“God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve.” Let me invite you to pay attention to the collect—that’s our opening prayer for Sunday Eucharist—which changes every
week. Some weeks it’s about the season or time of year; sometimes it’s related to the scriptures we … Read the rest
It’s not fair! How many times have we said that. Or at least thought it. I’ll give you a moment to remember the last time somebody cut in front of you in traffic or someone declared bankruptcy after racking up irresponsible debt. Do you feel just a bit of anger over the injustice of it all? And if … Read the rest
Continue reading "It's Not Fair!" »
“Lord, teach us to pray,” the disciples asked of Jesus, according to Luke’s Gospel. And in response, Jesus gave them what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer, perhaps the most beloved and enduring prayer in our tradition. From foxholes to hospitals to bedtime rituals to Episcopal liturgies of every kind, we pray and we sing “thy kingdom … Read the rest
Continue reading "Leavened with Compassion" »
I’m all in favor of increasing faith, but what does the mustard seed have against the poor mulberry tree, casting it out to sea to prove a point? And what a curious metaphor for our Lord to choose. Although nothing in Luke’s retelling of this parable suggests that the out-of-place tree drowned, the imagery is confusing. In general, … Read the rest
Continue reading "Of Seeds, Seas, and Trees" »
There once was a rich man who owned an invaluable gemstone weighing well over 100 carats, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world. And the local factions in his country fought over it for at least a century, until it passed into the hands of a colonial queen in a far-away land. All of the rich … Read the rest
Continue reading "This Is Not A Parable" »
Our collect appointed for this Sunday—listen, and you’ll hear it later in the service—prays for God to give us knowledge and understanding about what things we ought to do. That’s a very good prayer for what we Christians sometimes call discernment. That is, our practices for choosing the right course of action, as followers of Jesus.
But honestly, … Read the rest
Continue reading "Discerned Profligacy" »
What a way to begin ministry together! Consider the stories of faith we’ve heard this morning: a deceitful patriarch Jacob getting his hip put out of joint while wrestling with God, and a strict Paul admonishing his protégé Timothy to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. And then there’s that peevish judge in Jesus’ parable, who … Read the rest
Continue reading "Persevere in Hope" »
Several years ago, when I was a brand new priest serving on the staff of the bishop of the Diocese of California, I was asked to be the spiritual director for a weekend retreat. The retreat, an extension of well-established prison ministry, was designed for women whose husbands or … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Name You Know" »
It’s all about the meals, according to New Testament scholar Robert Karris. In his book “Eating your Way through Luke’s Gospel,” he points out that Jesus almost always seems to be either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal. And in the Gospel we just heard, Jesus is teaching about … Read the rest
Continue reading "Dangerous Eating" »
Friends, how did you get in here? That’s a serious question. Did you walk, drive, take the train? Did you come through the south or north doors, or through the slype, that little vestibule over there? When you arrived, did someone greet you with kindness, hand you a bulletin, tell you where to take your children or show … Read the rest