Everyday Liturgist with Marcus Halley

About Everyday Liturgist with Marcus Halley

Joy and Jesus meet... and online, no less. Hosted by Marcus Halley (me), an Episcopal priest and college chaplain, Everyday Liturgist is a space for authentic and open-hearted reflections, conversations, and questions about how Christian faith meets our real, everyday lives and transforms the ordinary into the holy. marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Marcus George Halley

Category

religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Dec 2025

Latest episode

3 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

15 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Jun 2026

   Karen Keen on Soul-Freedom, the Bible, and Authenticity in the Spiritual Life

   We're talking about "Soul Freedom" in this episode where I interview writer, scholar, and contemplative Karen Keen. We discuss scripture as a tool formation (rather than as a rule book), cultivating a contemplative practice is a busy world, and engaging a faith that involves our whole selves. What I most appreciate about this episode is that Karen gives us permission to be unfinished, to embrace a faith that is still in process, and to trust that God will for us is exactly what we need (and want). Chapters: Introduction 00:00 - 04:26 Meet Karen Keen 04:26 - 09:38 The Bible Beyond Prooftexting 09:38 - 13:25 The Bible As Life-giving Word of God 13:25 - 19:51 Conscience and Contemplation 19:51 - 33:15 Christlike Acceptance in the Church 33:15 - 38:23 Karen's Book Recommendation and Gratitude 38:23 - 48:02 Reflection, Gratitude, and Closing 48:02 - 59:07 Resources Referenced and Recommended: By Karen Keen Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships The Bible and Sexuality Discussed During the Episode Brown Church by Robert Chao Romero Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport About Our Guest Karen Keen is a theologian, spiritual director, and author whose work focuses on biblical interpretation, spiritual formation, theology, and Christian ethics. She is the author of several books, including Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships and The Bible and Sexuality. Her writing is known for combining rigorous scholarship, pastoral sensitivity, and a deep commitment to Christian discipleship. Learn more about Karen on her website: https://karenkeen.com/ (https://karenkeen.com/) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   12 May 2026

   The Ballot and the Gospel

   The Ballot and the Gospel While renewing his driver’s license online, Marcus Halley lingers over a question about updating voter registration which sparks his exploration of Christian faith, voting rights, and how to live faithfully without surrendering the gospel to partisan identity. Drawing on his religious upbringing, family stories, and political formation in college, he argues that voting rights are primarily about human dignity. The Church's work in our time is to form disciples marked by courage, humility, compassion, and justice. In a moment shaped by January 6, weakened Voting Rights Act protections, and eroding democratic norms, he urges moral witness rooted in love rather than fear. 00:00 DMV Question Sparks Pause 02:25 Roots in Black Struggle 06:33 The Bible Is Political 12:03 Why Voting Rights Matter 19:55 Returning to the DMV Question 21:57 Gratitude and Farewell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   27 Apr 2026

   Cameron Nations on Discernment, Vocation, and Becoming Human

   Cameron Nations on Discernment, Vocation, and Becoming Human In this episode of Everyday Liturgist, Marcus Halley interview Cameron Nation, Canon for Vocations and Community Engagement in the Diocese of Alabama. Together they draw the wisdom of Rowan Williams, Marcus's experience of public discernment in the Western Massachusetts bishop election, and Cameron's experience cultivating leaders in Alabama to reflect on the church as a prayerful community of mutual discernment and grace-filled giftedness. They discuss discernment as ongoing, communal, and transformative, not mere decision-making, and critique consumer approaches to ministry. The episode closes by reframing vocation as learning “to be” and reflect God’s love and joy rather than chasing happiness, inviting the question: “Who would you have me be?”00:00 Introduction 03:15 Meet Cameron Nations 04:40 Interview with Cameron Nations 08:00 Discernment is about clarity not ordination 17:40 What Discernment Means 21:39 Discernment and Discipleship 28:14 Universal Christian Vocation 35:48 Young Adults Seek Meaning 42:36 Gratitude and Closing 45:23 Reflection 53:00 Closing Gratitude and Blessing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

4. 

   16 Apr 2026

   I Give Up

   In this episode, Marcus Halley responds to a graduating student’s spiritual anxiety by asserting that surrender is the door to the spiritual life. Marcus shares that we all have a common experience of deep hunger: for meaning, connection, and love. He then contrasts trying to control God through formulas and practices with learning to surrender to God by cultivating practices of silence and listening. Drawing on Howard Thurman’s “A Seed Upon the Wind,” Marcus describes surrender as a long inner struggle that leads to a new life oriented toward God’s purposes. He suggests practices like community, contemplative prayer, spiritual direction, and gratitude as ways of embodying spiritual surrender. Leslie Odom, Jr.'s "I Surrender": https://youtu.be/V26iETMaj8E?si=NlH99PdhdAlq5hw4 (https://youtu.be/V26iETMaj8E?si=NlH99PdhdAlq5hw4) 00:00 Introduction 01:55 How do I develop a spiritual life? 05:58 Howard Thurman’s “Seed Upon The Wind” 11:22 Tilling the Soil of Spiritual Possibility 12:11 Gratitude and Final Blessings This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

5. 

   9 Apr 2026

   Easter is more than Brunch

   In this episode of Everyday Liturgist, Marcus Halley shares an Easter Sunday sermon from Trinity College Chapel. Marcus frames human beings as God’s image-bearers called into partnership with God against the rebellious forces bent toward injustice and death. He argues that Jesus’ resurrection is not a return to normal life but the first sign of God’s new creation where domination ends and justice reigns. Christians respond faithfully by daily choosing to follow Christ in acts of love, humility, generosity, and justice, resisting systems that dehumanize. 00:00 Introduction 01:24 Sermon: Easter and the Christian Life 14:34 Reflection 20:59 Gratitude Practice and Final Blessing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

6. 

   25 Mar 2026

   The Resurrection and the Life

   In this episode, Marcus Halley shares a sermon he gave on March 22, 2026 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oxford, Connecticut. Using John’s story of the Raising of Lazarus, he explores how to face real grief while holding the church’s theology of life, echoing the Book of Common Prayer: “life is changed, not ended.” He distinguishes Lazarus’s temporary return to mortal life from Jesus’ resurrection, which ends death’s dominion, and urges Christians to live as if life leads through death by choosing love, prayer, generosity, and hope over prejudice, cynicism, and greed. 00:00 Introduction 03:28 Sermon: I am the Resurrection and the Life 14:52 Reflection 20:24 Closing Gratitude and Final Thoughts Dean Andrew McGowan's Substack, "Andrew's Version": https://abmcg.substack.com/ (https://abmcg.substack.com/) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

7. 

   16 Mar 2026

   Walking in the Darkness

   Walking in the Darkness Marcus Halley shares a Lent sermon from St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church (New Haven) on Jesus as “the light of the world” in John’s Gospel. He links the woman at the well (Photini) and the man born blind to the idea that true sight is spiritual insight. He argues that darkness is not the absence of God, drawing on Barbara Brown Taylor’s contrast between unrealistic “full solar” spirituality and a “lunar” spirituality that accepts seasons of doubt, fear, and uncertainty while trusting God remains present. Against war, political violence, and other heavy recent news, Halley says the light that shines in darkness helps us name suffering, perceive God at work, and join that work through prayer, and acts of solidarity and compassion, remembering we are never alone. 00:00 Introduction 01:26 Sermon: Walking in the Darkness 14:33 Reflection 18:31 Closing Gratitude and Final Blessing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

8. 

   25 Feb 2026

   Where Are the Young People? with Allen Wakabayashi

   Where Are the Young People? with Allen Wakabayashi In this episode, Marcus introduces an extended Everyday Liturgist conversation with Allen Wakabayashi, chaplain at the Episcopal Church at Princeton, prompted by Allen’s Living Church article “Where Are the Young People?” Both reflect on what students teach them with their diverse backgrounds, deep questions, a hunger for meaning, and the need for a non-performative community where it’s safe to be broken, ask hard questions, and mature beyond Sunday-school faith. The episode closes with Allen’s gratitude for continuing to “walk with Jesus” amid chaos and frustration, and Marcus’s reflection that faith must be allowed to evolve through loss, death, and resurrection, asking whether the church can create a container for transformation, reengage tradition with integrity, and live a vibrant faith that changes people from the inside out. 00:00 Introduction 05:08 Conversation with Allen Wakabayashi 45:40 Take-aways, Learnings, and Challenges 50:17 Closing Gratitude and Blessing "Where are the young people?" in the Living Church: https://livingchurch.org/commentary/where-are-the-young-people/ (https://livingchurch.org/commentary/where-are-the-young-people/) Meet Fr. Allen, Chaplain at the Episcopal Church at Princeton: https://www.ecpton.org/clergy-staff (https://www.ecpton.org/clergy-staff) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

9. 

   18 Feb 2026

   A Lenten Observance in Distracted World

   A Lenten Observance in a Distracted World In this episode, Marcus Halley reflects on Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent as a call to cultivate focus and attentiveness in a chaotic, distraction-saturated world. The word “behold” (which appears twice in Matthew’s Transfiguration story) is more than seeing—it requires contemplation, stepping back, leaning in, and having “the eyes of our hearts enlightened.” Using Peter’s misunderstandings on Mount Tabor—wanting to build tabernacles and missing that Jesus is the tabernacle and that Jesus’ mission includes making people walking vessels of God's glory—he connects the Transfiguration to the true humanity found in Christ alone. Marcus critiques the “attention economy," warning that it is designed to yield outrage, anxiety, dehumanization, and confusion rather than wisdom. He invites listeners to resist distraction during Lent by learning to truly behold God, others, and the world. 00:00 Introduction 03:26 Sermon: Behold (Last Epiphany 2026, St. Paul's Church) 19:10 My Lenten Practice: A Plan to Focus 20:40 Closing Gratitude + Blessing "The Birth of the Attention Economy" by Jake Lundberg (The Atlantic): https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/07/the-birth-of-the-attention-economy/683727/ (https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/07/the-birth-of-the-attention-economy/683727/) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

10. 

    11 Feb 2026

    The Salt of the Earth, the Light of the World

    When is violence the moral option? Is love really a durable power? In this episode of Everyday Liturgist, Marcus dives into a student's tough question on the morality of violence and the bigger themes around love and making a difference in the world. This conversation shaped the sermon he gave at St. Peter's Episcopal Church (which has been modified for this podcast) which explores the overwhelming presence of violence and cruelty in the world, the power of God's enduring love, the impact of living with compassion, and how God uses ordinary people to make a difference. 00:00 Question: When is Violence the Moral Option?04:40 Some Centering Moment by Howard Thurman06:37 Sermon16:17 Closing Thoughts, Upcoming Conversations, and Closing Gratitude "Why I Am Not a Pacifist" by C.S. Lewis - https://www.42rulesforlife.com/why-i-am-not-a-pacifist/ (https://www.42rulesforlife.com/why-i-am-not-a-pacifist/). "Discernment" by Marcus George Halley - https://substack.com/home/post/p-174913767 (https://substack.com/home/post/p-174913767) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

11. 

    15 Jan 2026

    Baptism, Righteousness, and Divine Solidarity

    "But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he consented."- Matthew 3:15 What does Jesus's baptism mean for us? Divine solidarity. God chooses us even when we don't choose God. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

12. 

    6 Jan 2026

    Caught up in a story

    Happy Epiphany, y'all! What would make the Magi journey thousands of miles to see an infant? A king? A story, one that promised to reshape everything they, in their wisdom and knowledge, had come to know about the world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

13. 

    20 Dec 2025

    "Lectio" Divina

    I read over 133 books* in 2025 (if you count all 77 books of the Bible). These are the five passages from the non-biblical books that I can't stop thinking about. Here's to more reading in 2026! Read the Bible in ONE Year! BibleProject | One Story That Leads to Jesus: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/63058-bibleproject-one-story-that-leads-to-jesus (https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/63058-bibleproject-one-story-that-leads-to-jesus) Other books mentioned in this episode: Eiren Caffall's All the Water in the World Herman Melville's Moby Dick Octavia Butler's Parable of the Talents Abraham Verghese's The Covenant of Water Robert Farrar Capon's The Man Who Met God in a Bar: The Gospel According to Marvin Have questions or comments? Email them to me: everydayliturgist@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

14. 

    12 Dec 2025

    Without shame or fear

    Jesus invites us to a life free of shame and fear... which might come as a surprise given what passes for Christian faith in our wider culture. If Jesus invites us out of shame and fear, what does he invite is into and how to do we practice this new sort of life into being? Have questions? Email them to everydayliturgist@gmail.com (mailto:everydayliturgist@gmail.com). Subscribe to the Everyday Liturgist newsletter on Substack (https://marcushalley.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

15. 

    5 Dec 2025

    Welcome to Everyday Liturgist

    We're taking a new adventure! Everyday Liturgist is becoming a podcast! Let's explore ways of thinking of Jesus, faith, spirituality, and what it means to be a Christian disciples in new ways, with a little bit of humor and a whole lot of gratitude. Have questions? Email them to everydayliturgist@gmail.com. Subscribe to the Everyday Liturgist newsletter on Substack (https://substack.com/@marcushalley). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcushalley.substack.com (https://marcushalley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

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