St. Peter's by-the-Sea

Is it okay to wrestle with God? To doubt, to question, to demand a blessing before you let go?In this sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, The Rev. Craig Swan turns to Jacob's night at the Jabbok (Genesis 32:22–31) — the moment his past finally catches up with him, and he is left alone to wrestle with a stranger until daybreak. Fr. Craig traces this as both a physical struggle and a spiritual one: will Jacob run from the consequences of his choices, or step into the role he schemed his way into? He connects Jacob's limp — carried away "injured but secure" — to Paul's own hard-won faith in 2 Timothy, arguing that the "victor's crown" was never about accomplishment, but about never letting go of trust through doubt and darkness.The sermon closes with an invitation: growing into a mature faith means moving past childhood certainty and owning a faith tested by our own struggle — just like Jacob at Peniel.Scripture ReadingsGenesis 32:22–31 — Jacob wrestles with God at the JabbokPsalm 17:1–7, 15 — "Show me your marvelous, loving-kindness, O Savior"Romans 9:1–5 — Paul's anguish for his own peopleMatthew 14:13–21 — Feeding of the five thousandSt. Peter's by-the-Sea is an Episcopal Church in Narragansett, Rhode Island.Sunday worship rooted in Anglican liturgy, scripture, and thoughtful preaching.Plan a visit: https://www.stpetersbythesea.com

What does it mean to treat every person as made in the image of God? In his sermon at St. Peter's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Bishop Nicholas Knisely unpacks Matthew 10:40-42 — Jesus' promise that even the smallest act of kindness, a cup of cold water offered in his name, carries an extraordinary reward.Bishop Knisely makes the case that true kindness flows not from what someone has done to deserve it, but from who they are in relationship with God. Every human being carries the image of God, and if we could see each other the way angels do, we would treat every person with the dignity that is already theirs.His challenge: start with your neighborhood. Treat people as worthy of respect not because of how they vote, what they believe, or how they behave — but simply because they are human and they are a child of God.

What does it mean to receive peace from someone you failed?On the Second Sunday of Easter, Fr. Craig Swan preaches on one of the most striking moments in John's Gospel: the risen Christ walking through locked doors to stand before the disciples who had abandoned him — and offering not judgment, but peace.Fr. Craig explores the shame the disciples carried on that first Easter evening, why forgiveness is less about the other person than about freeing yourself, and how the church's long history of division stands in direct tension with the risen Christ's first words: Peace be with you.The sermon closes with a challenge for this congregation and this moment: in a time marked by conflict and the need to be right, can we choose relationship over certainty?Scripture ReadingsActs 2:14a, 22–32 — Peter's witness to the resurrectionPsalm 16 — "You will not abandon me to the grave"1 Peter 1:3–9 — A living hope through resurrectionJohn 20:19–31 — The risen Christ appears; Thomas's doubt and faithSt. Peter's by-the-Sea is an Episcopal Church in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Sunday worship rooted in Anglican liturgy, scripture, and thoughtful preaching.Plan a visit: https://www.stpetersbythesea.com

On the night of April 4, 2026, St. Peter's by-the-Sea gathered in darkness to proclaim that Easter doesn't begin after the darkness lifts — it begins inside it.The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop of Rhode Island, delivered the sermon for this year's Great Vigil of Easter. Drawing on the witness of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bishop Knisely distinguishes between optimism — "I think things will get better" — and hope: the conviction that God is not finished. In a world of war, fear, and exhaustion, he argues that the resurrection was not wish fulfillment. It shattered categories. It was an act of God that no one planned, predicted, or could have arranged — and that death could not undo.The service includes the ancient Exsultet, five Old Testament readings tracing God's saving acts from Creation through the Valley of Dry Bones, the renewal of Baptismal Vows, the Epistle from Romans 6, and the Easter Gospel from Matthew 28. Fr. Craig Swan leads the Prayers of the People.Scripture: Genesis 1, Genesis 7–9, Exodus 14–15, Isaiah 55, Ezekiel 37, Romans 6:3–11, Matthew 28:1–10Keywords: Easter Vigil, Episcopal Church, Bishop Nicholas Knisely, Rhode Island, resurrection, hope, Desmond Tutu, Great Vigil of Easter, Narragansett, St. Peter's by-the-Sea

What if the crowd on Palm Sunday wasn't wrong to shout "Hosanna" -- they just didn't know how big the answer would be?On the Sunday of the Passion, we hold two moments at once: the joy of Jesus entering Jerusalem to shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David!" and the weight of the full Passion Gospel (Matthew 26:14 -- 27:66), read dramatically by the congregation.In his sermon, Fr. Craig Swan reflects on the word "Hosanna" -- which simply means "save us." The crowd wanted what crowds have always wanted: relief from the immediate problem. For first-century Jerusalem, that meant freedom from Roman occupation, a restored Davidic kingdom. They got something far larger than they bargained for. Fr. Craig draws a line from that ancient disconnect to our own prayer lives today -- the way we tend to pray for the things right in front of us (health, safety, the needs of our loved ones) while missing the greater reality the cross addresses: release from the bondage of sin itself, freedom from the fear of death, and the restoration of the whole world as the Kingdom of God. "We make God our cosmic Santa Claus," he says -- but the cross has already given us the greatest gift. The call of Holy Week is to lift our eyes to the larger picture.Scripture ReadingsIsaiah 50:4-9a -- The Suffering Servant: "I gave my back to those who struck me"Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 -- "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord"Philippians 2:5-11 -- "He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death"Matthew 21:1-11 -- The Triumphal Entry into JerusalemMatthew 26:14 -- 27:66 -- The Passion of Our Lord Jesus ChristHoly Week & Easter at St. Peter'sMaundy Thursday, April 2 -- Shared meal 5 PM + Holy Eucharist 6 PM at St. Augustine's, KingstonGood Friday, April 3 -- Stations of the Cross 12 PM; Liturgy 7 PM (joint service with St. Augustine's)Easter Vigil, April 4 at 7 PM -- Deanery-wide event; Bishop presiding and preachingEaster Sunday, April 5 -- Festival Eucharist with brass and timpaniSt. Peter's by-the-Sea is an Episcopal Church in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Sunday worship rooted in Anglican liturgy, scripture, and thoughtful preaching. Plan a visit: https://www.stpetersbythesea.com