Sermons By Alan Bentrup

What do we do when violence silences a voice and the world feels less safe?In Matthew 4, Jesus begins his public ministry not in a moment of calm, but after John the Baptist is arrested. This sermon reflects on how Jesus responds to injustice and violence, how lament becomes the soil of God’s work, and what it means to follow Christ when silence would be unfaithful.Preached in the shadow of real-world violence, this message names grief honestly and holds fast to the hope that when voices are silenced, God still speaks and Jesus still calls people to follow him into the broken places of the world.

What does Christmas mean once the carols fade and the candles burn low?In this sermon on John 1:1-18, we turn to the opening of John’s Gospel, where Christmas is not told through shepherds and mangers, but through mystery and meaning. John pulls the curtain back to the very beginning and shows us who Jesus really is: the eternal Word, the Light that shines in the darkness, and God who has come near in flesh and grace.This sermon explores what it means to live not just hearing the story of Christmas, but knowing it deeply. Knowing that God is not distant. Knowing that darkness does not win. Knowing that grace keeps coming, again and again.As we move from Christmas Day into ordinary time, this message invites us to carry the truth of Christmas into everyday life, trusting that God is still with us, still shining light, and still offering grace upon grace.

On Christmas Eve, we asked a question: Do you hear what I hear? We listened for the sounds of good news, hope, and love. On Christmas Day, the question shifts: Do you see what I see?In this sermon on John 1:1–14, we explore how the Word who spoke creation into being did not remain distant or abstract, but became flesh and moved into our neighborhood. Christmas is not only something we hear sung or proclaimed. It is something we are invited to behold.This message reflects on how God’s glory is revealed not in power or spectacle, but in grace and truth. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not have the final word. For anyone who comes to Christmas weary, grieving, or unsure, this sermon proclaims the good news that God comes close, knowing the risk, and still choosing love.Christmas Day is not about striving or having it all figured out. It is about receiving. Grace upon grace. God with us.

On Christmas Eve we hear the same story every year. The same Scripture from Luke 2. The same carols. The same familiar sounds. And yet, we never hear Christmas quite the same way twice.In this sermon, Do You Hear What I Hear, we explore how Christmas speaks differently to us each year because we come carrying different joys, losses, hopes, and fears. Like bells that all ring but sound different because of what they are made of, the Christmas story rings into our lives in unique ways depending on what this season has been for us.Luke tells the story of Jesus’ birth through sound. The noise of empire. The quiet vulnerability of a manger. The song of angels. The hurried footsteps of shepherds. The silent pondering of Mary. Everyone hears the same birth, yet each hears it differently.The good news of Christmas is that Jesus still speaks today. He speaks in the language we most need. The language of hope, forgiveness, healing, belonging, or joy. We may not all hear the same thing, but we all hear it from the same

A short children’s sermon from our 3pm Christmas Eve family service built around the theme “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Using the sound of bells, this message invites kids to discover that Jesus speaks to each of us in ways we can understand. Just as one bell can mean different things to different people, the good news of Jesus’ birth was heard differently by the shepherds, Mary, and Joseph. The sermon reminds children that Jesus still speaks today through music, stories, kindness, and moments of peace, and that when we slow down and listen, we can hear the same message of love meant just for us.

On this Thanksgiving Eve, Father Alan reflects on John 6:25-35 and the honest truth that none of us are ever fully satisfied.He begins with his recent HYROX race, where even after beating his goal he crossed the finish line wanting more. That feeling, he says, is something we all carry. We try to satisfy our restlessness with achievement, success, possessions, or praise, but the hunger always returns.Jesus meets a crowd in John 6 who feel that same hunger. They have just witnessed a miracle, yet they come searching for more. Instead of shaming their need, Jesus invites them to be honest about it. He reminds them of the manna in the wilderness, when God provided enough for one day at a time. Then he makes the central claim: “I am the bread of life.” Jesus does not offer something to fill us. He offers himself.Father Alan reminds us that Thanksgiving is not about pretending we are full. It is about naming our dependence on God, the one who meets us in our hunger with grace we cannot earn. Like the Eucharist, Th

In this sermon, we reflect on Paul’s final words to Timothy, a charge to keep preaching the Gospel in every season.From an old Boston church that still proclaims the Gospel after centuries of change to Paul’s prison cell awaiting execution, this message reminds us that the world may change, but the Word still works.We all crave words that make us feel strong or self-sufficient. But Paul warns against “itching ears” that chase comfort instead of truth. The Gospel is not meant to tickle us. It is meant to heal us. It is the Good News that Jesus sees you, Jesus loves you, and Jesus is for you.

Most sermons on the healing of the ten lepers focus on the one who came back to say thank you. But what about the other nineIn this message, Fr. Alan Bentrup invites us to listen for the stories we don’t hear. The stories of grace that continue beyond the page. Ten people were healed. All ten received God’s mercy.God’s grace is not earned or repaid. It is given freely, without condition or transaction.What if the nine went home and shared their healing in their own way: feeding neighbors, mentoring kids, paying off debt, making lunches for the hungry, or building a community where others could find life again?Gratitude is not just about returning to say thank you, but about living thankful lives.Our stewardship, our service, and our giving are not transactions, but responses.

We live in a world built on transactions. Do your part, pay your share, and someone owes you something in return. But in Luke 17, Jesus turns that system upside down. He reminds us that God does not owe us anything, and that is exactly what makes grace so amazing.In this sermon, Fr. Alan explores Jesus’ teaching about mustard seed faith, radical forgiveness, and humble service. The life of faith is not about earning God’s favor but about living in gratitude for a grace that cannot be bought or measured.Scripture: Luke 17:1–10Theme: God Owes Us Nothing, and yet in Christ God gives us everythingPreached at: St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church, Southlake TX

This week’s gospel reading tells the story of a rich man who feasted every day and a poor man named Lazarus who longed for crumbs at his gate (Luke 16:19–31). The rich man never saw Lazarus as a neighbor. Even in death he only saw him as a servant.But the good news of Jesus is not a morality tale about being nicer. It is the announcement that God sees us. Whether we feel like Lazarus, wounded and invisible, or like the rich man, keeping up appearances but wondering if anyone really knows us, the promise of the gospel is the same. Jesus sees you, and Jesus loves you.In this sermon Father Alan speaks directly to those who have been told that God hates them, and to those who have been told their job is to condemn those they think are sinners.Wherever you are and whatever you have been told, hear this:Jesus sees you. And Jesus loves you.

We’ve all been there. The moment you realize you messed up. You squandered the opportunity. You wasted the time. You failed the people who trusted you.In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of a steward who had blown it completely. And yet, instead of being discarded, he discovers something surprising: grace.In this sermon, Father Alan explores what it means to face our failures honestly, to trust that God does not throw us away, and to find hope that we are still entrusted with God’s work.

In this sermon, A Turning Point, Father Alan explores 1 Timothy 1:12–17 and Luke 15:1–10, where Paul calls himself the “foremost of sinners” and Jesus tells parables of the lost sheep and lost coin. Both passages point us to a God whose grace is greater than our sin, whose love is relentless, and whose joy erupts when the lost are found.From the humor of a runner dropping their keys into a portapotty, to the heavy grief and division following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, this message names the ways we feel lost and the ways our world writes people off.And yet, the gospel insists that no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy.The good news is simple and sure: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And that is a turning point for all of us.

Using Paul’s letter to Philemon, we explore what it means to be made in the image of God...even when we forget it.Using the story of Onesimus, a runaway slave transformed by the gospel, we see how God never gives up on us, no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. This is grace. This is the gospel. You are not forgotten. You are not lost. You are loved.Come home.

Jesus shocked His followers when He said His coming would bring division, even within families. What could that possibly mean? In this sermon we explore how the love of God sometimes disrupts before it heals.We turn to the prophet Micah, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and the witness of Jonathan Daniels who gave his life for justice in Selma. We also reflect on our church’s call to host the area’s first Pride festival — an act of radical welcome that feels like joy to some and disruption to others.This sermon reminds us that the gospel is always good news for the hurting, even if it unsettles those who prefer the status quo. Because sometimes love unites. Sometimes love divides. But always, love saves.

We all carry backpacks — not just to school, but in life:

This sermon, titled “Dependence Day,” was preached on July 6, 2025, during Independence Day weekend.While our nation celebrates freedom and self-reliance, this message from Luke 10:1–11, 16–20 calls us to something deeper: a life of dependence...on God and on each other.In the wake of tragic flooding in Kerrville, where lives were lost and communities shaken, we’re reminded that we were never meant to carry life alone. Jesus sends his followers not with strength, but with trust. Not with resources, but with peace.This is a Gospel of grace, not achievement.Whether you’re grieving, searching, or just tired of trying to do it all yourself, this message is for you.Watch, reflect, and remember: You are not alone. You never have been.

Today in our children’s message, we talked about Lincoln Logs. These are simple wooden toys that have been around for more than one hundred years. While many toys break or get thrown away, Lincoln Logs are still around and still loved. They remind us that some things are worth coming back to again and again.We also told the story of three young men in the Bible. Their names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were thrown into a hot fire because they would not worship a golden statue. But God did not leave them. He stayed with them. And something amazing happened. While they were in the fire, they sang.Their song said things like, “Sun and moon, bless the Lord.Fire and frost, bless the Lord.People everywhere, bless the Lord.” And they sang this again and again: “Praise God forever.”The golden statue is gone now. It did not last. But their song is still with us. And God’s love is still with us too.We learned that God’s love never runs out. It does not fade away when we are sad or afraid. It does not stop

In this week’s sermon, we reflect on what lasts.We begin with a story about Abraham Lincoln’s cabin. Not the original one, but a recreated version in Kentucky that still draws visitors. Why? Because the story it tells - about humility, strength, and endurance - still matters.From that same story came something simple but lasting: Lincoln Logs. For over 100 years, children have played with these wooden pieces. They’re not flashy. They’re not high-tech. But we keep returning to them, because they speak to something we trust.That’s the kind of love we hear about in Canticle 13 — the song sung by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the middle of the fiery furnace. They were thrown into danger for refusing to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue, a towering idol built to impress and control.But while that statue is long gone, their song still echoes:The contrast is clear: idols fall, empires fade, feelings change. But God’s love endures.This sermon invites us to stop chasing what won’t last, and return instead to

In this sermon from our Historical Markers summer series, we explore a story of healing at the Pool of Bethesda, and the surprising grace of Jesus. Set alongside the history of Mineral Wells, Texas, once known for its “healing waters,” we reflect on how many of us are still striving for healing, wholeness, and purpose.But what if grace doesn’t meet us in our hustle?What if Jesus shows up not when we’re scrambling to fix ourselves, but when we stop, sit still, and finally let go?Drawing from John 5:1–9, we discover a man who had been sick for 38 years, unable to get to the healing waters. And yet, it’s there, in his stillness and surrender, that Jesus comes to him.This sermon reminds us:• You don’t have to prove yourself for God to love you.• Even serving at church can become a way of trying to earn grace.• God doesn’t need the organist, the ushers—or even the priest—for grace to arrive.• And if we’re too busy—even doing good things—we might miss the healing standing right in front of us.Historical Marker + Go

I preach about teachers, students, and remembering that we are loved. The text is John 13:31-35.