Julia McCray-Goldsmith, Author at LiftUpYourHearts

Wrecking the Roof

“Why do you raise such questions in your heart?” Jesus asks the scribes and Pharisees. Pharisees being rather strict observers of aspects of Jewish law and tradition, and scribes being the professional scholars who interpreted Holy Scripture. You might think of me, as a priest, as something of a latter-day scribe. And so I can hear that question … Read the rest

The Front Matter and the Foundation

Advent 1B 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lor graceandpeace d Jesus Christ. I’ve always wanted to say that to a congregation. I’m a relatively new priest and its still kind of a holy surprise to speak the words spoken by apostles who went before me.

We heard this greeting near the beginning … Read the rest

To Each According to Their Ability

New Consecration Sunday Proper 28A/Matthew 25:14-30

handsmoney Maybe you’ve heard it said that your talent is God’s gift to you, and what your do with it is your gift to God. And then again, maybe you’ve heard this one—

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them… to … Read the rest

Who are These, Robed in White?

All Saints Sunday Revelation 7: 9-17

“Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I have been quite captivated by this question from our first lesson. For one, thing I myself am robed in white, so hazmat-suit you would be totally within your rights to ask who I am and where I came from. Over the course … Read the rest

The View from the Cursillo Mountain Top

De Colores!

Colores

What a privilege to be invited to share in this Cursillo weekend with you. For me its been a sacred time that began with my prayers for you all week. And I’ve also been thinking a lot about Moses on Mount Nebo looking out over the promised land, and also about Jesus summarizing the law and the prophets … Read the rest

Francis and Feeding the Wolves

Feast of Francis of Assisi

Matthew 11:25-30

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is … Read the rest

You Know the Way

The Feast of Remigius

san_jose_ca I chanced to be listening to a favorite radio news station show a few days ago, when—because its election season—the programming had been commandeered by a broadcast debate between the mayoral candidates of our nearby metropolis of San Jose. The candidates are both liberal democrats, so in order to liven things up, a comedian in the … Read the rest

Angelology Amidst the Brambles

St. Michael and All Angels

Blackberries-chester-thornless According to the folklore of Celtic Christianity, blackberries should not be picked after the Feast of Michaelmas. This because, as the stories go, Satan was banished from heaven on this day, fell into a blackberry bramble and either cursed it, spat on it, or—in my favorite version—urinated on it.

I find these apocryphal tales to … Read the rest

Proof Texting

Today was the last day of training for the new Stephen Ministers at St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church. I was privileged to be part of the training team for these lay caregivers, and so I’m already grieving the goodbyes soon to come (after tomorrow’s festive commissioning) as I move on to new ministries.

Wanting to send my trainees … Read the rest

Sacred Profanity

Holy Cross Day
John 12:31-36

cross of christ built into a brick wall Last Friday evening I picked my husband up from the airport. And because he’d been away for the week I wanted to do something fun, but also something that wasn’t dependent on his flight getting in on time.

To make a long story short, we ended up at St. Antonius Coptic Orthodox Church in Hayward, … Read the rest