Reverend Neil Taylor - Podcast

Sermon on the Plain: Blessings & Woes

Read Luke 6:17-26

Blessings & Woes

I don’t know about you, but today’s gospel is hard to hear. I’d rather be rich than poor; I’d rather be full than hungry; I’d rather laugh than weep and be spoken well of than hated, excluded, reviled, and defamed. Does anybody find today’s gospel hard to hear?

Today’s gospel doesn’t align well with the values of a capitalist society. It doesn’t align with our constitutional right to “the pursuit of happiness” or our programs for happiness.

Fifth Sunday of Epiphany | Jesus Addresses the Issue of Limited Vision

Read Luke 5:1-11

Jesus Addresses the Issue of Limited Vision

 

Our Gospel text is the story of how Christ called Peter to be his disciple. At the beginning of the story, he is fishing for fish by the end of the story, he is fishing for men. It is fascinating to consider the men Jesus chose as his first disciples. He didn’t go to an executive search consultant or visit the placement office at the local college. He started by calling men with dirt under their fingernails—blue-collar workers, men without much education, men who knew about hard work and the value of perseverance.

The progress of this story is very simple. First, Peter caught fish, then Jesus caught Peter, and then Peter caught men. It all begins with a frustrated fisherman cleaning his nets after a long and hard night.

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple | Luke 2:22-40

Read Luke 2:22-40

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple

Today's Gospel reading is a story full of joy—the joy of parents faithfully fulfilling their faith practices, especially the joy of two older people who see the baby's identity and testify to his world-historical significance.

Third Sunday of Epiphany | Good News is Bad News is Good News

Read Luke 4:14-21

Good News is Bad News is Good News

This morning's gospel reading is undoubtedly about the good news in connection with Jesus as he preaches his first hometown sermon in Nazareth. But like a lot of good news, there is often a little bad news lurking quietly. Perhaps Martin Luther was not too far off when he famously said, "The gospel is bad news before it's good news."

Second Sunday of Epiphany | Jesus' Glory and a Wedding

Read John 2:1-11

Jesus' Glory and a Wedding

 

After the story of the Cana wedding, John adds his narration in v. 11.

"This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him."

John focuses on seeing Christ's glory: "His disciples saw his glory, and they believed in him."

That's why John is writing this Gospel. He wants to reveal the glory of Christ to us, and he wants us to receive the grace of believing. So it would be perfectly in accord with John's intention if we ask the question:

What is the glory of Christ revealed in this story of the wedding at Cana?

First Sunday of Epiphany | A More Meaningful Baptism

A More Meaningful Baptism

Read Luke 3:15-22

1. Baptism is about identity

2. Baptism is about God’s work

Second Sunday of Christmas | Six Miles From Jesus

Read Matthew 2:1-6

Six Miles From Jesus

How long would it take to walk six miles? If you’re fit and the terrain is relatively flat, you can walk it in a couple of hours.

The most important event in the Bible—and in all of human history—took place six miles from Jerusalem.

First Sunday of Christmas | When Did Christmas Begin?

Read John 1:1-18

When Did Christmas Begin?

When did Jesus Christ's earthly life really begin?

John 1:14 tells us that "the Word (referring to Jesus Christ) became flesh and lived among us." That takes us back before Bethlehem to the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb. Christmas began not in Bethlehem but nine months earlier when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and implanted the divine-human Person of the Lord Jesus Christ within her.

 

Christmas Day | The Ripple Effect of Christmas

Read Luke 2:15-20

CHRISTMAS DAY  | THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF CHRISTMAS

Our text is the second part of the Christmas Gospel we heard last night. It shows that Christmas has a ripple effect. The good news radiates outward, just like when a pebble is thrown into the still waters of a pond.

To catch up with Christmas Eve, preached by Bishop Mark Engel, go to https://youtu.be/kb3Bg5fI7zghttps://youtu.be/KnlHkNscllI

Advent 4 | Jesus, The Revolutionary: Mary’s Song

Read Luke 1:48-55

ADVENT 4  | JESUS, THE REVOLUTIONARY: MARY'S SONG

 

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

We anticipate and celebrate the arrival, work, and person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in this world.

Daily Advent devotions will be posted at  www.facebook.com/HolySpiritAkron

To catch up with Advent 3, preached by Rev'd Mark Hottel, go to https://youtu.be/kb3Bg5fI7zg

Advent 2 | Preparing the Way

Read Luke 3:1-6

ADVENT 2  | PREPARING THE WAY

 

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

We anticipate and celebrate the arrival, work, and person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in this world.

Daily Advent devotions will be posted at  www.facebook.com/HolySpiritAkron

Advent 1 | Christ's Coming Brings Hope

Read Luke 21:25-36

ADVENT 1  | CHRIST'S COMING BRINGS HOPE

 

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

We anticipate and celebrate the arrival, work, and person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in this world.

Daily Advent devotions will be posted at  www.facebook.com/HolySpiritAkron

I BELIEVE | Part Seventeen

Read Genesis 2:4-17, 3:1-7, 22-24;  Revelation 21:1-4, 22:1-5

I BELIEVE... in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting | Part Seventeen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us in this final message as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Sixteen

Read 2 Kings 6:15-17;  Psalm 16; Hebrews 12:1-4; John 1:9-13

I BELIEVE... In the Communion of Saints | Part Sixteen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Fifteen

Read Isaiah 28:14-17;  Psalm 118:14-24; Ephesians 4:4-6; Matthew 16:13-20

I BELIEVE... In the Church | Part Fifteen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Fourteen

Read Numbers 20:2-13;  Psalm 72:1-7; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; John 7:37-39

I BELIEVE... In the Holy Spirit | Part Fourteen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Thirteen

Read Daniel 7:13-15;  Psalm 98; 2 Peter 3:3-10; Mark 13:32-37.

I BELIEVE... He Will Come Again | Part Thirteen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Twelve

Read Psalm 110; Hebrews 7:24-26; Luke 24:50-52.

I BELIEVE... He Ascended | Part Twelve

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

To catch up with PART ELEVEN of "I BELIEVE," preached by Rev'd Mark Hottel, go to https://youtu.be/_hic_Ra-RD8

 

I BELIEVE | Part Ten

Read Ecclesiastes 9:1-6; Psalm 139:1-12; 1 Peter 3:13-22; Luke 16:19-31.

I BELIEVE... He Descended to the Dead | Part Ten

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Nine

Read Leviticus 16:8-10, 21-22, 1 Corinthians 15:1-6, Matthew 26:6-13

I BELIEVE... in Jesus Christ, Buried | Part Nine

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Eight

Read Numbers 21:6-9, Hebrews 9, 10, Matthew 20:17-19

I BELIEVE... in Jesus Christ, Crucified | Part Eight

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Seven

Read Isaiah 53, Acts 4:1-31, John 18:28-40

I BELIEVE... in Jesus Christ, He suffered under Pontius Pilate | Part Seven

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

To catch up with PART SIX of "I BELIEVE," preached by Rev'd Mark Hottel, go to https://youtu.be/2ctfTqlesr4

 

I BELIEVE | Part Five

Read Isaiah 9:6-7, Philippians 2:9-11, Matthew 16:13-20

I BELIEVE... in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord | Part Five

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Four

Read Genesis 2:1-7, Psalm 33:1-9, John 1:1-5, Revelation 4 

I BELIEVE... in God... Maker of Heaven and Earth | Part Four

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE | Part Three

Read Genesis 17:1-8, Psalm 89:5-13, Matthew 7:9-11, Revelation 1:1-8

I BELIEVE... in God the Father Almighty | Part Three

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

To catch up with PART TWO of "I BELIEVE," preached by Rev'd Mark Hottel, go to https://youtu.be/MQ7mbcuGhSk

 

 

Feast of The Transfiguration Homily | August 6, 2024

Read Exodus 34:29-35, Psalm 99, 2 Peter 1:13-21, Luke 9:28-36

Humanity can never build a dwelling place for God; rather it is God who makes humanity the dwelling place of divinity. It is God through Jesus who tabernacles among us and this is most profoundly revealed in the Transfiguration of Jesus.

 

I BELIEVE | Part One

Read Romans 1:16

I BELIEVE | Part One

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles’ Creed says.

 

Watch the Gap — Restoring Emotional and Spiritual Margin | Part Four

Read Proverbs 21:20 & 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Part Four | A Better Life — Watching the Finacial Gap

Sometimes, the only way to keep up with all the demands on our lives is to run at maximum capacity and then some. But there is another way...one where we have room to breathe and space to respond to what life brings our way. Join us as we explore what it means to WATCH THE GAP and live with Margin over this four-week sermon series.

Feast Day of St. James the Elder (Greater) | Homily

Read Matthew 4:21-22

Feast Day of St. James the Elder (Greater) | July 25, 2024

Little did this brash disciple, who left his nets on the shores of the Sea of Galilee,  know that he would be the first Apostle martyred for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, James, the son of Zebedee, was the first of the Apostles to win the crown of martyrdom and the only Apostle whose death is recorded in the New Testament. In Acts 12, we read that the outstretched hand of King Herod Agrippa put James to death by the sword. James paid the ultimate price and, in doing so, obtained eternal glory and the eternal crown of obedience.

Watch the Gap — Restoring Emotional and Spiritual Margin | Part Three

Read Job 31:1-8, James 1:13-16, Matthew 5:21-37

Part Three | Moral Spaces

Sometimes, the only way to keep up with all the demands on our lives is to run at maximum capacity and then some. But there is another way...one where we have room to breathe and space to respond to what life brings our way. Join us as we explore what it means to WATCH THE GAP and live with Margin over this four-week sermon series.

Feast of St. Mary Magdalene | Homily

Feast  of St Mary Magdalene | Homily

Read John 20:1-2, 11-18

Our Christian faith, in the resurrection of Christ, our risen Lord, depends principally on the testimony of Mary Magdalene. This fact speaks eloquently of the important role of women in the Church universal, and Mary Magdalene stands in a long line of women who have loved and served Christ. Women, who have told others about him, who have witnessed the truth of the Gospel, and who have been the first teachers and preachers of the Gospel.

Watch the Gap — Restoring Emotional and Spiritual Margin | Part Two

Read Ephesians 5:15-17, Matthew 6:26-34

Part Two | Planning Sacred Spaces

Sometimes, the only way to keep up with all the demands on our lives is to run at maximum capacity and then some. But there is another way...one where we have room to breathe and space to respond to what life brings our way. Join us as we explore what it means to WATCH THE GAP and live with Margin over this four-week sermon series.

Watch the Gap – Restoring Emotional and Spiritual Margin | Part One

Read Luke 10:38-42

Part One | Managing Life's Sacred Spaces

Sometimes, the only way to keep up with all the demands on our lives is to run at maximum capacity and then some. But there is another way...one where we have room to breathe and space to respond to what life brings our way. Join us as we explore what it means to WATCH THE GAP and live with Margin over this four-week sermon series.

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Read Matthew 9:9-13

"When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

Here is the Pharisees' question asked differently: "What is your teacher's philosophy of ministry?"  "What is He all about?"

Jesus heard them and said in verse 12, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

That is what being a Christian is all about; it's not about you and me, the strong and the believing, holding one another up constantly. True Christianity is the strong ministering to the weak; it is the well ministering to the sick.

The Pharisees are totally befuddled by Jesus' conduct. "What's the connection?" "Why are you with these people?" The Pharisees don't understand that this is what it is all about. Jesus is showing them who they were meant to be with and who they were to minister to.

Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul | Homily

Read John 21:15-19

The two leading Apostles of the early Church are celebrated together in the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, which is observed on June 29th. This liturgical feast honors Peter and Paul's martyrdom in Rome.

Nativity of St. John the Baptist | Homily

Read Luke 1:57-80

When an angel told Zechariah that his aged wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant, Zechariah began asking questions that betrayed his disbelief. It was then that Zechariah's voice failed him. Because of his lack of faith… his powers of speech were temporarily taken away.

In the gospel reading, Zechariah's voice is restored when he signals that his newborn son will be named "John" according to God's set plan and purpose. When Zechariah's tongue was loosed, he uttered a beautiful canticle that described the mission of the child whose birthday we celebrate.

 

What Good is a Clean Barn?

Proverbs 14:4 "Without oxen, a barn stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest." (NLT)

Knowing that a barn's purpose is to store the biggest harvest possible, the question needs to be asked: Would you rather have your barn clean or filled?

 

Generosity and Encouragement | The Feast of St Barnabas

Read Acts 11.19-30, 13.1-3

We know more about Barnabas than most of the Saints of the apostolic age. What we know is found throughout the Acts of the Apostles, which are commented on in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Galatians, and Colossians. We can determine that he is a native Cypriot, a Levite, and a leader in the church in Jerusalem; tradition says he was an evangelizer of his native Cyprus and died around 61 A.D. at Salamis. He is commended in Acts 11:24 as “being a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”

Your Rejection is Your Direction | Part Two

Read Genesis 45:1-8

As we consider Joseph's life, ask yourself where you would be without the rejections that have pushed you towards the better life you have now or the life you have yet to go on to live. Most people see rejection as an ending. Can I tell you it is the beginning? Rejection and loss are the beginning. Joseph came to realize that, and so must we.

Your Rejection is Your Direction | Part One

Read Genesis 45:1-8

As we consider Joseph's life, ask yourself where you would be without the rejections that have pushed you towards the better life you have now or the life you have yet to go on to live. Most people see rejection as an ending. Can I tell you it is the beginning? Rejection and loss are the beginning. Joseph came to realize that, and so must we.

Trusting In God’s Plan Within the Midst of Our Messy Lives | The Feast of the Visitation

Read Zephaniah 3:14-18; Luke 1:39-56

The Feast of the Visitation

In our lectionary lessons, we are reminded that, whatever happens to us on our journey, God is in charge And He will and can use whatever it is you’re going through for good and to bring us joy and to help us get home. 

The Free Will of the Wind | Trinity Sunday

Read John 3:1-16

The work of the Spirit in the new birth is to make us alive so that we see the glory of Christ crucified and risen. So look to him; look to the Son of Man.

SPIRIT | Pentecost Sunday

Read John 14:8-17, Acts 2:1-21, 1 Corinthians 12:4-13

SPIRIT

In the Bible's very beginning, the Spirit is involved in the birth of Creation, and in the New Testament, the Spirit is involved in the birth of the believer. The Spirit is the giver of new life, and it is this "new life" that we want to explore.

If you want to take things further, there are some great resources you can tap into, such as "Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit" by Frances Chan.

Becoming an Overcomer | Seventh Sunday of Easter

Read 1 John 5:1-11, John 17:6-19

Seventh Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Our reading from 1 John 5 shows us and helps us keep our eyes and will on the finish line.

 

We Are Witnesses | Third Sunday of Easter

Read Luke 24:36-49; Acts 3:12-20

Third Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Witnessing is not optional. It is not a sporadic or patchy activity of faith. It is not something you can decide to do one day and then resolve to take the next day off. It is constant. It is a way of life. It is who you are.

WE ARE WITNESSES.

 

Doubters Welcome | Second Sunday of Easter

Read John 20:19-31

Second Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Unfortunately, Thomas is remembered solely in a negative light; there is more to this man than doubt.

Easter Sunday — "The Resurrection: How Will You Respond?" | Including a word from Bishop Mark Engel

Read Mark 16:1-8

The resurrection of Jesus Christ requires a response. It is impossible to confront this historical reality and walk away unchanged. As we will see, people did not anticipate Jesus’ resurrection because they weren’t expecting Him to rise from the dead.

Good Friday Homily | Why We Call the Worst Friday ‘Good’.

Read John 19:1-37

It was the single most horrible day in the history of the world. No incident has ever been more tragic, and no future event will ever match it. No surprise attack, no political assassination, no financial collapse, no military invasion, no atomic detonation or nuclear warfare, no cataclysmic act of terrorism, no large-scale famine or disease — can eclipse the darkness of that day.

No suffering has ever been so unfitting, no human has ever been so unjustly treated, and no other human has ever been so worthy of praise. No one else has ever lived without sin, and no other human has ever been God himself. No horror surpasses what transpired on a hill outside Jerusalem almost two millennia ago, yet we call it “Good” Friday.

Maundy Thursday Homily

Read Exodus 12:1-14 and John 13:1-15

The Quiet Sign of Calvary’s Love | Palm Sunday 2024

Read Mark 15:29-32