March 21, 2021, The Fifth Sunday in LentPenelope BridgesLifted Up In the name of our loving, life-giving, and liberating God. What is the Bible saying to you today? What do these Scripture readings say to you as you read them in the context of the world we are living in, in the context of the … READ MORE…
March 7, 2021 The third Sunday in LentPenelope BridgesGod’s Law, Our Freedom “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.” (Ps 19:14) “God spoke all these words.” Moses, in communion with God on the holy mountain, receives the extraordinary gift … READ MORE…
February 21, 2021Penelope Bridges “The time is fulfilled: repent and believe in the good news.” With these words the Jesus of Mark’s Gospel gets down to business. Perhaps good news and repentance don’t necessarily go together in your mind, but as we settle into this Lenten season, the invitation to repent and believe is indeed … READ MORE…
The Rev.Cn. Jeff MartinhaukTransfiguration B, February 14, 2021St. Paul’s Cathedral, San DiegoMark 9:2-9 We meet Peter today on the mountaintop after he and Jesus have been in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and Peter has just scolded Jesus for openly teaching that he would have to be crucified. Jesus rebuked Peter quickly, making clear that … READ MORE…
February 7, 2021, the Fifth Sunday after the EpiphanyAll Things to All PeoplePenelope Bridges Last week I had the honor of meeting with some very bright 7th-graders from Francis Parker Middle School. Usually at this time of year a group from Parker comes to the cathedral and we tell them a little about the Episcopal … READ MORE…
Almost 30 years ago I started on the path of discernment that led me to ordained ministry. One of the early requirements in the process was to work with a parish committee, to reflect on my call and the experience of ministry. Our aspirants today do something very similar. One of the most impactful questions, … READ MORE…
Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 17, 2021Penelope BridgesIt’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn If you Google the phrase, “It’s always darkest just before the day dawns”, you’ll find that the phrase was first committed to print by a 17th century theologian called Thomas Fuller, in the context of his Holy Land travelogue. However, it was … READ MORE…
The Rev.Cn. Jeff MartinhaukEpiphany 1B, January 10, 2021St. Paul’s Cathedral, San DiegoGen 1:1-5; Mark 1:4-11 In the beginning, the earth was a formless void, and darkness covered the deep, says our text, and there were waters swirling about this dark, deep void. It has been a week with some moments where it has felt like … READ MORE…
January 3, 2021, the second Sunday after ChristmasPenelope BridgesThe Hard Truths of Scripture Alleluia, unto us a child is born. Come let us adore him, Alleluia. What do we know about the early life of Jesus? Matthew and Luke give us birth narratives with different details and emphases. Luke tells us about Jesus being circumcised … READ MORE…
The Rev. Jeff MartinhaukAdvent 3B, December 13, 2020St. Paul’s Cathedral, San DiegoJohn 1:6-8;19-28 One of the interesting things about the fourth gospel is that John, the main character of the reading this morning, is not John the Baptist. It is the same person that some of the other gospels refer to as John the Baptist, … READ MORE…