You will find here the Sunday sermons. Each sermon is posted in English and in French.
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…