Hello, readers, Thanks for visiting -- I have migrated this blog over to Substack, and you can find it HERE.Or if you need to enter it, it's https://unapologetictheology.substack.com/Hope to see you there -- and happy reading! John ..read more

 A Church and a Christianity people and want to be part ofSermon preached November 22, 2020Interim Dean John OhmerAll Souls Cathedral, Asheville, NCMatthew 25:31-46Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd ..read more

Farewell, The Falls Church Episcopal The Rev. John Ohmer, Rector The Falls Church Episcopal October 27, 2019 Well I’ll name the elephant in the living room up front, which is that this is my last service here with you as your Rector, and therefore this is my final sermon. I don’t have anything new to say to you this morning. But, I hope, I’ve never had anything new to say to you ..read more

Note: because the famous quote from the Statute of Liberty is in the news, I wanted to re-post a portion of a sermon I preached, partly on that topic, in September of 2015.   Most people are familiar with a couple lines of the poem that is written on a tablet within the pedestal on the Statute of Liberty in New York: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ..read more

As we near the end of the season of Lent, a simple but often-forgotten point: We are reminded each Sunday in Lent that Jesus summarized the law -- not only all the commandments, but all the Law and the Prophetic sayings -- by saying "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind ..read more

I want to share a remarkable story with you --  one of the most important stories I've shared. If you want to jump right to the story, here it is: Background: Glennon and Amanda Doyle spoke at The Falls Church Episcopal last year. Some folks are aware that Glennon's sister, Amanda, is a parishioner here. As part of their speaking engagement here, Glennon and Amanda raised money for Together ..read more

At the beginning of the Gospel story we hear this Sunday, fishermen -- ordinary working folk who would, by the story's end, become some of Jesus' closest followers -- are washing their nets.  They've fished all night long, but have caught nothing. These are not recreational fishermen; fishing is their livelihood. And so it's a bad situation. Jesus gets into one of their boats and teaches ..read more