Ernest F. Campbell Selected Sermons

Christmas — God's Love Is Our Reason for Being Preached December 25, 1973, at St. Paul 's, Walla Walla, Washington By the Rev. Ernest F. Campbell In the beginning, and from the beginning, God's love has been our reason for being . From age to age and time to time and from person to person we have kicked against this truth… kicked against it hard with our quest for greater independence, our accumulation of scientific knowledge , and our personal opinion of our own importance. But the truth has never been dented, nicked, scratched or changed… In God's love we live, move, and have our reason for being. So what! What difference does it make? If God's love isn't our reason for being then this world, where we all struggle for survival, will force us to justify our existence by inventing our own reason for being. A game fraught with destructive potential. One group might come to believe that their reason for being is to see that no one who is different gets across the...

A Wondrous Gift Is Given Advent 4 (A, B, or C) — Preached December 20, 1998, and December 21, 2008 By the Rev. Ernest F. Campbell When I was nine years old, I was invited to sing in the Christ Church Winnetka Men and Boys Choir . I was a member of that choir for fourteen years; long enough for my voice to change from soprano to bass and long enough for God's Spirit to gently push me in the direction of seminary and the priesthood. Moving from the choir stalls to the pulpit, with lots of camping and children in between, is the story of my life. Music has been an important part of that journey. Beautiful music is surely one of God's great blessings. When it comes to beautiful music, I believe that we Episcopalians are especially blessed with a hymnbook that is filled with good tunes, great poetry, and sound theology. Learning a new hymn takes extra effort, but I have come to believe that it is well worth it. It's the same gift we experience when a "stranger" become...

Advent III (C) — The Lighter Hue of Hope (Pink Advent Candle) The Rev. Ernest F. Campbell Preached December 12, 1982 As you have already noticed, this third Sunday in Advent we lit the purple candle with the lighter hue. The gift of God’s transforming grace is so close, so near that the Spirit of Joy can no longer be contained. The expectation of finding a new, more perfect, more meaningful way of life just ahead bubbles up like the spontaneous effervescence of a carbonated drink. It is like people who, on hearing that the war is over, start to dance in the streets… even before the official surrender papers are signed. It is the joy, following a harsh winter, of seeing the bright spring flowers smiling up through the melting snow. It is like C.S. Lewis ’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , when the White Witch notices that the snow is melting and knows that Aslan is on the land. The theme of Advent III is JOY that can no longer be contained. It calls for a symbolic response, and so...

  Advent 2 (C) Wilderness Joy by The Rev. Ernest Campbell --  December 6, 2009 & December 6, 2015 “The word of God came to John in the wilderness .” “The word of God came to the Israelites in the wilderness.” “The word of God came to Jesus in the wilderness.” The dictionary’s first definition of “wilderness” is a place with no people. I have taken many young people into the wilderness. I have observed that on the first night when it gets dark and the kids realize that there are no roads off the island where we are camped, no phones, no possibility of canoeing in the dark, no favorite snack, TV show, friendly dog or cat. No parents in range of your voice and post of all the cozy joy of sleeping in your own bed. I have notice there is always a moment of “stationary panic.” Here we are camped in the wilderness! Where do we turn? When our son Dave, with his degree in “ outdoor Recreation ” from Eastern Washington University, looks at my slides he turns to me and says, “Dad...