Its somewhat legendary in the Episcopal Church that the seminarian or brand new clergy get assigned to preach on the Sundays when the lessons are really difficult, or when the theology is complicated (like on Trinity Sunday). Steve, I’m not a seminarian! And just because I’m moving away is not an excuse to punish me.
But here we … Read the rest
Continue reading "Eschatological Investment" »Many years ago when I was waking up to my Christian faith, I took a Bible study course that used a particular method for reading scripture. Bible scholars call that a hermeneutic: a lens though which we consciously (or unconsciously) interpret a sacred text. So in this case, for each Scripture passage we studied, we were asked to … Read the rest
Continue reading "Compassionate Judgment" »“What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”
So said the rich man in the parable of Jesus we just hear this morning. He’s really … Read the rest
Continue reading "In Between the Barns" »Genesis 18:20-32
Luke 11:1-13
Today’s Gospel is one that evokes great humility for a preacher. Well, that’s true of almost any Gospel. But what could I possibly say this morning that would add anything to the Lord’s Prayer, which has preached itself through the prayers of billions of people over thousands of years? You all know this prayer; you’ve prayed … Read the rest
When I was just out of college I spent a year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity at its headquarters in the rural south. I was mostly doing construction work outside, so the pervasive Georgia red dirt found its way into every pore. But I was young and hopeful, so I was kind of proud of the grime that … Read the rest
Continue reading "Good News for Bad Soil" »“Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” As a mother who has raised two sons, I am well versed in the primal human desire to incinerate things. But Jesus immediately rebuked James and John for suggesting that the inhospitable Samaritan village be destroyed, and the disciples continued towards Jerusalem … Read the rest
Continue reading "Freedom to Follow" »Where is your safe place?
¿Dónde está su refugio?
The prophet Elijah, running for his life from the King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, sought safety in a cave on Horeb, the holy mountain of God.
El profeta Elías, corriendo por su vida del rey Acab y la reina Jezabel, busco refugio en una cueva en el Horeb, el … Read the rest
Continue reading "Sanctuary/Santuario" »It’s the tears that really get to me in this story. Everything that the woman does is unexpected: the bold entry into the house of a Pharisee, the weeping, the anointing, the contact with the rabbi’s feet, the loosened hair. The reality and the symbolism of each of these actions is quite extraordinary. Even more so if we … Read the rest
Continue reading "Tears of Pain and Power" »
Proper 5C
Luke 7:11-17
In my diocesan role, I have the privilege of coordinating the annual confirmation liturgy that happens at Grace Cathedral. Yesterday, more than 140 Christian people were confirmed, which meant that—including with their families and presenters—the Cathedral was quite full. A few days before that, I had mentioned to the Precenter—that is, the resident liturgist on the … Read the rest
Continue reading "Proceed to Life" »
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 1:39-57
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, Paul wrote in his beautiful Christocentric letter to the Church in Colosse. Well, yes. May it be true for you and for me. Nevertheless, I find myself wondering if, for young Mary of Nazareth—who so gracefully accepted her unique role as God-bearer—there might have been something of … Read the rest
Continue reading "Careful of the Word" »
