Gifts of God For the People of God “What are you really good at?”, I asked the Holy Cross students earlier this week. “And what color are your eyes?” The kids, as always, were eager to share. The talents they named ran the gamut: basketball, soccer, painting, video games, various subjects, etc. The eye colors […]
Ransom For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45) Negotiating with the bad guys is never a good idea we are taught. Our country has a strict policy of not negotiating with terrorists because it is thought that […]
So What About Jesus? Whenever someone comes to me and shares that they feel called to be ordained a priest, I get a little excited and a little sad. I get excited because the person has had a close experience with God where they feel newly loved and called to serve the world more generously. […]
Security When our children were 10 and 6, we sat them down and told them our family was moving to Montgomery. They both immediately broke into tears. Meg said, “We can’t move. Everybody is expecting me at school.” Rob’s concerns were more basic. “Are we going to be able to eat there?”, he asked, apparently […]
LENT 2019 I invite you, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. (BCP, page 264) Ash Wednesday, March 6 – Imposition of Ashes and the Holy Eucharist 7:00 am; 12:05 pm; […]
The Jefferson Davis Pew and Plaque At our planning retreat this past weekend, I asked the Vestry to consider some information regarding the Jefferson Davis Pew. Most of this information, while not itself new, was not formerly known by the group and had a striking effect on us all. Here is a summary of what […]
Warming Love On a chilly Monday morning, I stood in the Chapel at Holy Cross School with about 85 students and teachers and watched the sun gradually melt the frost on the lawn. Our vantage point was perfect. The bright sun was rising and the main school building cast a long shadow. In the shade […]
Passed Over A few times in my years as a priest I have been passed over in a search process. A few times I have been the one selected and others have been passed over. When Episcopal churches call priests, they start with a long list and whittle the list down to a few folks […]
The traditional posture of prayer is facing eastward and with good reason. The sun rises in the east and represents the great hope of the new day. No matter how crushing yesterday may have been, the sunrise indicates a new beginning. Each day we awaken to new possibilities, a new creation, a new opportunity to […]
Positive Dissatisfaction While doing some online shopping over the holidays, I came across a company touting what they described as a relentless pursuit of a better product. Always looking for improvement, they claimed “positive dissatisfaction” with themselves. Basically they were saying that their product was the best money could buy but they would keep […]