Sermons and other work from Jessica Harmon
Proper 29, Year B St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Lodi, CA 2 Samuel 23:1-7Psalm 132:1-13 (14-19)Revelation 1:4b-8John 18:33-37 What is truth? Well, the truth is we were not supposed to hear that question today. I asked Penny and Deacon Tom if we could include that extra half verse on the end of our gospel reading. When the powers that be chose the texts for the Revised Common Lectionary, they
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Proper 25 Year B St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Lodi, CA Job 42:1-6, 10-17 (end of job) Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22) Hebrews 7:23-28 (eternal priest) Mark 10:46-52 (Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus) Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
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Proper 19 Year B St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Visalia, CA Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 116:1-8 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 As some of you may know, before I went to seminary I studied linguistics. I didn’t learn how to speak every language like Uhura on star trek, but i did learn a lot about how language works in people’s minds. One of the most wonderful things about language is that I can
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Proper 15 Year B (Morning Prayer) St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Lodi CA 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 Psalm 111 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58 Collect: Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his
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Easter 7, Year B St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Lodi, CA John 17:6-19 This week’s gospel lesson feels a little like we’re looking backwards in the story. Next week is Pentecost already. Why are we reading a passage from holy week? When we read about Jesus praying in Gethsemane during holy week it seems to mean something specific for that week. It is Jesus praying for his disciples over
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Easter 4, Year B St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Lodi, CA Acts 4:5-12 [1 John 3:16-24] John 10:11-18 Psalm 23 This past week was a pretty exciting one for those sort of paraliturgical holidays we love to celebrate. We had Earth Day on Thursday. On Friday it was St. George’s Day, which is actually an important patriotic holiday in England, and is remembered in the Episcopal Church because our
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Lent 5, Year B St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Lodi, CA Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20-33 Psalm 51:1-13 The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Next week we’ll commemorate Jesus’s triumphal entry into the city, with palms and shouting crowds. This week we’re looking at Jesus’s last public sermon. There are several more theological discourses to come, but those were with the disciples
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Sermon Epiphany 2 year B St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Lodi, CA 1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20) (Call of Samuel) John 1:43-51 (Call of Nathanael) Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17 (knit me in my mother’s womb) The question that comes to my mind with the readings today is: would I recognize God if I were Samuel, or Nathanael, or even our psalmist? It’s clear from each of these stories that God knows *us*…but
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Advent 4, Year B St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Lodi, CA 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Luke 1:26-38 It’s been 9 months. We’ve been waiting and fretting for 9 months. Almost 10. 40 whole weeks. That is how long a human pregnancy takes. 40 weeks ago, in church time, was when the passage we heard today took place. 40 weeks ago, Mary heard God’s plan for the salvation of the
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On Sundays during Lent, I am offering a class at my internship parish, St. Jon’s in Lodi, CA, exploring different prayer practices. Each week we will look at a scripture passage and a prayer practice from the diversity of the Christian tradition…and there will be a related hands-on activity! Let us join together in exploring our tradition and deepening our prayer life! Hard copies of the materials and supplies for the activities are available for pickup at the
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