Wednesday, November 28, 2018 | Reflections
Zacchaeus cares about one thing and one thing only: Seeing a glimpse of Jesus. He doesn’t care what others think as he scrambles up the tree. He doesn’t listen to their rebukes about being a traitor and collaborator with Rome. He has to see Jesus. Zacchaeus knows...
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 | Reflections
The tall peaks and deep valleys of Appalachia dominated my early life. Their beauty has never left me, even as I moved away from the mountains as an adult. Psalm 121 always draws me back to those early years, to God’s presence on the mountaintop, and in the...
Monday, November 26, 2018 | Reflections
I was once part of a new church plant—a young congregation that sometimes had as many children as adults on Sundays. We met in a single room of a community center, so there was no separate space for the children during the liturgy. During morning worship, the children...
Sunday, November 25, 2018 | Reflections
I received my undergraduate degree from a college operated by the Quakers, and their belief in Christian pacifism had a strong influence on my formation. Equality of every person is an outgrowth of this theological and ethical belief system, and inequality is...
Saturday, November 24, 2018 | Reflections
When I was a child, my mom would say, “If you point a finger in judgment, know there are three fingers pointing back at you.” I’m sure most of us have heard this advice growing up, and unfortunately too few of us follow it. Another piece of advice was common in my...
Friday, November 23, 2018 | Reflections
One of the greatest displays of patience I have ever witnessed was nearly eighteen years ago when my wife was pregnant with our first child.With eight weeks remaining, she was ordered on hospital bed rest by her physician. I think back to those days and wonder how she...
Thursday, November 22, 2018 | Reflections
It has been my practice to pray for the leaders of the nation by name each week in the Prayers of the People during Sunday liturgy. For me, that means praying for Donald, our president, and Matthew, our governor.On any given Sunday, I suppose about half the...
Wednesday, November 21, 2018 | Reflections
The children in our parish after-school program engage each week in an “attitude of gratitude” exercise. During this time, the children offer up thanksgiving for events in the previous week. The kids learn to look for the good that God is doing all around them. But...
Tuesday, November 20, 2018 | Reflections
Does this framing verse sound familiar? I hope so. This psalm is one of the hymns at the beginning of the Morning Office in The Book of Common Prayer. It begins the day, sets the tone, and focuses us on the true reality in which we live—joy at the heart of the...
Monday, November 19, 2018 | Reflections
Wednesday afternoon from three to five is my favorite time of the week. That’s when our parish’s after-school club meets to give choral instruction, teach the faith, and help with schoolwork for more than twenty elementary-school age children.Recently, our faith topic...
Sunday, November 18, 2018 | Reflections
As I type these words, the church’s tower bells ring out the noon hour. I wait patiently for a random hymn played on the carillon. This happens every day at noon, and it never gets old. I’m excited, trying to guess what the hymn of the day will be.Today, as the bells...
Saturday, November 17, 2018 | Reflections
I work every day in a religious tradition that tries to plot a middle way faithfully through a complex life. I know firsthand how difficult the course can be. Yet for many, drawing a hard line is an easy path to take.Sometimes, the Christian advice to the world reads...
Friday, November 16, 2018 | Reflections
Sometimes I feel like I live in the most divided time in history. I know this is not true; it just seems like it because reminders of division stare me in the face every day. This is both the light and dark side of instant global communication. While I’m thankful I...
Thursday, November 15, 2018 | Reflections
When I think about salvation, I usually reflect on what it means for human beings. The vast majority of faith formation rightly focuses on human life and how over time we can conform and are transformed by the indwelling work of God. Joel helps us expand this vision...
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 | Reflections
My college roommate and his family were shepherds. They owned a ranch and had other livestock, but their primary herd was sheep. During summer breaks, I spent time on the ranch. Daytime chores included tending to sheep that had their heads stuck in fences and other...
