“Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” As a mother who has raised two sons, I am well versed in the primal human desire to incinerate things. But Jesus immediately rebuked James and John for suggesting that the inhospitable Samaritan village be destroyed, and the disciples continued towards Jerusalem … Read the rest
Continue reading "Freedom to Follow" »Tag: Paul
Sanctuary/Santuario
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" »Careful of the Word
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 1:39-57
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, Paul wrote in his beautiful Christocentric letter to the Church in Colosse. Well, yes. May it be true for you and for me. Nevertheless, I find myself wondering if, for young Mary of Nazareth—who so gracefully accepted her unique role as God-bearer—there might have been something of … Read the rest
Continue reading "Careful of the Word" »Worthy of Worship
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" »Dealing in Purple
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" »Sight for Suspect Saints
Romans 8:18-25 + Luke 13:18-21
Last Friday afternoon, as I was preparing my sermon for Sunday, I had something of a small-scale panic attack. I was a long way away from home—retreating in Sonoma County—when I discovered that I’d left my reading glasses behind. So there I was, ensconced in the deep shade of the shade of the redwoods, struggling … Read the rest
Continue reading "Sight for Suspect Saints" »Wisdom in All the Wrong Places
Who is wise and understanding among you?
The letter of James poses that question rhetorically, because the author already has an answer ready for us: “wisdom… is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” If that’s what you’re like, you are indeed wise. But … Read the rest
Continue reading "Wisdom in All the Wrong Places" »Unexceptional Grace
“I know a person… who was caught up into Paradise,” Paul wrote to the church in Corinth nearly two thousand years ago. “Even considering the exceptional character of the revelations, however, I refrain from boasting.”
This passage is one of my favorites in all of Paul’s voluminous and dense correspondence to the early church, in large part because … Read the rest
Continue reading "Unexceptional Grace" »The Front Matter and the Foundation
Advent 1B 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lor
d Jesus Christ. I’ve always wanted to say that to a congregation. I’m a relatively new priest and its still kind of a holy surprise to speak the words spoken by apostles who went before me.
We heard this greeting near the beginning … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Front Matter and the Foundation" »