Wednesday, December 25, 2019 | Reflections
There is no news better than this: The fullness of God in Christ Jesus has come to restore all of creation. It’s what every prophecy has pointed toward. We can hardly wait to tear off the wrapping paper and enjoy this gift.The gift-wrapping is dingy bands of cloth....
Tuesday, December 24, 2019 | Message from Bishop Thompson, Reflections
When the song of the angels is stilled,When the star in the sky is gone,When the kings and the princes are home,When the shepherds are back with their flock,The work of Christmas begins:To find the lost, To heal the broken,To feed the hungry,To release the...
Tuesday, December 24, 2019 | Reflections
Jesus comes among us as a baby fresh from his mother’s womb and continues gathering children close to him throughout his ministry. A little boy provides the fish and bread that feed 5,000. Jesus raises Jairus’s daughter to life again. Jesus pulls children near to him...
Monday, December 23, 2019 | Community Ministry, Reflections
by the Rev. Watson Lamb, Chaplain, Chapel of the Holy Spirit, New Orleans We are in the last couple of days of Advent, and the waiting is almost over. In just two days, we will celebrate God coming down to be an intimate part of creation in the form of a baby. As we...
Monday, December 23, 2019 | Reflections
At a training I attended a few years ago, a discussion arose around leadership and authority models. The facilitator gave a helpful framework for effective leadership: power plus love. Power without love is treacherous. Love without power is anemic. Power and love...
Sunday, December 22, 2019 | Reflections
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” must be one of the most popular hymns of this season. The words alone are enough to break your heart and put it back together again. Ransomed captives. Mourning in lowly exile. God opening. God with us. Rejoice!This is the same bone-deep,...
Saturday, December 21, 2019 | Reflections
I recently went through an extremely dark, difficult season in life. I’m usually pretty upbeat, but life had crushed me to the point where I wasn’t myself anymore. As that season came to a close, I found myself visiting a friend’s church. At coffee hour, a person...
Friday, December 20, 2019 | Reflections
This is Beloved Community: justice, kindness, and mercy for all. Special concern for the most vulnerable and alienated. All our energy devoted to growing one another into the fullness of God, with not a moment wasted on evil. This is an incredible vision, and one most...
Thursday, December 19, 2019 | Reflections
In the Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Johannesburg, South Africa, these words to Zerubbabel line the rood screen between the nave and one of the transept chapels. I don’t know how long the words have been painted there, but the cathedral’s construction was...
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 | Reflections
The world is geared to morning people. Ask any of us night owls, and we’ll tell you all about it. I try to do a little centering prayer each morning, holding the day’s concerns in light of a particular line of scripture. But ultimately, most naturally, I take my cue...
Tuesday, December 17, 2019 | Reflections
When we read today’s lesson from Revelation, I hope we understand that the word to the church in Laodicea is actually a word meant for all God’s people: “I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you.” In...
Monday, December 16, 2019 | Reflections
by the Rev. Fred Devall, Rector, St. Martin’s, Metairie December has always been my favorite month in Louisiana. The sasanquas and camellias come into bloom, while the cypress needles transform to a beautiful hue of orange/brown. The heat is long...
Monday, December 16, 2019 | Reflections
Three years ago I was in Ghana. I stood in shock, staring at the dusty trail trod by hundreds of thousands of stolen Africans. Countless people were force-marched from the interior territories of West Africa to the coast, stepping over the dead for hundreds of miles...
Sunday, December 15, 2019 | Reflections
Why do we long so much to be in touch with the living God? I hope it isn’t because we’re scared or expect some tangible reward for good behavior. Look to the prophets: As much as they rail, as angry and anxious as they feel, they are actively trying to turn people’s...
Saturday, December 14, 2019 | Reflections
Prior to ordination, I worked as a newspaper journalist. I didn’t have much of a faith to speak of, but I was transfixed by the stories of people whose lives depended on faith. It was an honor and a wonder to listen to and convey their stories to a secular,...
