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" »
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" »Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval?” asked the Apostle Paul of the community in Galatia. “Am I trying to please people?”
Twenty-nine years ago this coming Tuesday—as in two days from now—John and I got married. It was a wedding, in all of the glorious messiness that attends such events, with various kinds of drama … Read the rest
Continue reading "Worthy of Worship" »Last June and July the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church was convened in Salt Lake City. You may have heard some of the news from there: Michael Curry was elected our Presiding Bishop, marriage equality was affirmed, the triennial budget was passed with significant new investments in evangelism and racial reconciliation. This was the official … Read the rest
Continue reading "Dealing in Purple" »Last night when I took off my watch before bed, I didn’t leave it where I usually do. That little mistake played havoc with my morning rituals, which is kind of ironic because—since my iphone also tells time—I barely even look at my wristwatch anymore.
Still, the misplaced watch and the consequent search for it unsettled me because … Read the rest
Continue reading "Habits of Heaven" »Complete this sentence. Obey your…
So in our first lesson this morning, we’ve met Peter and the apostles, boldly announcing to the Senhadrin—the central council of religious authorities in Jerusalem—that they obeyed God rather than any human authority. That’s the kind of statement that’s bound to get you into trouble with those same human authorities. And in fact … Read the rest
Continue reading "Thomas the Obedient" »For several days last week, I was driving around with a kind of scary black garbage bag in the back of my car. And the bag got a bit scarier every day that it stayed there, because it was full of damp used towels. Towels that came from a service of footwashing. And the feet belonged to the … Read the rest
Continue reading "Take Up Your Towel" »How much are we willing to give?
Just a week ago today I might have said that I had given it all I had. That’s because last weekend I had the privilege of serving the almost 60 high schoolers who took part in our annual diocese wide “Happening” retreat. For those of you who don’t yet know about … Read the rest
Continue reading "How Much Is Too Much?" »Lately I’ve been listening to lots of stories about parents and children. You probably all know the variations on the theme: children doing things their parents don’t want them to, adults failing to parent their children adequately, siblings taking very different paths and dividing loyalties. Makes for messy holidays and family reunions, no? But it has always been … Read the rest
Continue reading "Hunger for Home" »
There’s this silly graphic making the rounds on social media these days. Maybe mostly on nerdy clergy Facebook pages, but perhaps you’ve seen it too. It’s a series of crosses that might be made on people’s foreheads. There’s the clean, crisp one called “first in line,” and the very pale one called “add toner.” There are also some … Read the rest
Continue reading "Been There, Done That" »
