Epiphany IV The Rev’d Charles Everson Church of the Atonement February 1, 2026 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. Those words from Ecclesiastes remind us that life with God unfolds not all at once, but in seasons. We move through times of clarity and times of confusion, seasons of joy and seasons of sorrow. And that is tr

Elizabeth Swanson On this feast day, the Church asks us to remember one of the most dramatic conversions in all of Scripture — and one of the most unsettling. Paul does not begin as a seeker. He does not stumble toward faith. Paul is certain: zealous, disciplined, and faithful to his religious tradition and the authorities of his time. Before Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, Luke, the author of Acts, uses Paul’s Hebrew name, Saul of Tarsus. Saul is a Pharisee among

The Confession of St. Peter Church of the Atonement The Rev’d Charles Everson January 18, 2026  Standing here today, I am preaching from this pulpit adorned with an icon of St. Peter , and like nearly every icon of Peter, there is a set of keys. Keys are not merely decorative. They are symbols of responsibility. They open, they close, and they carry the weight of trust. And whenever the Church starts talking about Peter and keys, it is never very long before questions of auth