Identity – Fr. Mike Seiler

Mistaken Identity

Aug 23, 2026Fr. Mike1 CommentSermonsDiscernment, Identity, Jesus, King, King of Kings, Kingdom, Lord, Mark Twain, Prince and the Pauper, Salvation, Sin, Soteriology

Lectionary Readings: Year A – Proper 16 In 1882, Mark Twain published a little story here in the United States, which I’m sure all of you have heard about. It’s called The Prince and the Pauper, and it follows the lives of two young boys. One is Prince Edward VI, son of King Henry VIII…

Three Men on a Mountain

Feb 15, 2026Fr. MikeSermonsComfort, Disciples, Fear, God, God's Purpose, Identity, Jesus, Light of the World, Miracles, Peace, Transfiguration, Transformation

And so, back to today’s passage: Jesus is standing here with Moses and Elijah. A cloud comes down from heaven, and this cloud overshadows them and a voice from the cloud says, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” And the disciples got scared and fell to the ground. Three terrified men on a mountain. When they finally looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone. Only Jesus remained.

Why Are You Following Me?

Jan 18, 2026Fr. MikeSermonsDisciples, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Identity, Jesus, John The Baptist, Understanding

John is standing there with his own disciples, and as Jesus passes by, he says to those disciples, “This is the Lamb of God who takes away all the sin of the world.”…

The two disciples heard John say this, and started following Jesus.

Apparently, though, they were following behind him from a distance, because when Jesus noticed that they were following him, he turned around, and said, “Hey! Guys. Why are you following me?”

Sacred People, Sacred Spaces

May 12, 2024Fr. Mike1 CommentSermonsBaptism, Blessings, Church, Church Buildings, Community, Eucharist, God, Identity, Sacred, Spiritual Family, Worship

If we look at the first reading today, the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, we find that Jesus has told his disciples that he will be leaving them, and then he ordered them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise from the Father. He tells them that they will be baptized by the…

Children of God

Apr 14, 2024Fr. MikeSermonsBaptism, Beloved Community, Disciples, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Fear, God, Grace, Hate, Identity, Jesus, Love, Loving Neighbor, Racism

Our New Testament reading today begins with the words, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” Through our baptism, we have been made a part of a heavenly family: we have been adopted into the family of God. And, as Children of God, we have now inherited all the benefits that are due to those who look to God as a parent, and Christ as a brother. We are no longer just Americans, or Chinese, Brazilian or Latvian, German or Canadian. We are first, and foremost, citizens of the New Jerusalem, citizens of heaven, the Holy City of God. We are children of a family that transcends time and space, race and ethnicity, boundaries and borders.

Points of View

Feb 11, 2024Fr. Mike1 CommentSermonsChrist, Epiphany, God, Identity, Jesus, Lent, Miracles, Self-Examination, Transfiguration, Transformation

This is the epiphany, the nature and mission of Christ is revealed to those three disciples in this transfiguration on the mountaintop. And it is revealed to those of us hearing the story after the fact. Jesus is the messiah, the chosen one of Israel, the salvation of all humanity.

But what does the identity of Jesus of Nazareth as the messiah reveal to us about ourselves? We most definitely are not the messiah, so we are unlikely to be joined by Moses and Elijah and be transfigured on the top of a mountain.

As with many of the stories we encounter in the Gospels, Peter’s responses tend to be the example that so many of us can relate to.