All Recordings from The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
Mar 29, 2024 |
WLSU, Save Me but Not Like That
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulWLSU, Save Me but Not Like That
Jesus goes to work, and he heals people. He helps people. He saves people. Then he heads to Jerusalem, the political, cultural, religious, social center of his people, and he goes there during Passover, when every one of these oppressed Israelites has Egypt and the Exodus and liberation on the brain. And he symbolizes for so many of them the possibility of deliverance – of salvation – not just from some abstract afterlife Hell, but from the things that are harming them here and now. Hosanna! Help us!
This is a promising moment. It quickly disintegrates. After several days of teaching and fierce verbal confrontations with religious leaders and cultural influencers, Jesus is arrested, put on trial, and publicly executed. Among those who advocated so strongly for his death were the people who had cried Hosanna the loudest. The week between Palm Sunday and Easter is the grotesque illustration of what happens when we don’t like how God wants to help us.
What Jesus does is he reminds each person that they need saving not just from some governing power or corrupt system – they also need saving from themselves, from their own ability to sabotage their lives, their own resistance to God’s love and justice, their own complicity in the things that push them further from God. And he’s not speaking to them from on high, from above the fray, from a place of privilege. Like all good prophets, he’s speaking to them as one of them.
As you may recall, it does not go well.
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Mar 28, 2024 |
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Maundy Thursday Holy Eucharist & Hand and Foot Washing
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneThursday, March 28, 2024 Maundy Thursday Holy Eucharist & Hand and Foot Washing
Join us for worship this Thursday, March 28 for this Maundy Thursday Holy Eucharist & Hand and Foot Washing with The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade, Celebrant and The Rev. Melanie Slane , Preacher.
With the Church of the Redeemer Choir.
With the Church of the Redeemer Choir.
Mar 28, 2024 |
The Riddle of Jesus and Judas
| The Rev. Gary LubinThe Riddle of Jesus and Judas
Having his last supper with the disciples a troubled
Jesus announces that one of them is his betrayer. And do you know, if you read that carefully,
every one of them is bewildered.
They have no clue. And their uncertainty suggests that it could be any one of them. A notable example is Peter, who refutes that he would ever deny Jesus, but then does so three times, cock a doodle doo. And speaking of Peter, he's the one that beckons John, the beloved disciple, reclining right next to Jesus to ask for the name of the traitor.
Well, and Jesus answers, kind of vaguely, It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread, he says. Well, Judas may have gotten the first piece of bread, but he didn't get the last piece of bread. They all share the very same communal bread and wine. And then we will do that very shortly together. And I take great comfort in doing that with you because I confess that I too have betrayed Jesus selling him out to suffering and death in this time and place by failing to love as I should.
Here's the question before us in this day and age, isn’t Jesus among us even now as the other? The last, the lost, the least, the lonely, and the left out. Jesus beckons us to love God and to love one another. And you know, fortunately we all have a community to do that, but many others do not. Now paradoxically, I think we can look to Judas for answers.
They have no clue. And their uncertainty suggests that it could be any one of them. A notable example is Peter, who refutes that he would ever deny Jesus, but then does so three times, cock a doodle doo. And speaking of Peter, he's the one that beckons John, the beloved disciple, reclining right next to Jesus to ask for the name of the traitor.
Well, and Jesus answers, kind of vaguely, It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread, he says. Well, Judas may have gotten the first piece of bread, but he didn't get the last piece of bread. They all share the very same communal bread and wine. And then we will do that very shortly together. And I take great comfort in doing that with you because I confess that I too have betrayed Jesus selling him out to suffering and death in this time and place by failing to love as I should.
Here's the question before us in this day and age, isn’t Jesus among us even now as the other? The last, the lost, the least, the lonely, and the left out. Jesus beckons us to love God and to love one another. And you know, fortunately we all have a community to do that, but many others do not. Now paradoxically, I think we can look to Judas for answers.
Mar 28, 2024 |
Intimacy, vulnerability, and steadfast love are interwoven
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinIntimacy, vulnerability, and steadfast love are interwoven
Jesus is describing his own death, a death he understands as necessary for our salvation. So, there's intimacy, vulnerability, and there's deep commitment born of love. We see all three of these in this Gospel reading.
In our own lives are there moments we want to shy away. We want to turn away. We want to turn inward and avoid intimacy, avoid vulnerability, avoid any soul-deep commitment to love. I certainly know I've been in those places of avoidance. It's part of our human condition. And part of our conditioning.
Intimacy may be interpreted as dependence, as vulnerability, or as weakness, as commitment to love may raise up the strongest sense of vulnerability. And yet we know love needs intimacy, of being willing to be present and close to another. Love requires vulnerability. Being willing to be seen, to be transparent in our moments of fear or struggle.
Love needs steadfastness to endure the challenges and complexities of individuals, families, of communities. Intimacy, vulnerability, and steadfast love are interwoven.
In our own lives are there moments we want to shy away. We want to turn away. We want to turn inward and avoid intimacy, avoid vulnerability, avoid any soul-deep commitment to love. I certainly know I've been in those places of avoidance. It's part of our human condition. And part of our conditioning.
Intimacy may be interpreted as dependence, as vulnerability, or as weakness, as commitment to love may raise up the strongest sense of vulnerability. And yet we know love needs intimacy, of being willing to be present and close to another. Love requires vulnerability. Being willing to be seen, to be transparent in our moments of fear or struggle.
Love needs steadfastness to endure the challenges and complexities of individuals, families, of communities. Intimacy, vulnerability, and steadfast love are interwoven.
Mar 28, 2024 |
More Intimacy than One can Handle
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulMore Intimacy than One can Handle
Intimacy is connection. Knowing one another. Care and
vulnerability. And what Mary shows to
this man who is not only her teacher, but her friend, and who we were reminded
in this story is the one who literally raised her brother up from the dead.
She drops to her knees and she pours perfume all over his feet and she takes her hair and wipes it off.
And you can imagine how uncomfortable everybody else was in the room. Judas, of course, is the one to say something because of course it's Judas. And John really makes sure to let us know what a dirtbag Judas is as if we didn't already remember, right? We know Judas, hot mess, we get it.
But in this moment, we totally, there's something about Judas is like, oh, she, she shouldn't be doing that.
You know, that money could have gone to the poor. Right? Which is no different than the kid being like, change the channel, they're kissing. It's the same thing. It's a reaction to intimacy. He has to change the subject because the intimacy on display is more than he can handle.
She drops to her knees and she pours perfume all over his feet and she takes her hair and wipes it off.
And you can imagine how uncomfortable everybody else was in the room. Judas, of course, is the one to say something because of course it's Judas. And John really makes sure to let us know what a dirtbag Judas is as if we didn't already remember, right? We know Judas, hot mess, we get it.
But in this moment, we totally, there's something about Judas is like, oh, she, she shouldn't be doing that.
You know, that money could have gone to the poor. Right? Which is no different than the kid being like, change the channel, they're kissing. It's the same thing. It's a reaction to intimacy. He has to change the subject because the intimacy on display is more than he can handle.
Mar 27, 2024 |
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 Rite II Holy Eucharist on Holy Week
| The Rev. Gary LubinWednesday, March 27, 2024 Rite II Holy Eucharist on Holy Week
Join us for worship this Wednesday, March 27 for this Rite II Holy Eucharist on Holy Week. with The Rev. Joyce Keeshin, Celebrant and The Rev. Gary Lubin , Preacher.
With the Church of the Redeemer Choir.
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
With the Church of the Redeemer Choir.
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
Mar 26, 2024 |
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 Banquet Eucharist on Holy Week
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinTuesday, March 26, 2024 Banquet Eucharist on Holy Week
Join us for worship this Tuesday, March 26 for this Banquet Eucharist on Holy Week Monday. with The Rev. Philip DeVaul, Celebrant and The Rev. Joyce Keeshin, Preacher.
With Jerrika Hayes..
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
With Jerrika Hayes..
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
Mar 25, 2024 |
Monday, March 25, 2024 Celtic Eucharist on Holy Week Monday
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulMonday, March 25, 2024 Celtic Eucharist on Holy Week Monday
Join us for worship this Monday, March 25 for this Celtic Eucharist on Holy Week Monday. with The Rev. Joanna Leiserson, Celebrant and The Rev. Melanie Slane, Preacher.
With the Celtic Band.
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
With the Celtic Band.
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
Mar 24, 2024 |
Here is the Messiah
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinHere is the Messiah
We know that the pain and the suffering is still to come.
Thinking about the disciples more, are, are they walking along Jesus, flanking him? Might that be something we would have done? Or are some of them acting almost as an advance team, drawing the crowds, letting them know about Jesus, letting them know that here is the person they have been waiting for. Here is the Messiah.
Way back when I was in my 20s I was very involved in political campaigns and I can remember being part of an advanced team and our whole job was to arrive early and to get people excited about the candidate who was to come, to get them excited about meeting them and to give a preview of their message. It was a very exciting time. I wonder what it would be like to be an advanced team for Jesus, to be able to tell people who Jesus was, why it was important that they meet him, know him.
And we might ask, what are the disciples telling people to draw them to Jesus? In Matthew's gospel, they talk of how the city was stirred, the whole city was stirred by Jesus's arrival. And people were asking, who is this? And the crowds were responding, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.
But what are the disciples telling people? How are they getting the people to turn out? How are they getting this incredible celebration? What would we tell people if we were the disciples? What do we tell people when we seek to introduce them to Jesus? When we want them to meet the Jesus we know?
Thinking about the disciples more, are, are they walking along Jesus, flanking him? Might that be something we would have done? Or are some of them acting almost as an advance team, drawing the crowds, letting them know about Jesus, letting them know that here is the person they have been waiting for. Here is the Messiah.
Way back when I was in my 20s I was very involved in political campaigns and I can remember being part of an advanced team and our whole job was to arrive early and to get people excited about the candidate who was to come, to get them excited about meeting them and to give a preview of their message. It was a very exciting time. I wonder what it would be like to be an advanced team for Jesus, to be able to tell people who Jesus was, why it was important that they meet him, know him.
And we might ask, what are the disciples telling people to draw them to Jesus? In Matthew's gospel, they talk of how the city was stirred, the whole city was stirred by Jesus's arrival. And people were asking, who is this? And the crowds were responding, this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.
But what are the disciples telling people? How are they getting the people to turn out? How are they getting this incredible celebration? What would we tell people if we were the disciples? What do we tell people when we seek to introduce them to Jesus? When we want them to meet the Jesus we know?
Mar 24, 2024 |
Sunday, March 24, 2024 Rite II Holy Eucharist
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinSunday, March 24, 2024 Rite II Holy Eucharist
Join us for worship this Sunday, March 24, for this special instructed Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music. with The Rev. Melanie Slane, Celebrant and The Rev. Joyce Keeshin, Preacher.
Michael Delfin on the organ and the Church of the Redeemer choir.
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
Michael Delfin on the organ and the Church of the Redeemer choir.
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
Mar 22, 2024 |
WLSU, Believing and Eating
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulWLSU, Believing and Eating
Conversion cannot be confined to the times and place I expect. I look forward to wherever it may be next.
At the back end of the pandemic, we tiptoed back into real life. At Church of the Redeemer the very first gathering we had outside of masked worship was on the front porch of our church. We had a taco truck parked out front and we invited everyone. I will never my whole life forget that night. A hundred people showed up and ate tacos and just smiled at each other. “Look at us. We’re sharing space. We’re together. We’re eating.” It’s all so simple isn’t it? I don’t ever want to take it for granted again, the being together.
I was angry a lot during the pandemic. I may have believed in God but I wasn’t so sure I believed in people anymore. I had hoped that this health crisis would be an opportunity for people to unclench our fists and look out for one another – to cross political lines, to take seriously the danger and uncertainty before us, to love one another in practical ways. I did not see that happening, and I found myself succumbing to my own judgmental nature and cynicism.
The taco truck reminded me how much I love people.
Mar 21, 2024 |
Thursday, March 21, 2024 Morning Prayer, Rite II
| Anny Stevens-GleasonThursday, March 21, 2024 Morning Prayer, Rite II
Join us this morning, Tuesday, March 21, for online Morning Prayer led by the Anny Stevens-Gleason.
To assist you in following along you may use your Book of Common Prayer (BCP) beginning on page 80. If you do not have a BCP at home, use the buttons below to use the online version or download a pdf version.
Our worship services are all available here and in our Online Worship podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify or ask Alexa, Google, or Siri to play the podcast “The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Online Worship
To assist you in following along you may use your Book of Common Prayer (BCP) beginning on page 80. If you do not have a BCP at home, use the buttons below to use the online version or download a pdf version.
Our worship services are all available here and in our Online Worship podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify or ask Alexa, Google, or Siri to play the podcast “The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Online Worship
Mar 20, 2024 |
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 A Devotion for Early Evening
| The Rev. Gary LubinWednesday, March 20, 2024 A Devotion for Early Evening
Join us today, Wednesday, March 20, for a Devotion for Early Evening, led by the Rev. Gary Lubin with special music.
This worship service is available here and through our Online Worship podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify or simply ask your smart speaker to play the podcast “The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Online Worship."
Mar 19, 2024 |
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Morning Prayer, Rite II
| Anny Stevens-GleasonTuesday, March 19, 2024 Morning Prayer, Rite II
Join us this morning, Tuesday, March 19, for online Morning Prayer led by the Anny Stevens-Gleason.
To assist you in following along you may use your Book of Common Prayer (BCP) beginning on page 80. If you do not have a BCP at home, use the buttons below to use the online version or download a pdf version.
Our worship services are all available here and in our Online Worship podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify or ask Alexa, Google, or Siri to play the podcast “The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Online Worship
To assist you in following along you may use your Book of Common Prayer (BCP) beginning on page 80. If you do not have a BCP at home, use the buttons below to use the online version or download a pdf version.
Our worship services are all available here and in our Online Worship podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify or ask Alexa, Google, or Siri to play the podcast “The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Online Worship
Mar 18, 2024 |
Go where Jesus is
| Guest SpeakerGo where Jesus is
And often this change that we really want is to
desperately go back to when we remember what we remember as simpler or better
or easier times. We want our churches to be like they were. And of course, they
were wonderful. We want them and our
world to slow down and stop changing.
But unfortunately, staying static or spending all of our energy and
words pining for what was or what could be, really isn’t the way of Jesus.
What is it Jesus says after he tells us to lose our life? He says, if any of you wants to serve me, then follow me, then you'll be where I am ready to serve at a moment's notice. Follow me, be where I am. Be ready to go where I am going. It's a challenge for us personally, but also collectively. We have to look for where Jesus is going and ask if we are willing to go there too.
In January, 2020, just two months before COVID, before we knew what was coming our way, I was sitting in a room a lot like this with Bishop Michael Curry, and he was talking to young adults in Washington, DC, and he said something that I had never heard him say before. He said, what people forget is that the institution of the church exists in order to serve the movement of Jesus, not the other way around.
The institution exists to serve the movement of Jesus. The movement of Jesus does not exist to serve the institution. I think that's a lot of what Jesus is talking about today, especially here in the year 2024. And I think we're being asked collectively if we are willing to lose the church we want in order to follow Jesus to go where he is reckless in our love. A love that has an internal impact. Are we willing to lose the church we want in order to be the church he's calling us to be? If we were to go where Jesus is, then we have to ask, so where is Jesus, right?
Guest Preacher: Jerusalem Greer
What is it Jesus says after he tells us to lose our life? He says, if any of you wants to serve me, then follow me, then you'll be where I am ready to serve at a moment's notice. Follow me, be where I am. Be ready to go where I am going. It's a challenge for us personally, but also collectively. We have to look for where Jesus is going and ask if we are willing to go there too.
In January, 2020, just two months before COVID, before we knew what was coming our way, I was sitting in a room a lot like this with Bishop Michael Curry, and he was talking to young adults in Washington, DC, and he said something that I had never heard him say before. He said, what people forget is that the institution of the church exists in order to serve the movement of Jesus, not the other way around.
The institution exists to serve the movement of Jesus. The movement of Jesus does not exist to serve the institution. I think that's a lot of what Jesus is talking about today, especially here in the year 2024. And I think we're being asked collectively if we are willing to lose the church we want in order to follow Jesus to go where he is reckless in our love. A love that has an internal impact. Are we willing to lose the church we want in order to be the church he's calling us to be? If we were to go where Jesus is, then we have to ask, so where is Jesus, right?
Guest Preacher: Jerusalem Greer
Mar 17, 2024 |
Sunday, March 17, 2024 Rite II Holy Eucharist
| Guest SpeakerSunday, March 17, 2024 Rite II Holy Eucharist
Join us for worship this Sunday, March 17, for this special instructed Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music. with The Rev. Philip DeVaul, Celebrant and Jerusalem Greer, Preacher.
Michael Delfin on the organ and the Church of the Redeemer choir.
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
Michael Delfin on the organ and the Church of the Redeemer choir.
This worship service is also available live at 9:00 am on Sunday, and as a video following that at https://www.redeemer-cincy.org/online-worship/
Mar 15, 2024 |
WLSU, No Self Improvement
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulWLSU, No Self Improvement
There’s a moment in The Lord of the Rings where a character stops to consider how he feels, and then describes himself as “stretched thin – like butter scraped over too much bread.” That’s it. That’s what I feel like. It’s not quite burnout. I’m not looking out the window for something else to do. Rather, my body and spirit are tired, and have been and keep being, and I am looking for rest and renewal.
One thing I can tell you about being butter scraped over too much bread is that sometimes when everything is going well, you’re not able to feel the joy and excitement of it. You can intellectually recognize that things are great, but not have the capacity to appreciate that reality.
Another thing that happens is a bandwidth problem. During the height (or depth) of the pandemic, there was a point when both my wife and I were working from home, and all three kids were home with us. The oldest two were attending school remotely on their computers, and the youngest was too young even for school and spent a lot of time on a screen. I’m not going to bother trying to explain or defend that. Anyway, when we were all online at the same time, we would sometimes have a bandwidth issue – our internet would be overloaded and everything would slow down. Since the pandemic, I have noticed myself having bandwidth issues. My internal processing is overwhelmed and everything slows down. If you’ve been around me, maybe you’ve noticed that and maybe you haven’t. I notice it. Butter over too much bread.
I sometimes have difficulty admitting that I feel this way. First, it’s never fun to acknowledge you’re not operating at 100%. We’re programmed to think of that as weakness, and to think of weakness as bad. But also, I worry that the people in my church community – the people with whom I share much of my life – will think I’m saying I’m not happy doing the work. And I’m definitely not saying that.
Mar 14, 2024 |
Thursday, March 14, 2023 Morning Prayer, Rite II
| The Rev. Joanna LeisersonThursday, March 14, 2023 Morning Prayer, Rite II
Join us this morning, Tuesday, March 14, for online Morning Prayer led by the Rev. Joanna Leiserson.
To assist you in following along you may use your Book of Common Prayer (BCP) beginning on page 80. If you do not have a BCP at home, use the buttons below to use the online version or download a pdf version.
Our worship services are all available here and in our Online Worship podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify or ask Alexa, Google, or Siri to play the podcast “The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Online Worship
To assist you in following along you may use your Book of Common Prayer (BCP) beginning on page 80. If you do not have a BCP at home, use the buttons below to use the online version or download a pdf version.
Our worship services are all available here and in our Online Worship podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify or ask Alexa, Google, or Siri to play the podcast “The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Online Worship
Mar 13, 2024 |
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 A Devotion for Early Evening
| The Rev. Gary LubinWednesday, March 13, 2024 A Devotion for Early Evening
Join us today, Wednesday, March 13, for a Devotion for Early Evening, led by the Rev. Gary Lubin with special music.
This worship service is available here and through our Online Worship podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify or simply ask your smart speaker to play the podcast “The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Online Worship."