Merry Christmas! If you are with us on Sunday morning, know that our holy day actually began on Saturday evening—following the customs of our Jewish forebears—including Jesus himself.
One of the many things I love about our Episcopal Church is the richness of our liturgy—that is, our rituals of worship—which we share with Jews and Christians of many … Read the rest
Continue reading "Behold!" »
In the Roman Catholic tradition—although not in the Episcopal Church—the Gospel we just heard is proclaimed on the Sunday after Christmas Day, for what is called the “Feast of the Holy Family.” And why not honor this intrepid family? We’ve just heard of Mary and Joseph’s fateful journey to Bethlehem, and of Jesus’ heralded birth, so why not … Read the rest
Continue reading "Family & the Father's House" »
It wasn’t supposed to happen today. Not on Christmas Eve, anyway. The James Webb Space Telescope that launched this morning has been in the works for decades. But its launch has been delayed so many times over the years that many believed it would never happen. Someone on Twitter even joked that we needn’t fear the Webb Telescope … Read the rest
Continue reading "Telescoping History" »
I have a long commute from Berkeley to San Jose every day—I think you know that—and I confess that I struggle to find the holiness of the freeway. I know it’s there. Just last week Matthew’s Jesus reminded us that the kingdom of heaven has come near. And I really do believe that is equally true everywhere. So if … Read the rest
Continue reading "Light Bearers" »
On the border between Berkeley and Oakland, there is a public art installation that consists of eight foot tall steel letters that spell “here” and “there”. Berkeley being the here, and Oakland being the there. Perhaps it was meant as a rejoinder to Gertrude Stein’s famous statement about Oakland: “there’s no there there”. But the artist is silent … Read the rest
Continue reading "Here to There" »