Words From Silence: Contemplation in a World of Action

A Sermon Preached at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark 2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Psalm 89:20-37; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 The Reverend Tyler B. Doherty, Priest-in-Charge Under Construction: The Household of God One way to think of the human condition is as a case of mistaken identity. We think our identity resides in our family, group, political identity, or institution and invest our energies into maintaining and protecting that identity at all costs. We build fences, enforce borders, top our walls with razor wire all in an effort to protect our over-identified   allegiance to our little patch of turf. Our passage from Ephesians reminds us that who we are is not just a product of our family, culture, bloodline, or bank account. Those houses that we build ultimately topple down because they are built with the shoddy materials of the self-centered ego. Who we are is a beloved daughter or son of God, created in God’s image and likeness and   in whom God is well-pl...

A Sermon Preached at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29 The Reverend Tyler B. Doherty, Priest-in-Charge This past week, as I’ve sat with and mulled over our gospel for text for today, I have been haunted by Herodias’ question to her mother—“What should I ask for?” The reply, of course, sets in motion the death of John the Baptist with that gruesome scene of his head being displayed on a platter to the approval and amusement of Herod’s gathered guests. One little detail that helps us understand this text is to know that the word Mark uses for Herodias is korasion , which indicates that she is a young, pre-adolescent girl, not some lustful sex-pot go-go dancer as she is often portrayed. Herodias goes to her mother and asks her what she should ask for, what she should want. She quite naturally looks to mom for guidance on what is the proper telos , or end, of human life. And the answer is rather horrifying—mainta...

A Sermon Preached at the Cathedral Church of St. mark 2 Samuel 5: 1-10; Psalm 48; 2 Corinthians 12: 2-10; Mark 6: 1-13 The Reverend Tyler B. Doherty, Priest-in-Charge When I was in university, I had a job at a Garden Center in North Toronto—Fairlawn Market. It was owned by a bear of a man, a former Canadian Football League linebacker who was tough as nails (probably tougher). He had a heart-attack one day and was back at work before dawn the next, grimacing as the staples in his chest popped out whenever he lifted something heavy. Needless to say, Jim Bolton was not a man to be trifled with. So it was with some trepidation that I showed up for work at 4:45 a.m. to meet the flower trucks as they pulled into the yard with flats of annuals—petunias, impatiens, geraniums—all the usual summer fare. My job was to get these huge steel racks of flower flats down the truck ramp. The racks were easily seven feet tall and weighed a couple hundred pounds. What I didn’t realize is that on...