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Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida

Sermons at Church of the Good Shepherd

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

Posted January 29th, 2012

By Fr. Tom Seitz

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

Swallowed Whole... by Grace

Posted January 22nd, 2012

By The Rev. Joanie Brawley

The story of Jonah’s adventure is likely one of the first Bible stories any of us learns as little children. Every picture-Bible contains depictions of the great storm, and the huge fish, and terrified pagan fishermen throwing Jonah into the sea. Interestingly, of all God’s prophets, Jonah is the only one sent not to the Jews, but to Gentiles – and despised, brutal Assyrians at that. More significantly, of all God’s prophets, Jonah is the only one with whom Jesus compares Himself. Yet, despite this story’s unique significance - and its wonderful humor - this 3rd Sunday of Epiphany is the only time – in our entire 3 yr. lectionary cycle – that we read anything about the story of Jonah. So indulge me in a moment of Biblical fun with a quick re-cap of this reluctant prophet’s narrative.

The Too Wonderful Knowledge of God

Posted January 15th, 2012

By Fr. Tom Seitz

Hill Nissan is suing their nearby competitor, Jenkins Nissan, claiming that their competitor posted fabricated and very unfavorable comments about Hill’s service on Hill’s website while simultaneously posting fabricated and very favorable comments about Jenkins on their own website. The people at Hill Nissan were able to discover these facts with the help of Google and a good lawyer.

When my daughter, Katie, moved into a new home in Jacksonville a month or so ago, I was not only able to locate her address on a street map provided by Google, and see the rooftop of her home from a recent satellite image, but I was actually able to see a street side picture of her home that Google had taken from a special camera mounted on top of one of her roving vans.

The Name Above Every Name: Jesus

Posted January 1st, 2012

By Fr. Tom Seitz

Whenever I am asked to offer a public prayer, outside these four walls, or the walls of my own home, whether it is to open a board meeting of All Saints' Academy, or a meeting of our City Commission, or to bless the food at a meeting of a Rotary Club, or any other public gathering, I have to make a decision. Do I offer the prayer in the name of Jesus, or in the name of a generic God?

Those who founded Alcoholics Anonymous, many, as I understand it, if not most of whom, were Christians, faced the same dilemma. Is it helpful in that public setting to speak specifically of Jesus as the one who enables us to restore and maintain our sobriety, or should we, for the sake of charity, give credit to an unnamed higher power?

More Glorious Than a Meteor Shower

Posted December 26th, 2011

By Fr. Tom Seitz

Ten days ago I learned that the most glorious meteor shower of the year would occur between dusk and dawn. At their peak, the meteors, no larger than pebbles, would enter our atmosphere ten to twelve times a minute, glowing for less than a second with the brightness of the planet Venus, streaking across the sky, vaporizing and then disappearing forever. In order to see these particular meteors, I would have to look toward the constellation Gemini, the twins, represented by the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

Christmas Beacons

Posted December 25th, 2011

By The Rev. Joanie Brawley

On Christmas morning – some 2,000 years after the spectacular events we celebrate today, there is a rather too rational question we might ask ourselves. How do we know we’ve really been in the presence of the living God who came to be with us – forever – on that first Christmas? How do we grasp that?

Many years ago, my husband and I took our children to see the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. We’d heard what a spectacular production we were in for, and couldn’t wait to show our children what a real Christmas celebration looked like!

Becoming God-Bearers

Posted December 18th, 2011

By The Rev. Joanie Brawley

On this last Sunday before Christ’s arrival, there is a different tone to the Advent lectionary. For the prior three weeks, we have received multiple Advent reminders – warnings really - that the Messiah is coming, and will come again... to judge, save and rule eternally. We’ve been told we need to be ready; we should prepare; we need to be on the look-out… for our Emanuel-God-who-is-coming-to-be- with-us.

The Healthiest Person in the World

Posted December 14th, 2011

By Fr. Tom Seitz

Last week as I was driving in my car, tuned to one the public radio stations, the announcer invited everyone who was listening to participate in a rather interesting contest, by submitting the name of the healthiest person we know, along with our reasons why. I don't remember there being a sponsor for this healthiest person contest, like a health food store, or a health club, a hospital or a yoga association. I got the impression that it was simply somebody's bright idea at the radio station, an idea for a contest that had never been tried before that might generate a lot of interesting entrants. As I thought about the radio's invitation further, I wondered who the judges would be. And on what basis would they rank a person's health?

How to Find "The Better Place"

Posted December 14th, 2011

By Fr. Tom Seitz

The current New Yorker magazine has a cartoon with this caption: "He's in a better place now - no offense to Buffalo." I'm not sure why the cartoonist chose to pick on Buffalo.

Snow Showers, Leaves, Trees, and Mountains

Posted November 30th, 2011

By The Rev. Suzanne Mulkin

When Michael and I arrived in Maggie Valley at the end of October we learned that the weekend before, there were unusual snow showers on the mountains and wind in the valley. All this took a toll on the autumn foliage causing leaves to fall, leaving some trees bare, and some retaining their leaves. The contrast reminded me that autumn is a season of transition. The once green foliage had changed to numerous autumn colors . The warmth of summer was ending, leaving us with pleasant days, and cool nights, waiting for winter to come.