I’m both the daughter and the mother of physicists, so—even though I was never much of a scientist myself—I am fascinated with the intersection of scientific ideas and theology. I think that I share this interest with your priest, who has been kind enough to allow me to preach from her pulpit twice. Thank you, Mother Neli! Let … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Miracle Between Us" »
When my two sons were young and we’d travel anywhere by car, they’d race to the driver’s side door calling “shotgun” at the top of their lungs. Honestly, I’m not really sure what the value of sitting in that front seat was. Because actually when they got a little older—and especially when their friends were in the car—nobody … Read the rest
Continue reading "Pray. As You Can." »
Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart, and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Questions Themselves" »
So I’ve been thinking about conspiracy theories this week. And no—before you start worrying about me—they have nothing to do with why the Secret Service didn’t heed warnings about a shooter climbing an adjacent building. Nor do they have to do with angels surrounding the former president nor with any divine anointing of his ear with blood. The … Read the rest
Continue reading "Conspiracy Theory" »
Since I haven’t been in the pulpit since I got back home, let me bring you greetings from the nearly 7,000 Episcopalians who gathered in Louisville Kentucky for the 81th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. I was at there to serve as a hospitality volunteer for Latino ministries, which was a head-spinning and body-aching experience of … Read the rest
Continue reading "Freedom to be Family" »
Not gonna lie, this is a hard Sunday to preach. By now most of you know that I will be retiring before the end of this year, because my husband John is retiring from his career in public finance at the end of July. I love being a priest, and I especially love being your priest, but my … Read the rest
Continue reading "Only, Live Your Life" »
Salvation. Now there’s a mouthful of a Biblical word. Because we don’t use it much in other contexts these days, it tends to take on a kind of mystical weight. And it does and should have that dimension, when we use it in church. But it’s worth remembering that it—in Biblical times—it had some rather more ordinary … Read the rest
Continue reading "Saving Salvation" »
I’ve spent a fair amount of time this week looking at paintings of the Ascension. There are lots of them—by Renaissance masters like Giotto and Rembrandt and Titian—and also by early iconographers and manuscript illuminators. And then in the 20th century, there’s the evocative rendition by Salvador Dali. I hope you have seen it, or will at least … Read the rest
Continue reading "Hands in Blessing?" »
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" »
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" »
