I had a friend once who worked very hard to make sure that all of his plans went the right way. He followed all the rules. He worked hard. He found a spouse. He had children. He saved money. He did everything he was supposed to. But one day, his world came crashing in, and … READ MORE…
Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all. New Englander poet Emily Dickinson knew the power and necessity of hope, in a land where winter seems to go on for ever. Today we face a mess of contradictions. It’s the … READ MORE…
Today is Christ the King Sunday. While Christ the King is an established part of our tradition, it is not really that old. It was begun in the early part of the 20th century and there is some debate about why it began. But in any event, it is a day we use now at … READ MORE…
Isaiah casts a vision of a better time to come, Paul exhorts us not to be weary in doing what is right, Jesus offers apocalyptic prophecies of end times and persecutions … I promise you that I didn’t choose these readings this morning: they are the gift of our lectionary. But they do have much … READ MORE…
All Saints’ Day/Year C Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Ephesians 1:11-23 Luke 6:20-31 Just for today I will not worry Just for today I will not be angry Just for today I will do my work honestly Just for today I will give thanks for my many blessings Just for today I will be kind to … READ MORE…
When I was seven years old, my parents took me to London to see the sights. It was a big deal: as the baby of the family I rarely got my parents to myself. Among the usual tourist attractions that we visited was the obligatory witnessing of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. … READ MORE…
Two men went up to the Temple to pray. If we were to tell this story in our own context, who would these men be? One was a pillar of the community: a supreme court justice, or a bishop perhaps, a highly educated man who lived his life exactly as his faith directed; a good … READ MORE…
Six words: Love Christ, Serve Others, Welcome All. These six words, the mission statement of our cathedral, also encompass our purpose here today. For we are celebrating Vida Joven de Mexico, our foster home in Tijuana, MX. We support Vida Joven to love, protect and educate some 30 – 35 children. These children have been … READ MORE…
The gospel lesson this morning presents a community in an in-between space. As lepers, these ten travelers were ritually impure. We don’t really know what leprosy meant– it was likely a combination of what we consider to be many skin afflictions today– but until the afflictions were healed the persons afflicted were prohibited from certain … READ MORE…
What can we say about a man who preached to the birds, who picked worms out of the road so they wouldn’t be trampled by traffic, and who, when he was dying, insisted on being stripped naked and laid directly on the ground so that he could be at one with his beloved Mother Earth? … READ MORE…