We are stardust, we are golden—
And we’ve got to get ourselves… back to the garden.
Anybody recognize those words? I was a child—admittedly a pretty small one—when Joni Mitchell penned the lyrics of the Woodstock anthem in 1969. My somewhat-hippie parents weren’t at Woodstock, but they were groovy enough to play this song regularly in my childhood … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Once and Future Garden" »
Whew. This gut-wrenching Palm Sunday Gospel, dramatically enacted by… 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, there’s all manner of mocking … Read the rest
Continue reading "Just Do (Do) It" »
“For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,” wrote Paul. So… which one are you? Jew or Greek? One who expects God to reveal himself with deeds of power, or one who recognizes God because she answers our deepest existential questions? Speaking for myself, the answer is yes. Yes to signs and yes to wisdom. Frankly, I’d really … Read the rest
Continue reading "Power in Foolishness" »
If you happen to follow clergy social media—of which there is a lot—you could not have escaped the fact that Ash Wednesday coincides with Valentine’s Day this year. I can’t escape it personally, either, as my dear husband—who generally does Valentine’s Day very well—will be home alone this year. I’m going to have to make it up … Read the rest
Continue reading "VaLENTine's Day" »
If you stay around for the annual meeting after this worship service—and I certainly hope that you do—we’ll be shining a light on the way forward for Trinity. We’ll be electing a new vestry and previewing new ministries. And that hopeful look ahead is good and right. But in church we’re always looking backward too. We at Trinity—more … Read the rest
Continue reading "Looking Back to the Future" »
This and next Sunday are exceptional days for Trinity Cathedral. Next week is our annual parish meeting, and today people who will be at Trinity in person will not be hearing a regular sermon, but rather contemplating a Biblical text together. So I’d like to invite you to engage in something similar alongside us, all with the goal … Read the rest
Continue reading "Letting Go and Going Forth" »
“You will see greater things than these… you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” Um, OK. That sounds pretty thrilling, but I can’t say that I’ve seen exactly that. And on the surface of things, vertical parades of angels over Jesus seems like a rather high bar … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Vision is (in)You" »
As many of you know, I’m the daughter of an astronomer. Specifically, an astronomer who studied supernovae, the luminous explosions of stars at the end of their lives. My father’s passion for the heavens opened literal vistas for me. He showed me that the night sky is alive with cosmic drama: births and deaths of stars, light … Read the rest
Continue reading "Looking for Light" »
When my kids were younger, our family had a tradition of inviting the neighborhood kids over—most of whom were not Christian—to help decorate our Christmas tree. We served sweet treats rather like we’re doing at Trinity today, and invited them to make some crafts to decorate the tree with or take back to their own homes. It was … Read the rest
Continue reading "Not the Light" »
Until a few years ago, my family owned a primitive cabin in the Redwoods near the Russian River. The site was green and romantic and beautiful, but the cabin was not an easy place to maintain. The overstory cast a deep shade, and moisture so permeated the ecosystem such that everything seemed to compost overnight. Including the nylon … Read the rest
Continue reading "Message from the Margin" »