Sermon.05.16.21.Easter7 St. Paul’s Episcopal – Brookings Fr. Larry Ort Acts 1.15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5.9-13; John 17.6-19 Last Sunday we noted the difference between being (acting spontaneously) and doing (acting with planning). As we saw, Jesus advocated both at different times and in different situations, but his message to the disciples (males, who typically lean toward being) was that they must practice their Christianity in the world; it is not enough to be a chil

Sermon.05.09.21.Easter6B St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Fr. Larry Ort Acts 10.44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5.1-6; John 15.9-17 Today’s gospel reading, John 15.9-17, continues from last Sunday. Previously we considered two questions: First, how is God’s love perfected in us? It is perfected through abiding in Christ, the vine, and through pruning that we might abundantly bear fruit. And second, how do we know that God’s love is perfected in us? We know this through the absence of fear

Sermon.05.02.21.Easter.5B St. Paul’s Episcopal – Brookings Fr. Larry Ort Acts 8.26-40; Psalm 22.24-30; 1 John 4.7-21; John 15.1-8 In last Sunday’s lessons and sermon, we saw how Peter and John had been arrested for healing a crippled man. The officials asked, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” boldly declared the healing took place “by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” whom they had crucified but “whom God raised from th