Sermons On-the-Sound

In this Lenten reflection, The Rev. Michael Singer explores Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus and the meaning of being “born from above.” While we often define ourselves by where we were born, our ancestry, or our earthly identities, Father Michael reminds us that our truest identity is shaped by the Spirit of God.
To be born again is not about dramatic religious experience. It is about allowing the wind of God to reshape us again and again. This rebirth renews not only our relationship with God but also our relationships with those we love. Lent becomes an invitation to let go of what confines us and to be carried by the Spirit into deeper freedom, love, and grace.

In this Lenten reflection, The Rev. Michael Singer challenges us to rethink how we understand sin. While it is easy to name the faults of others, Father Michael reminds us that sin is more than rule-breaking — it is a rupture of relationship. It is not merely private wrongdoing but something that shapes communities and ripples through the world.
Rather than pointing fingers, Lent invites us inward. Instead of condemning others, we are called to examine our own hearts. Real repentance is not about public shame or performative guilt; it is about restoring relationships — with God, with one another, and within ourselves. This season calls us to the harder path: honesty, humility, and healing.

On Ash Wednesday, The Rev. Michael Singer reflects on the visible mark of ashes placed upon our foreheads and the deeper meaning behind it. While baptism marks us invisibly as Christ’s own forever, the ashes make the cross unmistakably clear. Father Michael offers a powerful image: the ash cross forms a capital “I” that is crossed out — the self that separates us from God, the ego that insists on standing alone.
Ash Wednesday is not merely about guilt or groveling. It is about being reminded that we are dust, yet deeply loved. The cross drawn across the “I” becomes a sign of Christ’s arms stretched wide, welcoming us home. Lent begins not with condemnation, but with reconnection — a call to repentance, forgiveness, and wholeness.

On Transfiguration Sunday, The Rev. Sue Cushinotto reflects on the moment when Jesus is revealed in dazzling glory before Peter, James, and John. While the disciples long to remain on the mountaintop, surrounded by awe and certainty, they are reminded that they cannot stay there. They must return to the world below—where fear, injustice, and suffering still exist.
Rev. Cushinotto invites us to notice our own “mountaintop moments”—those glimpses of beauty, hope, and divine presence that strengthen our faith. Yet discipleship calls us beyond those sacred experiences. We are sent back into daily life, transformed and ready to carry Christ’s light into our communities—seeking justice, speaking truth, and living God’s love in tangible ways.

In this sermon, The Rev. Michael Singer reflects on Jesus’ call to be “the salt of the earth,” inviting us to reconsider a familiar image through its original meaning. While salt is common and easily overlooked today, in biblical times it was precious, life-sustaining, and essential. Jesus’ words remind us of the high value God places on his people and the vital role we are called to play in the world.
Father Michael explores the many ways salt functions—as seasoning, purifier, healer, preserver, and even as a force that melts what is frozen—and connects each to Christian discipleship. To be salt is to add flavor and meaning to life, to promote healing and reconciliation, to preserve goodness, and to gently transform the world through love rather than drawing attention to ourselves. As followers of Christ, we are called to be released from what confines us so that God’s grace can flow through us, bringing hope, justice, compassion, and renewal wherever it is needed.

Jesus begins his ministry not alone, but by calling ordinary people into a shared work of discipleship. In this sermon, The Rev. Michael Singer reflects on Jesus’ call to “fish for people,” reminding us that faith is never meant to remain private or isolated. Drawing on everyday stories and small acts of hospitality, Father Michael invites us to see how God uses what we already have to build community, share the gospel, and draw others into the life-giving work of Christ.

In this sermon, The Rev. Michael Singer reflects on what it truly means to be called by God. Drawing on the call of the first disciples in John’s Gospel and Isaiah’s promise that God has “taken you by the hand,” Father Michael challenges the common assumption that calling is primarily about doing something extraordinary. Instead, he reminds us that God’s call is first and foremost a call into relationship.
Jesus does not begin by assigning tasks or roles. He simply says, “Come and see.” This call invites us into intimacy, trust, and shared life before any work is asked of us. Rooted in our baptism, this call belongs to all of us and is lived out within community. From this relationship flows whatever ministries, large or small, visible or hidden, God may place before us. The journey may feel uncertain and even frightening, but it always leads toward mercy, joy, and true peace.

On the First Sunday after the Epiphany, The Rev. Michael Singer reflects on the Baptism of Our Lord and the moment when Jesus’ true identity is revealed. At the waters of the Jordan, heaven opens, the Spirit descends, and God names Jesus as Beloved. Father Michael invites us to imagine the power of that moment and to recognize that, through our own baptism, we are drawn into the same circle of divine love.
In a world that often assigns us roles and identities that distort who we truly are, this feast calls us back to our deepest truth: we are God’s beloved children, and God is pleased with us.
Remembering who and whose we are becomes the foundation from which we live, heal, and participate in God’s work of love in the world.

On the Feast of the Epiphany, The Rev. Michael Singer reflects on the meaning of epiphany as revelation—God’s light made visible in the world and through our lives. Drawing on the journey of the Magi, the imagery of light after the winter solstice, and the Church’s call to justice, Father Michael reminds us that following Christ means traveling toward the light and offering our gifts, however humble, for the healing of the world.
Epiphany calls us not only to see Christ revealed, but to become bearers of that light ourselves—naming injustice, standing with the poor, and living out our baptismal covenant through love, service, and action. As Isaiah proclaims, we are invited to arise and shine, trusting that God’s light can and does shine through us.

In this sermon, The Rev. Michael Singer reflects on what comes after Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Drawing on Howard Thurman’s poem The Work of Christmas, Father Michael reminds us that while much effort goes into preparing for Christmas, the deeper work begins once the celebrations end. The work of Christmas is found in healing the broken, feeding the hungry, forgiving one another, and making peace.
He invites us to consider the mystery of the Word becoming flesh not only in Jesus, but also in us. Each act of compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and love becomes a moment when Christ lives among us again. Christmas, then, is not only a day or a season, but a way of being in the world.