What a wonderful wedding yesterday. Wasn’t it? The pomp and pageantry of British royal tradition with a refreshing dose of American energy. Fabulous! And the African-American Episcopal bishop who gave the homily! And that gospel choir singing “Stand By Me”! But that African-American bishop, he spoke of love - as one would expect at …
Naomi & Ruth – Two Mothers for Today
There are many mothers in the Bible, but few that feel contemporary to us. I offer to you today on this Mother’s Day, the Book of Ruth in the “Old” Testament. A marvelous, short book, with a beautiful story of two women, Naomi and Ruth; a story that we can relate to. I will …
Conversation at the Core of Life
A Gospel reading of contrasts "Chosen" people (the Jews) - "rejected" people (the Samaritans) Light and darkness: Jesus at the well at the sixth hour (about noon). Contrast with Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night! When Jesus was crucified, darkness came over the land from noon (sixth hour) to the ninth hour - …
United by our Deficiencies
I love reading the Acknowledgments page in every new book that I buy. In his most recent book, Principalities in Particular-A Practical Theology of the Powers That Be, Bill Wylie-Kellermann included an acknowledgment of his church community in Detroit with the following words: “St Peter’s Episcopal Church, place, base, sanctuary, beloved community, hospitaliters, water …
Lessons in Stewardship
The women came to anoint the body of Jesus. An anonymous woman had already anointed Jesus, but Jesus pronounced that as a symbolic preparation for his burial. Now his burial has taken place and the women go to the tomb to properly anoint the body of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea had been too much …
The Schrödinger Equation of Faith
Thomas makes a very strange request: He won’t believe unless he puts his hands in the print of the nails that crucified Christ. The strangeness of this request came to me when I returned a spoiled package of strawberries to Whole Foods yesterday. And right in front of me at the customer service was …
“L’chaim!” from the Grave
Ανοίξω το στόμα μου και πληρωθήσεται πνεύματος, και λόγον ερεύξομαι…"I shall open my mouth and it will be filled with the spirit, and the word will flow forth"…says a well-known hymn of the Orthodox Church. God asks every one of us to open our mouths to speak and let the Holy Spirit do the …
Thanksgiving on Palm Sunday
Yesterday a funeral took place in Cambridge, England - the funeral of a great man, a man who was bound to almost complete immobility in a wheelchair and completely reliant on a voice synthesiser to communicate with the world. Yet, this man’s mind and spirit soared to the infinite reaches of the universe and …
The Times They Are a-Changin’
Yesterday, March 24th, the nation saw hundreds of thousands of young people rally against gun violence. The largest rally was in the nation's capital, where perhaps as many as 800,000 turned out. I started watching just as Ryan Deitsch was addressing the rally in Washington. As I watched this young man, I said, I …
Three Essentials
“I believe; help my unbelief!” - those memorable words of the father in today’s Gospel reading. Every single one of us here today is a believer and an unbeliever at the same time. We believe, we are drawn to this amazing person Jesus Christ, we have a vague idea of God, some sense of …
Ancient Answers 