Sermons from St. John’s Episcopal Church

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Dallas
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Sermons from St. John’s Episcopal Church, Dallas, Texas. www.stjohnsepiscopal.org

  1. Jul 27

    Two Marriages and Many Parables. Fr. Louis Harris. July 26, 2026.

    From the propers this week, Father Harris takes us on a whirlwind tour through Jesus’s rapid-fire parables from mustard seeds and hidden treasures to drag nets sorting fish. But behind these vivid images lies a radical question: what are you actually giving your life to? Weaving together the Old Testament story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel with ancient Christian wisdom, this sermon dives into why moral self-improvement isn't our ultimate end, but simply the groundwork that makes room for real, transformative joy. Tune in for a challenging, deeply insightful wake-up call to cut through modern chaos, clear out the clutter of fleeting desires, and go all-in on the truest treasure of the world.

  2. Jul 20

    The Wheat and the Ladder. Fr. Louis Harris. July 19, 2026.

    From the propers this week, Father Harris tackles the age-old frustration with parables: why can't Jesus just be direct? It turns out, the cryptic nature of these stories isn't a hurdle but an invitation to the hard work of cultivating our inner lives. The field isn't just the world out there, but the complex terrain within each of us, where good and evil grow tangled together. The message is both humbling and liberating: we cannot make ourselves perfect, and our anxious efforts to tear out our flaws often do more harm than good. Instead, Father Harris calls us to trust the Master of the field with our moral development, to discern wisely but without anxiety, and to let the images of Scripture reorganize our thinking. It is a message to have faith whilst we make our pilgrimage up Jacob's ladder.

  3. Jul 13

    Scattering Seeds in the Sea. Fr. Louis Harris. July 12, 2026.

    From the propers this week, Father Harris takes us into the chaotic, restless sea, the symbol of primordial disorder that God is always in the process of ordering. The parable of the sower discloses three conditions of the soul that hinder our reception of God's scattered seeds: the hardened soul that has stopped listening, the shallow soul that springs up with joy but cannot endure hardship, and the divided soul choked by cares and the lure of wealth. But rather than treating these as separate categories of people, they are stages along a pilgrimage; parts of the spiritual journey that we all must make. We begin hard and self-protective; we pass through trials that test our roots; and we constantly fight against the thorns of anxiety and beguilement. The key, he insists, is not finding the right textbook or teacher, but cultivating an interior disposition of attentiveness; an abiding inclination to love, such that we might bring our desire for understanding to the altar and to wade into the tossing sea with Jesus.

  4. Jul 6

    The Wolves and Masters. Mother Laura Warner Gilmer. July 5, 2026.

    From the propers this week, Mother Laura Warner Gilmer takes up the Apostle Paul's honest confession in Romans that choosing righteousness is far harder than simply deciding to do it. Why? Because there is war going on within each of us. Pairing Paul's struggle with the well-known Native American parable of the two wolves, she gently pushes the wisdom further: the question isn't only which wolf we feed, but which wolf we're fed by. What desires, what definitions of success, what sources of identity are we allowing to sustain us? With her characteristic warmth and wit, Mother Laura reminds us that every choice carries an invoice that will come due. While we will all fall short, we are called to strive for the better part, the kinder approach, the more considerate response. And she leaves us with Bob Dylan's unmistakable refrain: you're gonna have to serve somebody. The only real question is which master we'll serve.

  5. Jun 10

    One Particular Matthew. Fr. Louis Harris. June 7, 2026.

    From the propers this week, Father Harris reflects on the universal human cry, "I just want to know what to do," through the lens of Saint Matthew's sudden, life-changing decision to leave his tax booth and follow Jesus. Exploring our tendency to seek happiness in quick fixes or misplaced security, Father Harris addresses the deep anxiety of feeling lost or disconnected from the leader of our spiritual journey. Ultimately, we have been offered a profound comfort: even when we lose sight of the way forward, Jesus is paying attention to us, and his timeless invitation to follow Him is personalized for each of our lives.

  6. May 25

    Pentecost. Fr. David Houk. May 24, 2026.

    Acts 2:1-21. Pentecost is God’s plan coming together, which means people coming together.

  7. May 10

    The Holy Spirit and you. Fr. David Houk. May 10, 2026.

    John 14:15-21. The Holy Spirit is not a mystery to be understood but a gift to be received.

  8. Apr 26

    Abundantly. Fr. David Houk. April 26, 2026.

    John 10:1-10. Jesus offers life abundantly but we need to be willing to change our mindset of scarcity.

    Abundantly. Fr. David Houk. April 26, 2026.
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Sermons from St. John’s Episcopal Church, Dallas, Texas. www.stjohnsepiscopal.org

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