Recordings of recent sermons can be found on our YouTube channel. Click here, then fast forward to the sermon part of any Sunday service video!
Here are links to recordings of sermons given in 2018 at the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, the most recent first.
THE 1st SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, sermon by the Rev. David T. Andrews, Jr. Prepare for Sunday! There is much you can do every day to connect yourself to God and so prepare yourself to fully rejoice in the praise of the Lord every Sunday. There is centering prayer, saying the Daily Office, and reading scripture. To start, pick one day a week and schedule a few minutes. Others have done this and now schedule time every day to purposely connect with God. You can too!
THE 4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT, sermon by the Rev. Emily Gibson. Mary was willing to bear God’s son. Let us also welcome God’s Spirit into our hearts. Let us bear fruit worthy of repentance. Let us let God work upon us, to lift us up. For we are loved, redeemed, no longer self-sufficient but reliant on the Spirit, not just at Christmas but all year long, knowing nothing can separate us from the love of God.
THE 3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT, “Rejoice Sunday” sermon by the Rev. David T. Andrews, Jr. The Kingdom of God is at hand! Rejoice! Rejoice? How can we rejoice with so much sorrow, anger, and suffering in the world? If you cannot rejoice, then share your wealth with others. Show mercy and walk humbly with God. Be fair. Be honest. Strip away the superfluous from your life. Let it go! Grace will be provided.
THE 2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT, sermon by the Rev. Canon Lloyd S. Casson. “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” So said poet Carl Sanburg. Every child is a beacon of God’s loving light. Be comforted! Let your hearts be restless for the Good News! Do you doubt, feel shame and guilt, feel you have betrayed your own truth? Find peace in God’s love. You and I, we are really OK! Claim your birthright! Return to your native honesty and joy!
THE 1st SUNDAY OF ADVENT, sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. The kingdom of God is at hand! It may seem that we are spiraling out of control into chaos, that our times are perilous, yet we can trust in God and be realistic, we can have hope in the face of catastrophe. As writer Debie Thomas tells us in a recent blog post on the Journey with Jesus website, we can say hello to the here and now. We can live honestly in our own skins.
THE COSMIC CHRIST: The 7th Sunday in the Season of Creation, sermon by the Rev. Canon Lloyd S. Casson. We stand in awe before the mystery of creation. All of us are connected. The universe unfolds. The spark is within each of us. Love is at the center of the cosmos, before the beginning, beyond the end of time. Let us be who we really are at our core, the love of God.
STEWARDS OF CREATION: THE 6th Sunday in the Season of Creation, sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Let us pray daily that our expectations are realistic. Let us be merciful and forgiving to ourselves when we cannot meet expectations, and to others when they fail. Let us be generous in a world driven by the fear of scarcity and forgive ourselves and others when we and they are driven by fear. Let our church be bold in our planning and let it be overflowing with grace when those plans go astray. Let us pray daily.
VETERANS DAY: The 5th Sunday in the Season of Creation, sermon by Rupindar Grewal of the Sikh Community in Wilmington, Delaware. This, the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, is a good day to talk about peace and the end of war. Sikhs believe in soldier saints, those who fight for the right reasons, not for personal glory or vengeance. Inside each of us is also a war where we battle desire and fear, wanting to be free of their control.
THE 4th SUNDAY IN THE SEASON OF CREATION sermon by the Rev. Emily Gibson. Yoga was originally a spiritual discipline and still is for many. It acknowledges the Spirit present in each of us, light we each share with our neighbors and the world. God will not let the light go out. In all circumstances, God is with us. An Interrupted Life: The Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943 is a book the shows the tremendous weights some carry and encourages us to fight our part of the larger wars. As often as we can, let us reclaim peace and honor the light.
THE 3rd SUNDAY IN THE SEASON OF CREATION sermon by guest speaker, Erika Gutierrez, Network Delaware. People come to the U.S. for many reasons. Who will we welcome? If we are silent, we are part of the problem. Now is the time to make things right. Make peace with your own judging of others. See each person’s special gifts. Breathe and think joy. Have faith in one another, because we are all loved by God.
THE 2nd SUNDAY IN THE SEASON OF CREATION sermon by guest speaker, Faizal Chaudhury, Islamic Society of Delaware. Let us leave the earth a better place than we found it. The earth is to be shared with all living creatures. We humans are trustees. Let us be faithful to God and to those who come after us. All we own is really God’s. We are accountable for what is placed in our care. Treat animals with respect and dignity. Plant a tree so that it may offer shade for decades.
The 1st SUNDAY IN THE BEGINNING SEASON OF CREATION sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Listen to God’s love and respond, not trying to rescue but embracing life, joining the great story of redemption. Let each of us and our institutions be expansive to all people, taking time to meditate how everything came out of nothing, how we came from nothing, how we are dust and to dust shall return.
The 20th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST by the Rev. David Andrews. We are called to live in humility with open hearts, like children responding with joy because the Kingdom of God is near. The world assaults us but we need not let our hearts harden. Be like theologian Karl Barth: read the newspaper, but keep the Bible open. Listen to David Lose: sometimes the issue isn’t the issue.
The 19th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Listen to the Holy Spirit! Listening is not easy. Our efforts meet opposition. Keep at it! Seek the simple truth of God’s love. The way of the cross is hard. It is costly. It hurts. Listening is hard work. Prayer is hard work. Go deeper! Delve into the soil, tend the shoots that spring up, harvest the ripe grain!
The 18th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Understanding is often lacking and those who do not understand are often the foolishly confident, even boastful, like the disciples of Jesus. Search for understanding! Try out the understanding you have and welcome correction. Do not argue and blame others. Open your heart to grace without expecting immediate answers to prayer. Wait for answers to appear. Open your eyes. Listen!
The 16th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Emily Gibson. Let God open our ears and loosen our tongues. We will not be restricted by habit. We will not insist on doing things the way they have always been done. Is something better waiting? What does God have in mind for us? God’s power is always at hand, but it is not under our control, not at our bidding.
The 15th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Savor your life! Do not simply gulp it down. Feast on the Word of God with your body, mind, and soul. Look at your neighbor. Listen. Welcome them into your life. Take the time. Open your senses. Chew on God’s Word. Linger. Embrace all that life offers, all of it. Invite life in! Savor our Savior’s redeeming love!
The 14th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. What does it mean to be free? Let others help. Form better habits. Learn to be at home with God. Honor what is past and, at the same time, live into our new reality. Be an example of Christ’s love. There’s a new world coming!
The 13th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Is your soul hard to handle? Does it keep veering off God’s path? Time to get its wheels aligned! Call on God’s Spirit. Invite God in. Do this every day. Acknowledge your need to call on a power beyond yourself, something other than Google Maps to get you on the right track each day.
The 12th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Paul W. Gennett, Jr. Are you hungry still? Gather with others. Do your part. Share with one another. Gather around the table. Are you hungry still? Recognize Jesus in the Eucharist. Recognize Christ in one another. Surpass your differences with others. Remember you are made in the likeness of God. Are you hungry still? Welcome the stranger.
The 11th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Paul W. Gennett, Jr. Admit it! Confess! You are a sinner, a forgiven sinner, as blemish free as one who has never sinned thanks to God’s redeeming work. You have been washed clean in Christ, are washed clean again and again when you humbly acknowledge your plight and open your heart to God’s saving grace.
The 10th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by Maryann Younger, Preacher. There is no end to things that need to be done but it is better to sit still and seek God. Contemplation, prayer, and praise do not get things done. Quiet time does not make our TO DO lists shorter, but we need first of all to be full of the Spirit of God. Doing things often gets in the way of being with God. The task-oriented life can be inhospitable to God. Take time to seek God. Learn to wait upon the Lord!
The 9th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Paul W. Gennett, Jr. Do the next right thing and do the next thing right. What are you doing with your life? Seek to be compassionate, even to those who are not. Serve as you want to be served. Give all of yourself to God and your neighbor. Welcome friend and stranger. Receive the truth and reflect it. Do the next right thing and do the next thing right.
The 8th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Paul W. Gennett, Jr. If you hear the music of heaven, dance! Dance before the light and glory of the Lord! Dance with grace, mercy, justice, peace, and equality. If you want to save the world, dance joyfully with God! Everyone, join in!
07/08/2018 The 7th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Paul W. Gennett, Jr. It’s all about the grace, the grace, the grace. Chew on scripture until you hear its melody. Make haste slowly. God’s power is perfected in weakness. If you really want to succeed, surrender. The last shall be first. It’s all about the grace, the grace, the grace.
07/01/2018 The 6th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Paul W. Gennett, Jr. Next Wednesday is the 242nd anniversary of freedom here in the United States, of liberty and justice. We are bound together. We seek progress, not perfection. We seek a more perfect union; out of many, one. We the people of the United States of America have duties as well as rights. We are God’s people, whether we are in the light or in the shadows seeking the light.
06/24/2018 The 5th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Anna Waid. Be reassured! Yes, storms rage, chaos surrounds us and clouds our thinking. Focus on God, not the storm. Focus on your salvation, not the chaos. Look, search, seek for God’s victory. Open the doors and let in God’s triumphant Spirit. Join hands with the faithful. Reach out to those reaching out to you, even God.
06/17/2018 The 4th SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Anna Waid. God wants you to live in the Kingdom of Heaven. God’s kingdom is like something you lost and turned everything upside down to find. If you are not in touch with the Kingdom of Heaven, search for it. Look for it in how you treat other people, in how you think about them. It is not easy loving other people, but that is where the Kingdom of Heaven is to be found.
06/10/2018 sermon by the Rev. Anna Waid. The creation story that begins the Bible is an ancient story, one that talks about why things are the way they are, especially why farming is so hard, and childbirth, too. But there is more to the story than pain. God provides for us, walks with us, waits patiently for us.
06/03/2018 THE 2nd SUNDAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Anna Waid. To be called is an honor but usually requires difficult changes. Our time is full of change, changes we may not like. In the midst of these changes, God calls us, perhaps to something new. Go where God calls you. God is honoring you, but you may be required to change.
05/27/2018 THE 1st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST-TRINITY SUNDAY homily by the Rev. Canon Lloyd S. Casson. God is all powerful, purely good, unbearably glorious, holy perfection. Jesus was God incarnate, made flesh. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, leaving us the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit dance together, one being, and we are made in God’s image, born again, seeing anew.
05/20/2018 THE DAY OF PENTECOST sermon by the Rev. Canon Lloyd S. Casson. All of creation groans with expectation. The Spirit moves us. We cannot sit still or be quiet. Strangers will think we are drunk, inebriated, out of control, irrational. Those who know God know us. They hear the truth, that God loves us, all of us, transforming the world, transforming us.
05/13/2018 THE 7TH SUNDAY OF EASTER sermon by the Rev. Barbara Melosh. Everyone remembers Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, but who remembers Mathias, the apostle who took his place? We, as sinners, can identify with Judas because we, too, betray Jesus in many small ways, and perhaps some large ways, if we are honest. Let us be faithful by the grace of the Holy Spirit even if that means, like Mathias, we are forgotten by history.
05/06/2018 THE 6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER sermon by the Rev. Barbara Melosh. The Gospel of John has many names for Jesus, including “Friend”. Some people claim Jesus is their best friend. Jesus called his disciples his friends. Jesus laid down his life for his friends. Who are his friends? Those who love God and their neighbors. Who can love their neighbor? Those who have welcomed God’s Spirit.
04/29/2018 THE 5th SUNDAY OF EASTER sermon by Maryann Younger, Preacher. Abide in love! God loves the worthy and the unworthy, friend and enemy. This is how we should love for it is how we are loved. We cannot love God and hate our neighbors. Joy and goodness are ours when we abide in love. Let us walk with our neighbors, whether they are good or bad, suffer with them and rejoice!
04/22/2018 THE 4th SUNDAY OF EASTER sermon by the Rev. Emily Gibson. While Good Shepherd Sunday might seem to convey a comforting theme about how Jesus takes care of us, it actually rallies us to follow Him, to reach out to those from “another flock,” so that all might know new life in the risen Christ.
— 04/15/2018 There was a sermon preached in music, not in spoken word.
04/08/2018 THE 2nd SUNDAY OF EASTER sermon by the Rev. Emily Gibson. Although the disciple Thomas will forever be branded as “Doubting Thomas,” he reminds us that in seeing the wounds of the risen Christ, we see our own wounds, and that as Jesus is raised from the dead, God gives us new life in the midst of our struggles. Belief in the resurrection is not about holding onto “correct” theology, but to a way of life grounded in the love and power of God given to us and to the whole world.
04/01/2018 THE SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION: EASTER DAY sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. The stone has already been moved from the entrance. The barrier is gone. The way is open before us. Do not be afraid. Enter in. Seek and you shall find. Go forward and be found. Death has died. Hallelujah!
03/25/2018 THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION: PALM SUNDAY Homily by the Rev. David Andrews. Embrace intentionality. Embrace time. Embrace your calling in life. Embrace the world. Remain with Jesus and stay awake. Pray that God’s will be done.
03/18/2018 THE 5th SUNDAY IN LENT sermon by The Right Rev. Kevin S. Brown, Bishop of Delaware. We want to see Jesus, to see for ourselves, to be convinced and not left in doubt. Love is simple but it is not easy. Love transforms the world every day. We are keepers of an idea worth dying for, worth living for. Proclaim it by word and example!
03/11/2018 THE 4th SUNDAY IN LENT sermon by Maryann Younger, Preacher. Faith means more than holding up a placard or carrying a sign, good as those acts may be. Remember to listen for the Spirit’s whispered direction. Whatever you would make well, remember that you need to be healed. Lift your eyes!
03/03/2018 THE 3rd SUNDAY IN LENT sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Return and rest! Let your spirit, your emotions, your body, your intellect, your social interactions rest. Welcome the grace of God. Let God do the work, carry the load, get ’er done! In returning and rest we shall be saved. In quietness and in confidence shall be our strength.
02/25/2018 THE 2nd SUNDAY IN LENT sermon by the Rev. Lloyd S. Casson. A Holy Lent is a time for fasting, meditation, reflection, prayer, self-denial, study of scripture, and good works. Find out who you are and who you are meant to be. Rediscover why you were born. You have a burden, but God makes it light. Accept God’s forgiveness.
02/18/2018 THE 1st SUNDAY IN LENT sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Lent is a season to rest and reflect. “CEASE” is the word we emphasize. Stop being productive for a time. Let the imperfect remain unperfected. Let God be God, who alone is perfect. Welcome God’s grace, you who need it as much as anyone else.
02/11/2018 THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY – Carnival Sunday, sermon by Maryann Younger, Preacher. Go back down the mountain. During your joyous, transfiguring moments, drink in the inspiration. Hold it to your heart. Then, by God’s grace, settle into the ordinary to heal and be healed, to trust and be trusted, to embrace the vulnerable and be yourself vulnerable.
02/04/2018 THE 5th SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Do the ordinary work of healing and reconciliation. Do not wait for miracles. They will happen in their own time. Remember to rest. Go to deserted places to pray, then move out of your comfort zone to connect with the world. Heal the divisions. Share a simple touch. Then rest. Get comfortable and be comforted.
01/28/2018 THE 4th SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Stressed? Of course you are, if you are like us! So spend less time connected to your devices and spend more time connected to your heart. Listen to what is inside you. Go deeper. What is God saying to you? Wake up! Grow up! Clean up! Show up!
12/24/2017 The THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT sermon by the Rev. David Andrews. Mercy! Mercy! Mercy! The early Christians hid in the catacombs. They were not part of the established order. Like them, we can be faithful in study, prayer, and generosity. We can be lovingly confrontational. We can share the light. We can pour out the good poured into us. Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!
01/14/2018 THE 2nd SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY sermon the the Rev. Canon Lloyd S. Casson. As we commemorate two forbidding emissaries of Christ, champions of justice, let us emulate them as well. O God, You of grace and glory, grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the living of these days. We know we must speak and act — gently, compassionately, and boldly — but let us first listen for your voice.
01/07/2018 THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY sermon by Eucharistic Minister, Maryann Younger, Preacher. We are 60% water. 71% of the earth’s surface is covered in water. Common as it is, perhaps because it is so common, John the Baptist used water to symbolize repentance and we continue to use water in baptism. You who have been baptized, go out into the world to be the hands and feet of God, to do good, not evil, and to proclaim the goodness of God.
