“Breathe on us, breath of God, fill us with life anew, that we may love what thou dost love; and do what thou would’st do.” (The Hymnal 1982, #508, alt.) You may have heard it said that in the story of the Acts of the Apostles, the principal character … READ MORE…
Easter 7A, May 28, 2017St. Paul’s San Diego John 17:1-11 Community is the essence of living in residential seminary. Some have said it is like living in a fishbowl. You get thrown into this place from your previously secular life with all these other people who are very different from you and then you are … READ MORE…
This week I received a precious gift. It’s a gift I will remember and cherish. It’s a gift I never wanted and wish I had never received, and yet I am grateful for it. There is no more sacred task for a priest than the task, the privilege, of being permitted to be present with … READ MORE…
Easter 5A, May 14, 2017 St. Paul’s San Diego Creation Care Sunday, John 14:1-14 It’s a regular pattern. Disaster strikes– maybe it’s a flood. Maybe it’s a tornado, or a hurricane. Maybe it’s an earthquake. There are many casualties and lots of devastation. And before relief efforts can really get fully underway, voices will start … READ MORE…
The new Alien movie is scheduled to be released in a couple of weeks. “Alien Covenant” is the sixth in the series, which began with a young Sigourney Weaver back in 1979. I will not be going to see the new movie. Horror stories, and even less horror stories set in space, are not my … READ MORE…
April 30, 2017St. George’s Day EvensongSt. Paul’s CathedralMatthew 10: 16-22 Come Holy Spirit: Touch our minds and think with them, touch our lips and speak with them and touch our hearts and set them on fire with love for you. AMEN. This is always quite a day. A bit of a parade, Banners, bag pipes, … READ MORE…
Alleluia, Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia! There’s a Thomas in every crowd. Join a board, attend a dinner party, sign up for the local basketball league, and when conversation begins you will more than likely find a Thomas. Thomas is the one who asks questions, who wonders aloud about the implications … READ MORE…
It was an unspeakably violent and depraved act. The rulers of an oppressed people inflicting an agonizing death on the innocent. What were they thinking? Where was their humanity? As we once again grieve the passion and death of Jesus two thousand years ago at the hands of the Romans, in collaboration with a corrupt … READ MORE…
When death came it was an invisible enemy, striking down adults, children, animals. It must have been like God’s destroying angel, invading bedrooms and bomb shelters, catching the first responders as they raced to save lives and in the process lost their own. There was no Passover for the people of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria. … READ MORE…
The collect for the second half of this service troubles me. It says in part, “Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection.” I don’t know how that strikes you, but I don’t like it much. It may be just me and my own history … READ MORE…