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" »New Consecration Sunday Proper 28A/Matthew 25:14-30
Maybe you’ve heard it said that your talent is God’s gift to you, and what your do with it is your gift to God. And then again, maybe you’ve heard this one—
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them… to … Read the rest
Continue reading "To Each According to Their Ability" »All Saints Sunday Revelation 7: 9-17
“Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I have been quite captivated by this question from our first lesson. For one, thing I myself am robed in white, so 
you would be totally within your rights to ask who I am and where I came from. Over the course … Read the rest
De Colores!
What a privilege to be invited to share in this Cursillo weekend with you. For me its been a sacred time that began with my prayers for you all week. And I’ve also been thinking a lot about Moses on Mount Nebo looking out over the promised land, and also about Jesus summarizing the law and the prophets … Read the rest
Continue reading "The View from the Cursillo Mountain Top" »“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is … Read the rest
Continue reading "Francis and Feeding the Wolves" »
I chanced to be listening to a favorite radio news station show a few days ago, when—because its election season—the programming had been commandeered by a broadcast debate between the mayoral candidates of our nearby metropolis of San Jose. The candidates are both liberal democrats, so in order to liven things up, a comedian in the … Read the rest
According to the folklore of Celtic Christianity, blackberries should not be picked after the Feast of Michaelmas. This because, as the stories go, Satan was banished from heaven on this day, fell into a blackberry bramble and either cursed it, spat on it, or—in my favorite version—urinated on it.
I find these apocryphal tales to … Read the rest
Continue reading "Angelology Amidst the Brambles" »
Today was the last day of training for the new Stephen Ministers at St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church. I was privileged to be part of the training team for these lay caregivers, and so I’m already grieving the goodbyes soon to come (after tomorrow’s festive commissioning) as I move on to new ministries.
Wanting to send my trainees … Read the rest
Continue reading "Proof Texting" »
Last Friday evening I picked my husband up from the airport. And because he’d been away for the week I wanted to do something fun, but also something that wasn’t dependent on his flight getting in on time.
To make a long story short, we ended up at St. Antonius Coptic Orthodox Church in Hayward, … Read the rest
Continue reading "Sacred Profanity" »
This past week, almost 130 priests and deacons from the Diocese of California gathered at the Bishop’s Ranch to listen to, learn from and pray with our central sacred texts—the four canonical gospels—in ancient and fresh ways. Alexander John Shaia, a psychologist and scripture scholar who led this year’s clergy retreat, offered us a way … Read the rest
