Mortals, can these bones Live? Can these tired and lonely people know God’s love, can this online worship glorify God for those who need to be at home, can the Altar Guild and ushers re-group for the benefit of those who are in church, can the choir sing safely, can these bills be paid? Can the church as … Read the rest
Continue reading "Tell it [and] Live" »
Happy Mother’s Day, to all of us who have mothers. Good mothers, stressed mothers, imperfect mothers, addicted mothers, angry mothers, surrogate mothers, loving mothers. All of them—and all of us—doing the best we are able to, with the help of God’s own motherly care.
Most of you know that my own son Aaron has been serving as Trinity’s … Read the rest
Continue reading "A Joy Complete" »
How do any of us ever get up and walk? “Through our own power or piety?” Peter asked rhetorically of people who had just witnessed a healing at the Jerusalem temple. The lame man walked only because of God’s grace. Likely we didn’t get onto our feet through our own power or piety either, but how would we … Read the rest
Continue reading "Beyond the First Step" »
Whew. This gut-wrenching Palm Sunday story, dramatically read by our deacon and his family, reads like a catalog of provocative questions and defamatory statements about Jesus’ identity. At the outset, Pilate asks Jesus if he is king of the Jews, and then the Gospel ends with a centurion proclaiming “truly this man was God’s son.” In between, … Read the rest
Continue reading "Chaos into Quiet" »
Last Sunday, during our noon forum hour we showed the first of twelve videos produced by the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. They feature conversations with local Episcopalians of color, and I have found them to be very moving. Today we’ll be hearing from Salying Wong, rector of St. Thomas Sunnyvale. But last week the video featured Brett Wormley, … Read the rest
Continue reading "Can it be that Bad?" »
The week before last I traveled to Denver Colorado to visit my father, who is very sick. More about that in a minute. But here’s the thing. In order to get there within our COVID bubble, my husband John and I drove the 1300 mile trip, out and back. Which meant that we crossed the Rocky Mountains in … Read the rest
Continue reading "Remembering the Future" »
Someone in this house has just recovered from a fever, has been lifted up, and is serving God. I don’t necessarily know who it is. Although… you may. The person recovered from the fever may even be you.
I know that it has been me. Lord knows I’ve had some debilitating fevers in my life: the fever of … Read the rest
Continue reading "Fever for Service" »
Some eight years ago, just before my ordination, I had the privilege of making a long spiritual retreat. It was an entire month, and it was at a Jesuit retreat center that kept a rigorous rule of silence. There in the quiet of the Colorado mountains, I learned—like Samuel—to hear God call me by name. Or rather, I … Read the rest
Continue reading "Can Anything Good Come Out of Georgia?" »
It’s so good to be back with you! Over the holidays, my husband John and I spent a few days in Cambria on the Central Coast. We fell in love anew with the sparkling sand and rugged beachheads and windswept bluffs, which is generally excitement enough for we inland residents. But it happened that we were in San Simeon just … Read the rest
Continue reading "Spirit Level" »
Where does God live? That’s a serious question. Or at least it was a question of utmost seriousness in the 11th century BCE, at the time when David had largely united the tribes of Israel into the kingdom God had promised. Having won peace and stability, David decided to do something special for God; specifically, to build … Read the rest
Continue reading "Home is in the Heart" »