Sermons from the National Cathedral
Soundings for the Journey
By (author) Samuel T. Lloyd Foreword by Jon Meacham Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
Publication date:
04 April 2013Length of book:
382 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersDimensions:
235x163mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781442222847
Washington National Cathedral stands in an unparalleled position at the intersection of religious faith and public life in America, and has been called the “spiritual home for the nation.” Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III occupied its massive Canterbury pulpit as dean during an often- turbulent period in the nation and rapid changes in American religious life.
In Sermons from the National Cathedral, Dean Lloyd provides a compelling vision of an intellectually alive, publicly engaged Christian faith, a vision of the Christian life rooted in ancient teaching. Readers will find the sermons engaging and appreciate that Dean Lloyd takes seriously the experiences of doubt and searching that are so much a part of the modern religious experience of our time. He successfully demonstrates the positive role faith can play in public life and addresses the questions and challenges faith must face in the twenty-first century.
These soundings, as Lloyd calls them, illumine the full spectrum of Christian belief while also addressing such issues as the difficulty of faith, the relationship between science and faith, the mystery of suffering, the necessity of forgiveness, the meaning of the cross, the urgency of reconciliation, and the call to care for the earth. These reflections will appeal to traditional Christians seeking spiritual enrichment and are accessible to those seeking answers to how their faith fits into our modern world.
In Sermons from the National Cathedral, Dean Lloyd provides a compelling vision of an intellectually alive, publicly engaged Christian faith, a vision of the Christian life rooted in ancient teaching. Readers will find the sermons engaging and appreciate that Dean Lloyd takes seriously the experiences of doubt and searching that are so much a part of the modern religious experience of our time. He successfully demonstrates the positive role faith can play in public life and addresses the questions and challenges faith must face in the twenty-first century.
These soundings, as Lloyd calls them, illumine the full spectrum of Christian belief while also addressing such issues as the difficulty of faith, the relationship between science and faith, the mystery of suffering, the necessity of forgiveness, the meaning of the cross, the urgency of reconciliation, and the call to care for the earth. These reflections will appeal to traditional Christians seeking spiritual enrichment and are accessible to those seeking answers to how their faith fits into our modern world.
Lloyd was a highly effective rector at Boston’s historic Trinity Church before being elevated to the post of dean at Washington’s National Cathedral in 2005. Then, to the surprise of all concerned, he returned to Trinity as priest-in-charge in September 2011: rising in the church means more administration and less preaching, it seems. And Lloyd relished preaching. These sermons, from the cathedral’s Canterbury pulpit to an ever-shifting congregation of visitors, tourists, and dignitaries, exhibit the finest homiletics of a denomination not generally praised for great preaching. In an era that Lloyd recognized as one in which we are approaching religion in an “increasingly individualistic, more private and eclectic” manner, he sought to demonstrate “a new work of the Spirit,” responsive to our times. The sermons here are arranged thematically into three “Books”: “Reflections on Faith,” “Events and Issues” (including his sermon for President Obama’s first inauguration), and “Church Year.”A mirror of important times in the history of the Episcopal Church and the nation, these sermons will be of interest to most Episcopalians and most seminaries. With a foreword by Jon Meacham.