On May 22nd, I stood along with about 20 other Episcopal deacons and priests near the banks of the Savannah River in the center of Savannah, Georgia. There was an embankment in front of us, and we were standing in front of four archways, which led into four unlit chambers – a little smaller than living rooms, that had been cut into the embankment. These chambers are known as the Cluskey Vaults, and their historical purpose in the nineteenth continues
Read MoreNo One Walks Alone
Sermon Given at Church of the Ascension, Knoxville Seventh Sunday of Easter | June 2, 2019 Acts 16:16-34 John 17:20-26 This morning, quite deep into the season of Easter, we hear again a lesson from the Acts of Apostles. From the first day of Easter until the day of Pentecost, the Church invites us to read deeply from the Acts, to listen to the earliest stories of the infant Church. It might be wise, therefore, to pay attention to where
Read MoreA Message from Bishop Brian: Don Johnson Death Penalty Appeal
This letter from Bishop Brian was delivered to Governor Bill Lee’s office on May 9 by the Rev. Charles Fels, lawyer and priest, retired rector of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Knoxville. May 8, 2019 Governor Bill Lee First Floor Tennessee State Capital Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Dear Governor Lee, I am writing to you to ask you to spare Don Johnson’s life. I am aware that Don has expressed guilt in his role in the murder of his wife and
Read MoreReconciling Thoughts
This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. ~John 21:24-25 (NRSV) This past Sunday, many of us heard the gospel lesson from St. John’s Gospel where Jesus and Peter are reconciled over breakfast. Each
Read MoreEaster does not come to us only when we are ready for it
Sermon given on the 2nd Sunday of Easter St. John’s Cathedral, Knoxville | April 28, 2019 John 20:19-31 I would like to share a quote with you from the late British novelist and philosopher, Iris Murdoch. “Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real. Love, and so art and morals, is the discovery of that reality.” The only reason that I know of Murdoch’s words is because of another writer, Zadie Smith. Zadie Smith is
Read MoreEaster 2019
Sermon Given at St. John’s Cathedral, Knoxville Luke 24:1-12 This morning, let me add my welcome to you here at St. John’s Cathedral on this first day in the Easter season. The good people of St. John’s have outdone themselves in preparing for this morning’s worship and its glorious celebration. The flowers are a witness to resurrection and their fragrance fills the room. The light and the color and the vestments convey new life and eternal hope. The music, if
Read MoreGood Friday 2019
Sermon Given at St. Paul’s, Chattanooga | April 19, 2019 John 18:1-19:42 She was 14 years old. She was a runaway. Her name was Mary Ann. She had left home in Opa-locka, Florida. Now she was in Ohio. What exactly caused her to run away, I do not know. And the last I have read about her, she now lives in Las Vegas and works as a cashier at a casino. She may be very happy there and enjoy all
Read MoreMaundy Thursday 2019
Sermon Given at St. James Episcopal Church, Knoxville | April 18 John 13:1-17, 31b-35 “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” The woman lying in front of you is about to die. That is obvious to all gathered around her. The only question is how long before she breathes her last. There is a wash cloth on her head, keeping her forehead cool. I do not know if she is aware of
Read MoreThe Rev. Peter Munson walking 6 Million Steps for Kids visits with Bishop Brian at Tyson House at UTK
Click above for video Peter Munson is on the adventure of a lifetime – 6 Million Steps for Kids! Recently retired South Carolina priest, the Rev. Peter Munson, has embarked on a walking journey from Charleston, South Carolina, to San Francisco, California. The journey is in support of a calling – to walk across the country to raise money for four non-profit organizations that do great work for children. The project is called, “6 Million Steps for Kids,” approximately the
Read MoreEaster Message from Bishop Brian
Click above for video. I want to bring greetings to you, the good people of the Diocese of East Tennessee, as we prepare for another season of Easter. In the season of Easter, the Church hears again of the love of the resurrected Christ, the one who meets us in the garden and surprises us by knowing our name. In the Christ, we are reconciled and redeemed and it is a story of hope that we have been given, a
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