In his last Sunday at Holy Communion, the Rev. Mike Angell preached a sermon he didn't expect to preach: The parable of the sower is not about faith or performance. Jesus' story is about God's abundant, reckless, love.Oleh Holy Communion

After 8 years as rector, and hosting theology on Tap, the Rev. Mike Angell is departing to be rector of a congregation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hannah Shanks interviews him, and the gathering asks questions as we prepare to say goodbye.Oleh Holy Communion

In our rector's second to last sermon he invites us: "keep seeking to follow Jesus. Don't let the anxieties of the world or the church weigh you down. Keep inviting all the wrong people to the table. Keep gathering in a spirit of gentleness, of humility, keep sharing joy and love."Oleh Holy Communion

In her last sermon at Holy Communion, the Rev. Loretta Go talks about her time with us. We wish her every blessing in her future ministry. (Apologies for issues with the audio. A lightning strike near the church overnight temporarily disabled some of our equipment).Oleh Holy Communion

Join us for a conversation with Rabbi Daniel Bogard. Daniel has been co-teaching a class at Eden Seminary this semester on theology and Star Trek. How does science fiction reflect and affect our faith today? Trekkies and non-trekkies are welcomeOleh Holy Communion

After notifying the congregation that he has taken a new call, the Rev. Mike Angell preaches: "Life comes with complicated emotions. It is okay, when a pastor leaves to feel excited for them, and a bit sad, and a bit angry. It's okay if your emotions are complicated, and it has nothing to do with church too."…

The Rev. Chester Hines preaches on Jesus' sending out of the 12 apostles in mission to the world.Oleh Holy Communion

Is your faith a system of belief, or is your faith a journey? How we frame what we mean by faith can determine the kind of Christians we become.Oleh Holy Communion

On Pentecost, what do we miss because of our self-protective cynicism? Can we make room for mystery? Can we make room for God's Spirit? Can we learn to trust?Oleh Holy Communion

In order to understand the Ascension, you have to see the pattern. Every time the people want to take Jesus and install him in a throne of power, he escapes. Every time they ask Jesus when he will give them power, he says "you're missing the point." Jesus ascends to heaven itself to frustrate all our human desires for control and certainty.…

On Mothers' Day: what happens if we imagine God as a mother? What happens if we imagine the Spirit as a beloved auntie? How does shifting our sense of the divine feminine change our spirituality?Oleh Holy Communion

(The almost Rev.) David Luckes comes back to Holy Communion to preach about the stoning of Stephen, the challenge of Jesus, and joy as he prepares to be ordained a deacon on June 3.Oleh Holy Communion

We live in the days of constant distraction, with technologies and ideologies competing for our attention. Today it is hard to tune out the angry noise. But if you listen, you can still hear the Good Shepherd's song.Oleh Holy Communion

Jesus calls his disciples, on the road to Emmaus "slow of heart." After this week in Missouri, it is easy to see Christians who are too slow to love. LGBTQ+ people, trans people, are being attacked in our state. Our faith isn't about wishing away diversity. At this church we practice knowing in our hearts that all our differences somehow fit within…

Welcome to Easter part 2. The Rev. Julie Graham preaches on the story of Doubting ThomasOleh Holy Communion

On Easter morning, we find Mary at the tomb, weeping. "Why are you crying?" she is asked. I suspect many of us know, know in our bones this pain, this grief. Easter is the story not just of Jesus rising up, but of Mary too. Mary goes to tell good news from the graveyard. Mary is sent so the world may know, hope is never finally dead.…

On Good Friday, the Rev. Julie Graham wonders what it means that Jesus died on the cross. She invites us to see the day not in a transactional way, but in a way that opens us to those who suffer.Oleh Holy Communion

The Rev. Mike Angell preaches on Sunday. Holy Week teaches us, for Christians, there is no escaping pain and loss. The only way out is through, and the only way through is together.Oleh Holy Communion

Pilgrimage this Spring is taking a look at Spiritual Practices. Each Sunday we’ll take a look at Spiritual Practices that make up the life of faith, organized by time. This week, we look at annual practices, the cycle of the church year, and rules of life. You can find the slides, and the video Mike mentions on the page for this class here: https:/…

The Rev. Julie Graham invites us into the space to say, "Jesus, if you had been here." What does it mean to trust God with our grief and our lament?Oleh Holy Communion

Our Rabbi in Residence Rori Picker Neiss preaches on the fourth Sunday of Lent.Oleh Holy Communion

Faith tends to do one of two things. It can close us down or open us up. When you read a Gospel like story of the Samaritan Woman, you have to wonder why we think it's our job, as Christians, to shut people down. Ours is a faith with the capacity to bring light, and curiosity, and hope. Ours is a faith which can help us to laugh and to listen.…

Pilgrimage this Spring is taking a look at Spiritual Practices. Each Sunday we’ll take a look at Spiritual Practices that make up the life of faith, organized by time. It may seem odd to talk about practices across the whole of life. I contest, however, that there are some practices which see us through the various stages of our development. In thi…

How many of us are covert about our Christian faith because we don't want to be associated with that label? John 3:16 is perhaps the most famous line in the Bible. How we read it, how we interpret it, tells us a great deal about the kind of Christianity we practice. Is your faith about exclusion, hate and power? Is your faith about love?…

On the last Sunday of our February Black History month series, Deborah Nelson-Linck considers the place of teaching history. In a wide-ranging sermon on the "Great Cloud of Witnesses" she wonders what role the church can plan in teaching the stories some in our society want left out.Oleh Holy Communion

On Ash Wednesday, the Rev. Mike Angell asks: "how will your Lenten Discipline help you to be more fully alive?"Oleh Holy Communion

On the last Sunday of Epiphany, the Rev. Julie Graham prepares us for Lent by asking "which shrines do you need to unbuild?"Oleh Holy Communion

Guest preacher Dr. LJ Punch, a transmasculine trauma surgeon and director of two innovative clinics in St. Louis preaches on the importance of Jesus' words about the body. How can we be our whole selves?Oleh Holy Communion

Senior Warden Rudy Nickens kicks off our February preaching series, with a sermon on Jesus' "You are the salt of the earth." The Black community brings flavor, life, and stories of resistance. Join us as we mark Black History Month, especially this year.Oleh Holy Communion

In his annual "state of the church" address and sermon, the rector says: "in the year (and years) ahead, I pray that Holy Communion is known as the church where we do justice."Oleh Holy Communion

On January 18, 2023 our Rabbi in Residence Rori Picker Neiss joined us for an intimate conversation on life, death, and interfaith work for justice.Oleh Holy Communion

The Rev. Julie Graham invites us to consider, what are we invited to leave behind, as we seek to follow Jesus?Oleh Holy Communion

On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's weekend, the rector asks: "Where is your village?" If you want to make a difference in the world. You're going to need a village. Don't miss the movement for the sake of honoring the man.Oleh Holy Communion

On the feast of the Epiphany, the rector considers whether a non-Christian can be a godparent. What does it mean to godparent in the 21st century? All of us need people, sometimes from beyond our immediate family,to name and nurture the good, the true, the beautiful in us. We need community willing to name what is holy in our lives.…

On the Sunday after Christmas, our Associate Rector asks "Was Christmas everything you dreamed?"Oleh Holy Communion

The Dalai Lama has said, "you must know the rules well, so you can break them properly." Christmas is all about God's rule breaking love, and not about our ability to get anything right.Oleh Holy Communion

On Christmas Eve, the Rev. Mike Angell asks, "What does it mean to call Christ King? What does it mean to sing, 'Joy to the World' about this particular and difficult story of a birth?"Oleh Holy Communion

The Rev. Mike Angell asks Jesus' question: "What did you go out to the wilderness to see?" Where is your hope this Advent? What is your hope for Christmas?Oleh Holy Communion

When the rector is suddenly out sick, the Rev. Julie Graham has to quickly adapt. She shares what would have been the children's chapel story as a sermon and meditation on the second Sunday of Advent.Oleh Holy Communion

On the first Sunday of Advent, the rector wonders why Jesus asks us to "Keep Awake." What are we to do with all the prophecy of the end of the world? Can we hear the "counterpoint" tune that Advent plays? Can we learn to wait?Oleh Holy Communion

As we come to the end of the church year, the rector pauses to reflect. What does it mean to live in God's time? What does it mean to tell the sacred story again and again? How do we believe, against all the false tales the world wants to hand us, that we are God's beloved?Oleh Holy Communion

On the Feast of All Saints Day, the Bishop encourages us: You are the only Christ some people will encounter this day. You are the only sign of God's love that some people will encounter today. Let God's light shine.Oleh Holy Communion

Our relaunch of Theology on Tap: a conversation with iconographer Kelly Latimore on the feast of All Saints. Kelly created the icon “Mama” at Holy Communion, which has received national press attentionOleh Holy Communion

This has been a tough week for St. Louis. How do we make room for grief, for anger, and for hope? How do we work together to make change?Oleh Holy Communion

What if we thought of Christianity less as a "system of rigid belief" and more as a set of practices that make up a way of life? The Rev. Mike Angell discusses the Baptismal Covenant of the Episcopal Church. As some of our members prepare for Confirmation or Reception in the church, what do you have to believe? What does this "way of life" offer to…

Today's story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector's prayers give us two images of an approach to faith and life. The Rev. Julie Graham leans on the work of Parker Palmer and Marcy Jackson to ask: "Are we operating from a story of ego, or a story of soul?"Oleh Holy Communion

What does Jesus mean when he says, "your faith has made you well?" The Rev. Mike Angell considers questions of health, wholeness, salvation and belonging.Oleh Holy Communion

What is Common Prayer? The Rev. Mike Angell discusses the history of the Episcopal/Anglican tradition of Common Prayer. At the end he asks three questions:Where in your own prayer life are you informed by tradition?Where in your own life of prayer could you seek to be more “in the language of the day?” (How do you bring your prayer into dialogue wi…

On St. Francis Day 2022, the rector preaches a sermon looking at the ecological crisis. In order to overcome this moment, we will need prayer and a deeper and broader sense of what Spirituality means.Oleh Holy Communion

On the Eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, our Rabbi in Residence, Maharat Rori Picker Neiss preaches on the possibility we all have for giving birth to God's Kingdom in each moment.Oleh Holy Communion