death Archives - LiftUpYourHearts

Death and Our Song

Over the past month, I have attended or officiated four funerals. The deceased were people of different genders and ages and ethnicities. Two were people who had lived long full lives and passed away peacefully. Two were people whose lives were tragically cut short. There were in some cases ashes at the funerals, in some cases bodies; … Read the rest

Live Without Fear

Proper 8B

“Your daughter is dead.” I can imagine no more dreadful words for a parent to hear, and it almost makes me tremble to say them out loud on a Sunday when we celebrate my own adult child’s ministry at Trinity. Given his childhood mischief—some of it acted out in church—Lord knows how he reached adulthood alive! And soon … Read the rest

Remembering the Future

Last Epiphany/Transfiguration

The week before last I traveled to Denver Colorado to visit my father, who is very sick. More about that in a minute. But here’s the thing. In order to get there within our COVID bubble, my husband John and I drove the 1300 mile trip, out and back. Which meant that we crossed the Rocky Mountains in … Read the rest

Once, and for All

Lent 5A

“Unbind him, and let him go,” said Jesus to Lazarus who had just emerged from the tomb. That’s from the 11^th chapter of John’s Gospel. And then from the 20^thchapter: “Do not hold on to me” said Jesus to Mary Magdalene when he himself had emerged from the tomb. While our Christian scriptures insist—from beginning … Read the rest

It’s All One Way

Proper 17A one way

“There’s no way out,” lamented a headline from Houston this week. Of all the horrifying and heartbreaking reportage from the flood zone, this one felt the most personal because just a week ago Saturday I was sitting in an eerily quiet airport terminal in Austin Texas, similarly wondering if there were a way out. Which of course there … Read the rest

Proceed to Life

Proper 5C
Luke 7:11-17

In my diocesan role, I have the privilege of coordinating the annual confirmation liturgy that happens at Grace Cathedral. Yesterday, more than 140 Christian people were confirmed, which meant that—including with their families and presenters—the Cathedral was quite full. A few days before that, I had mentioned to the Precenter—that is, the resident liturgist on the … Read the rest

Been There, Done That

Ash Wednesday

There’s this silly graphic making the rounds on social media these days. Maybe mostly on nerdy clergy Facebook pages, but perhaps you’ve seen it too. It’s a series of crosses that might be made on people’s foreheads. There’s the clean, crisp one called “first in line,” and the very pale one called “add toner.” There are also some … Read the rest

Sacred Profanity

Holy Cross Day
John 12:31-36

cross of christ built into a brick wall 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