Friday, December 13, 2019 | Reflections
There is an old story about a henhouse that burns to the ground. In the ashes, the farmer discovers the charred body of a mother hen. When he lifts her remains, he is surprised to discover the chicks still underneath her, warm but unscathed. This is what a mother hen...
Thursday, December 12, 2019 | Reflections
Do you have the keys? My husband and I always doublecheck that we have keys before we leave the apartment. It’s no fun being locked out of your own home, especially if there’s no one else with keys to let you in. We rent our apartment, so you can imagine how...
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 | Reflections
Does this sound familiar? You’re 110 percent enthusiastic about an idea, research it thoroughly, and start with gusto. Maybe it’s a new workout regimen, a crafting hobby, or a small side business. You dive in, but the energy fizzles. Faith can be like this....
Tuesday, December 10, 2019 | Reflections
Who says you need an education, credentials, and a respectable backstory to speak for God? Certainly the Holy One of Israel never says this. If anything, the story of scripture proves the exact opposite.Amos is not a prophet. He’s not even the son or grandson or...
Monday, December 9, 2019 | Community Ministry, Reflections
by the Rev. Christopher Golding, Associate Priest, St. Luke’s Church and School, Baton Rouge Recently, I had a chance to take an overnight retreat at the Solomon Center, our diocesan conference center. As I walked along the lake, I happily snapped a few photos of the...
Monday, December 9, 2019 | Reflections
A friend of mine has the following quote as his email signature: It’ll all be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end. I hear echoes of this when Jesus says he is the Alpha and the Omega. In this declaration, he signifies the beginning and the...
Sunday, December 8, 2019 | Reflections
Isaiah’s prophecy has birthed at least one great joke: “The wolf and the lamb may lie down together, but the lamb won’t get much sleep.” But when the laughter stops, there’s a painful truth. Left to our own devices, following our own instincts, we can predict where...
Saturday, December 7, 2019 | Reflections
Centuries after Amos proclaimed those words, Martin Luther King Jr. used them to fuel the Civil Rights Movement, calling America to repent and pursue God’s dream. Every January, we hear these words in recordings of his “I Have a Dream” speech. Amos, through King,...
Friday, December 6, 2019 | Reflections
I believe God can do whatever God wants to do, including investing humans with extraordinary gifts. A prophetic word is given so that by following what God has asked us to do or not do, we understand what will logically happen if we do or don’t do as God commands....
Thursday, December 5, 2019 | Reflections
Maybe you’ve seen or read or heard about the series of novels that depict life before and after the Rapture. This series and other books and media like it capitalize on our shared preoccupation with what is waiting on the other side.The Second Epistle of Peter helps...
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 | Reflections
Oh, the cows of Bashan. Amos’s harsh words are classic in the canon of prophetic proclamation. Advent may be just the season to pause and notice what inspires his ire—and what it says about our own lives. Bashan is dense, rich pasture land east of the Jordan, between...
Tuesday, December 3, 2019 | Reflections
During this time of year, the world enjoys images of a meek and mild baby smiling at his mother. That is not the Jesus we encounter in today’s gospel. What are we to do with this angry young man? To start, we ought to listen to him. Jesus isn’t just angry—he is...
Monday, December 2, 2019 | Community Ministry, Reflections
by the Rev. Robert Beazley, Rector, St. Michael’s, Mandeville Matthew Broderick, through the prophetic words of Ferris Bueller, taught us that, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Those words came to...
Monday, December 2, 2019 | Reflections
Jesus is many things to Christians—Savior and Redeemer, the Son of God, and brother in faith. He is the Light of the World and Root of Jesse. The different names of Jesus go on and on. The one that stands out most in today’s readings may be this: the prophet from...
Sunday, December 1, 2019 | Reflections
Welcome to Advent, the season of anticipation and hope, the season of the prophets. A prophet (or navi in Hebrew) is the spokesperson of God. Prophets speak a true word from God, wake and shake people to attention, and draw us back to God’s purposes. Advent is the...
