Sermon preached by the Rev. Joseph Scalisi
The Church of the Redeemer / Sarasota, Florida
5 October, 2008

“What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?”

Most of you have by now met or know about our daughter Katie, who is now two and a half years old. This past Wednesday morning we got up as usual and started on our regular morning routine. Getting her ready for her day while I feel half asleep is usually a challenge and Wednesday morning proved to be no different. Beginning the routine, we fed the dog and I asked her what she was going to do at school today. She asked me for chocolate milk and I asked her what she wanted to eat. So far, everything seemed to be going fairly well. She said, “I want to eat grapes, Daddy”. This was an unusual request for breakfast, but seeing no harm in it, I prepared a bowl full of grapes for her. Everything seemed to be going so well when the bottom fell out. She threw the bowl of grapes on the floor and began to cry. Continue reading ‘Sermon - 5 October, 2008’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The Church of the Redeemer / Sarasota, Florida
19th Sunday after Pentecost / 21 September 2008

Last week we had the great privilege of having Fr. Philbert Kalisa from Rwanda with us. This was his third visit with us. Fr. Philbert is the Founder and Director of REACH Rwanda, an organization that promotes reconciliation in that country in Africa.

When Fr. Philbert first visited us a couple of years ago his organization was new and word was spreading about what had happened in Rwanda back in 1994. A film came out about the same time about the genocide in Rwanda, which really helped Americans understand what happened there. In a period of 100 days one million Rwandans of the minority Tutsis were massacred by militant Rwandan Hutus. Continue reading ‘Sermon - 21 September, 2008’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Joseph Scalisi
The Church of the Redeemer / Sarasota, Florida
Pentecost 17 / 7 September, 2008

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, in case you didn’t already know… on a scale of 1 to 10, I’m about a 9 ½ on how introverted anyone can possibly be. I would also consider myself quite shy, which is not necessarily the same thing. So…being an introverted, shy person, climbing into this pulpit in front of hundreds of people on any given Sunday is not exactly something that I ever thought I would be doing. So, why do I do it? That is a question that I ask myself sometime. Continue reading ‘Sermon — 7 September, 2008’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The Church of the Redeemer / Sarasota, Florida
14th Sunday after Pentecost / 17 August 2008

Have you been watching the Olympics? I have only watched parts of the competitions, but the parts I have seen are truly amazing. I saw a segment of women’s gymnastics in which those young women somersaulted with twists and double-twists and were still able to land on their feet! It is simply amazing that human beings can do that!

Continue reading ‘Sermon - 17 August, 2008’ »

Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
The Church of the Redeemer
11th Sunday after Pentecost

Each one of us brings to church a whole variety of concerns. One concern that we all have in common right now is the economy. Not a few prayers have already been offered, I suspect, about the economy. I know that some of us are hurting financially. Redeemer has actually lost some members because they had to move out of the area in order to find work and more affordable housing. People in real-estate and related fields have often found their income stream slowing to a trickle. My heart goes out to everyone who is having a difficult time right now.

Continue reading ‘Sermon - 27 July, 2008’ »

Pentecost IX 2008
Fr. Joseph Scalisi

Have you ever felt like a failure? Like you had done something or failed to do something that disappointed someone or disappointed yourself? Maybe there was something you could have done to prevent what happened…or maybe it was completely beyond your control…but for whatever reason, you feel as though you failed in some important way.

Continue reading ‘Sermon - July 13, 2008’ »

The 8th Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson

Good morning. It’s good to be back with you after a refreshing vacation. We had a week in Edisto Beach in South Carolina, and most of the rest of our vacation we spent in Tennessee, with a few days out in Georgia, where we had a wonderful visit with Fr. Tom and Martha Fitzgerald.

Continue reading ‘Sermon - July 6, 2008’ »

Pentecost III 2008
Fr. Joseph Scalisi

This gospel lesson is a bit scary, isn’t it…
“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven”

However, Jesus words are not meant to produce fear and anxiety. After all, just last week we heard him say “do not be anxious”. Last week we heard him challenge us to think more about God and His righteousness, knowing that He can provide for our needs, rather than thinking only about ourselves and all the worry that goes along with trying to get what we want.

Continue reading ‘Sermon - June 1, 2008’ »

Pentecost II 2008
Fr. Fred Robinson

Dallas Willard, a professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote a book titled The Divine Conspiracy. In it he reports that “a pilot was practicing high speed maneuvers in a jet fighter. She turned the controls for what she thought was a steep ascent-and flew straight into the ground. She was unaware that she had been flying upside down.”

Continue reading ‘Sermon - May 25, 2008’ »

He goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

How do you know if you are hearing the voice of God? I think we have all asked that question before at one point or another. Or to put it another way, what does God want me to do…who does he want me to be…what does he want me to study…how does he want me to act…or who does he want me to marry. Sound more familiar?

Continue reading ‘Sermon - April 6th, 2008’ »