Église française du Saint-Esprit

This past Sunday, we gathered with joy to celebrate Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit and, because Saint-Esprit means “Holy Spirit”, the “name day” of our church. We give heartfelt thanks to all who helped make this beautiful celebration possible: our volunteers who prepared and served the food during the reception, the dedicated staff…

You are warmly invited to join us for a special Pentecost celebration at the French Church du Saint-Esprit, 109 E 60th Street (between Lexington and Park Avenue), on Sunday, May 24, at 11:15 a.m. You are warmly invited to join us for a special Pentecost celebration at the French Church du Saint-Esprit, 109 E 60th Street (between Lexington and…

The French Church du Saint-Esprit is updating its mailing list to better serve our community and help everyone receive the news and updates that matter most to them. We invite all parishioners, friends, and subscribers to re-register and update their information or click the link at the bottom of any of our previous emails. Your…

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Sunday, May 17, for our first participation in the Sacred Sites Open House organized by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. It was a joy to welcome visitors into our “little French church” and to share the rich history of the French Church du Saint-Esprit, from our Huguenot…

We are glad to share with you the new Easter edition of Le Messager, the bilingual newsletter of the French Church du Saint-Esprit. This issue invites us to “see anew” in the light of the Resurrection. Read it here: https://stesprit.org/le-messager-saint-esprits-newsletter/ We hope it will be a source of joy, reflection, and renewal.

For nearly 400 years, the French Church du Saint-Esprit has carried forward a ministry of worship, hospitality, French-speaking community, and Christian witness through the faithfulness and generosity of generations who came before us. Earlier this year, following Vespers at Saint-Esprit, we introduced the newly created Saint-Esprit Legacy Society: a hopeful initiative dedicated to helping ensure…

Dear Members and Friends of St. Esprit,(Français en bas de page | French at the bottom of the page) Following a recent meeting of the Vestry, I am writing with some cautious good news about in-person attendance at our Sunday and weekday services. The Vestry unanimously agreed to the following decisions: You will no longer…

1. Pastoral letter Greetings from the French Church du Saint Esprit! I’m writing to you at the end of September with several items of good news – very welcome as we try to navigate our way through what we hope is the beginning of the end of the pandemic! When all of this began over…

Bonjour ! While the Rev. Nigel Massey is enjoying his well-deserved annual summer leave, we will hold a morning prayer service every Monday at 9:15am (online and in-person) as well as a midday prayer service on Wednesday at 12:15pm (online and in-person) and a Sunday Morning Prayer service at 11:15am (online only). The Taizé prayer…

This year again, our Afrique Fête celebration will be online only. We’ve been missing everyone, but due to the small size of our sanctuary and garden, we cannot hold such an enthusiastically-attended celebration in person yet. Our live service will start at 11:15am on Sunday July 25th! Please join us on YouTube where you can…

Join us online to celebrate le Fête nationale ! This year again, our Bastille Day celebration will be only only. We’ve been missing everyone, but due to the small size of our sanctuary and garden, we cannot hold such an enthusiastically-attended celebration in person yet. Our live service will start at 11:15am, immediately followed by…

For a quick overview, please check out our calendar page. On the calendar page, click on an event to see the details and if you can register to attend in person. Saint-Esprit’s Summer Schedule Service in red are online only, services in green are in-person and online or in-person only The week of July 4th:…

[If you are on the front page, please, click continue reading below to see the link] In July, the church is open to the public on: Monday mornings for Morning Prayers at 9:15am Tuesday evenings for Holy Communion at 6pm (no music, [not broadcasted]) Wednesdays for Midweek Communion 12:15pm (no music) Thursday at 6:30pm for…

[If you are on the front page, please, click continue reading below to see the link] The church is open to the public on: Tuesday evenings for Holy Communion at 6pm (no music) Wednesdays for Midweek Communion 12:15pm (no music) Thursday at 6:30pm for Taizé prayers Because we can only accommodate a certain number of…

Join us on Sunday May 23rd at 11:15am to celebrate our name day! The service will be followed by a virtual coffee hour. Wear red! You can see the video directly here, or head to our YouTube channel to participate in the live chat.

Following our May Vestry meeting and the issuing of the new CDD guidelines, we are delighted to announce a change in the in-person opening schedule. Starting May 18th, you will be able to attend in-person on: Tuesday evenings for a short communion service (no music) Wednesdays for midweek communion (no music) Thursday evenings during our…

Due to our current situation, our Annual General Meeting will be held online this year. The Annual Meeting of the Église Française du Saint Esprit will be held immediately after the service on Sunday May 2nd, 2021 on our YouTube channel. We hope that you will be able to be with us virtually to exercise…

Join us this Sunday in our Annual Service of thanks to celebrate religious freedom and toleration! This year we will be commemorating the 423rd anniversary of the Edict of Nantes: the Edict that granted freedom of religion for the first time and inspired the first amendment of the American Constitution and the Universal Declaration of…

Back at the beginning of the pandemic, the Rector, Wardens, Vestry and Staff worked very hard to come up with a way of continuing the parish’s worship life while keeping all of us safe. That hard work has paid off. However, at the end of March, few of us imagined that we would still be…

Dear members of Saint-Esprit, Due to our current situation, our Annual General Meeting which happens every year on the first Sunday in May had to be postponed to September 27th, 2020. The Annual Meeting of the Église Française du Saint Esprit will be held immediately after the service on Sunday September 27, 2020 by Zoom.…

As we were contemplating the gradual reopening of the church several weeks ago, the improving statistics and a feeling of optimism led us to believe that a limited opening would be possible for all services. Since those guidelines were put together, several developments have occurred. The Rector and Vestry have decided to modify our re-opening schedule for…

Greetings from the French Church of St. Esprit – the little village church in the heart of Manhattan! Our City government and our Diocese have issued some very sensible advice that affects the ways in which we will be able to gather together for the next few weeks. Though we cannot meet in person in…

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Le Messager Easter 2016 We are excited to announce that our 2016 Easter Newsletter has been sent to print! You will receive a print version within the next two weeks if you requested to be added to our database through pew cards or email. You will receive an email version if you requested so as well.…

Le Messager Christmas 2015 We are excited to announce that our Christmas 2015 Newsletter has been sent to print! You will receive a print version within the next two weeks if you requested to be added to our database through pew cards or email. You will receive an email version if you requested so as well.…

Le Messager Summer 2015 We are excited to announce that our Summer 2015 Newsletter has been sent to print! You will receive a print version within the next two weeks if you requested to be added to our database through pew cards or email. You will receive an email version if you requested so as well.…

Le Messager Lent 2015 We are excited to announce that our Lent 2015 Newsletter has been sent to print! You will receive a print version within the next two weeks if you requested to be added to our database through pew cards or email. You will receive an email version if you requested so as well.…

Le Messager Christmas 2014 We are excited to announce that our Christmas 2014 Newsletter has been sent to print! You will receive a print version within the next two weeks if you requested to be added to our database through pew cards or email. You will receive an email version if you requested so as…

Le Messager fall 2014 We are excited to announce that our Fall 2014 Newsletter has been sent to print! You will receive a print version within the next two weeks if you requested to be added to our database through pew cards or email. You will receive an email version if you requested so as…

New Website more news, updates, and easier reach It is with great pleasure that we are releasing this new website. We hope that you will find it visually pleasing, and that the new enhanced navigation menu will help you find anything that you are looking for. As of today, the much-awaited Free-French-class pre-registration page is up here. Disclaimer…

PentecostMay 24, 2026Acts 2 :1-21    I Corinthians 12 :3-13  John 20 :19-23 This time last week, we were celebrating the New York State Sacred Spaces open house. It was a beautiful day, and one of the highlights for me was a table at the front of the church with old photos and documents from our history. A…

Ascension (transferred)May 17, 2026Acts 1:1-11 | Ephesians 1:15-23 | Luke 24:44-53 Popular wisdom is full of proverbs and stories warning us against looking back, or dwelling on past realities. In French, we say that there is no point in “stirring up the past.” Let bygones be bygones. In the Old Testament, you may remember the…

Easter VI / Baptism of ValérianMay 10, 2026Acts 17:22-31    I Peter 3:13-22    John 14:15-21 I always look forward to celebrating a baptism; being a small part of the excitement and the hopes of the arrival of a new child in the world is such a privilege, and on everyone’s behalf, I want to…

Easter VMay 3, 2026Acts 7:55-60      I Peter 2:19-25     John 10:1-10 Our little community has lived in many “dwellings” in New York since the first communion service in French in 1628. None of these buildings survived New York’s urban development or the demographics tides of our congregation. In fact, we have already…

Easter IIIApril 19, 2026Acts 2:14a 36 – 41      I Peter 1:17-23    Luke 24:13-35 When I was about six or seven years old, my parents used to send me to Sunday School. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t there for the theology. I was there for the competitive world of the Sunday School Sticker…

Easter II – Huguenot SundayApril 12, 2026Acts 5:27-32     Revelations 1:4-8     John 20:19-31 In recent weeks, I’ve had the chance to work with Donna and Suzana, our archivist, on what will soon become a small photo gallery dedicated to the history of our community, located at the entrance of the church. The…

Easter Sunday 2026Acts 10:34-43     Colossians  3:1-4   John 20:1-18 When I first arrived in New York City, one of the things I found most awkward was how to speak to relative strangers — in shops, in restaurants, or just passing someone on the street. In the United States, if an exchange was possible, people were immediately,…

Good Friday 2026 I believe that all forms of violence have something in common. Violence abuses and impoverishes speech; it renders it univocal. Every form of violence lacks nuance, depth, complexity, and humanity. Violence does not dialogue; it is monolingual. There is no alternative. There is no link or consequence leading from one word to…

Passion – Palm SundayMarch 29, 2026Isaiah 50 :4-9a ; Philippians 2 :5-11 ; Matthew 26:14- 27:66 Since at least the 5th century, the Church has read the narrative of Christ’s Passion in its entirety on this Sunday, marking the beginning of Holy Week. We give it such importance because this judicial and cosmic drama is the most defining mystery of…

Lent VMarch 22, 2026Ezekiel 37:1-14   Romans 8:6-11   John 11:1-45 The French actress Simone Signoret famously titled her autobiography ‘Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be’. It’s a witty title, but it has a deeper and more melancholy meaning. Nostalgia is a complicated feeling. It has its positive sides: it can strengthen a community’s…

En mémoire d’elles…Valérie Duval-Poujol, Église du SE New-York 08/03/2026 « Je suis dans la joie quand on me dit : « allons vivre un beau dimanche avec les chrétiens de l’Eglise du Saint-Esprit à New York! » Vous connaissez ce psaume ? Il est dans ma Bible ! Je me réjouis de vivre ce beau temps autour de la parole de…

Second Sunday in LentMarch 1st, 2026Genesis 12:1-4; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17 “One must travel to sharpen and rub one’s brain up against that of others,” wrote Michel de Montaigne in his essay on the education of children. The phrase is sharp and clearly shows that traveling is not primarily a leisure activity; it is…

First Sunday in LentFebruary 22, 2026Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 I think we can all remember a conversation we have witnessed or participated in—perhaps it may even be a conversation we have had with ourselves. The season of Lent that we have just entered invites us to pay special attention to these conversations.…

Last Sunday of Epiphany The TransfigurationFebruary 15, 2026Exodus 24:12-18 II Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 If we were to read the story of the Transfiguration for the first time without knowing anything else about Jesus’ teaching, his healing ministry or his death and resurrection, we would probably find it rather strange or exotic. Perhaps we would…

Epiphany VFebruary 8, 2026Isaiah 58:1-12   I Corinthians 1:1-16  Matthew 5:13-20 There is something about Jesus that satisfies. You may have experienced it – we may have experienced it – when accepting the invitation to gather around the Lord’s table. Come… “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps 34:8). At every Christian worship…

CandlemasFebruary 1, 2026Malachi 3:1-4    Hebrews 2:1,4-18    Luke 2:22-40 Major feasts of the Church calendar have a more ancient history than we often realize. They are rooted in pre-Christian holy days that were governed by the sun’s seasonal movement through the sky. The solar year was ritually marked by eight key moments: the two…

EPIPHANY IIIJanuary 25, 2026Isaiah 9:1-4     I Corinthians 1:10-18      Matthew 4:12-23 According to recent studies, most liberal democracies (e.g., in Europe, the United States, and Japan) are currently experiencing historically low levels of trust in elected officials and institutions. In France, only 20 to 30% of citizens say they trust politicians or feel truly represented…

EPIPHANY IIJanuary 18, 2026Isaiah 19:1-7    I Corinthians 1:1-9          John 1:29-42 John the Baptist is one of the most distinctive and colorful characters in the New Testament. In his appearance and his message, he stands out like a bright and striking signpost pointing towards the coming of Christ. We heard about his clothing of camel’s…

Epiphany IJanuary 11, 2026Isaiah 42:1-9 ; Acts 10:34-43 ; Matthew 3:13-17 We have all experienced not knowing how to greet someone. There is that brief moment of hesitation: should we shake hands, kiss, wave, or give each other a bise? This momentary awkwardness, which we pay little attention to, also occurs when we have to…

The EpiphanyJanuary 4, 2026Isaiah 60:1-6    Ephesians 3:1-12   Matthew 2:1-12 The story of the visit of the Magi to Jesus is an ideal place to start when exploring Ignatian spirituality and its way of interpreting the bible. The method is easy to remember. Broadly speaking, it has six steps. (1) Still your mind. Pray…

The First Sunday after Christmas DayDecember 28, 2025Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3 Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7 John 1:l-18 Every culture in the world loves a good story. Many of us were brought up with them in the form of children’s books of fairy tales, or through Disney films. We probably remember the first time we could pick…

The Animals of the Nativity: Presence Before Power I. Do Animals Speak? • Every language gives animals a voice • Old Christmas joke:o Rooster: Christus natus est!o Owl: Unde? (Where?)o Donkey: Quando? (When?)o Lamb: Bethlehem! A joke—but a theological one:creation itself announces the Incarnation.So where are the animals in the Church’s Christmas story? II. Are…

Christmas EveDecember 24, 2025 The ancient world’s epics start with a dramatic appeal to a transcendent authority – as if the story to be told is too huge to be told by a human voice alone. Homer’s Iliad begins with the words: ‘Sing, goddess, the rage of Achilles’. Virgil’s Aeneid begins with the words: ‘I…

Advent IVDecember 21, 2025Isaiah 7:10-16Romans 1:1-7Matthew 1:18-25 When I was a child, I developed a somewhat all-consuming passion for stick insects… I had several species in terrariums in my room until the day I learned (thanks to my sister’s screams) that some of them had escaped, causing a domestic commotion! Stick insects have several surprising…

Advent IIDecember 7, 2025Isaiah 11 :1-11    Romans 15 :4-13    Matthew 3 :1-12 Joris mentioned last week that one of the major themes of Advent is watchfulness – a sort of heightened awareness of the circumstances and events that are around us, with the expectation that if we look carefully, we will see signs both of God…

Advent INovember 30, 2025Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24 :36-44 How do we initially react when we hear the words “judge” and “judgment”? It depends greatly on our personal experience (even professional experience, for some) with courts, justice, and judges. It also depends on how we have used the justice system. A defendant, a victim,…

Christ the KingNovember 23, 2025Jeremiah 23 :1-6   Colossians 1 :11-20   Luke 23 :33-43 Having spent the majority of my life as a British ‘subject’ of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it felt very strange to sing God save the King for the first time, and to see His Majesty’s name on my English tax forms. There…

Pentecost XXIIINovember 16, 2025Isaiah 65:17-25 ; II Thessalonians 3, 6-13 ; Luke 21:5-19 The French and American social security and welfare systems were created in the wake of enormous crises: situations that were nothing short of apocalyptic. The family, social, political, and economic devastation of the Great Depression prompted President Roosevelt to sign the Social…

Pentecôte XXII9 novembre 2025Aggée 1, 15-2, 9 II Thessaloniciens 2, 1-17 Luc 20, 27-38 Avant de devenir prêtre, je ne me souviens pas avoir assisté à beaucoup de funérailles. Il y avait parfois un décès dans la famille ou parmi les voisins. Mais à 26 ans, je ne connaissais pas autant de personnes décédées qu’aujourd’hui.…

All Saints SundayNovember 2, 2025Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18   Ephesians 1:11-23   Luke 6:20-31 About twenty years ago, the first filmed documentary on the life and work of Dorothy Day appeared. It is famously titled, ‘Don’t call me a saint’. The title is part of a longer quotation attributed to her: “Don’t call me a saint. When they…

Pentecost XXOctober 26, 2025Joel 2:23-32  II Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18   Luke 18:9-14 The United States is a fascinating country. Few places in the world have such a diversity of movements that all claim to follow the same Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t be surprised if God himself had given up counting how many church movements there are…

Pentecost XIXOctober 19, 2025Jeremiah 31:27-34  II Timothy 3:14- 4:5   Luke 18:1-8 I think that for many people, it is far easier to pray prayers of thanks or in distress than it is to pray persistently in times of prolonged and wearisome oppression; let alone to make prayer something that is as natural and regular to…

English OktoberfestOctober 5, 2025Lamentations1:1-6  II Timothy 1:1-14  Luke 17:5-10 This year marks the eightieth anniversary of the cessation of hostilities in the Second World War. The members of the generation that saw that most traumatic upheaval in Europe are diminishing year by year. Many of them showed enormous courage in the face of the inhumanity…

English Pentecost XVI ​September 28, 2025Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15   1 Timothy 6:6-19  Luke 16:19-31 When in church, we often read Jesus’ stories in a very devotional way, which sometimes keeps us from seeing that they are often caricatural, humorous, or even biting. Much of his social critique and his moral insightsare expressed in this manner. We tend to listen to or to read Jesus’ words as if they were the oracles of a deity—and,…

Français Pentecôte XV      21 septembre 2025      Jérémie 8:18-9:1 1 Timothée 2:1-7 Luc 16:1-13             Lorsque j’ai été ordonné prêtre en Angleterre il y a plus de trente ans, l’une des critiques les plus courantes à l’égard des prêtres était que nous étions « tellement tournés vers le ciel que nous n’étions d’aucune utilité sur terre…

Pentecost XIVSeptember 14, 2025Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 Our two little parables from Luke’s gospel are very appropriate for Rentrée Sunday today. Not only do they talk about finding something that was lost or gone astray.  More specifically in the case of the lost sheep, we hear a story about coming home.…

English Pentecost XIII September 7, 2025Jeremiah 18:1-11   Psalm 139:1-5, 13-18   Philemon 1:1-21  Luke 14:25-33 I am often struck by the gap between the way the first disciples, like Paul, lived the Gospel and the way we live the gospel today. Many times, the words of Jesus themselves seem very much at odds with how we…

English – Click to open Pentecost XIIAugust 31, 2025Jeremiah 2:4-13   Hebrews 13:1-16   Luke 14:1, 7-14 Most encounters with angels and the voices delivering their messages are a little more obvious than those recommended to us in the reading from the book of Hebrews. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that,…

Pentecost XI August 24, 2025 Jeremiah 1:4-10   Psalm 71:1-6   Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17 Before the invention of the steam engine powered by coal, most of the pulling force needed to handle very heavy objects relied on animal or human strength (often enforced), and on two major technical innovations: the lever and the pulley. It is…

Pentecost XAugust 17, 2025Isaiah 5:1-7 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 I have been trying to grow a grapevine in a corner of the little roof garden above my apartment. I had a vision of sitting underneath its shade; making stuffed vine leaves, and maybe picking a bunch of grapes or two. Nearly twenty years ago, I…

Pentecost IXAugust 10, 2025Isaiah 1:1, 10-20   Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24     Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16    Luke 12:32-40 August 10 is a special kind of anniversary for me—what I like to call my “Americanniversary.” It’s the day I first set foot in the United States: August 10, 2016! I had been offered a position to teach French for a year…

Pentecost 8August 3, 2025Hosea 11:1-11    Colossians 3:1-11        Luke 12:13-21 Do you remember the story of Midas? He may (or may not..) have been the king of the Phrygians in Turkey at the time of the second Assyrian Empire. Dionysus, (the god of merrymaking) had a foster father, Silenus. Silenus became so drunk that he fell…

Pentecost 7 / Afrique fêteJuly 27, 2025Hosea 1:2-10 Colossians 2:6-19 Luke 11:1-13 When or where do you find it easiest to pray? Does it depend on your mood? Do you have to feel relaxed to pray, or do you pray only when you feel a pressing need for God’s help?  The answer is different for…

PENTECOST VIJuly 20th, 2016Amos 8:1-12 Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42 When the American mathematician Richard Wesley Hamming was working on the Manhattan Project, he was given the task of checking the calculations to see if the first test of a nuclear bomb would ignite the whole of the world’s atmosphere. It bothered him that he didn’t…

Pentecost V (Bastille Day)July 13, 2025Amos 7:7-17 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37 I have never liked flags in churches, or even in front of churches. And I am very happy that when Nigel arrived at St. Esprit, he put ours away in the basement! Patriotism always seems out of place in a church to me. Flags…

Pentecost IV July 6, 2025 2 Kings 5 :1-14     Galatians 6 :1-16   Luke 10 :1-20 I have to admit that one of my least favorite experiences of my seminary education was the annual mission. Every summer, we were sent out from Oxford in teams of five people to parishes or chaplaincies throughout England: in theory, to bring new…

Pentecost IIIJune 29, 20252 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Luke 9:51-62 We have all experienced pain or shame related to our bodies. Due to the judgments we make about ourselves and the judgments society makes about us, it is often our physical appearance or mannerisms that cause us to feel ashamed. Our weight, height,…

Pentecost IIJune 22, 20251 Kings 19:1-15 Galatians 3:23-39  Luke 8:26-39 There are a few tricky things in the miracle story Joris just read to us from the gospel of Luke. Firstly, it’s topic. It is about demonic possession; something our modern minds find difficult to accept at all. Secondly, there is the problematic means through…

Trinity Sunday June 15, 2025 Proverbs 8:1-4; 22-31   Romans 5:1-5   John 16:12-15 You have heard me speak about the 400th anniversary of Saint-Esprit in 2028; but this year, all Christian churches are celebrating a major anniversary: the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Every Sunday, we confess our faith with the words of this…

Pentecost June 8, 2025 Romans 8:22-27 Acts 2:1-21 John 14:8-1 After the church service next Sunday, a group of volunteers will come together to begin work on the little garden that we plan to make next door. Tending a garden in a shaded yard in the middle of Manhattan surrounded by skyscrapers is not an…

Sunday after the AscensionJune 1, 2025Acts 1:1-11  Ephesians 1:15-23  Luke 24, 44-53 A few steps from Saint-Esprit, on the same street between Park Avenue and Madison, is the Grolier Club. This club is the oldest and most important society of bibliophiles and graphic arts enthusiasts in the United States. It organizes exhibitions and maintains a…

Easter VI May 25, 2025 Acts 16:9-15   Revelation 21:10-22:5   John 14:23-29 Once every few years, our spring schedule of services means that we celebrate four big Sundays in a row: Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Huguenot Sunday and the Sunday of the Annual General Meeting. Almost every year, we celebrate those last two occasions during the…

Easter V May 18, 2025 Acts 11:1-18   Revelation 21:1-6    John 13:31-35 Many new things make us uncomfortable. Meeting new people, starting a new job or relationship, immigrating to an unfamiliar country… All of these things can be uncomfortable, even for the most outgoing of individuals. If you didn’t grow up going to church, what we…

Easter III May 1, 2025 Acts 9:1-6   Revelation 5:11-14    John 21:1-19 The word we use in both French and English to describe someone whose interest in sports, a certain sort of music or a celebrity is a shortened form of the word ‘fanatic’. In its long form it has rathe disparaging connotations. It…

Pâques II / Dimanche de la commémoration de la promulgation de l’Édit de Nantes27 avril, 2025            Actes 5:27-32              Apocalypse 1:4-8             Jean20:19-31 En ce dimanche dit « des Huguenots », nous célébrons l’héritage de ces protestants qui, aux XVIIème…

April 20, 202510:34-43 Romans 6:3-11 Luke 24:1-10 In recent months, the row over textbooks and what is taught in universities in the United States has reached a head. When I went to primary school in the sixties and seventies, the answer to the question, “Who discovered America?” was “Christopher Columbus.” The answer to the question,…

Vendredi Saint 2025 Des représentations de la crucifixion qui font semblant d’être fidèles aux événements « tels qu’ils se seraient passés » peuvent parfois être trompeuses. Une image comme celle sur notre bulletin d’aujourd’hui peut donner l’impression que la mort de Jésus est un événement hors du temps et solitaire, une sorte de concept lointain…

Dimanche de la Passion / Rameaux  13 avril 2025      La semaine dans laquelle nous entrons est pour nous tous une invitation à pénétrer au cœur des mystères de notre foi et de notre espérance, réels dans la mort et la résurrection de Jésus. Le sermon d’aujourd’hui sera volontairement bref. Car, comme le rappellent les Proverbes…

Lent VApril 6, 2025Isaiah 43:16-21  Philippians 3:4b-14   John 12:1-8 The Marys of the bible are confusing, because there are up to six or seven or them. The New Testament mentions the name over sixty times. It probably derives from the ancient Egyptian verb meri – ‘to love’. The most easily recognized is Mary the…

The Third Sunday in LentMarch, 23rd 2025    Exodus 3:1-15; Ps 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13                  Luke 13:1-9 If you listen to this morning’s Gospel without paying close attention, you may be shocked by Jesus’ attitude, which does not really correspond to the portrait of the “Jesus, meek and mild” of a certain kind of…

Lent II March 16, 2025 Genesis 15:1-18 Philippians 3:17 – 4:1  Luke 13:31-35 On this first joyful Sunday celebration of Joris’ ordination as a deacon, I was relieved to see that our reading from Luke’s Gospel puts the religious authorities of Jesus’ day in a good light. Most of the time, Jesus has very few good things to say about the ordained people of his day. Large occasions…

March 9, 2025Deuteronomy 26:1-11    Romans 10:8b-13    Luke 4:1-13 In the darkest days of the Second World War, the Christian author and professor C. S. Lewis wrote a series of articles for a magazine. The articles took the form of letters from an experienced senior devil in hell, offering advice to his young nephew.…

Last Sunday of Epiphany March, 2nd 2025      Exodus 34:29-35 ; Ps 99 ; 2 Co 3:12-4:2 ; Luke 9: 28-36 Today is the last Sunday of the Epiphany season. We have followed the rise of the ministry of Jesus, he has revealed himself to us. His power of attraction and subversion was gradually revealed to us as we…

Epiphany VII February 23, 2025 Genesis 45:3-11; 15 ; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50 ; Luke 6:27-38 Reporting abuse, corruption or injustice is an extremely difficult act that makes those who dare to speak vulnerable. The victims themselves often find it difficult to comprehend the seriousness of what they have endured, oscillating between denial, guilt and sometimes fear…

Epiphany VI February 16, 2025 Jeremiah 17:5-10    1 Corinthians 15:12-20    Luke 6:17-26 How did Jesus teach? Most of us can remember several of his parables: like the lost sheep, the prodigal son or the sower who sowed his seed on good and bad ground. We can probably remember some of the things he said about…

February, 9th 2025Isaiah 6 :1-8, 9-13; I Corinthians 15 :1-1; Luke 5 :1-11 Have you ever caught wild animals? Have you ever fished or hunted? How did you set about it? Apart from a few attempts at angling and fishing (which is more like picking fish up than going on a hunting safari!) I have…

Feast of the Presentation / Candlemas February 2, 2025 Malachi 3:1-4  Hebrews 2:14-18  Luke 2:22-40 This year, the Feast of Candlemas – or the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple – falls on a Sunday. It always falls on the fortieth day after Christmas – the second of February. It seems that the early Church…

Epiphany III January 26, 2025 Nehemiah 8:1-10   I Corinthians 12:12-31  Luke 4:14-21 Think about the first time you came across the Bible. Was it through a parent or relative? Was it in Sunday School? Was it in church? Was it at a secular school? Did you first think of the Bible as a book…

Epiphany II January 19, 2025 Isaiah 62:1-5 Ps 36:6-11 I Corinthians 12:1-11   John 2:1-11 Lack of wine can have dramatic consequences, as we well know at Saint-Esprit! I’m not talking about our receptions (I don’t think we’ve ever ran out of wine), but about what happened in 1919. At that time, supported by secular and…

Epiphany I | The Baptism of ChristJanuary 13, 2013Isaiah 43: 1-7   Acts 8 : 14-17  Luke 3 :15-17, 21-22 When I was first ordained, I used to baptize about four babies per month. I was serving in a poor parish in Birmingham, England when it was The Thing To Do to get your child baptized.…

Christmas I December 29,2024 Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Galatians 3:23-4:7  John 1:1-10 There are many traditions surrounding Christmas which have to do with flowers and foliage. We probably know about most of them – our traditional Christmas trees and wreaths for example, but there are many others also, from all around the world. We sing Christmas carols…

Midnight Mass – Baptism of Michelle Smith December 24th, 2024 If you are watching us today, live or in replay, it is somehow thanks to the dark period of the pandemic. When we couldn’t gather in the flesh, the church decided to develop its virtual presence. We were able to do so thanks to many…

ADVENT IV | December 22nd, 2024 Micah 5:2-5a Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45, (46-55) Canticle 15 (or 3) Today is the fourth Sunday in Advent, and it has been a long season of Advent waiting and hoping. We are so close to Christmas that we can hardly wait for Jesus to be born, and we probably…

December 17, 2024 It must have been quite a year to live in Paris! Together with the usual round of yearly events, the city hosted the Olympic games for the first time in one hundred years, and earlier this month, the reopening of the gothic cathedral of Notre Dame. The rebirth of that cathedral certainly…

Advent IIDecember 2, 2024Baruch 5:1-9, Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6 How are you? I think we’re pretty patient people here? What do you think? Our 11:15am services, for example, would be quite early if they actually started at 11:15. But everyone waits patiently, and during this wait before the service, we take the opportunity to chat,…

Harvest Thanksgiving / Christ the King November 24, 2024 II Samuel 23:1-7  Revelation 1:4-8  John 18:33-37 Our readings today are not the readings set for Thanksgiving. They are the readings set or the last Sunday in the season of Pentecost: the feast of Christ the King. The feast day of Christ the King was introduced…

Pentecost XXVI     November 17, 2024 : 1 Sam 1:4-20; 1 Sam 2:1-10; He 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-8 Some recent biotechnological developments aimed at “improving” or “repairing” humans via, for example, brain implants, DNA modifications or drugs to increase our intellectual capacity, raise legitimate concerns. Access to these technologies could reinforce social inequalities or compromise individual freedom…

Pentecost XXVNovember 10, 2024Ruth 3:1-17     Hebrews 9:24-28  Mark 12:38-44 The story of the widow who put her last pennies into the temple collection plate is a Sunday school favorite – and a favorite with preachers when it comes to asking for money! The moral of the tale in these contexts is usually quite simple: It…

The Feast of All SaintsNovember 3rd, 2024Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9 Psalm 24   Revelation 21:1-6a    John 11:32-44 In the West, interest in the paranormal, such as ghosts and vampires, grew with the secularization of societies in the 18th century. It was at this time that Dracula and spiritualism took off. Today, these phenomena and creatures entertain…

Les textes du jour parlent de vision. Comment on se voit, comment on voit Dieu, comment on pense que Dieu nous voit. Nous avons en parallèle, la fin du récit du calvaire de Job et la guérison de Bartimée à Jéricho. Jésus est aux portes de la ville avec une foule qui se fait et…

Twenty second Sunday after Pentecost October 20th, 2024 Job 38:1-7, 34-41  Hebrews 5:1-10  Mark 10:35-45 What I found most helpful in the discernment process to become a priest (which mostly involves a lot of paperwork!) was the invitation to reflect, accompanied by people from the Church, on my own spiritual journey. “Where and how did…

13 octobre, 2024Job 23:1-9, 16-17 Hébreux 4:12-16 Marc 10:17-31 L’une des paroles les plus dures et les plus mémorables de Jésus parle franchement et sans ambiguïté de l’argent. Sa déclaration a mis mal à l’aise plus d’un pape fortuné, sans parler des ministres appelés à servir des congrégations riches ou à l’aise. Même les disciples…

6 octobre 2024Job 1:1; 2:1-10; Hébreux 1:1-4; 2:5-12; Marc 10:2-16 Dans l’imaginaire des Écritures, de la liturgie et de la spiritualité chrétienne, il n’existe en fait qu’un seul lieu. Un seul lieu où toute l’histoire de l’humanité et nos histoires personnelles se déploient. Un lieu altéré par notre violence, défiguré par nos péchés et nos…

Pentecost XIX September 29, 2024 Esther 7 :1-10   James 5 :13-20   Mark 9 :38-50 There is an old joke in ecumenical circles about the way in which Christians view each other’s denominations. St. Peter was giving a guided tour of heaven to a group of new arrivals. They were thrilled to see how beautiful it all was, and…

Pentecôte XVII    15 septembre, 2024     Proverbes 1 :20-33     Jaques 3 :1-12    Marc 8 :27-28 Il existe en français un tout petit préfixe qui peut se placer devant presque tous les mots. Il peut s’ajouter à la majorité des verbes et, même dans le langage courant ou familier, aux noms, adjectifs et adverbes. Ce petit préfixe permet avec une grande…

Pentecost XVISeptember 8, 2024Song of Solomon 2 :8-13   James 1 :17-27   Mark 7:1-23 Yesterday was an important day in St. Esprit’s calendar – indeed, a significant day in the calendar of the Episcopal Church. Our very own Elias Neau – whose icon you can see at the front of our church beautifully drawn by Nita – was…

Fifteenth Sunday after PentecostSunday, September 1st 2024 Song of Solomon 2:8-13 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-23 Have you ever had to dress in a certain way to feel that you belong? Or even to prove that you are who you say you are? I sometimes have to wear a clerical collar for that purpose, and people…

Pentecost XIVAugust 25, 2024 I Kings 8 :22-43   Ephesians 6 :10-20     John 6 :56-69 It can’t have escaped anyone’s notice that it is Presidential election season in the United States of America. When I was younger, I quite enjoyed the excitement of watching the United Kingdom results come in one by one during the night as the count…

Pentecost XIIIAugust 18, 2024I Kings 2:10-3:13   Ephesians 5:15-20   John 6:51-58 If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life within you. For many Christians, one of the most difficult things about the pandemic a few years ago was the fact that it wasn’t…

Pentecost XIIAugust 11, 20242 Samuel 18:5-33   Ephesians 4 :25-5:2  John 6 : 35-51  Does anyone still remember all seven of the deadly sins?  Even if we never learned the list, I’m sure that we could name at least four or five of them, even if it was just by guessing! Theologians used to divide them into two…

PENTECÔTE XI | Propre 13 4 août 2024 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a ; Ephesiens 4:1-16 ; Jean 6:24-35 Depuis la cérémonie d’ouverture des Jeux Olympique à Paris vendredi dernier (grand moment de communion mondiale autour du sport !), les médias et les réseaux sociaux ont été le champ de bataille de nombreuses polémiques. La cause de ces haros…

PENTECOST X | AFRIQUE FÊTEJuly 28, 2024II Samuel 11:1-15 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21 “I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.” Paul’s declaration in our reading this morning would have shocked many peoples of the ancient world. Almost without exception, cultures around the globe…

9e dimanche après la Pentecôte 21 juillet 2024 2 Samuel 7:1-14aEphésiens 2:11-22Marc 6:30-34, 53-56 L’un des mots les plus adorables de la langue française, à mon avis, est « bernard l’ermite », le nom populaire et non scientifique des « Paguroidea ». (Il s’écrit aussi « bernard l’hermite », mais selon un dictionnaire français, cette…

Pentecôte VIII / Fête nationale            14 juillet, 2024        II Samuel 6 :1-19  Ephésiens 1 :3-14  Marc 6 :14-29 Dans nos nations démocratiques, souvent à la merci de luttes partisanes divisives, la fête nationale comme le 4 juillet ou le 14 juillet est un moment de répit. Pour une journée, les intérêts partisans cèdent le pas devant un sentiment…

PENTECOST VI July 7, 2024 I Samuel 5:1-10 II Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 The Serenity Prayer is perhaps one of the most popular prayers in the world. Many people know it as the prayer used by the organization Alcoholics Anonymous, but it has been widely disseminated through greetings cards, posters and even fridge magnets. It…

Sixth Sunday of Pentecost June 30, 2024 II Samuel 1:17-27 II Corinthians 8:7-17 Mark 5:21-43 It’s taken us some time to get used to the crowds in New York City again. During the pandemic, the streets were almost empty and it was always possible to find a seat on the subway – even in rush…

Le 5e dimanche après la Pentecôte                                                                     le 23 juin 2024 Ma femme est barmaid, et nos lectures d’aujourd’hui m’ont rapelé une anecdote de son travail qu’elle m’avait raconté il y a plusieurs semaines. Je me souviens que ça m’avait fait beaucoup réfléchir. Elle a une collègue barmaid qui a la réputation d’être plutôt assez bête.…

Pentecôte IV           16 juin, 2024           I Samuel 15 :34-16 :13   II Corinthiens 5 :6-17    Marc 4 :26-34 En 2022 la France a connu une pénurie de moutarde, similaire aux pénuries de papier toilette que nous avons eues pendant la pandémie. Plusieurs causes ont été avancées pour expliquer cette disette du troisième condiment préféré des français et des françaises, après…

Pentecost III June 9, 2024 I Samuel 8:4-20 II Corinthians 4:13 – 5:1 Mark 3:20 – 35 When I was on sabbatical last October, I visited the university where I studied Egyptology. It happened to be ‘open day’, when prospective students were invited to interview and to explore what the university had to offer. I…

Dimanche de la Trinité / Baptême d’Abdou                                                      26 mai, 2024 Ce dimanche l’Église nous invite traditionnellement à méditer sur qui est Dieu, un Dieu à la fois un et trois. Dans la collecte que je viens de chanter, cette prière qui change chaque dimanche pour reflète le « mood » du dimanche, nous avons prié Dieu…

The Day of Pentecost May 19, 2024 Acts 2:1-21 Romans 8:22-27 John 15:26 -16:15 On the Sunday after Easter, we heard the first words that Jesus spoke to the gathered disciples after his resurrection: “Peace be with you!” Today, on the day of Pentecost, we discover that the first gift that Jesus sends to those…

SUNDAY AFTER THE ASCENSION May 12, 2024 Acts 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:15-23 Luke 24:44-53 Five hundred years ago, Guru Nanak was born in what is now modern-day Pakistan. He grew up surrounded by Muslims, Hindus and Christians. From a young age, he was driven by a desire to find the spiritual meaning of life. When he…

Easter VI May 5, 2024 Acts 10:44-48 I John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17 It is harder than you might initially think to be a good and true friend. All sorts of things conspire against us when we try to form close and lasting relationships with others. Firstly, our lives can be so busy that we simply…

Ve dimanche après Pâques                                                                                                                              28 avril 2024 Qu’est-ce qui vous attire chez Jésus ? Comment pouvez-vous vous y accrocher et rester connecté à lui dans les moments difficiles ? Les Écritures d’aujourd’hui nous donnent quelques indices. Nos trois lectures – Ancien Testament, Épître et Évangile – ont quelques points communs. Tout d’abord, chaque passage se…

Dimanche des Huguenots /  Pâques IV 21 avril, 2024 Actes 4 :5-12   I Jean 3 :16-24    Jean 10 :11-18   En 1624, il y a exactement 400 ans, quelques dizaines de commerçants, militaires et aventuriers venus des Pays-Bas, parmi lesquels des réfugiés protestants francophones qu’on appelle Wallons ou Huguenots, ont construit le premier fort à l’endroit où se…

3e dimanche de Pâques                                                                                            le 14 avril 2024 On entend souvent dire dans les évangiles que les disciples ne comprenaient pas ce que Jésus leur enseignait parce que leurs pensées étaient les pensées de ce monde. Aujourd’hui, on nous dit qu’ils étaient tellement étonnés qu’ils n’arrivaient pas à croire. Ensuite, Jésus doit encore leur…

Le 2e dimanche de Pâques                                                                                 le 7 avril 2024 Ce dimanche est un dimanche assez spécial dans l’année. Comme il vient après la Semaine sainte et Pâques, c’est presque une tradition que les bancs soient assez clairsemés… Que vous soyez venus ce matin ou que vous soyez restés au lit, vous vous êtes…

EASTER DAY March 31, 2024 Acts 10:34-43 I Corinthians 15:1-11 Mark 16:1-8 When we think of Easter, what first comes to mind? Easter eggs? The bunny or the French bells that shower chocolate eggs from the sky for the children? Roast lamb and simnel cake? Beautiful flowers and hymns? All these traditions are important parts…

Martyrs de la foi Martyrs of the Faith Vendredi Saint, 2024 Good Friday, 2024 Mark Ji Tianxiang (1834 – 1900) L’histoire de l’opium en Chine est une histoire tragique d’impérialisme, d’exploitation et d’addiction. Lorsque la Chine s’est ouverte au commerce avec l’Occident, à l’apogée de l’essor impérialiste et colonial de l’Europe, ce qu’elle voulait en…

Good Friday 2024 Christians through the ages have tried to express their thoughts and feelings about what happened in Palestine on this day almost two thousand years ago by using paradoxes. A paradox is a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or idea that at first sight is opposed to common sense, but often turns out…

Jeudi Saint 2024 Nos pieds sont une partie de notre corps assez paradoxale. C’est à la fois ces membres sur lesquels nous nous tenons, avec lesquels nous allons partout, grâce auxquels nous sommes en contact avec la terre entière et à la fois quelque chose de très intime. Dans beaucoup de cultures anciennes ou présentes,…

Palm Sunday March 24, 2024, Mark 11 :1-11 Palm Sunday always brings back memories of childhood. I suppose the hot cross buns left the greatest impression; more so than the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. I liked the palm crosses we made, and it was always fun to see a donkey walk into church.…

Lent V March 17, 2024 Jeremiah 31 :31-34 Hebrews 5 :5-10 John 12 :20-33 John’s gospel is full of little stories about Jesus meeting people. You might almost say that the story of Jesus’ life, is told through these meetings – more so perhaps than in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Here are a few examples:…

Lent III March 3, 2024 Exodus 20:1-17 I Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2:13-22 While we were cleaning up the three panels at the front of the church, we discovered that they are exactly one hundred and fifty years old this year. In gold letters, they spell out the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed and the Ten…

2 Lent – Year B                                                                                                                                                                        St. Esprit Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16                                                                                            February 25, 2024 Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38   Taking Up the Cross   The comedian Woody Allen once said: (Humanity) faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other to total extinction. Let us pray…

1er dimanche de Carême Depuis mercredi dernier, nous sommes entrés dans une nouvelle saison, un nouveau temps de l’Église qu’on appelle le Carême ou Lent en anglais. Le mot Carême vient du latin pour quarante car cette saison va durer quarante jours. Quarante jours car comme nous l’avons entendu dans l’Évangile d’aujourd’hui c’est le temps…

Dernier dimanche de l’Épiphanie 2024 | Transfiguration                                                  le 11 février 2024 Ce que l’on choisit de porter comme vêtement reflète notre personnalité. Nos habits peuvent aussi manifester notre intention pour une certaine occasion, notre état d’esprit ou même nos croyances. Prenez un petit moment pour regarder les vêtements que vous portez aujourd’hui. Ils ont…

Présentation de Jésus au Temple                                                            le 4 février 2024 Je ne sais pas pour vous, mais quand je commence à me demander si je respecte la volonté de Dieu dans mes actions quotidiennes, je tombe facilement dans un puits sans fond. J’aime prendre des bains par exemple. Est-ce que mes bains détruisent la planète ?…

Epiphany IV January 28, 2024 Deuteronomy 18:15-20 I Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1:21-28 What qualities do you think an authoritative leader possesses? Someone powerful and capable of giving orders, making decisions and enforcing obedience? Someone who masters the tools given by a legal, political, or religious institution? Someone knowledgeable, with expertise and moral standing in a…

Le 3e dimanche après l’Épiphanie                                                                 le 21 janvier 2024 Connaître c’est bien plus qu’avoir des informations quelque part dans notre mémoire, personnelle ou collective. Si on dissèque le mot in-formation on voit bien d’ailleurs que toute in-formation est toujours plus que de simples « données ». L’information nous « forme » aussi, elle forme qui…

Epiphany II January 14, 2024 I Samuel 3:1-20 I Corinthians 6:11-20 John 1:43-51 When we read the Bible, we often get the feeling that God is constantly talking – either to individuals or to groups of people. At the end of our readings, we sometimes say ‘This is the word of the Lord’, and we…

Epiphany January 7, 2024 Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 How would you begin a story about a child who was to become not just a king or queen, but the greatest king or queen of all time? Maybe you’d want to begin with who that person’s ancestors were, to set them in historical context,…

Le premier dimanche après Noël                                                                  le 31 décembre 2023 Qu’est-ce que nous devons comprendre quand nous entendons aujourd’hui dans notre lecture de l’évangile que nous sommes les enfants de Dieu ? Au premier abord ça paraît être une idée assez mignonne et agréable. Est-ce que nous sommes les petits poupons attendrissants que Dieu va…

Christmas Eve December 24, 2023 Isaiah 9 :2-7 Titus 2 :11-14 Luke 2 :1-20 I will never forget the first Baptisms I ever presided over. The children I baptized would be in their late twenties by now, and hopefully they will have no memory of the occasion! The baptisms took place in Birmingham, England when…

Même si la plupart de mes proches en France ont grandi en allant à l’Église – c’est-à-dire à l’Église catholique – ils n’ont pas ou plus l’habitude y aller. S’ils entrent dans des églises pour les visiter, ils n’y vont pas ou plus pour participer à la vie de la communauté. Les raisons de ce…

Chantons Noël  2023 Looking around the church this evening, I’m aware that many of us – perhaps even the majority of us – were not born in the United States, let alone native New Yorkers. We have come here for many reasons: for work, as exiles from political or religious persecution or war, because…

Advent II December 10, 2023 Isaiah 40 :1-11 II Peter 3 :8-18 Mark 1 :1-8 The word ‘comfort’ which is closely associated with the season of Advent, means different things to different people. For some it evokes feelings of physical comfort – the feeling of being at home with people you love, sitting in a favorite chair in…

Advent I December 3, 2023 Isaiah 64:1-9 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 Certain seasons in the church’s year are known for their wonderful music, including Advent. Churches hold Advent services at which famous hymns like ‘O come, O come Emmanuel’ are sung. I won’t name the church, but the advert for their Advent service went…

Christ Roi – Christ the King Aujourd’hui l’Église célèbre la fête du Christ Roi. Pour beaucoup d’entre-nous qui vivons dans des Républiques ou monarchies constitutionnelles où le pouvoir du souverain est strictement encadré, l’idée de célébrer Jésus comme Roi tout-puissant peut vraiment sembler anachronique. Nous aimons bien les rois et les reines dans les contes…

XXV dimanche après la Pentecôte                                                      19 novembre 2023   Les meilleurs conseils des éditeurs littéraires sur la façon de commencer un roman ! Créez un début d’histoire inattendu. Suscitez l’intérêt par une action immédiate. Suscitez un sentiment de curiosité. Posez une question au lecteur. Construisez un monde ou un cadre convaincant. Créez une tension…

Le 24e dimanche après la Pentecôte, Propre 27A                                       le 12 novembre 2023 Je crois que c’est très à propos que nous lisions la parabole des dix jeunes filles en ce jour où notre bien-aimé recteur Nigel revient de son congé sabbatique. Comme le marié de la parabole, nous l’avons attendu avec impatience, et nos…

Sermon Toussaint 2023 Lorsque j’étais missionnaire en Italie, une petite chapelle à Ravenne m’a profondément marqué. Comme beaucoup d’églises byzantines anciennes, on est accueilli dès l’entrée par des visages humains. On pense entrer à l’église pour rencontrer Dieu et voilà que c’est des visages humains dessinés par de rayonnantes mosaïque qui viennent à votre rencontre.…

Sermon 2023 10 29 Saint-Esprit Le Rév. Sam Owen C’est un plaisir de revenir à L’Église Française du Saint Esprit. Merci aux gardiens Lynaia et Robert de m’avoir invité. Aujourd’hui c’est la cinquième fois dans l’évangile de Matthieu Que Jésus a un échange avec les chefs religieux et gouvernementaux dans le temple de Jérusalem. C’est…

XXe dimanche après la Pentecôte                                                                   15 octobre 2023 Les lectures bibliques de ce dimanche décrivent trois communautés qui s’efforcent de maintenir le cap dans leurs relations avec Dieu et les autres : les Israélites conduits par Moïse, la communauté des croyants de Jésus à Philippes et une communauté fictive d’invités à un banquet de…

Ex. 20 Les dix paroles Par Christian Seytre, Président de la Communauté des Eglises protestantes francophones. New-York 2023 Ce texte s’intitule les 10 paroles. On le traduit souvent par « les 10 commandements » ; dans une certaine mesure ce sont des commandements, mais ce sont aussi des promesses. Elles sont précédées du rappel de la libération…

Le 18e dimanche après la Pentecôte | OKTOBERFEST                                      1er octobre 2023 Exode 17:1-7 Philippiens 2:1-13 Matthieu 21:23-32 Des éléments significatifs du paysage, tels que des collines ou des montagnes proéminentes, des grottes mystérieuses, des sources d’eau ou des bosquets d’arbres impressionnants, ont souvent suscité des sentiments d’admiration chez ceux qui les ont rencontrés. Ils…

PENTECOST XVIII September 24th, 2023 Exodus 16:2-15 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 My mother was both the head teacher of a junior school and also a deacon in the Church of England. She was frequently surprised by the similarities she found when dealing with tensions in both these institutions. She was asked to give talks to…

Le 16e dimanche après la Pentecôte, Propre 19A                                    le 17 septembre 2023 Exode 14:19-31 Romains 14:1-12 Matthieu 18:21-35 Au début de l’année, j’ai reçu en cadeau un livre de cuisine publié pour soutenir les Nations unies. Il contient des recettes qui mettent l’accent sur la durabilité de notre monde. Ces dernières années, nous…

Le 15e dimanche après la Pentecôte                                        le 10 septembre 2023 Dimanche prochain aura lieu à New York une grande manifestation pour demander de mettre fin aux énergies fossiles. Leur usage exponentiel depuis la révolution industrielle est la cause principale de l’effondrement écologique que nous vivons, et dont nous commençons à peine à souffrir les conséquences.…

Le quatorzième dimanche de la pentecôte                             Dimanche 3 septembre 2023 Je suis sûr que vous avez tous en tête une histoire ou quelqu’un a été « cancelled » pour une raison ou pour une autre à la suite de la diffusion d’une altercation plutôt choquante sur les réseaux sociaux. D’un certain point de vue, nous sommes…

PENTECOST XIII August 27, 2023 Exodus 1:8-2:10   Romans 12:1-8   Matthew 16:13-20 In seminaries where priests are prepared for the job that lies ahead of them, the teachers generally tend to focus on the theological and spiritual side of the priestly vocation. They rarely tell you that in most churches, you will spend a great deal…

PENTECOST XI August 13, 2023 Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 Romans 10:5-15 Matthew 14:22-33   Today is Joris’ first Sunday with us as our francophone theologian in residence, and we are thrilled that he has been able to rejoin us to face this new challenge! This little word ‘challenge’ is tricky in English, and I’m a little…

Le dimanche de la Transfiguration                                                              le 6 août 2023 L’Église épiscopale (parce qu’elle est membre de la Communion anglicane mondiale et qu’elle utilise le Lectionnaire commun révisé) célèbre la Transfiguration deux fois par an. De nombreuses confessions protestantes n’ont pas du tout de dimanche spécial de la Transfiguration dans leur calendrier. Nous la…

Pentecost IX / Afrique fête July 30, 2023 Genesis 29:15-28 Romans 8:26-39 Matthew 13:21-52 The warm invitation to today’s Afrique Fête that Guillaume recorded for us earlier in the week gave us a very accurate picture of the feeling of this important day in our church calendar. We are not just celebrating our cherished members…

8e dimanche après la Pentecôte le 23 juillet 2023 De quoi avez-vous rêvé cette nuit ? Si quelqu’un vous pose cette question à l’improviste, neuf fois sur dix vous ne vous en souviendrez probablement pas – c’est du moins mon cas. Il arrive qu’un événement survenu dans la journée vienne faire germer le rêve et…

7e dimanche après la Pentecôte | Fête nationale française                         le 16 juillet 2023 La France a la chance d’avoir l’une des devises nationales les plus mémorables au monde : Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. Cette devise a été inventée dans le feu de la Révolution française, mais elle n’a été officiellement adoptée comme la devise nationale…

Le 6e dimanche après la Pentecôte                                                              le 9 juillet 2023 Dieu a-t-il le sens de l’humour ? Si nous sommes faits à l’image de Dieu, la réponse à cette question devrait être « oui ». Pourtant, historiquement, les chrétiens ont été hésitants à trouver le sens de l’humour de Dieu dans la Bible. Les blagues sont…

Pentecost V July 2, 2023 Genesis 22:1-14 Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42 One of the many things that I missed about our life together at St. Esprit during the pandemic was the celebrations we hold every month. It makes me happy to see a building and our garden full of people helping out and chatting, being…

Le 4e dimanche après la Pentecôte | Propre 7A                                   le 25 juin 2023 Je ne sais pas s’il y a des fans de séries de science-fiction ici aujourd’hui, et en particulier de séries sur l’exploration de l’espace. Je voudrais commencer par vous parler de celles qui sont réalistes et qui se passent dans…

Le 3e dimanche après la Pentecôte                                                le 18 juin 2023 « Dieu nous a prouvé à quel point il nous aime : le Christ est mort pour nous alors que nous étions encore pécheurs. Par le don de sa vie, nous sommes maintenant reconnus justes ; à plus forte raison serons-nous sauvés par lui…

2e dimanche après la Pentecôte                                                    le 11 juin 2023 L’un des dictons les plus célèbres de Benjamin Franklyn est « Rien n’est certain à part la mort et les impôts ». Dans de nombreuses cultures à travers le monde, les deux étaient également redoutés : en particulier pour ceux qui vivaient sous des régimes despotiques…

Le dimanche de la Trinité                                                             le 4 juin 2023 Si le chiffre trois apparaît si souvent dans les mythologies de l’Antiquité, c’est peut-être parce qu’il représente, sous une forme mathématique, l’acte de la procréation. Un dieu mâle et un dieu femelle s’unissent pour former un troisième – leur enfant. Ce schéma se retrouve dans…

Le dimanche de la Pentecôte                                                   le 28 mai 2023 Quel est le point commun entre le jour de la Pentecôte et le jour de Noël ? À première vue, cette question semble étrange. Les traditions qui entourent ces deux fêtes sont très différentes. L’une d’elles marque le moment où Jésus est arrivé sur terre…

Le 7e dimanche de Pâques                                                         le 21 mai 2023 Je crois que beaucoup d’entre-nous ce matin ont quitté leur pays ou leur ville d’origine en laissant derrière eux des membres de leur famille ou des amis. Beaucoup d’entre nous sont expatriés, et ce pour des raisons diverses. Certains ont fui leur pays à…

Le 5e dimanche de Pâques | Réunion annuelle                                  le 7 mai 2023 La Bible ne contient aucune description de l’apparence physique de Jésus, et les plus vieilles représentations de lui qui ont survécu datent d’un siècle et demi après sa mort. Si nous laisse de côté le temps d’un moment le suaire de…

Le 4e dimanche de Pâques le 30 avril 2023 L’une des choses les plus déchirantes et pourtant les plus émouvantes que j’ai faites en tant que recteur de notre petite église a été d’accompagner des réfugiés ou des demandeurs d’asile politique lors d’audiences avec le service d’immigration et de naturalisation des États-Unis d’Amérique, et de…

Le 3e dimanche de Pâques | dimanche des Huguenots                    le 23 avril 2023 Il y a quelques semaines à peine, notre évêque président était en France pour marquer le centième anniversaire de la fondation de la cathédrale américaine de Paris. À la fin de sa visite, il a reçu une peinture d’Elie Neau, inspirée…

Le 2e dimanche de Pâques                                             le 16 avril 2023 Comment étaient vraiment les disciples ? Quel était leur caractère ? Les récits des Évangiles, et même des Actes des Apôtres, ne nous en donnent pas vraiment une image tridimensionnelle. Je serais bien en peine de vous raconter l’histoire de « l’autre » Judas ou de Nathanaël/Barthélemy.…

Le dimanche de Pâques                                                              le 9 avril 2023 Depuis l’incendie de la veille de Noël, je dois admettre qu’il y a eu des moments où je n’osais même pas espérer que nous serions capables d’être de retour dans notre sanctuaire que nous aimons pour le jour de Pâques. Mais en regardant autour de…

Palm Sunday April 2, 2022 Matthew 21:1-11 The Passion according to St. Matthew Amid all the excitement of being back in our sanctuary this morning, I imagine that the appropriateness of its being Palm Sunday hasn’t gone unnoticed! Our last service here was on Ash Wednesday, when we burned the palms that were blessed just…

Le 5e dimanche de Carême                                                      le 26 mars 2023 Au début des années 2000, alors qu’Odile était encore secrétaire paroissiale de notre petite église, elle m’a présenté deux de ses amies les plus chères. En tant que professeure de français et professeure vacataire, Odile était très impliquée dans la vie de Greenwich Village au plus…

Le 3e dimanche de Carême le 12 mars 2023 Exode 17:1-7; Romains 5:1-11; Jean 4:5-42 Dans deux semaines, le samedi 25 mars, le clergé et les membres du diocèse de New-York se réuniront dans la cathédrale de Saint John the Divine lors d’un office de présentation officielle d’excuses pour l’implication historique du Diocèse dans le…

Le deuxième dimanche de Carême                                                   le 5 mars 2023 Le livre de la Genèse contient quelques petits indices sur l’époque à laquelle vivaient les personnages. Certains détails indiquent le début du deuxième millénaire avant J.-C. (1800 avant J.-C., l’âge de Bronze moyen) et d’autres indiquent une période beaucoup plus tardive – par exemple,…

Le premier dimanche de Carême                                               le 26 février 2023 Il y a environ cent trente mille ans, l’homme moderne a migré de l’Afrique vers le Moyen-Orient. L’île de La Nouvelle-Zélande était l’une des dernières parties du monde non touchées par l’homme moderne jusqu’à ce que celui-ci y arrive en bateau d’Hawaï il y…

Last Sunday after the Epiphany February 19, 2023 Exodus 24:12-18 2 Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 A friend sent me a meme this week. One of those images that you can quickly share on the internet and that are (often) funny. It had 4 baguettes on it that were moving in different ways and the caption…

Epiphany VI February 12, 2023 Deuteronomy 30:15-20 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37 If you were to visit me at home, you would quickly realize that I am a plant lover. I am grateful to have happy plants that are thriving, in part, thanks to the gorgeous, direct sunlight in my apartment from sun-up to sun-down.…

Feast of the Presentation February 5, 2023 Malachi 3:1-4  Hebrews 2:14-18  Luke 2:22-40 Even after all this time in the United States, I still find it amusing that the place we go to buy food and household goods are called ‘the stores.’ In England, this word refers to things that you put to one side…

Epiphany IV January 29, 2023 Micah 6 :1-8 I Corinthians 1 :18-31 Matthew 5 :1-12 It is a rather wonderful thing to belong to a multi-lingual congregation. At our parish receptions we don’t just hear French and English spoken, but many other languages too. I suspect that many of us have felt our lives enriched by learning another…

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY January 22, 2023 Isaiah 9:1-4 I Corinthians 1:10-17 Matthew 4:12-23 Most marketing experts will tell you that our New Year’s Resolutions begin to fizzle out sometime during the third week in January. Because our culture rejoices in telling us how we can be more beautiful, healthy and fulfilled people, we…

Epiphany II 15 January 2023 Isaiah 49:1-7 I Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-41 It seems to me that wherever you go in the Christian world, people have very different ideas about the significance and meaning of the rite of baptism. What is baptism ‘for’ exactly? I’ve preached for many baptism services over the years – most…

Epiphany January 8th, 2023 Isaiah 60:1-6    Ephesians 3:1-12     Matthew 2:1-12 Look around you, and you will see many depictions of stars in the church. I’m afraid that some of them might look a bit tarnished at the moment because of the recent fire. There are not only the stars that we use to decorate the…

The Holy Name of Jesus January 1, 2023 Numbers 6:22-27 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:15-21 According to Jewish law and tradition, a male child had to be taken to the temple eight days after it was born. There, the child was named and circumcised, and thus became a full member of the family of God’s Chosen…

Christmas Eve 2022 Given the fact that Christmas is all about the birth of a child, it isn’t surprising that many of the most famous Christmas hymns are lullabies. Perhaps the most famous of them all is ‘Silent night’, translated into many languages and was first sung in English here in New York City at…

ADVENT IV December 18, 2022 Isaiah 7:10-16 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 I feel a bit sorry for Joseph. He’s the one character in the nativity story to whom one gives only passing attention. Even the star and the donkey feature more prominently in popular imagination than he does. Is it because Joseph is something of…

Advent II December 4, 2022 Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-7. 18-19 Romans 14:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 When I told my mother a little over 3 years ago that I was going to enroll in a master’s degree in theology, she asked me why, a little surprised, and then she told me that I was probably going to…

Advent I November 27, 2022 Isaiah 2 :1-5 Romans 13 :11-14 Matthew 24 :36-44   My paternal grandmother was quite a colorful character. She was a faithful churchgoer, and certainly played an important part in my own faith formation through her kindness and through the way she brought Bible stories to life. But it was never a good…

Christ the King / Baptism of Brooks November 20, 2022 Jeremiah 23:1-6 Colossians 1:11-20 Luke 23:33-43   Today is quite the celebration! We’re here to welcome Brooks’s family and to baptize him in the name of Christ’s love and his victory on the cross; we are here to celebrate the last Sunday before Advent –…

Pentecost XXIII November 13, 2022 Isaiah 65:17-25 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19   For you have no sympathy for me, You, your shepherds and your dogs. I have been told of this. I have to make things even. Saying this, into the woods The wolf carries the lamb, and then eats him Without any other…

All Saints Sunday November 6, 2022 Daniel 7:1-3,15-18 Ephesians 1:11-23 Luke 6:20-31   It may come as a surprise to some of you to know that St. Esprit has a cemetery. You will be relieved to know that it is not in the back garden under the children’s climbing frame. Our cemetery is located in…

Pentecost XXI October 30, 2022 Habakkuk 1:1-2:4 II Thessalonians 1:1-12 Luke 19:1-10   Our story about Jesus, Zacchaeus and the fig tree is set in Jericho. It’s the same town where the Canaanite walls fell down at the sound of the invading Hebrews’ trumpets. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. It…

Pentecost XX October 23rd, 2022 Joel 2:23-32 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14 Did you know that self-help books published in the United States of America account for one billion dollars per year? I’m sure that the Bible isn’t counted as one of those books, but perhaps it should be! They are more likely to…

Pentecost XIX (PROPER 24C) October 16th, 2022 Jeremiah 31:27-34 II Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8   When I read the readings to prepare to write a sermon, I like to put in my mind a little sentence summarizing the whole message I am hearing. Today, for me, God’s message is “watch, pray and be fervent, the…

Pentecost XVIII October 9th, 2022 Jeremiah 29:1, 4 –7 II Timothy 2:8-15 Luke 17:11-19   Whenever I hear the story of the ten lepers in the Gospel of Luke, I am always intrigued by the nature of the healing or ‘cleansing’ they received at the hands of Jesus. I once worked for several weeks in…

OKTOBERFEST October 2nd, 2022 Lamentations 1:1-6 II Timothy 1:1-14 Luke 17:5-10   I think we celebrated our first Oktoberfest at St. Esprit in 1998, in response to the fact that we had several German members and German speakers at the time. It might be that some people find it a bit strange that we celebrate…

Pentecost XVI September 25, 2022 Jeremiah 32:1-15 I Timothy 5:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 This past week, the United Nations has been holding its annual General Assembly here in New York City. It is a moment in the news cycle when we become painfully aware of the enormous chasm that exists between the peoples of the richest…

Pentecôte XIV                                                                                                    le 11 Septembre 2022 Quelques jours après mon arrivée à Boston en 2016 alors que j’étais venu un an pour y enseigner le français et que je ne connaissais personne aux États-Unis, mon portefeuille et mon passeport ont disparu. J’ai eu beau retourner exactement où j’étais passé, aller à la police… Rien.…

Pentecost XIII September 4th, 2022 Jeremiah 18:1-11 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33 I have always felt an affinity for today’s reading from the prophet Jeremiah, because I was born in an English town well known for its pottery industry. This is the only reference to a potter’s wheel in the entire Bible. On my mother’s side…

Pentecost XII August 28, 2022 Jeremiah 2:4-13, Psalm 81:1, 10-16, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14 This month, it has been 13 years since I arrived in the United States. Like many of us today who have come from abroad or experienced other cultures, one of the first things I did was to be amazed…

Pentecost XI August 21, 2022 Isaiah 58:9b-14 Psalm 103:1-8 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17 Have you ever asked yourself how we are to know what God expects of us, as Christians? Once we have been baptized or we decide to follow Jesus, what comes next? As we begin to dive into Christian thinking and teaching, study…

Pentecost X August 14, 2022 Isaiah 5:1-7 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 About fifteen years ago, I bought a grape-vine for the little roof garden above my apartment. I bought it with high expectations: I imagined sitting in the shade under its branches, making delicious stuffed vine leaves and harvesting a modest bunch of grapes or…

Pentecost IX August 7th, 2022 Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40 “Don’t be afraid, little flock,” says Jesus, “for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Though this is one of the most reassuring and encouraging sayings of Jesus, it is also one of the hardest to understand. What is…

Pentecost 8 / Afrique fête July 31, 2022 Hosea 11:1-11 Colossians 3:1-11 Luke 12:13-21 Our Afrique Fête is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It’s not just the conviviality of the occasion, and our celebration of, and support for the members of our church with deep connections to Africa that moves me. This…

Pentecost 7 July 24, 2022 Hosea 1:2-10 Colossians 2:6-19 Luke 11:1-13 Can you remember the first time you prayed? I’m not talking about the first time you learned the Lord’s prayer, or opened a prayer book to read something. I’m not even talking about the first time you faced a crisis and said a brief…

Pentecost VI July 17, 2022 Amos 8 :1-12 Colossians 1 :15-28 Luke 10 :38 – 42 In her book The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood describes the dystopian Republic of Gilead, set in New England in the near-future. In Gilead, the men possess all the power, and women lose all their agency and their individuality. They are assigned just…

Église française du Saint Esprit Baptême d’Hortense 10 juillet 2022  Premiers pas   Cette semaine Mademoiselle Hortense ici présente nous a donné une petite leçon de vie. Elle venait juste d’arriver avec ses parents, Justine et Vincent, dans cette grande ville de New York, dans le nouvel appartement que l’Eglise vient de récupérer dans l’immeuble…

Pentecost IV July 3, 2022 Isaiah 66:10-14 Galatians 6:1-18 Luke 10:1-20 On March 29th, 1998 a curious incident took place on the Island of Antigua in the West Indies. Fr. Gerard Critch, a Roman Catholic priest, developed the stigmata; a phenomenon in which the physical wounds suffered by Jesus at his crucifixion appear on the…

PENTECOST III – 06.26.22 Bishop Visitation Confirmation This morning we will be presenting Frederic Raymond Roger Spitz to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Confirmation is a renewal of, or recommitment to, the vows which had at some earlier time already been made in Baptism. If Frederic was baptized as an infant, as is common, he…

Trinity Sunday June 12, 2022 Proverbs 8:1-31 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 Before I came to St. Esprit, I worked in Paris and in London as a priest and as a researcher into Christian-Muslim relations. For several years I served as the advisor to the Bishop of London on inter-faith dialogue. They were interesting and challenging…

Pentecost June 5, 2022 Genesis 11:1-9 Acts 2: 1-21 John 14:8-17, (25-27) My mother was the head-teacher of a school and sometimes used to tell funny stories about parents who were convinced that their children were highly gifted. I suppose every parent believes that their child is special, but however specially gifted they might be,…

Easter VII / Sunday after Ascension Day May 29, 2022 Acts 1:1-11   Ephesians 1:15-23  Luke 24:44-53 If search for the word ‘ascension’ on the internet, you’ll find that it is a preferred name for everything from insurance companies to healthcare providers and marketing and sales services. You can see why the word has appeal. It…

Easter VI May 22, 2022 Acts 14:8-18 Rev. 21:22 – 22:5 Jn. 14:23-29 You might remember hearing on a Sunday a few weeks ago that the first gift that Jesus gave to his church was the gift of peace. When he appeared to the disciples gathered in fear in the locked upper room in Jerusalem,…

EASTER V May 15, 2022 Acts 11:1-18 Revelation 21:1-16 John 13:31-35 In both French and in English, someone who has a particular way of looking at the world is often said to have ‘an artist’s eye’. We tend to think that this is something that you’re born with rather than something that you can learn…

Easter IV May 8, 2022 Acts 9:36-43 Revelation 7:9-17 John 10:22-30 It’s rather appropriate that the Mother’s Day reading taken from the book of Acts concerns Tabitha. She is also known as Dorcas; the Greek translation of her name which means “Gazelle”. She even has a species of gazelle named after her – gazella dorcas…

Easter III May 1, 2022 Acts 9:1-6 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1- 19 In nineteen ninety-eight, churches and organizations associated with the flight of French refugees during the wars of religion in the fifteen hundreds commemorated the four-hundredth anniversary of the promulgation of the Edict of Nantes. Before the Edict (and after its revocation by Louis…

Huguenot Sunday April 24, 2022 Acts 5 :27-32    Revelation 1 :4-8    John 20 :19-31   If we take Easter Day 1628 as the first communion service celebrated by the French Protestant community in New Amsterdam, we just celebrated our 394th Easter in this City. St. Esprit is only four years away from commemorating four centuries of Christian worship.…

Easter Day I want you to imagine for a moment the place where you think a new religion should be born. Think about what this means. The world’s religions claim to give people meaning in their life. They claim to show us how to thrive when passing through the best and the worst that the…

Palm Sunday April 10, 2022 Luke 19:28-40 Palm Sunday is one of those Sundays in the Church’s year that captures the imagination of most church-goers. Even people who don’t usually attend church appreciate the gift of a blessed palm, and we certainly have plenty of them to give away this year! Even though the liturgy…

Lent V April 3rd, 2022 Today’s Gospel reading from John contains a familiar story from Jesus’ life just before his arrival in Jerusalem and his betrayal, persecution, crucifixion, and resurrection. The basic motif – Jesus as a guest in a home, a woman who comes to anoint him – is found in all four synoptic…

Le Rév. Sam Owen L’Église Haïtienne du Bon Samaritain, Bronx I have a fig tree. Two years ago this tree was in a pot in the back yard. During the first summer of the pandemic, The tree produced a lot of figs, maybe 40 or 50. But before the fruit became ripe these figs would…

Lent II March 13, 2022 Genesis 15:1-18 Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 Luke 13:31-35 Whenever we come across the Pharisees in a reading from the Bible, we tend to think that they are all antagonistic to Jesus’ mission. They ask him difficult questions that are framed as a trap. They collude with people who conspire against…

Lent I March 6, 2022 Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Romans 10:8b-13 Luke 4:1-13   The ability to tell the difference between good and evil or the difference between truth and lies isn’t as easy as we often wish it to be. The current war in Ukraine is one of the most dramatic illustrations of this fact. It’s…

Last Sunday of the Epiphany February 27th 2022 Exodus 34:29-35  II Corinthians 3:12 – 4:2  Luke 9:28-36 Today is the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany; the season of light. It started six weeks ago in the light of a star and the visit of the Magi, and ends today with the light shining…

Epiphany 7 February 20, 2022 Genesis 45:3-28 I Corinthians 15:35-50 Luke 6:27-38 In the Greco-Roman world of Paul’s day, a debate raged between those who prioritized the physical world of what we can see, hear, feel and taste, and those who prioritized the spiritual world of what we can intellectually or ‘spiritually’ perceive. The Jewish…

Epiphany 6 February 13, 2022 Jeremiah 17:5-10 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Luke 6:17-26 When I first came to America, I was quite surprised by the widespread celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. In England, it was a rather embarrassing event. School crushes usually resulted in anonymous cards put on your desk. For older people it was a…

Fifth Sunday of the Epiphany February 6, 2022 Isaiah 6:1-8 I Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 I want to begin by asking a question we have all asked at one time or another. Why is preaching a part of every Sunday service? We might think that the answer is obvious. Perhaps we think that the pastor…

Feast of the Presentation January 30, 2022 Malachi 3:1-4 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 It may not seem like it, but this coming Wednesday is the day when winter is officially half way over. We are almost mid-way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. All through history, calendar days that correspond to significant positions…

Epiphany III January 23, 2022 Nehemiah 8:1-10 I Corinthians 12:12-31 Luke 4:14-21 When you stop to think about it for a moment, the authors who contributed to the books of the Bible are a strangely mixed bag. Moses was a construction supervisor. Amos was a fruit-picker. Ezra was a secretary. Solomon was a king. Asaph…

Epiphany II January 16, 2022 Isaiah 62:1-5 I Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 Communication across different cultures has always been a challenge. That’s why one of the first gifts to be given to the church at Pentecost was the gift of tongues: the sudden ability to communicate in a language unknown and unlearned by the speaker.…

Sunday after the Epiphany January 9, 2022 Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Last Wednesday evening, we looked at some of the background of the story of the arrival of the Magi to pay their respects to the Christ-Child. We discovered the significance of the kingdoms of Midian, Ephah and Sheba mentioned in our reading…

Christmas II January 2, 2022 Jeremiah 31:7-14 Ephesians 1:3-29 Matthew 2:13-23 Dreams are mentioned in the Bible more often than you might think. The kings of the ancient world appointed experts in the interpretation of dreams as members of their court, and the kings of Israel and Judah were no exception. Dreams play an important…

Christmas I December 26, 2021 Isaiah 61 :10 – 62 :3  Galatians 3 :23-4 :7   John 1 :1-10 One of the most powerful emotions we experience at Christmas time is the need to feel that we belong somewhere. We remember our families and friends, our church communities, and we try to spend Christmas with those people we love the most…

Veillée de Noël Le 24 décembre 2021 Esaïe 9:2-7 ;  Tite 2:11-14 ;  Luc 2:1-14   C’est assez paradoxal que nous soyons réunis pour une fête religieuse ce soir car ce que nous fêtons, la naissance de Jésus-Christ, est tout sauf un « événement religieux ». Contrairement aux événements de Pâques qui se passent pendant la fête juive…

Advent IV December 19, 2021 Micah 5:2-5a, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45 The book of the prophet Micah is the sixth out of twelve books of the Hebrew Scriptures that are usually referred to as ‘the minor prophets.’ The ‘major prophets’ are all names we recognize immediately: Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, but most of us would…

Avent III Sophonie 3:14-20 ; Philippiens 4:4-7 ; Luc 3:7-18   Quand j’ai écrit ce sermon, j’étais encore en France et je n’étais pas certain d’arriver ici parmi vous. Ma première tentative s’était en effet soldée par un sanglant échec : juste avant d’embarquer dans l’avion j’ai été pris d’une hémorragie qui m’a conduit à l’hôpital… Ces dernières…

Advent II December 5, 2021 Baruch 5:1-9, Philippians 1:1-11, Luke 3:1-6 Do you prefer to spend your vacation by the sea, or do you prefer to vacation in the mountains? Personally speaking I think that both have their charms, and I like to spend my vacation wherever I can. Unfortunately, the Bible has bad news…

Advent I November 28, 2021 Jeremiah 33:14-16 I Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36   There are several Sundays in the Christian calendar that look forward to Jesus’ return. They begin around All Saints Day on the first of November, and continue through the season of Advent, which begins today. For those who relish instability and a…

Harvest Thanksgiving / Christ the King November 21, 2021 II Samuel 23:1-7 Revelation 1:4-8 John 18:33-37 Our readings today are not the readings set for Thanksgiving. They are the readings set or the last Sunday in the season of Pentecost: the feast of Christ the King. The feast day of Christ the King was introduced…

Pentecost XXV November 14, 2021 Daniel 12:1-3 Hebrews 10:11-25 Mark 13:1-8 I have to admit to being a little hesitant about the ‘end times’ passages in the Bible. Because of the way in which they have been used by certain preachers, they are more likely to frighten people than they are to encourage them. They…

Twenty fourth Sunday after Pentecost November 7, 2021 Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44 The story of the widow who put her last pennies into the temple collection plate is a Sunday school favorite. It lends itself to dramatization, and Sunday school teachers can use lots of visual aids to help teach the story.…

All Saints Sunday October 31st 2021 Wisdom of Salomon 3:1-9 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 The great Brazilian writer and theologian Rubem Alvez was born in Boa Esperança, Minas Gerais. In his book of essays On Time and Eternity, he speaks about funerals and the importance of stories. “Every burial is a planting. That’s what Jesus…

Pentecost XXII October 24, 2021 Job 38:1-7 Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45 Have you ever read a book or seen a film that has disappointed you with an unsatisfactory ending? I hate the feeling of being left in the lurch by an author or a screenwriter. You have stuck with the book or the film through…

Pentecost XXI October 17, 2021 Job 38:1-7, 34 – 41 Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35 – 45 “God has three sorts of servants in the world: some are slaves, and serve Him from fear; others are hirelings and serve for wages; and the last are sons and daughters, who serve because they love.” Thomas Secker Archbishop…

Pentecost XX October 10, 2021 Job 23:1-9, 16-17 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31 I know that it’s only a small start, but I have to say that it is a truly wonderful feeling to be able to begin in-person worship on Sundays. I’ll try to describe just why that is in a moment, but for now,…

Pentecost XIX  /  Oktoberfest October 3, 2021 Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12 Mark 10:2-16 Since we began celebrating an Oktoberfest in 2000, I’ve always looked forward to the occasion. This isn’t just because it’s an excuse for a party in the garden. It’s because it coincides with the beginning of a season of giving…

The Sunday closest to St. Michael and All Angels September 26, 2021 Genesis 28:10-17, Revelation 12:7-12, John 1:47-51 Most people today think of angels in one of three ways. There are those who are firmly convinced that immensely powerful spiritual beings exist, and that they occasionally make their presence felt to human beings such as…

Pentecost XVII / Rentrée Sunday September 19, 2021 Proverbs 31:10-31 James 3:13 – 4:3,7-8a Mark 9:30-37 Well, on our annual parish calendar, which we put together last November, today is supposed to be Rentrée Sunday, so welcome back to Saint Esprit! It’s obviously not the sort of Sunday we were imagining, but nevertheless there is…

Pentecost XVI September 12, 2021 Proverbs 1:20-33   James 3:1-12   Mark 8:27-38 Soon after the events of September 11th, 2001, a native New Yorker was traveling on a bus on the West Side when she overheard two tourists conversing in front of her. They spoke about how much they loved New York, and how sad it…

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST September 5, 2021 Isaiah 35:4-7 James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17 Mark 7:24-37 One of the unfortunate by-products of this pandemic has been an increase in bad behavior in public. Not a day goes by without some story of people breaking into a rage about something. Perhaps it is the stress of how…

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 29, 2021 Song of Solomon 2:8-13 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Anyone who has lived through a bout of food poisoning will tell you that they still feel slightly nauseous when they remember the food that made them so ill. I once caught amoebic dysentery from some olives I…

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 22, 2021 I Kings 8:22-30, 41-43 Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 What sort of biographies do you enjoy reading? Biographies rich with historical detail, or biographies that reveal the inner lives of their subjects? The biograhies of Jesus in the New Testament give us both types. Generally speaking, while the three…

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost August 15, 2021  I Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58 During the pandemic, a surprising number of people have focused on two things that they might have neglected in the past. Firstly, the lockdowns, restrictions and closures of restaurants and cafés have led to people cooking for themselves, sometimes for…

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 8, 2021 II Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 Ephesians 4:25-5:2 John 6:35, 41-51 When I was a child, my grandmother had a pressure cooker and I hated it. I wasn’t alone: her dog hated it too. It is a sort of saucepan with a very tight-fitting lid. It is so tight,…

Pentecost X August 1, 2021 II Samuel 11:26 -12:13  Ephesians 4:1-16  John 6:24-35 “Theocracy is the worst of all governments. If we must have a tyrant, a robber-baron is far better than an inquisitor. The baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity at some point be sated; and since he dimply knows he is doing…

Pentecost IX / Afrique-fête July 25, 2021 II Samuel 11:1-15 Ephesians 3:14-21 John 6:1-21 Though the time when Europeans and North Americans could be forgiven for knowing very little about Africa is now long past, there are still many who continue to believe that Africa is the name of one country, and not the name…

Pentecost VIII July 18, 2021 II Samuel 7:1-14 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53 – 56 When the first lock-down was imposed in New York City in March of last year, I decided that one of the ways in which we could respond to the situation would be to hold daily live-streamed morning and evening prayer…

Pentecost VII / Bastille July 11, 2021 II Samuel 6:1-19 Ephesians 1:3-14 Mark 6:14-29 The Bible – a bit like the French, (as you may recall on the occasion of their national holiday) has a rather complex relationship with the concept of royalty. At times, the virtues of kings or queens are celebrated, and at…

Pentecost VI July 4, 2021 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10   2 Corinthians 12:2-10    Mark 6:1-13 Pledges and donations to the church have become more and more important over the last year or so. Because of the pandemic, we haven’t been able to ‘pass the plate’. We rely on the generous donations that many of you have…

Pentecost V June 27, 2021 II Samuel 1:1, 17-27 II Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 Do we always get what we deserve? I suspect that most of us would answer this little question with a resounding “NO!” We would love to live in a world where the equation would go something like this: “If I do…

Pentecôte IV 1 Samuel 17:32-49 ; 2 Corinthiens 6:1-13 ; Marc 4:35-41   Mes premiers mois de Master of Divinity, avant que je n’arrive à St. Esprit, ont été mes mois les plus difficiles aux États-Unis. J’étais monté à bord de ce programme sans prendre la mesure des challenges culturels et spirituels qu’il allait susciter pour moi.…

Pentecost III June 13, 2021 I Samuel 15:34-16:13   II Corinthians 5:6-17    Mark 4:26-34 Have you ever had to do one of those ‘ice-breaker’ exercises where you’re supposed to ask each other questions to get to know each other better in a short period of time? They go by the name of ‘accelerated team development exercises’.…

Pentecost II June 6, 2021 I Samuel 8 :4-15, II Corinthians 4:13-5:1, Mark 3:20-35 If I asked you to recall stories of Jesus’ family in the Gospels, I imagine that your minds would first conjure up the nativity stories in Matthew and Luke. You might then remember the incident when Mary and Joseph realized that they…

Le dimanche de la Trinité Le 30 mai 2021 On ne sait pas grand-chose du personnage dans l’Évangile de Jean qui a provoqué Jésus et lui a fait prononcer non pas un, mais deux des versets les plus cités de la Bible : « Il vous faut tous naître de nouveau » (Jean 3:8) et « Car Dieu a…

Dimanche de la Pentecôte Ez 37:1-14 ; Actes 2:1-21 ; Jn 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 Quand je prépare un sermon pour St. Esprit, je lis nos lectures du jour en anglais et en français. Si j’en ressens le besoin, je regarde ensuite l’hébreu ou le grec pour explorer dans les langues originelles du texte une expression ou un jeu…

Dimanche dans l’octave de l’Ascension Actes 1:1-11 Ephésiens 1:15-23 Luc 24:44-53   Quand on regarde un film, lit un roman, ou si on est préoccupé par quelque chose, tout notre être est comme happé par cette contemplation. Pour notre bonheur, notre malheur et toutes les nuances qui existent entre ces deux sorts, nos corps, dans…

Easter VI May 9, 2021 Acts 10:44-48       I John 5:1-6     John 15:9-17 Over the last three weeks, our readings from Jesus’ last discourse in John’s gospel have been brought home to me by the news articles that I’ve read or heard. One of the most poignant and heartbreaking aspects of the pandemic has been the…

Easter V / AGM May 2, 2021 Acts 8:26-40     I John 4:7-21     John 15:1-8 I have always liked these passages we read from John’s gospel and John’s first letter. There is something enormously comforting about the idea of ‘dwelling’ in God’s love, like a vine grafted onto a root-stock or a person dwelling in the…

Easter IV / Huguenot Sunday April 25, 2021 Acts 4 :5-12    I John 3 :16-21     John 10 :11-18 Several years ago, a previous member of the Vestry (who shall remain nameless) told me in no uncertain terms that “Nobody comes to St. Esprit for the architecture”. At first, I was a little taken aback by…

Third Sunday of Easter April 18, 2021 Acts 3:12-19   I John 3:1-7  Luke 24:36-48 I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of magic shows. Cynthia was telling me about the tricks that her father performed for birthdays, and I admit that her stories won me over somewhat. She made me wonder what…

Easter II April 11, 2021 Acts 4:32:35    I John 1:1-2:2    John 20:19-31 “If beauty delights you, the dust shall shine as the sun. If you enjoy that speed, strength and freedom of the body that nothing can withstand, then you shall be like the angels of God. If you delight in any pleasure that is…

Easter Day April 4, 2021 Isaiah  25:6-9     Acts 10:34-43     John 20:1-18   Over the last year or so there has been rather a fuss about what some people have come to call disparagingly ‘cancel culture’. People in history, a certain way of looking at the past, or certain utterances or attitudes…

Jeudi Saint Jean 13:1-17 Quand quelque chose de nouveau, de surprenant nous arrive on réagit en général en s’arrêtant, en se recroquevillant, en regardant en arrière pour voir ce qui s’est passé. On est abasourdi, on regrette ou encore on s’insurge. Une injustice criante nous donne ces sentiments. La pandémie a sûrement suscité en nous un…

Le dimanche des Rameaux                                                                                     le 28 mars 2021 Un article récent dans le Scientific American a rapporté quelque chose que nous avons tous probablement vécu au cours de la dernière année. COVID-19 a modifié non seulement nos moments éveillés, mais aussi le monde de nos rêves : combien de fois nous rêvons, combien…

Le cinquième dimanche du Carême                                                                       le 21 mars 2021 Le poète et théologien écossais George McDonald (1824-1905) a dit un jour qu’il pensait que c’était un bien meilleur compliment d’être considéré fiable que d’être aimé. À première vue, j’ai pensé que sa déclaration semblait un peu froide. Préféreriez-vous être considéré comme une personne de…

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT March 7 , 2021 Exodus 20:1-17 I Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2:13-22 I want to begin by asking a very ‘modern’ question. How clearly is the personality of Jesus portrayed in the Gospels? Are the Gospels biographies of Jesus, like the biographies of other famous people we can read from the ancient…

Lent II February 28, 2021 Genesis 17 :1-16 Romans 4 :13-25 Mark 8 :31-38 We are so used to hearing that the Gospel is Good News, that certain verses in the Bible can take us by surprise. Perhaps this is especially true of today’s gospel reading, “If any want to become my followers, let them…

Lent I February 21, 2021 Genesis 9:8-17 I Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:9-15 Many Christians live through Lent as a moment of restraint and purification with a view to receiving God’s grace more fully. Many traditions and spiritual observances of the Church encourage this. During this season we want to be able to restrict, limit or…

Last Sunday of Epiphany / Transfiguration February 14, 2021 II Kings 2:1-12 II Corinthians 4:3-6 Mark 9:2-9 The curious thing about the commemoration of the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor is that it is the only feast that is observed twice in the liturgical calendar. Since at least the 800’s, the feast of the…

Epiphany V February 7, 2021 Isaiah 40:21-31 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39 Just before I moved to the United States, I worked for a Bishop of London who was very kind, but noted for plain speaking. He came from the English county of Yorkshire – a part of the country where people have a reputation…

Candlemas January 31, 2021 Malachi 3:1-4 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 I have some poignant memories today. This time last year, we held the last parish reception before the pandemic, and as you probably saw in the opening video, we all had a wonderful time tossing the crêpes after our service. I’ve missed your beloved faces…

Epiphany III January 24, 2021 Jonah 3:1-5, 10 I Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 What is the difference between a ceremony or a ritual (happy or sad), and the liturgy? We have a tendency to confuse the two, and it must be said that what we observe at times in churches or in the public square…

Epiphany II January 17, 2021 I Samuel 3:1-20 I Corinthians 6:12-20 John 1:43-51 It’s a fact that most of the world’s population – certainly the majority of those living in Europe, Africa and Asia – don’t know how many generations their families have lived in one particular area. In England and France – the two…

Epiphany I Baptism of Our Lord January 10, 2021 Genesis 1:1-5 Acts 19:1-7 Mark 1:4-11 As a parish priest, you rarely get to see what happens in other churches on a Sunday morning. I sometimes think that it would be interesting to see what happens in other parishes: to hear someone else preach or worship…

Epiphany January 3rd 2021 Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12. The Church is living through unprecedented times at the moment. More than two thousand years after Jesus’ birth and almost four hundred years after the founding of our own congregation, the pattern of our life has rarely been so tested as it is today. The…

Last Sunday of Advent December 20th 2020 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16, Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38 Since the very start of the pandemic, we have often found ourselves in the same position as Mary when the angel came to visit her: all alone in our rooms. Perhaps she is even suffering a little from her loneliness.…

Advent III December 13, 2020 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-12   I Thessalonians 5:16-24   John 1:6-8, 19-28 Several years ago, the Kirkwood family in Texas prepared a cake in the shape of John the Baptist’s severed head in preparation for something called the Texas Bible Bowl. I think the bowl is a reference to something other than cooking,…

Advent II December 6, 2020 Isaiah 40:1-11, II Peter 3:8-18, Mark 1:1-8 Sheep farming is a lot harder than people imagine. You can pretty much leave goats to themselves. They are very hardy, they can eat almost anything and they don’t take as much personal attention as sheep. In Israel and Judah, goats were raised…

Advent I November 29, 2020 Isaiah 64:1-9  I Corinthians 1:3-9  Mark 13:24-37 What is the difference between the Christian life of prayer and the Christian life of watchfulness? It’s a particularly interesting question to ask ourselves in the Advent season. The twentieth century German theologian Jürgen Moltmann once wrote: “To pray is good, but to…

Thanksgiving celebration November 22, 2020 When you read the Bible, it is very hard to avoid the fact that it was written for a society that was far closer to the earth and its seasons than we are. The Old Testament is full of references to harvests and vines, to sheep and to cattle. The…

Pentecost XXIV November 15th, 2020 Judges 4:1-7  1 Thessalonians 5:1:11 Matthew 22:14-30 In last week’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compared Christians to a group of teenage girls who had been asked to be bridesmaids, and then compared God to a groom who couldn’t even turn up on time to his own wedding. This week,…

All Saints 1 November 2020 Revelation 7: 9-17 1 John 3: 1-3 Matthew 5: 1-12 This year we are lucky in one thing at least: All Saints Day coincides with a Sunday, so we are able to celebrate it on the day assigned to it in the calendar. In the late twentieth century, something called…

Pentecost XXI A recipe for Saint Esprit’s essential workers We have all appreciated our essential workers in this pandemic: grocery cashiers, delivery people, governors and mayors, teachers, factory workers, subway and bus conductors, health workers. Whether in charge or just doing their jobs, their sacrifice, dedication, humility and truth-telling have awed people worldwide. And they…

20th Sunday after Pentecost October 18, 2020 Exodus 33:12-23 I Thessalonians 1:1-10 Matthew 22:15-22 Are you the sort of person who has a good memory for names, or the sort of person who has a good memory for faces? I’m not sure why the world is divided into these two types; perhaps it’s because some…

Pentecost XIX October 11th, 2020 Exodus 32:1-14 Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14 What a confusing parable we heard from Matthew’s Gospel! Here are the two things that bother me the most. Firstly, the king sends his slaves to issue the invitation to the high-born citizens of the realm. When they turn him down – sometimes violently…

Pentecost XVIII OKTOBERFEST October 4th, 2020 Exodus 20:1-20 Philippians 3:4-14 Matthew 21:33-46 When I celebrated communion for the first time in St. Esprit on this Sunday in 1994, little did I know that all these years later I would still be here at the same altar celebrating an Oktoberfest! During the course of those years,…

Pentecost XVII / AGM September 27, 2020 Exodus 17:1-7 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32   Today, we are marking an extraordinary time with an extraordinary General Meeting of the church, postponed from our normal date on the first Sunday in May. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership, and it’s with sorrow that one of the reasons…

Pentecost XVI – Rentrée Sunday September 20, 2020 Exodus 16:2-15 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 I suppose of all of Jesus’ parables, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard is one of the most appropriate for today: Rentrée Sunday of our French classes, and the Sunday before our Annual General Meeting. It is also an…

PENTECOST XV September 13th, 2020     Exodus 14:19-30    Romans 14:1-12   Matthew 18:21-35 It was a Friday afternoon in late October when I made my first official visit to a Mosque as the Bishop of London’s Consultant on interfaith dialogue. Even though a friend had invited me to join the study group at the little mosque in…

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 6, 2020 Exodus 12:1-14 Romans 13:8-14 Matthew 18:15-20 When people who are unfamiliar with Christian communities hear the word “Church”, they respond in many different ways. I’ve heard some people saying “The church – they may start out nicely, but don’t worry, they’ll get to you in the end –…

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 30, 2020 Exodus 3:1-15 Romans 12:9-21 Matthew 16:21-28 Many botanists have identified the burning bush through which God spoke to Moses as a plant called Rubus sanctus, a small thorny bush that grows near desert wadis and survives on very little water. It grows to about sixty centimeters (two feet).…

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost August 23, 2020 Exodus 1:8 – 2:10 Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20 Modern Western society seems to have an obsession with the concept of time. Our personal computers have to be precisely calibrated in order to function properly. Modern watches keep accurate time down to the millisecond. Almost every gadget in our…

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 16, 20220 Genesis 45:1-15 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 Matthew 15:(10-20),21-28 In our Gospel reading, we hear of the only occasion in which Jesus fails to respond to someone who calls to him for help. He simply remains silent when a foreign woman appeals to him to heal her sick daughter. The…

Pentecost X August 9, 2020 Genesis 37:1-28 Romans 10:5-15  Matthew 14:22-33 Before the tunnel from England to France was built, the quickest route by car or train was to take the boat or the hovercraft from Dover to Calais. This gave rise to many jokes in England, such as “Fog in Channel. Continent cut off.”…

Pentecost IX August 2, 2020 Genesis 32 :22-31   Romans 9 :1-5   Matthew 14 :13-21 NEW FLAVORS I suppose like many of you, I often eat alone. This custom began when I left my parents’ house, when I first had my own accommodation. Even if I was house sharing and living in a sort of community as I was…

Pentecost VIII Afrique fête July 26, 2020 Genesis 29:15-28 Romans 8:26-39 Matthew 13:31-52 Afrique Fête is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It feels to me like a festival that is unique to the family of St. Esprit, and it always comes as a surprise to me to hear how many of our…

Pentecost VII July 19, 2020 Genesis 28:10-19   Romans 8:12-25   Matthew 13:24-43 Though Edwin Muir was born on the island of Orkney in Scotland, he must be one of the most well-travelled poets in history. He spent time in London, Prague, Germany, Italy and Austria. He was Norton Professor of English at Harvard University. He had…

Pentecost 6 / Bastille 12 July 2020 It is said that Jean-Baptiste Belley, the first black deputy for the French colony of Santo Domingo in 1793, introduced the third term of the motto, “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”. Still today, the motto that one associates so often with France is also one of the mottoes of the…

CINQUIEME DIMANCHE APRES LA PENTECOTE                                                         5 juillet 2020  Il est probable que ce soit le fait de grandir à Chypre qui m’a donné le goût de tout ce qui est “oriental”. Notre passage de la Genèse sur le mariage arrangé d’Isaac et Rébecca est rempli de ces images que les gens qualifient d’orientales. On…

Tutti Frutti Christi  – Le quatrième dimanche après la Pentecôte                                       le 28 juin 2020 Une des choses les plus difficiles quand on écrit un sermon et qu’on est un baby preacher comme moi, c’est de ne pas se laisser tenter par les fruits les plus accessibles. C’est plus facile à dire qu’à faire. Je…

Pentecost III June 21, 2020 Genesis 21:8-21   Romans 6:1-11    Matthew 10:24-39 The story of Sarah and Abraham’s banishment of Hagar and Ishmael is one of the most troubling and enigmatic texts in the book of Genesis – a book well known for its difficult texts! It is difficult because it shows us that the Hebrews,…

Pentecost II – Hospitality of the Third Kind It’s very strange to come back to our sanctuary and not see you in person. The gradual return of the congregation will undoubtedly make you feel this strangeness. I must admit that like Sarah and Abraham when the visitor they do not know arrives in front of…

Trinity Sunday June 7, 2020 Genesis 1:1-2(a) II, Corinthians 13:11-13 , Matthew 28:16-20 Why does the Bible begin with a story of creation? It needn’t have done. It could have begun with the call of Abraham; a creation story that tells us of the founder of our faith. It could have begun with the story…

The Day of Pentecost May 31, 2020 Acts 2: 1-21 I Corinthians 12: 3b-13 John 7: 37-39 I love to visit botanical gardens. I am not particularly drawn to the flowers and the trees, so much as the glass houses constructed to recreate the diverse ecosystems of our world. At Kew Gardens in London, or…

Easter VII – Ascension May 24, 2020 Acts 1:6-14 I Peter 4:12-14 John 17:1-11 Luke tells us that the ascension took place from the Mount of Olives. This mount is almost eight hundred and twenty meters (three thousand feet) high. From the summit, you can see a panoramic view of the city of Jerusalem. The…

Sixth Sunday of Easter May 17, 2020 Acts 12:22 – 31   I Peter 3:13 – 2 John 14:15 – 21 The account of Paul’s visit to the Areopagus in Athens is one of the stories in which I find myself feeling a bit sorry for this often-maligned Apostle. He is on his Second Missionary Journey,…

Easter IV   May 3, 2020 Acts 2:42-47 I Peter 2:19-25 John 10:1-10 The first funeral I took at St. Esprit took place two months after my arrival. It was for a former member of the Vestry of the church, and the scion of a prestigious New York family. He had had rather a colorful life;…

EASTER III Sunday, April 26, 2020 Acts 2:14a, 36-41         1 Peter 1:17-23             Luke 24:13-35 I suppose we all possess an item or two that we would describe as ‘keepsakes’; a piece of jewelry, an ornament or even a letter or a card. We save these little objects or letters to remind us of someone…

Second Sunday of Easter / Huguenot Sunday April 19, 2020 Acts 2 :14, 22-32 I Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 This April marks the four hundred and twenty second anniversary of the signing of an edict by King Henry IV of France granting French Protestants freedom from persecution. The Edict of Nantes was the first political…

Easter Sunday                          April 12, 2020 Acts 10:34-43   Colossians 3:1-4  Matthew 28:1-10 Well, I have to say that this is one of the strangest Easter Days I have ever experienced. None of us could have predicted that this is the way our Lent would end! It is hard to believe that only a few…

Palm Sunday April 5, 2020 The Liturgy of the Palms and The Passion according to Matthew If there is one liturgical word that we associate with Palm Sunday more than any other, it is the word “Hosanna”. It occurs in nearly every Palm Sunday hymn, including the one we sang at the beginning of our…

Lent V March 29, 2020 Ezekiel 37:1-14 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:1-45 The story of the priest and prophet Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones is one of the most graphic in the Hebrew scriptures. I well remember looking through a huge Bible at my grandmother’s house, illustrated by Gustav Doré. I suppose I must…

Lent III Sunday March 15, 2020 Exodus 17:1-7 Romans 5:1-11 John 4:5-42 Before modern plumbing and individual water supply to houses and apartments were invented, people were obliged to fetch their water from common pumps. These pumps were often the source of the outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery. Today, in those…

Lent II March 8, 2020 Genesis 12:1-4 Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 John 3:1-17 How many of us here this morning were born in New York City? Being a community of migrants presents us with special challenges and a unique perspective. Even if you have moved to New York City from somewhere else in the United States,…

Lent 1 March 1st, 2020 Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 If you have ever found yourself contemplating the beauty of the natural world or of human relationships and asked yourself “How can there be so much sadness and violence in such a beautiful world?”, you are in very good company. Every civilization in…