Sunday Sermons

Rev. Jordan Rippy preaches at St. David’s Episcopal Church on 1 Thessalonians, contrasting popular “rapture” imagery (including the “In case of rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned” bumper sticker and the Left Behind series) with Paul’s actual purpose: comforting a new Thessalonian Christian community anxious that believers who had died might be lost before Christ’s return. Using apocalyptic images familiar from the Hebrew Scriptures as “big” language for God’s power, Paul proclaims that death is an enemy and that Jesus’ resurrection begins death’s defeat, anticipating a time when “death will be no more.” Placed near All Saints/All Souls, the sermon emphasizes the church as a “shared household” across generations, assuring congregants that the dead are not lost to God or to one another and that what lies beyond will remain about relationship and love.00:00 Caught Up With Christ00:19 Bumper Sticker Theology01:37 Rapture Pop Culture03:04 What Paul Really Meant04:55 Facing Death’s Questions05:42 Apocalyptic Hope07:26 All Saints Shared Household09:48 Not Lost To God10:15 Sam Wells On Trust11:48 Alleluia At The Grave This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

Rev. Jim Quigley preaches on All Saints Sunday at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., noting a baptism that morning and offering parishioners a sermon focused on a “theology of sanctity” through the Beatitudes. He contrasts two interpretive strands: Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa’s “virtuous vertical,” a step-by-step ascent from poverty of spirit to peacemaking, including Augustine’s pairing of Beatitudes with phrases from the Lord’s Prayer, and Martin Luther’s “heinous horizontal,” which rejects hierarchy, emphasizes the priesthood of all believers, and frames grace and identity as God’s gift before any imperative to act. Quigley imagines these views meeting like a cross. Drawing on Nadia Bolz-Weber’s Accidental Saints, he describes the Beatitudes as Jesus’ performative language spoken to people in real circumstances, blessing congregants where they are while still calling them toward sanctification.00:00 All Saints Welcome00:33 Choosing Sermon Three01:44 Theology of Sanctity03:30 Virtuous Vertical Ladder06:09 Lord’s Prayer Connections07:51 Luther Flattens Hierarchy09:51 Crossroads of Sanctity11:20 Accidental Saints Insight11:52 Beatitudes as Performative13:46 Art Teacher Illustration15:04 Closing Blessing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

Rev. Jim Quigley preaches at St. David’s Episcopal Church on October 18 (Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost) about Matthew’s emphasis on the law and the ongoing tension within the tradition over what honoring the law means. He notes that Torah contains nothing about whether it is lawful for Jews to pay taxes to the emperor, suggesting the question is meant to create “wiggle room” amid competing loyalties and to serve as a smokescreen. He explains Jesus calling questioners “hypocrites” as “actors” and highlights Jesus’ response, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s,” which makes people wonder how much of life is given to Caesar versus God. He reflects on the meanings of “render” and urges congregants to consider what they are offering with their lives.00:00 Warm Welcome00:06 Why Scripture Still Surprises00:53 Ma Katuv In Torah01:27 Matthew And The Law04:08 The Trap Question05:38 Searching Torah For Answers07:08 Wiggle Room And Smokescreens08:55 Hypocrites And Actors10:13 Render Unto Caesar11:28 What Are You Rendering11:50 Meaning Of Render13:07 Final Charge And Blessing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

Rev. Jordan Rippy preaches at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., focusing on Exodus and the golden calf rather than the Gospel reading. He situates the story after the Ten Commandments and describes how the Israelites, anxious during Moses’ long absence, fear God has left them and turn to an idol, a reaction he compares to a lack of “object permanence” and notes congregants share in similar spiritual anxiety. He reflects on how difficult it is to admit being wrong and change one’s mind, citing Adam Grant’s categories of preachers, prosecutors, and politicians versus “scientists” who seek truth. Rippy highlights the unsettling moment when God plans to destroy Israel but relents after Moses urges God to remember deliverance from Egypt and promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, emphasizing that while sin matters, mercy and renewed commitment are possible through remembering deepest promises.00:00 God Changes Course00:27 Setting Up Exodus01:11 Moses Missing Anxiety02:46 Why We Resist Change04:04 Think Again Framework05:46 Golden Calf Showdown06:59 A Human God08:10 Remembering Promises09:10 Grace To Change This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

Rev. Jordan Rippy preaches on Exodus at St. David’s Episcopal Church, recounting Israel’s journey from slavery through the Red Sea into the wilderness, where repeated crises over bitter water, food, and now thirst lead the people to quarrel with Moses and test God, asking, “Is the Lord among us or not?” He argues their fear is understandable and that the deeper issue, shared by congregants, is not God’s abstract existence but God’s perceived absence amid unanswered prayer, grief, and uncertainty, citing Elie Wiesel’s anger at God’s “apparent absence.” God answers not with a lecture but by standing on the rock and providing water. Since such miracles are rare, Rippy suggests discerning God’s presence by looking for the “fruit of the Spirit”—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—as visible signs of God’s unseen work while learning to live the questions.00:00 Massah and Meribah00:24 Exodus Story Recap02:07 Thirst in the Wilderness03:16 Is God With Us04:33 Elie Wiesel on Absence05:59 God Answers with Action06:53 Finding God in Fruit08:01 Fruit of the Spirit09:35 Living the Questions10:13 Eyes to See God This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

This is a recording from the sermon preached at St. David's Episcopal Church on Sunday, September 20th, on the Seventeenth Sunday in Pentecost. Rev. Jim Quigley introduces the congregation to Paul’s letter to the Philippians as a four-chapter love letter written from prison, centered on suffering and shaped by hope and humility. He outlines Paul’s call to see our stories as living expressions of Jesus’ story, and to discover hope through deeply personal, transformative encounters born of vulnerability to love and expressed as rejoicing. Rev. Quigley shares the pastoral story of Jim and Sandy Kolb and their daughter Amalie, when, amid irreversible cancer and an imminent life-or-death decision, he married Amalie and Ryan in the oncology ER so Jim could keep his promise to attend her wedding. He closes with Paul’s exhortation to rejoice, pray, and trust God’s peace.00:00 Opening Prayer and Setup01:41 The Roux Sermon Metaphor03:12 Why Philippians Matters04:14 Four Dimensions of Suffering05:18 A B C D Roadmap07:14 Jim and Sandy's Dark Diagnosis09:52 Wedding in the ICU14:04 Rejoice Always and Closing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

This is a recording from the sermon preached at St. David's Episcopal Church on Sunday, September 13th, on the Sixteenth Sunday in Pentecost. Rev. Kristen Hawley shares a homecoming message shaped by attending Daniel Bentley’s ordination the day before, highlighting a baptismal prayer that begins with forgiveness and asks God to grant an inquiring heart, courage, love, and “joy and wonder” in all God’s works. She contrasts this big, grace-anchored life with the “economy of smallness” that counts, measures, and keeps score, connecting it to Peter’s question about forgiving seven times and Jesus’ call to forgive far beyond that, illustrated in the parable of the unforgiving servant. Rev. Hawley urges the congregation to shed transactional habits, embrace God’s abundant welcome, and “go big” in love, grace, and kindness as a new program year begins.00:00 Welcome and Logistics00:35 Ordination Inspiration01:49 Baptism Prayer Promise04:12 Called to Big Living04:53 Smallness vs Grace06:10 Peter Asks About Forgiveness07:45 Parable of Unforgiving Servant10:36 Love You More Game12:47 Homecoming Charge Go Big14:13 Final Blessing and Amen This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

Rev. Jim Quigley preaches at St. David’s Episcopal Church on September 6th, the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, explaining his unease with challenging lectionary texts—especially Matthew’s guidance on addressing sin in the church—and recalling how confirmation students found Psalm 139 “creepy.” He urges congregants to trust scripture’s discomfort and offers three considerations: the gospel’s goal is restorative relationship through listening; Jesus’ instruction to treat an unrepentant person “as a Gentile and a tax collector” implies continued welcome, since Jesus ate with them (“we can’t sin our way out of this house”); and the church must not claim ultimate judgment, while recognizing that binding and loosing means actions in the church have real consequences. He references the Episcopal Church’s long debate on sexuality, Resolution A069, and Gene Robinson’s consecration, emphasizing that what the church does matters, and closing with a prayer for peace, love, and forgiveness.00:00 Opening and Setup01:11 Psalm 139 Story03:15 Why This Text Feels Dangerous06:04 Three Gospel Considerations06:18 Restoration Over Shame08:07 Welcome the Gentile08:57 Binding Loosing Humility10:18 Church and Sexuality Journey12:52 Hospitality Toward God14:34 Prayer for Peace This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

Rev. Kristen Hawley preaches at St. David’s Episcopal Church on Romans 12, continuing a summer journey from Genesis into Paul’s letter and its “therefore” in chapter 12: if God is merciful and faithful, how shall we live? She contrasts a transformed Christian life with a spiritual checklist, warning that congregants often turn love, hospitality, prayer, and generosity into scorekeeping for God’s approval. Using The Good Place’s point system and Peter’s reaction to Jesus’ predicted suffering, she argues the problem is the scorecard itself and that “take up your cross” means surrendering the illusion of self-salvation and control. Paul’s call is to genuine, non-transactional love—rejoicing and weeping with others, welcoming strangers, refusing revenge, and seeking peace “as it depends on you”—leaving outcomes to God. Congregants gather not because they’ve earned grace, but because Christ invites them, and are sent to bear love’s fruit.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:16 Summer in Genesis01:45 Romans Hinge Point04:06 Living Sacrifice Next05:08 Love as a To Do List08:08 Beloved Before Doing08:47 The Good Place Scorecard11:05 Peter and the Cross14:59 Genuine Love and Freedom16:54 Table Grace and Sending This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com

Rev. Jim Quigley preaches at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. on August 23 (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost), reflecting on the day’s readings and seeking a responsible, helpful word about God. Noting disagreement about Jesus in “Who do you say that I am?” and Paul’s effort to unite believers in Rome, he highlights three marks of strong faith from Romans: don’t be ashamed or bashful about the gospel; remember that righteousness began “long before Moses” with Abraham’s trust, not law-keeping; and hold faith amid “lions and tigers and bears” because God is present and nothing can separate us from God’s love. He urges congregants to be a living sacrifice as the body of Christ—“Christ has no body but ours”—and closes with Howard Thurman’s counsel: do what makes you come alive, because the world needs people who have come alive.00:00 Opening Prayer00:17 August Transitions00:43 Finding the Through Line02:23 Who Is Jesus03:32 Paul Writes Rome06:16 Stronger Faith Together07:27 Dont Be Ashamed10:48 Long Before Moses12:55 Nothing Separates Us14:54 Christ Has No Body16:35 Come Alive Story18:44 Final Blessing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stdavidsepiscopaldc.substack.com