On Friday morning St Paul’s hosted the monthly breakfast for RISE San Diego, an organization that brings faith communities together for action to empower the city’s residents. I served on the panel as we fielded questions about social challenges to faith, the separation of church and state, and negative stereotypes of Muslims. I shared the … READ MORE…
In the Holy Land during the eighth century BCE all was not well. While simple farmers and shepherds struggled to make ends meet, the elite ruling class exacted heavy taxes and enjoyed lives of lavish and debaucherous luxury. Some threw banquets, lived in tiled houses, and had ivory-decorated furniture as their neighbors withered before them. … READ MORE…
God sends the prophet Ezekiel on a journey. “Mortal,” God says, “I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels, … impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘thus says the Lord God.’” And so begins Ezekiel’s journey into the mysteries of … READ MORE…
The Rev. Colin Mathewson preached this sermon at the Daily Eucharist at General Convention, 2 July 2015 “The general remembers the tiny green sprigs/ men of his village wore in their capes/ to honor the birth of a son. He will/ order many, this time, to be killed/ for a single, beautiful word.” Thus concludes … READ MORE…
The year my brother turned 30, he joined a small crew on a 54-foot wooden sailboat named the Princess Taiping on a journey across the Pacific Ocean. The boat was a replica of a 16th century Chinese ship, traveling the course from China to North America and back again to prove that China’s greatest admiral … READ MORE…
“O mortal, propound a riddle, and speak an allegory to the house of Israel.” So Ezekiel begins the section of his prophecy that culminates in the parable of the tree, a tree set in a high place, a tree grown from the sprig of a proud cedar, a tree that will shelter everyone and stand … READ MORE…
Erik Olson Fernandez is crazy. Growing up poor in a Mexican-American family in Ohio, he saw how hard his mom worked and how little progress his family made. He vowed to do what he could to create more opportunities for immigrants like her. However, after graduating from Miami University with a bachelors in urban planning … READ MORE…
The prophet Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne room is mind-blowing. A presence that fills the Temple, mystical creatures flitting about, songs of praise that rattle the rafters, hot coals, smoke, a call to serve – it vividly reminds me of last Sunday’s festival service for Pentecost. Susan Forsburg’s wonderful online photo essay of the minutes … READ MORE…
The feast of Pentecost is sometimes referred to as the birthday of the church, because it marks the transition of the disciples from a small group gathered to pray in one room into a movement of international apostles empowered to proclaim God’s good deeds far and wide: this is a day when we celebrate the … READ MORE…
If you weren’t paying close attention, you might have missed it. It didn’t get coverage on the nightly news, and we didn’t even have a special service for it. But this week the Church celebrated a milestone in the Gospel story, the Ascension of Jesus. It’s the missing link in the story of how the … READ MORE…