While I was in the process for ordination, I had one year between my college graduation and when I was able to attend seminary. At 22 years old, with a marketable degree in Philosophy and Communications, I tried to find any job that could sustain my living expenses. I was mostly unsuccessful, until I learned of a program that trained people how to be chaplains in a hospital. And I was thankfully accepted. I served as a chaplain at three hospitals in Oklahoma City: including the public University Hospital and a Children’s Hospital. The experience was an amazing time of growth and difficulty, facing the issues of life and death, as one does in a hospital. And at the end of my time at Children’s and University Hospitals, I was eager to go to seminary and take my bite out of the Big Apple. Before I could leave, however, I was issued a challenge by my fellow chaplains who had become good friends. And I must inform you that my fellow chaplains were Southern Baptists, Nazarenes, and even Pentecostals. And these chaplains sometimes saw our Episcopal liturgies as uptight and too conservative. An interesting twist of irony is that many churches that abhor structure in liturgy hold fast to conservative structures politically. And these chaplains challenged me to preach, not in my normal Anglican delivery style, not in typical 15 minute Episcopal fashion. They wanted me to PREACH, be slain in the spirit, preach the word, the good news, and let the river of righteousness flow forth from my tongue. They wanted fire in my belly and brimstone in my heart, for at least 30 minutes. And this morning, my brothers and sisters, I would like to share with you a very abridged version of that sermon.

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