Reverend’s book of sermons meant to inspire

The Rev. J. Carlyle Gill never thought about writing a book of her sermons until five years ago, and only then after some prodding from a close parishioner and support from a dear friend.

“In the end, I’m glad I did it,” said Gill, now semi-retired, from her Lewes home. 

Published in December 2021, “The Inescapable God” is a collection of Gill’s sermons that she delivered from 2014 to 2020. She acknowledges Pat Okoniewski for organizing the sermons chosen for the book, and gives thanks to her dear friend Mary Helms for encouraging her along the way.

“It was about 2017 when Pat started talking about it,” Gill said. “I resisted, and Pat kept pushing. Then Mary said, ‘This is your legacy, so do it.’”

So she did.

After Pat took the rough drafts of Gill’s oral sermons and organized them, Mary – a published poet herself – put Gill in touch with her editor, who took the sermons and retyped them.

“It was her idea to lay out the book,” Gill said.

The 216-page book is divided into four sections – Called, Awakened, Welcomed and Transformed. Gill said one of her favorite sermons is called “Nothing but the love of our hearts.”

The sermon weaves a tale of how people rarely leave their house empty-handed or without some preparation for what is ahead. But when it comes down to it, all that is needed is love, she writes.

“You and I are called to get out there with nothing – no purse, no bag, no sandals – nothing but the love in our hearts. We are called to be there, to be Jesus’ people, to be present, to demonstrate that the kingdom is near. All we need is the grace to be empty-handed,” the book reads.

Gill began her religious journey in the 1970s, moving through seminary and into the Episcopalian ministry, where she was among the first women to become ordained priests. After serving congregations on both coasts, she settled in Washington, D.C., where she retired from St. Albans after a decade of service.

In 2009, she and her partner, Carolyn Wzorek, moved to Lewes, but she continues to work as a priest associate with St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

Gill said she is pleased with the book, and she is glad her friends encouraged her to do it. She was particularly touched when a parishioner recently told Gill that she was reading the book for Lent.

“Every night, she said, she reads one sermon, and I thought, how fabulous,” Gill said. “It has affect, which I’m really grateful for.” 

The book is available on Amazon for $15, but Gill said she hopes it will soon be available at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach. Proceeds from the book will be donated to St. Peter’s, she said.