Today being Christ the King Sunday, and myself never having lived under the authority of an earthly king, I thought I’d better do some research into how my peers think about kings. So I did what contemporary people do, and turned to the Oracle of Mountain View—that being Google—for insight.
I figured that I’d learn a … Read the rest
Continue reading "Peculiar Kingship" »Earlier this year, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, sounded the alarm about an American epidemic which predated COVID-19: the phenomenon of loneliness, now affecting half of all Americans. It is a serious public health problem. Lack of social connection has been found to be as dangerous as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
Murthy has … Read the rest
Continue reading "Real and Reconciled" »
Where do we find hope these days? In things torn down, or in things raised up? According to Matthew, yes, and yes. The lessons of Advent seem so divisive, and the stakes seem so high, that I sometimes find it nearly impossible to see past the messages of judgment to the tender compassion of our God. And yet, … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Baptist and the Burning Man" »
“If only I had known”. How many times have I said something like that to myself? If only I’d known that it was going to rain, I would have fixed that leak. If only I’d known that my car was going to be broken into, I wouldn’t have left my purse under the seat. If only I’d known … Read the rest
Continue reading "Surrounded by Treasure" »
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
Continue reading "Death and Our Song" »Several decades ago, at a time when I was thinking very deeply about God and money, I went to my then Presbyterian pastor and asked her what to do. “What’s the right amount to give to the church?” I wanted to know. Should it be a tithe, a tenth of my income? That seemed like … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Look of Love" »As some of you may know, I recently spent two weeks with about 10,000 of my closest Episcopal friends—including our own Alan Murray—in Austin Texas at the 79th triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Alan was an alternate deputy for our diocese, so he had a legislatively official reason for being there. I … Read the rest
Continue reading "Awkward Episcopalian" »Listen to Audio
Before I begin, I need to preface my remarks by saying that I don’t like raisins. In fact, I think of oatmeal raisin cookies as a kind of mean-spirited bait and switch. They look like chocolate chip cookies but then turn out to be something that more like a healthy breakfast than a decadent dessert. … Read the rest
Continue reading "Staying with the Source" »“What was written in former days was for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope,” wrote the author of the letter to the Romans. Which sounds comforting in a season when I am actively searching for signs of hope. And of course there are plenty: even in the … Read the rest
Continue reading "Things Hoped For" »Genesis 18:20-32
Luke 11:1-13
Today’s Gospel is one that evokes great humility for a preacher. Well, that’s true of almost any Gospel. But what could I possibly say this morning that would add anything to the Lord’s Prayer, which has preached itself through the prayers of billions of people over thousands of years? You all know this prayer; you’ve prayed … Read the rest
