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THE LEAD LIGHT: Happenings, Aug 4, 2026

HAPPENINGS LEAD ARTICLE AUGUST 4, 2026 One of the things I often struggle with is thinking it is ok to pray for things I want. Prayer is often, in my default mode, simply for people who are ill, people who are struggling, people who are facing great challenges. It’s one of the reasons, I think, that when we pray for the blessings of this life, the room, wherever you happen to be, becomes deathly silent. We don’t know how to pray for what we want or give thanks for the good things we have. Worse than both of those, we don’t think God wants to hear our blessings and our hopes. Contrast that of course, to being in a room where we are asked to pray for those in need. The cacophony of names, causes, tragedies and other things will ring aloud for minutes before it comes to an end. On my way out of the Church last Sunday, Dee asked if it would be ok to pray for the Memorial Garden, the Rainbow Bridge and the Harvest Bazaar. These are core ministries that will impact the community where we liv...
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SERMON SPOTLIGHT: 10 Pentecost, Proper 13A

The Rev. Aron Kramer 10 Pentecost, Proper 13A August 2nd, 2026 Matthew shares the story of the feeding of the five thousand almost as a second thought. But notice where the story begins. "Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself." There are five words that significantly change this story. Five words that have been cut out of the Gospel with very interesting repercussions. Those five words are: “Now when Jesus heard this,”. What was it Jesus had heard? He had just heard that John was dead. His cousin, the one who baptized him. John's head had just been served on a platter at Herod's birthday party, brutal, horrific, simply absurd, demeaning and inhuman. Hearing this, and probably knowing exactly how it all went down, Jesus got in a boat, to grieve the loss of his loved one. Grief is cut out of this Gospel without a second thought, the idea of Jesus in pain, crying, grieving the loss of someone is too much to bear for even the men and women who curated ou...
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SERMON SPOTLIGHT: Sunday July 12, 2026 Proper 10A

The Rev. Aron Kramer, Rector St Edward's Episcopal Church Sunday, July 12, 2026 Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 Psalm 45: 11-18 Romans 7:15-25a Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30 Going through old sermons, I found one I preached years ago that ended with a plea. I asked that we let the Word of God break out of the box we had contained it in. I said the call to sow, the same call we hear about in today's Gospel, is not for us, not for this congregation, this gathered people, it is for everyone else in the world, those we love and those we do not, those we know and those we do not. I said: sow your seed. Let it all go. That was twenty or so years ago. And I have learned something in the years since that I did not know when I preached those words. I have learned that the box we tend to put God into serves excellent snacks and mediocre coffee. You all here at St. Ed’s are the most hospitable people I have ever served with. I want you to hear that, because I mean it, and because I am not goin...
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SERMON SPOTLIGHT: 5 Pentecost, Proper 8; June 28, 2026

A sermon by The Rev. Aron Kramer Sunday, June 28, 2026 5 Pentecost; Proper 8A Abraham is a vital and important figure of the Church. For ten previous chapters in Genesis, which we don’t get to see in a consistent, week to week reading, Genesis tells his story, and what we discover is that Abraham is not a quiet man. When God promised him a son in his old age, he fell on his face and laughed. He didn’t hesitate, the absurdity of the promise made him laugh, almost right in God’s face. When God announced that Sodom would burn, Abraham did not bow his head; he bargained directly with God, like a man haggling at a farmer’s market: what if there are fifty righteous, he asks God? Forty-five? Ten? “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do justice?” Abraham is a man who knew how to open his mouth to God. He laughed at God, he argued with God, he talked back to God, and God did not strike him down. God, instead, called him a friend. This morning we get another story of Abraham and his family, thi...
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EDWARD'S ECHOES: Pauli Murray, Priest, 1985

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  July 1 Pauli Murray Lessons and Psalm Isaiah 55:10-13 Psalm 119:17-24 Galatians 3:23-29 Mark 12:1-12 The Collect Liberating God, we thank you for the steadfast courage of your servant Pauli Murray, who fought long and well: Unshackle us from the chains of prejudice and fear, that we may show forth the reconciling love and true freedom which you revealed in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Their Story Pauli Murray was an early and committed civil rights activist and the first African American woman ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church.  Born in Baltimore in 1910, Murray was raised in Durham, North Carolina, and graduated from Hunter College in 1933. After seeking admission to graduate school at the University of North Carolina in 1938, she was denied entry due to her race. She went on to graduate from Howard University Law School in 1944. While a student at Howard, she participated i...
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THE LEAD LIGHT: Happenings Lead Article for June 30, 2026

FROM YOUR RECTOR One of the fascinating things about being in Ireland for the days I was there, was the number of times Oliver Cromwell’s name came up. Usually when names come up they are remembered fondly and with joy. Barack Obama. Oprah Winfrey. Prince. People who have had an impact on politics, on society, on the culture we experience. Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who rose from modest roots in Huntingdon to become one of the most powerful figures in England’s history. A devout Puritan, he served in Parliament before the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642 transformed his life. Though he had no formal military training, he proved a talented commander, leading decisive victories. After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, the monarchy was abolished and England declared a Commonwealth. Cromwell emerged as its dominant figure, and in 1653 he was named Lord Protector, effectively ruling the nation until his death in 1658. He declined an offer of...
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EDWARD'S ECHOES: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

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June 24 The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Lessons and Psalm  Isaiah 40:1-11  Psalm 85 or 85:7-13  Acts 13:14b-26  Luke 1:57-80 The Collect Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Their Story John the Baptist, the prophet, and forerunner of Jesus, was the son of elderly parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and according to the Gospel of Luke, he was related to Jesus on his mother’s side. His birth is celebrated six months before Christmas Day, since, according to Luke, Elizabeth became pregnant six months b...
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