16th Sunday after Pentecost, September 12, 2021, Psalm 116:1-9, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas The greatest stories of the Bible, in my estimation, involve wandering away from one’s place of origin in an effort to find one’s self. Sometimes it is divinely initiated, as in the case of Abraham wandering… Continue reading Return, O My Soul, to Your Rest
Sermons Archive
Wash Your Heart before Supper
14th Sunday after Pentecost, August 29, 2021, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas How many of you were brought up with the saying, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”? The saying is found nowhere in the Bible, but originated with John Wesley and was constantly used by parents to encourage their children… Continue reading Wash Your Heart before Supper
Stuck with Each Another
13th Sunday after Pentecost, August 22, 2021, John 6:56-69 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas I imagine every one of you has a member of your family or extended family who you love very much, despite the fact that this person will sometimes say things so embarrassing, disgusting, and humiliating you wish you could distance… Continue reading Stuck with Each Another
The Way of Insight
12th Sunday after Pentecost, August 15, 2021, Proverbs 9:1-6, John 6:51-58 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas As individuals, as seekers of truth, as people of faith, and as Christians, we live in a world where many will see and relate to us from their own frame of reference and reality, which may not be… Continue reading The Way of Insight
Walking with Holes in Your Feet
9th Sunday after Pentecost, July 25, 2021. 2 Kings 4:42-44, John 6:1-21 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas Moses and Jesus were hanging out in heaven feeling bored with what seemed an eternity of nothing to do since everyone was… Continue reading Walking with Holes in Your Feet
A Lover’s Promise, Passion, and Quarrel
6th Sunday after Pentecost, July 4, 2021, Ezekiel 2:1-5, Mark 6:1-13 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas A few days ago, I experienced the joy of officiating the marriage of my son, Devon, and the woman he… Continue reading A Lover’s Promise, Passion, and Quarrel
Talitha Cum!
5th Sunday after Pentecost, June 27, 2021, Mark 5:21-43 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas Mark’s gospel presents a fascinating scene where Jesus’s popularity as a faith healer is so great that wherever he goes enormous crowds follow and press against him hoping that, like a genie, he might grant their wish. We don’t clearly… Continue reading Talitha Cum!
You Are the Offspring of God
4th Sunday after Pentecost, June 20, 2021, 2nd Corinthians 6:1-13, Mark 4:35-41 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas While the Book of Job remains one of the most provocative works of the Bible, because it asks the age-old question,… Continue reading You Are the Offspring of God
Parables of Sower and the Seeds and the Mustard Seed
Guest preacher: The Rev Robert Stuhlmann, Calvary Episcopal, Underhill, VT Jesus’ teaching method was storytelling: A farmer scatters seed, it grows on its own and becomes a great harvest for which the farmer has done nothing. And the mustard seed so tiny it grows into a mighty bush where the birds make their nests. Of… Continue reading Parables of Sower and the Seeds and the Mustard Seed
A House Divided
2nd Sunday after Pentecost, June 6, 2021, Genesis 3:8-15, Mark 3:20-35 The Reverend Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas Everyone loves a fascinating fable, and the second account of creation in Genesis does not disappoint us. It probably responded to questions posed by adults and children alike, such as “Why does the snake crawl on its belly?”… Continue reading A House Divided
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 