Sunday, August 4, 2019 | Reflections
All things pass away, and our priorities change over time. As we grow older, we realize that the toy at Christmas, the crush on that person, or the effort to make more money matter less than they used to. Not that those things weren’t or aren’t important—it’s just...
Saturday, August 3, 2019 | Reflections
For the next few days, we will read about King David returning from a military triumph and some of the decisions he makes in setting up his reign. He has named the new capital after himself and come into possession of the Ark of the Covenant—the most important...
Friday, August 2, 2019 | Reflections
Just a bit ago, Jesus was talking about sewers. And today we have one of the most infamous episodes in Jesus’ ministry: the day he calls a Gentile woman a dog. Go ahead and read all of our gospel reading for today. This is an actual conversation between Jesus and...
Thursday, August 1, 2019 | Reflections
One of the great failings of Christianity is the way we domesticate Jesus. We would do well to remember that Jesus is a guy who has a tantrum in the temple, curses a fig tree, and uses human bodily functions as object lessons. It’s tempting to gloss over this side of...
Wednesday, July 31, 2019 | Reflections
I read Henri Nouwen’s Life of the Beloved in my early twenties. Reading that I was precious in God’s eyes simply because God made me and I am God’s was revolutionary, even for someone who had grown up in church. I guess I had gotten stuck in some alternative...
Tuesday, July 30, 2019 | Reflections
The Avett Brothers sing a song that makes me think about the miracle of the loaves and fish. The song seems to be about trying to run from sin and shortcomings by moving from town to town. But every time I hear one particular lyric, it conjures the image of Jesus...
Monday, July 29, 2019 | Reflections
One of the many summer camp traditions at Shrine Mont is the morning wakeup call. I have witnessed several iterations of this practice: a large bell, brass instruments, (and perhaps most dramatically) a speaker system that blasted whatever music the program director...
Sunday, July 28, 2019 | Reflections
Driving back to college in southern Virginia was a soul-grounding experience for me. As I passed familiar landmarks and whizzed by the trees that grew more abundant with each mile, the first glimpse of the Blue Ridge Mountains would make my wandering heart feel rooted...
Saturday, July 27, 2019 | Reflections
Both my mother and I are communication directors for two different Episcopal parishes. It is a joy to share this experience and to support one another. In my own wrestling with the challenges of this work, I gain renewed appreciation for my mother and just how good...
Friday, July 26, 2019 | Reflections
Cheryl Strayed’s book, Wild tells the story of her journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed searches for truth and meaning, for something to put her faith in: “I’d finally come to understand what it had been: a yearning for a way out, when actually what I had...
Thursday, July 25, 2019 | Reflections
One of my favorite moments in the musical “Hamilton” is when George Washington tells Alexander Hamilton that he will step down from the presidency: “We’re gonna teach them how to say goodbye.” Washington wants the nation to outlive him; he knows that can’t happen if...
Wednesday, July 24, 2019 | Reflections
My dad taught me how to fish when I was eight years old, with a kiddie rod and reel that made a satisfying clicking sound every time you pushed the release button. Fishing was one of our earliest bonding experiences. We did a lot of our fishing on vacation in Maine....
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 | Reflections
I remember learning Matthew’s version of the mustard seed parable as a middle school camper. The meaning felt accessible amidst a lot of other stories that were hard to understand at a young age. Middle school children grow in such weird ways, and here was this story...
Monday, July 22, 2019 | Reflections
For me, Mary Magdalene represents closeness to Jesus. She reminds me of Jesus’ fragility, his tenderness, his human need to be cared for even in death. Mary is my window into Jesus’ humanity, which I always seek to understand and feel connected to. I can only imagine...
Sunday, July 21, 2019 | Reflections
I grew up with a champion hostess. My mother will make an elaborate dinner and dessert entirely from scratch, sometimes even crafting a special table setting. She truly enjoys doing it, and we enjoy admiring and partaking in the fruits of her labor. But we often tease...
