James Derkits

  Pentecost XV, September 6, 2026,Year A God’s Community A sermon preached on the beach in Port Aransas with Trinity by the Sea and friends. Readings from Exodus 12 Romans 13 & Matthew 18 "Let such a one be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector."       This is one of only a couple of places in the Gospels when “the church” or in Greek, "ecclesia", is mentioned. Remembering Jesus’s teachings thirty years after his death and resurrection, Matthew wrote down this particular teaching and included that term that describes the sacred community of followers of the Way that had formed. The Ecclesia; Church, a community called to follow the Way of Jesus.  In the Church, as with any community, sacred or otherwise, problems arise. Human animals are animated earth, clay with Spirit breathed into our nostrils, and we often we will find ways to get out of sorts with one another. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit spends her time inviting us back into community, w...

We have a phrase in our household that we use in a variety of contexts: "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." It invites a pause for ethical and moral consideration. It originated in conversations about medical care in critical situations, to considering whether prolonging suffering was really "life-supporting" from a quality of life perspective. The phrase is helpful in many areas of life, though.  It's been coming to mind often as I hear reports celebrating the advancements of Artificial Intelligence. I know that ship has already sailed, and I'm certain I'll come off here as a Luddite or hypocrite; likely I'm both. That being the case, I don't think humanity should give up our intelligence just yet, again: just because we can doesn't mean we should.  In all of God's good Creation, there are of course many other creatures that have emotion, think, and communicate, but I believe humanity, at least for this season, has taken...

I recently finished a book called Liturgies of the Wild by Martin Shaw. The author is an Orthodox Christian, who leads wilderness trips for people of all ages. He is an excellent storyteller and uses fairy tales to help people orient to life, grow, and heal. He brings that experience to the book as he explores aspects of modern life from an ancient lens. He doesn't use the white washed "all flowers and light" fairy tales; he uses the originals that don't always have happy endings, and always have scary challenges, usually involving monsters.  I grew up going to a camp in the piney woods of East Texas. One of the priests who led a camp session was a masterful storyteller. Many people told the camp legend of "Mad Pierre", but he told it best. I won't go into the details, but it left us frightened and looking into the darkness with a new respect. Having hiked into the dark woods to hear the tale, we then hiked all back to our campsite intact, even though o...

Independence Day is the one of two secular holidays listed amongst our Holy Days, the other being Thanksgiving. It makes sense to me that as our church was established in the United States and our prayer book was gradually revised from the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer , that Independence Day would be included. I've heard stories of church goers taking a pen and scratching out prayers for the king once reestablished as, "The Episcopal Church," though I heard there were divisions amongst the clergy during the Revolution, as part of their ordination vows were to swear allegiance to the King of England, the head of the Church and State.  Our Prayer for July Fourth reads: Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ ou...

Later this month I will celebrate being ordained for 20 years, which is staggering to me until I remember the churches I've served, and the many life-giving relationships I've had over the years. There have been challenges of course. As Sturgill Simpson sings, "Ain't all flowers...ain't all light."  That's true in any work, and ultimately I feel fortunate and that it is a privilege to have been called into this work of tending a cure of soul. One of my mentors advised me when I was discerning my calling: "You can't be a young priest if you wait until later in life to go to seminary..." He had been a young priest, which informed how he lived out his vocation as an older priest. I understood his meaning, so off I went.  Canterbury Cathedral When I graduated from seminary, I was interested in liturgical reform and finding fresh expressions of our ancient form of worship. I was never really into big flashy bands or use of the newest technology in...

          The recent death of my mentor The Rev. Murray Powell has led me to reminisce about the way he shaped me, along with other mentors in my life, including many teachers and professors along my earthly pilgrimage so far.  I met Murray in a smoky diner on the North Side of Houston before I went to seminary and I spent a lot more time with him after my ordination when I served at two parishes back in Houston.            The Rev. Murray Powell was ordained the same year I was born, so he had a lot of wisdom to share with me by the time I was ordained 29 years later.  He was never preachy or arrogant about it the wisdom he shared. It was much more about his welcoming presence and Murray just being himself. He was creative, a poetic sermon writer, and helped me see God at work in the midst of the world. When he served as vicar of Lord of the Streets, he taught me about respecting the dignity of every human bein...