Saturday, March 30, 2019 | Reflections
Psalm 136 recounts the history of God’s care for the children of Israel, from the creation of all that is to deliverance from slavery in Egypt to defeat of enemies, all punctuated by this refrain: “For his mercy endures for ever.” How might we pray this...
Friday, March 29, 2019 | Reflections
“I don’t get it!” This response is rarely a genuine request for a more complete explanation but rather is code for, “I don’t like what you’re saying, and I don’t want to hear it.” This is how Jesus’….(View this reading and more resources for prayer at Daily...
Thursday, March 28, 2019 | Reflections
On the wall by my computer is a plaque that says, “Speak the truth but leave immediately thereafter.” Speaking the truth surely buys Jesus serious trouble. As soon as he tells the crowds following him that the truth will make them free, they insist they ….(View...
Wednesday, March 27, 2019 | Reflections
Walking in darkness is, at best, challenging, and at worst, dangerous. After my husband retired and I was still working, I’d get up in the dark, try not to wake him, and pull clothes out of the closet, hoping I hadn’t grabbed the purple skirt and the red...
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 | Reflections
We find it convenient to dismiss Jesus. He is just not from the right place. Maybe he’s a person of color. Maybe he speaks another language, or comes from another denomination or tradition, or lives on the street. Maybe he’s a she, transgender, or gender-neutral....
Monday, March 25, 2019 | Reflections
The youth group was presenting an improvisational retelling of the Annunciation. Gabriel, with thick glasses and a big grin, strode into the chancel, where Mary sat. “Hi, Mary—I’m the Angel Gabriel, and I came to tell you that God loves you.”….(View this reading...
Sunday, March 24, 2019 | Reflections
God will never give you more than you can handle. This platitude is enshrined on cards, posters, and social media. When I see it, I want to scream. I don’t believe that God gives us more than we can handle—evil does that. God does not prevent the testing. Instead, God...
Saturday, March 23, 2019 | Reflections
The Internet has spawned a “You’re Doing It Wrong” cottage industry: “The Five Foods You Should Never Eat,” “The 10 Items in Your Cupboard You Need to Throw Away,” or “Seven Ways You Are Sabotaging Your Relationship.” And that’s before we even get to posts on what’s...
Friday, March 22, 2019 | General Convention
Katherine Karr-Cornejo of the Diocese of Spokane helps her colleagues on the Task Force to Study Sexism in TEC & Develop Anti-Sexism Training sort through some of the work the group did earlier in the meeting. Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg/Episcopal News Service...
Friday, March 22, 2019 | Reflections
Palestine, in the centuries when the Bible was being written, was full of shepherds, and sheep were important. They provided milk, meat, wool, and even the parchment on which the words of God could be written. But sheep are not very bright, requiring...
Thursday, March 21, 2019 | General Convention
The Rev. Jordan Hylden, Diocese of Dallas canon theologian, suggests that the Task Force for Communion Across Difference ought to aim to craft “a generational peace” over the church’s differences about human sexuality. Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg/Episcopal News...
Thursday, March 21, 2019 | Reflections
When I was a junior in high school, my grandfather died, and my grandmother came to live with us. By the time I left for college, I decided I did not like old people. Now I am one. My husband and I are in relatively….(View this reading and more resources for...
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 | Reflections
Do you want to be made well? Of course! Or is Jesus asking this man something even deeper and more crucial? The sick man has been sitting near the pool every day for thirty-eight years, with no one to help him into the water. Has he not asked? Has h….(View this...
Tuesday, March 19, 2019 | Reflections
“My Father’s house…” For 12 years this boy has been at my side in the carpenter shop, my hands guiding his. I had almost forgotten the angels, the stable, the strange visitors, the terror of escaping Herod’s soldiers, and the journey to Egypt…and th….(View...
Monday, March 18, 2019 | Reflections
Life is a group project. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without family, friends, teachers, and mentors. Where would I be without strangers who have grown and harvested my food, kept me healthy, built the house I live in, and invented the computer on which I write...
