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Church of the Ascension

Church of the Ascension

By Church of the Ascension

This is the podcast feed for The Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Montgomery, Alabama. Here you will find sermons, studies, morning prayer, special events, and more.
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Pantocrator

Church of the AscensionMar 18, 2024

00:00
14:54
Pantocrator

Pantocrator

The eyes of blessing and judgment gaze upon us, into us, and we are known by God at our most basic sense as an expression of God’s own love.  This is the Pantocrator—the all-powerful—the one who will hesitate a moment in his ego and respond from his soul as the two become one unity, ordered in the divine/human offering he makes for us. 

Mar 18, 202414:54
Intermission

Intermission

We have been reflecting on what sources of technology we use, why we use them and then trying to moderate our engagement with our screens or other tools of technology. Now at this midpoint in our journey we will begin to look at ways to improve our relationships with those tools.

Mar 12, 202407:46
Thomas Cranmer

Thomas Cranmer

We have no power in ourselves to help ourselves—but we can choose to focus on God and call upon him for our protection and defense such that our souls may not be hurt or assaulted. 

Mar 04, 202414:51
Taking Time to Reflect

Taking Time to Reflect

This Lent we are being called to remember that we are created in God’s image and made for relationship with him. Our collect this morning is reminding us that God is gracious to all who have gone astray. Understanding ourselves is all about understanding our place in Holy Fellowship with Him and with each other.

Feb 26, 202410:09
I Want My MTV

I Want My MTV

Change your background chorus from “I want my MTV” (or whatever worldly thing that calls your name) to “I want my mighty God.”  Make that your covenant this Lent and through all the days of your wandering life.

Feb 20, 202411:56
Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

God always loves us—no matter what—and hatest nothing he has made.  Linger not in depravation this Lent, lamenting that which you have given up or not given up, but turn your hearts to God. 

Feb 15, 202409:49
Timing is Everything

Timing is Everything

Timing is everything.  And on that mountain in that moment of transfiguration, God is revealed.  I want to yell, “Peter, stop!  Don’t miss it.”  And then I realize, that is because we are all so like Peter—distracted by the world and our desires to control that which we do not understand rather than bearing witness to the revelation of God all around us.  The Transfiguration is about Jesus, but I cannot help but to think of Moses, Elijah, Rosa Parks, Absalom jones, and all the giants who have borne witness to the God who is revealed here in this world.

Feb 13, 202412:56
Scout Sunday

Scout Sunday

I have many wonderful memories and maybe more importantly, I am the person I am today thanks in large part to my involvement in Scouting. Thank you all for what you do and most importantly for who you are and for sharing your light with one another and all those whom you serve.

Feb 05, 202411:16
Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories

We take comfort in knowing that our God is continually seeking us out, until we say here I am Lord.

Jan 29, 202410:16
Casting Your Net

Casting Your Net

Jesus didn’t tell the four fishermen to stop being fishermen.  He invited them to fish for something different—to fish for people, to grow in relationship.  Jesus continues to invite us to come and follow him even today.  He doesn’t tell us we have to be something different, only that we reconsider and reorient our purposes so that they align with his—that they focus on relationships; our partnering with God and one another.

Jan 22, 202411:30
Season of Light

Season of Light

Epiphany is a season of light, a time to reflect on how our hearts and lives can be a light to others. One thing about this light is that it's not meant for us to keep it to ourselves.  We aren’t meant to hide the light away and keep it a secret.  It is meant for all so that all might see the gifts of creation.

Jan 22, 202409:15
The Why of Baptism

The Why of Baptism

It seems to me that Jesus’ baptism is maybe more about the revelation of his true identity and his commissioning into God’s shared earthly ministry here on earth rather than on a need for repentance. As beings created in God’s image, Jesus is modeling for us what our new calling here on earth will be. That the repentance in our baptisms is maybe less about our personal need for forgiveness and maybe more about an acceptance of our calling into this shared work of love.

Jan 08, 202411:00
Mount Saint Helens

Mount Saint Helens

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,

And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up.

So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise 

To spring up before all the nations.

Jan 03, 202409:19
The End is Near

The End is Near

To trust God is to recognize that Advent is about trusting in God’s promise of renewal and hope.  It is not the time of the ending of all things, but a time of new hope, new possibility, new beginnings. 

Dec 18, 202312:42
Remember the Past, Embrace the Future

Remember the Past, Embrace the Future

Isaiah reminds us that we are called to remember the past while embracing the future. This is embodied in Jesus. In this season of new beginnings let us reflect on our past while embracing all the hope and joy that the future has to offer as we walk hand in hand with Jesus and with each other.

Dec 11, 202310:59
Act 4

Act 4

If we think we are living in act five—the end times—and allowing fear to drive our beliefs and choices, then we are missing out on the joy, opportunity, and creative nature that is the church. Most of all, we are missing out on nurturing our relationship with the one who shapes us as the work of his hands: the Father in which we are the clay and he is the potter.

Dec 05, 202312:20
Wellness Check

Wellness Check

When we feed, give drink, visit, welcome, and cloth the stranger we do this to Jesus because we are all created in our beloved maker’s image and so are created with his light and life in us. While we all are a little bit goat and we all are a little bit sheep, I think Jesus is calling us this morning to be his sheep in the world as we seek to spread his love in a world full of goats.

Nov 27, 202308:07
Hope and Possibility

Hope and Possibility

That is the invitation we are always being offered by God. The invitation to live in this world from a position of hope instead of fear, from possibility instead of doubt.

Nov 20, 202314:59
Being Prepared

Being Prepared

The kingdom of heaven summons us to new life, active waiting in hope, and renewed vigor in faith. The best part of all of this is that Jesus is preparing a huge feast for us. A feast that we are all invited to. The real truth is that the door is always open for us at all times, day or night, but we must be prepared to enter that door when the time comes.  

Nov 15, 202311:04
All Saints' Sunday

All Saints' Sunday

Jesus reminds us through the beatitudes that this life is not an easy one but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a joyful one.  Blessed are we when we do not allow the distractions of the world to keep us from dying to false self and embracing our true self in joy and wonder; when we embrace the spirit of all the saints as a little child might receive them and claim our true inheritance in the kingdom of God.

Nov 06, 202315:44
Sergeant York

Sergeant York

Jesus shows us that what is most important is that we give our hearts to God and the rest will follow. In giving our hearts to God, our motivations will be good. We won’t always get it right but in loving God our intentions will be good.

Oct 24, 202309:12
Confirmation Sunday

Confirmation Sunday

Confirmation Sunday with Rt. Rev. Dr. Glenda Curry.

Oct 16, 202317:02
Fall Harvest

Fall Harvest

God gives us fertile soil in which to grow in the rich relationships that we are given as caretakers. Our family and friends, our church, our work relationships, and social groups are all fertile grounds of connection that we are called to nurture. How are we doing with our harvest?

Oct 10, 202308:54
Blessing of the Animals

Blessing of the Animals

With everything going on today in our lives, I ask you to take a moment and be wholly present here today and bless all of these precious creatures God gave us.  Remove those outside distractions because they will still be there when we are done.  And remember, there is a God who is fully present in all our days and all our moments.  Good and Bad, God is fully present with us.

Oct 03, 202307:15
Eat the Worms

Eat the Worms

We can choose to pout and sing songs like, “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me…” and eat the worms of dissatisfaction and disengagement or we can choose to give as God gives to each of us.  We can choose to be offensive in our grace—giving in such a way that is unexpected, even to ourselves.  The parable Jesus tells this morning is one of equality in the eyes of God. It is also one of choice—we can choose to be the laborers who rise early and get to work—giving fully of ourselves and expecting fully of God.

Sep 25, 202314:14
Forgiveness is the Attitude of the Strong

Forgiveness is the Attitude of the Strong

While there must be an effort on our part to seek reconciliation with ourselves and with those whom we have wronged, we are called to recognize our own humanity so that we may seek and serve that same humanity in others.

Sep 18, 202309:10
Rolling in Dead Fish

Rolling in Dead Fish

The goal of the church, of those who belong to the salvific community of Christ, is to embody the holiness of God in life and witness. We do that by being the place of return; an open and inviting place that praises one another for our willingness to return to God—even and especially when that choice is hard.  We don’t go to church to avoid the devil; we go to church to grow in our love of God and one another.

Sep 11, 202312:15
Bearing the Cross

Bearing the Cross

Cross-bearing does not have to mean what it meant for Jesus:  the price is already paid for in his blood. For most of us today, cross-bearing means serving others with compassion. Because all of us are cross-bearers, and all of us are gods’ allies. And, when we take up our cross and faithfully follow Jesus without worldly distractions, we find ourselves resurrected to a new life in many different ways.

Sep 05, 202310:51
Son of Man

Son of Man

God doesn’t perceive us as sinners in need of redemption. He knows us to be his children. Our perception as sinners is a name we give ourselves. And in so doing, we have lost the awareness of who we truly are.

Aug 28, 202311:26
Fountains of Youth

Fountains of Youth

When Jesus doesn’t respond to us in the way we want, what does our pursuit of him look like? Are we willing to accept the miracles he gives and continue to pursue him even when the miracles he gives are not the miracles we expected?

Aug 21, 202309:49
Walking on Water

Walking on Water

We laugh because God laughs too.

Aug 14, 202314:01
The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration

We must open our eyes and see the world as it is, as a beloved child of God. We must let God's love transfigure our hearts and then take that love down from the mountain and bring it into the world to share.

Aug 07, 202313:27
Pass or Fail

Pass or Fail

As recipients of God’s love, we are called to in turn share that love with all those whom we encounter. This is the work of building the kingdom.

Jul 31, 202309:03
Heroes & Heroines

Heroes & Heroines

Our stories are how we understand who we are, and what we strive for in the world.

Jul 24, 202314:59
Sowing Seeds

Sowing Seeds

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seed you plant

Jul 17, 202313:30
Be Christopher Robin

Be Christopher Robin

It it better to hurt with the truth than comfort with a lie.

Jul 05, 202312:25
Life is a Pilgrimage

Life is a Pilgrimage

The Christian life is a pilgrimage from earth to heaven, and our task is to take as many as possible with us as we make this journey.

Jun 26, 202310:09
The Trail of Tears... And Hope

The Trail of Tears... And Hope

Hope makes room for love.  It liberates us, freeing us from our fears.  It unites us, breaking down the barriers that isolate us from one another.  Hope is about casting vision.  The more we share in hope, the brighter the light will shine.  Hope knows the shadow of darkness, but it does not linger there.  

Jun 20, 202313:52
Beautiful Sunsets Need Cloudy Skies

Beautiful Sunsets Need Cloudy Skies

Notice those little signs from God that help strengthen your faith and continue your call to Follow.

Jun 12, 202308:41
In the Beginning

In the Beginning

As people of the Trinity, we know that the only way to live in unity is by celebrating our diversity and turning our hearts to the possibility and promise that God’s very creation offers us.

Jun 05, 202314:45
The Day of Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost

Come Holy Spirit upon all of us this Day! Like a mighty rushing wind that blows through those doors and ignites that flame within all of our hearts today and forevermore.

May 30, 202310:24
What is Prayer?

What is Prayer?

Jesus wants to share a gift with those who follow him that is only realized through relationship with the Father that will be achieved through the Holy Spirit.

May 22, 202308:13
The Challenge of Faith

The Challenge of Faith

We may all wrestle with God from time to time, but in doing so we realize that we have never let go of God, and He has never let go of us.

May 15, 202314:40
The Way, The Truth, The Life

The Way, The Truth, The Life

If we live the way Jesus lives then we don’t have to worry about finding our way to the kingdom—we will already be a part of it.

May 08, 202316:55
The Lord is our Shepherd

The Lord is our Shepherd

Jesus is trying to keep all of us in a community together. A community that loves each other and looks out for each other. Not a community that looks at differences but a beloved community that embraces differences and grows together, stronger as one.

May 01, 202307:05
Jesus Swag

Jesus Swag

Maybe Jesus swag comes to us in grace, that unearned and underserved love of Jesus that everyone sees in how we love and care for our neighbor.

Apr 24, 202310:05
Youth Sunday

Youth Sunday

Be an act of God's presence in someone else’s life


Apr 17, 202305:00
Jesus is the Life of the Party

Jesus is the Life of the Party

May your Easter be filled with love, laughter, and joy!

Apr 12, 202314:38
Palm Sunday to the Passion

Palm Sunday to the Passion

From king to cross. It is finished. Yet, when Jesus breathes his last, we know that truly it has just begun.


Apr 03, 202310:10
The Gifts That God Offers

The Gifts That God Offers

The Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.

Mar 27, 202311:55