Before Sunday Ep. 6: Cathedral to Cathedral with Dean Winnie Varghese

Join St. John’s Cathedral’s Seminarian-in-Residence, Ed Daniels, Jr., with the Very Rev. Winnie Varghese, Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City, for a special cathedral-to-cathedral episode of Before Sunday. This week, we look ahead to the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and reflect on difficult Scripture, honest lament, and real welcome. Filmed at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, this conversation connects St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville with one of the great cathedrals of the wider Church. In Genesis, we hear the troubling story of Abraham and Isaac, one of the hardest texts in Scripture. Psalm 13 gives voice to lament with the cry, “How long, O Lord?” And in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me,” reminding us that even a cup of cold water offered in love matters. Dean Winnie reflects on how cathedrals hold difficult texts, public grief, radical hospitality, and the complexity of city life. We talk about what it means to read Scripture honestly, why the Church needs lament, how welcome becomes more than politeness, and how cathedrals can serve as visible signs of God’s love in the world. Readings: Lesson: Genesis 22:1–14 Psalm: Psalm 13 Gospel: Matthew 10:40–42 In this episode: • A special cathedral-to-cathedral conversation from New York City • Reading Genesis 22 without softening how difficult it is • What to do when Scripture feels dangerous or morally troubling • Psalm 13 and the importance of praying, “How long, O Lord?” • Why lament belongs in public worship • Matthew 10: “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me” • A cup of cold water and the theology of ordinary hospitality • What makes cathedral ministry different in the middle of a city • Welcome as more than being nice — receiving Christ in the other person • Pride, public witness, and the power of a cathedral as a symbol • A Sunday takeaway: God’s love is wider than the boundaries we often build If this conversation is helpful, please like, subscribe, and turn on notifications. Share it with someone who may want to prepare for Sunday worship with us. St. John’s Cathedral, Jacksonville, Florida Filmed in conversation with the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York City