and our needs.

He and his team have laid out a weekly rhythm for the prayer journey so that everyone can participate. Each day of the week you are invited to pray with a specific focus in mind: hope, proclaiming the Good News, pandemic response, people, planet, peace and reconciliation, politics and justice, and poverty.

Over the past two years, communication through online platforms has become an integral part of remaining in relationship and supporting one another. Technology has made praying together possible even when we could not be together in person. You can join along in the Archbishop’s Prayer Journey by subscribing to the email list or by following the Lambeth Conference on social media. The prayer offerings include videos from the following:

• Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell of the Church of England
• Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church
• Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Southern Africa
• Archbishop Linda Nicholls of Canada
• Archbishop Daniel Sarfo of Kumasi, Ghana in West Africa
• Bishop Pradeep Samantaroy of Amritsar, North India
• And many more

You will also receive written prayers from all over the worldwide Anglican Communion. 

The videos can be found at www.lambethconference.org/resources/prayers/ and the official prayer guide for the conference can be found at https://www.lambethconference.org/resources/prayer-guide/.

Bulletin Inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

The Lambeth Conference, the international gathering of bishops across the Anglican Communion, will take place July 26 through August 8, 2022. This bulletin insert series, produced with The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships, introduces readers to Lambeth and what they can expect from the conference.

Scripture at Lambeth

The theme of the fifteenth Lambeth Conference is “God’s Church for God’s World: walking, listening, and witnessing together.” As the bishops at Lambeth explore that theme, they will also maintain a Biblical focus through the book of 1 Peter. Over the past several years in planning, a range of resources have been developed for use in Bible studies, discussions, and seminars. These have been used in preparation for the conference and will be looked at on an even deeper level as the bishops gather together.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby describes why this letter was chosen as a focus for Lambeth: “The book of 1 Peter is a personal favourite of mine. There is so much in it that is pertinent for the Church, for the world, for the times we are living in and for us as we seek direction for the Anglican Communion in the years ahead.

“1 Peter is a book that doesn’t shy away from difficult things. It’s a book that addresses the challenges that Peter’s communities were facing. It speaks about belonging, alienation, exile, slavery and persecution – you can immediately hear the echoes in our world today.

“It’s a book that raises an utterly compelling and inspiring vision of God’s kingdom. It raises our eyes beyond the immediacy of our struggles and differences. It urges us to hear a far deeper call. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, Peter encourages us to live lives of witness, hope and holiness as God’s chosen people.”

The journey through the book of 1 Peter looks at specific themes in each of the five chapters which include the following:

• Calling
• Communion
• Peace-making
• Suffering
• Authority

You and your congregation can join in reading through 1 Peter looking at each of the themes, asking together what it means to be “God’s Church for God’s World.” A series of videos and commentary was created before the Lambeth Conference was rescheduled due to the COVID19 pandemic. These videos can be found at https://www.lambethconference.org/resources/1-peter-resources/watch-the-1-peter-videos/.

Bulletin Inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

What Is the Lambeth Conference?

The Lambeth Conference will take place July 26 through August 8, 2022. Convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Justin Welby, the conference is a gathering of bishops from across the worldwide Anglican Communion. Lambeth, a reference to the archbishop’s residence in London where meetings were formerly held, generally occurs every ten years, though this summer’s gathering will be the first since 2008. This year’s conference will be the fifteenth since its first meeting in 1867, and will be held in Canterbury, England, at the University of Kent and Canterbury Cathedral.

Lambeth serves as one of the four “Instruments of Communion” (along with the Archbishop himself, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates’ Meeting), designed to strengthen the relationships among the member churches of the Anglican Communion. It is a time for bishops from around the world – from Texas to Minnesota to southern Virginia to Australia to South Africa to Japan to Brazil – to come together for prayer and reflection, along with fellowship and dialogue on church and world affairs.

The theme of this year’s Lambeth Conference is “God’s Church for God’s World: walking, listening, and witnessing together.” According to the Lambeth Conference website, the conference will explore what it means for the Anglican Communion to be responsive to the needs of a 21^st century world. Program themes of the conference will include mission and evangelism, Safe Church, communion, reconciliation, environment and sustainable development, Christian unity, interfaith relations, and discipleship. These themes all intersect with the priority areas of The Episcopal Church.

Over the next three weeks, you are encouraged to read about ways to connect and be a part of the Lambeth Conference journey through scripture, prayer, and ministry resources. If you would like to learn more about the Lambeth Conference, visit www.lambethconference.org.

Bulletin Inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

The Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul

On June 29th, the Church will remember the martyrdoms of Sts. Peter and Paul, apostles and martyrs.

While there are no explicit testaments to the deaths of St. Peter or St. Paul in Scripture, and though they were not martyred at the same time, tradition has placed the commemoration of their deaths together, as a result of the Neronian persecution of Christians in 64 A.D. Placing the commemoration on June 29^th was likely a reference to an event in 258 A.D. when the remains of the martyrs were moved from their resting places to avoid desecration during persecutions ordered by Valerian.

According to Holy Women, Holy Men, the martyrdoms of these apostles were markedly different. The book records, “As a Roman citizen, Paul would probably have been beheaded with a sword” (HWHM, 446). His death would have been faster and less painful than that of Peter, who, tradition holds, was crucified upside-down at his own request, considering himself unworthy of dying the same way as Jesus.

Images of Sts. Peter and Paul often include the instruments of their martyrdoms. Paul may be depicted holding a sword and holding open a book that reads “Spiritus Gladius,” or “sword of the Spirit.” This references both Paul’s beheading with a sword and his letter to the Ephesians, in which he asks the Church to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). Peter, along with his traditional symbols of keys to the kingdom of heaven, is regularly depicted with an inverted cross.

The relationship between the two can be instructive to us as modern-day Christians. From Holy Women, Holy Men, “Paul, the well-educated and cosmopolitan Jew of the Dispersion, and Peter, the uneducated fisherman from Galilee, had differences of opinion in the early years of the Church concerning the mission to the Gentiles. More than once, Paul speaks of rebuking Peter for his continued insistence on Jewish exclusiveness; yet their common commitment to Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel proved stronger than their differences; and both eventually carried that mission to Rome” (HWHM, 446). Where might we within the Church learn to appreciate each other’s differing viewpoints? How can our common commitment to Jesus Christ and the Gospel carry us to the testing ground and beyond?

Bulletin inserts

These weekly bulletin inserts provide information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 25. John was Jesus’ cousin and a prophet with a large following when Jesus began his ministry. Although many of John’s followers believed him to be the Messiah, John recognized Jesus as the true Messiah, called for the world to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Mark 1:3), and baptized Jesus.

The Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is one of the oldest Christian festivals, dating back to 506, and was first included in the Book of Common Prayer in 1549. It was decided to observe this feast six months before Christmas because Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy with John at the time of Jesus’ conception. This date in June also coincides with the summer solstice, a pre-Christian festival, which is now dedicated to the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in much of Europe and the Mediterranean and widely celebrated.

The Gospel of Luke describes John’s miraculous birth to an elderly, childless couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, who was a cousin of the Virgin Mary. When the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that Elizabeth would bear a son who would be named John, Zechariah did not believe it was possible, so he was made mute. Zechariah’s speech was restored to him on the eighth day after John’s birth, when the baby was circumcised and named. With his newly regained voice, Zechariah then proclaimed the canticle known as the Benedictus Dominus Deus:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty savior for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:67-79

Collect for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (Book of Common Prayer, p. 241).

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Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.