Alleluia. Unto us a child is born. O come let us adore him. Alleluia. He came into a world that was dark. Vino en un mundo tenebroso. He came into a world that was broken. Vino en un mundo roto. He came into a world that didn’t want to know him or anyone like him. … READ MORE…
Wow. Help. Thanks. The writer Anne Lamott says there are essentially just three prayers: Wow. Help. Thanks. Each of the three is illustrated in our Scripture readings today, on this Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom.” Wow. Isaiah paints a picture of … READ MORE…
“A shoot shall come from the stump of Jesse.” The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures opens with such a particular and strange image. It may be obvious to many of you, but I needed to look into it a little bit because this year for some reason it intrigued me. Why does Jesse have a … READ MORE…
So here we are again, back at the beginning of the church year. We have completed the cycle of seasons and returned to the starting point. Everything about this beginning feels contradictory: nature’s seasons begin with spring, but here we are starting out as the natural world is packing up for the winter, putting away … READ MORE…
“The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” If you’ve looked at the other side of our campus lately this sentence might be resonating for you in new ways. In some of the conversations I’ve had over the last few months, people with long memories … READ MORE…
Several of us went to diocesan convention in Palm Desert for the past two days. It was our new bishop’s first convention with us, and I have to say it was a real treat to see her in action. I’m sure most of you have heard the narrative of church decline; maybe even seen the … READ MORE…
Almost every Thursday I preside at the noon Eucharist in our chapel, and almost every time we celebrate the life of a saint, someone whose life and perhaps death reflected their love of God in Christ through devotion, faith, and courage. In the Episcopal Church we don’t require evidence of miracles, only that someone demonstrated … READ MORE…
When you hear Scripture stories, do you ever get pictures in your head? The parable of the unjust judge and the feisty widow conjures up a vivid image for me, of a tiny woman, beside herself with righteous indignation, shaking her walking stick in the face of the pompous judge who is peeking out of … READ MORE…
When I graduated from high school, one of the things I remember happening first was feeling a sense of wonder. Because out of nowhere, people who I did not know started sending me money. I was amazed. But that was followed shortly by prodding from my mother: “have you written your thank you notes yet?” … READ MORE…
“Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.” This week I attended our annual clergy conference in Temecula. Driving back on Wednesday, along the Temecula Parkway, I noticed a billboard looming over the highway. In enormous letters it said YOU GOTTA TRY THIS CHURCH! And underneath were service … READ MORE…