The Very Reverend Neil Taylor - Podcast

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

 

Feast of Saint Joseph Homily

Read Luke 2:41-5

Of all the direct descendants of King David, Joseph was beyond all comparison the most faithful, the most just most obedient, the most holy.

 

WE ARE JONAH | Lenten Pulpit Series | Week Four

Read Jonah 4:1-11

The Book of Jonah is more than a colorful story about a man being swallowed by a fish; it is a tale of God’s redemption in a lost world. If that is true, here's a great question: What is God willing to do to bring us back to Himself? Maybe you left God because you carelessly drifted from Him or consciously disobeyed Him. Regardless, what is God willing to do now? Those who desire to see God move in the church must grasp this truth: God will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him.

WE ARE JONAH | Lenten Pulpit Series | Week Three

Read Jonah 3:1-10

The Book of Jonah is more than a colorful story about a man being swallowed by a fish; it is a tale of God’s redemption in a lost world. If that is true, here's a great question: What is God willing to do to bring us back to Himself? Maybe you left God because you carelessly drifted from Him or consciously disobeyed Him. Regardless, what is God willing to do now? Those who desire to see God move in the church must grasp this truth: God will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him.

WE ARE JONAH | Lenten Pulpit Series | Week Two

Read Jonah 2:1-10

The Book of Jonah is more than a colorful story about a man being swallowed by a fish; it is a tale of God’s redemption in a lost world. If that is true, here's a great question: What is God willing to do to bring us back to Himself? Maybe you left God because you carelessly drifted from Him or consciously disobeyed Him. Regardless, what is God willing to do now? Those who desire to see God move in the church must grasp this truth: God will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him.

 

WE ARE JONAH | Lenten Pulpit Series | Week One

Read Jonah 1:1-17

The Book of Jonah is more than a colorful story about a man being swallowed by a fish; it is a tale of God’s redemption in a lost world. If that is true, here's a great question: What is God willing to do to bring us back to Himself? Maybe you left God because you carelessly drifted from Him or consciously disobeyed Him. Regardless, what is God willing to do now? Those who desire to see God move in the church must grasp this truth: God will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him.

The Joy Of Being Hired

Third Culture | Love God, Love People

Read Matthew 20:1-16

Did Jesus really call his followers to change the world? Over the next 3 weeks we're asking the painful question of why the church haven't changed the world more profoundly. The church is surely big enough, but it would seem that bigness is not the answer. Jesus often thought small. So let us put aside our measuring sticks and look at where the power of the church to transform culture really lies.

Living A Life Worthy Of The Gospel

Living A Life Worthy Of The Gospel | Week Two

Third Culture | Love God, Love People

Read Romans 12:9-21

Did Jesus really call his followers to change the world? Over the next 3 weeks we're asking the painful question of why the church haven't changed the world more profoundly. The church is surely big enough, but it would seem that bigness is not the answer. Jesus often thought small. So let us put aside our measuring sticks and look at where the power of the church to transform culture really lies.

Understanding The World We Live In

Understanding The World We Live In | Week One

Third Culture | Love God, Love People

Read Leviticus 19:9-18; Psalm 96; Acts 17:16-23; Matthew 22:36-40

Did Jesus really call his followers to change the world? Over the next 3 weeks we're asking the painful question of why the church haven't changed the world more profoundly. The church is surely big enough, but it would seem that bigness is not the answer. Jesus often thought small. So let us put aside our measuring sticks and look at where the power of the church to transform culture really lies.

 

 

I Quit! Comparing! (Week Four)

Week Four — I Quit! Comparing.

Fed up with the status quo? The way things are isn’t the way things have to be. Are you willing to see what happens when you’re ready to say, "I Quit!".

Feast Day | Conversion of St Paul | Homily

Read Acts 26:9-21

St. Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. He instantly saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “…entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument to help others experience the one Savior.

I Quit! Living in Fear (Week Three)

Week Three — I Quit! Living in Fear.

Fed up with the status quo? The way things are isn’t the way things have to be. Are you willing to see what happens when you’re ready to say, "I Quit!".

I Quit! Complaining (Week Two)

Week Two — I Quit! Complaining.

Fed up with the status quo? The way things are isn’t the way things have to be. Are you willing to see what happens when you’re ready to say, "I Quit!".

I Quit! Making Excuses (Week One)

Week One — I Quit! Making Excuses.

Fed up with the status quo? The way things are isn’t the way things have to be. Are you willing to see what happens when you’re ready to say, "I Quit!".

The audio of the first 4.30min is a bit rough — Mea culpa!

 

Feast of Saint Stephen Homily

Read Acts 6:8-7:2a,51-60 and Matthew 23:29-39

Christmas Day Homily | 2023

Christmas Eve Homily | Declare that the Dawn is Coming

Read Luke 1:67-69

Zechariah praised God when his son was born. He praised God for the promises that God made, the promises that God kept the promises that were in his son. Because he knew that his son was created for a purpose. He knew that his son John would be called a prophet and would “go before the Lord to prepare a way.” He knew that his son would “tell the people how to be saved through the forgiveness of their sins.” Zechariah was filled with joy at the birth of his son… so he praised God.

However, I want you all to know that God rejoices no less for you than did Zechariah for his son. Zechariah so loved his son that he got a glimpse of him through God’s eternal eyes. Therefore, God so loves you that he has laid out a path for you to follow.

Be the Moon!

Read John 1:19-34

John the Baptist appears at the beginning of John’s Gospel (and the other Gospels) and then falls into the background because he is a link or a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He is prominent at the beginning of the Gospel because he is part of its roots. The roots of Jesus go back to eternity (John 1:1), and his roots go back to the Old Testament. John is like one of those great tree roots that protrude above the ground a few feet out from the tree trunk.

Over and over, we will see in this Gospel that John the writer explains Jesus in terms of the Old Testament. Jesus doesn’t appear on the scene of history without historical preparation. God had been at work in Israel for two thousand years, and even before that, putting in place a historical backdrop that would make Jesus’ life and ministry more intelligible.

John the Baptist is a root partly underground in the Old Testament and partially exposed in the New Testament. He has a foot in both worlds—a prophet something like Elijah (but not Elijah reincarnate 1:21) and a voice crying that the long-expected Messiah has come.

What Sort of People Ought We Be?

Read Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8; 2 Peter 3:8-18

To understand our New Testament reading from 2 Peter 3:10–14 and to understand the season of Advent and all things apocalyptic, we need to realize that there are false teachers that saturate their false teaching through the media, academia, and once-trusted institutions, and they all in lockstep say:

“Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4)

Therefore, the false teachers of this age reject the reality of the second coming. They deny that with the coming of the Lord, there will be a world-transforming upheaval. They reject it as unbelievable and unimaginable. Because for thousands and thousands of years, the world has gone on just the way it did from the beginning. They tell us that nature is steady and constant. And this thought of an inbreaking of the Son of God and a transformation of this created order is out of the question.

Stuck in the Clouds

Read Isaiah 64:1-9a, Psalm 80, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Mark 13:24.

As we come to the Advent worship season, it can be enjoyable to ride this wave of enthusiasm and expectation as we revel in the flourishes of the season like the advent candles and the steady influx of Christmas cards and gifts.

But in preparing for Advent, we miss something crucial if we overlook the fact that there is a deep wound at the heart of Advent; God’s groaning and limping creation still waits for its healer to appear in glory. As Christians, we still await the reality we only know by faith. To use the language of this week’s epistle:

1 Corinthians 1:7 “[That we] eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The word “revelation” is translated from the Greek word apokalypse. Advent is a time when we wait for the apocalypse.

Following the Lessons of St. Andrew’s Life

Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist — who was preparing the way for the Messiah—and as soon as John, the Precursor, pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, he who takes away the sins of the world!” Andrew immediately sought to follow Jesus along with another disciple of the Baptist who was almost certainly the man who would become St. John the Evangelist. The one who would write down the details of the encounter for us in the first chapter of his gospel.

The Real Difference Between Sheep and Goats

Read Matthew 25:31-46 

Jesus describes the final judgment of the world as a shepherd separating the righteous sheep from the unrighteous goats. The shepherd distinguishes between the two groups by examining their sacrificial love toward the “least of these, my brothers.”
There is nothing uglier than hypocrisy, is there? Especially Christian hypocrisy. There is nothing quite as disheartening, dishonest, and disorienting as a professing Christian who does not love others.