If heaven has anything to teach us before we get there, it is that we can let go of our currencies of shame.
Read MoreWe tend to think of saints as spiritual exemplars whose lives would be nearly impossible (much less desirable) to emulate. And although many of the saints do have exemplary faith and remarkable deeds to their names, underneath all that, some were absolutely tragic, and most were regular folks, a little rough around the edges, who left behind not a few unflattering stories.
Read MoreWe are often off tune and out of sync, our pitches wandering from the melodies of our lives, so that discord erupts. We need a key, a note to which we can align the voice of our soul, that wholeness of mind and body and spirit that is meant to always dwell in the chorus of God’s love. The practice of getting in key with that love, of returning again to the tune of our truest selves, is the practice of humble prayer and that is the subject of our Gospel reading this morning.
Read MoreGiven the options, I pray to be more like that faithful, persistent widow. She is the antidote to cynicism and despair. I think Jesus knew that we would need this antidote from time to time. So one day he told a simple parable about our need to pray always, and not to lose heart.
Read More“When the risen Jesus commissions the apostles, he seems to envision Samaria as a kind of threshold between the Jewish homeland and worldwide ministry: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)” This insight got me thinking. How are borders and thresholds connected? Are there other ways that physical borders serve as spiritual thresholds?
Read MoreIf you worry that a show about makeovers is a strange place to find the Gospel, I suggest that the Gospel itself is sometimes strange. It’s not always about a warm fuzzy feeling or a heart that’s been moved. To my surprise, the show delivers on this, too. As evidence, I present to you an episode of “Queer Eye” about a firefighter.
“In the first year of the 21st century, a man standing by a highway in the middle of America pulled from his pocket his life savings – $30 – laid it inside a phone booth, and walked away. He was 39 years old, came from a good family, and had been to college. He was not mentally ill, nor an addict. His decision appears to have been an act of free will by a competent adult.” So begins Mark Sundeen’s book, The Man Who Quit Money, which traces the remarkable life of Daniel Suelo who has lived the last nineteen years without earning or using money, accepting government or organized charity, or even bartering.
Read MoreThe manager is as wasteful and unlikeable as the prodigal son. But this story is grittier, more plain, and more offensive.
Read MoreAs I’ve learned with my cars, when the narrative is all about blame, responsibility goes out the window. God does not want us to waste any time weighing evidence and assigning blame for the lost people of the world. He just wants us to go out and find them.
Read MoreWill you check coming here off some self-improvement list, along side going to the gym and eating better? There’s nothing wrong with that, and I think Jesus is mildly interested in our self-improvement projects, but that’s not the only reason to come here. The other option is to step into this community week after week and to let the divine potter reshape you.
Read MoreI recently purchased a plane ticket online, and I’d like to tell you a little about my experience. The anxiety began as soon as I entered the dates of my trip and the flight options starting appearing on my computer screen. It is not cheap to fly. And it only got worse from there. selected the flight that best fit my budget and time constraints, but then I was alerted that the price I’d been shown was only the base price. I would have to pay an additional fee to be eligible for any available upgrades and to not board the plane in the very last group.
Read MoreI have a friend who sets forests on fire. He works with others, a team of arboreal arsonists, lighting grassy fields, stands of pine, and oak savannas aflame. He does this not because he wants to destroy the landscape, he gets no thrill from the fire and char itself. His motivation is the health of the land and the diversity of its ecosystems. This friend is then no vandal, he works for the Nature Conservancy and he uses fire to fulfill the mission of his organization--to conserve and restore the forests and prairies of Arkansas.
Read MoreThe novelty of summer has worn off, and the idea of leaving your air conditioned couch for a hike or a swim or concert just isn’t that appealing anymore. We are in the “dog days of summer.” But I would like to propose to you today that we are also in the “dog days of the lectionary.”
Read MoreThis self-talker’s problem isn’t greed per se, it’s isolation. He may have a lot of grain, but how can that be the point? Treating our life as a sealed up silo means missing where true treasure can be found. No matter how much you store up in your barn or in your Amazon cart to sooth your soul, you can’t take it with you. Real treasure is not in stuff, it’s in connection.
Read MoreI wonder if you’ve noticed a common characteristic about Episcopalians and other mainline Christians. Try to remember a time when you have been at a church meeting that is about to start or right before you sit down to share a meal with others. Someone almost always asks, “Who will lead us in a prayer?”
Read MoreA new story is always possible, that’s the gospel truth. To get there, you have to be willing to let go of that which is no longer serving you or anyone else well. Like Martha, we can sure haul around some heavy backpacks full of the old scripts if we’re not careful. We might be more like her than we realized, and it has nothing to do with the chores.
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In today’s passage from Amos, the prophet announces to peaceful, comfortable Samaria that he has had another vision from God, and that things will surely not be peaceful and comfortable for much longer. In the vision, Amos saw God holding up a plumb line. I have to tell you that I really enjoyed saying the words “plumb line” all week.
Read MoreSo on this holiday weekend, as we celebrate our secular freedom, let’s also celebrate our spiritual freedom. Each one of us is already graced enough that we can stop showing up here with our resumes in hand and our arguments for why God should or should not accept us. We are free from all that measuring. Each week we come into this space and hear a declaration of our independence from the works righteousness of the secular world. The ministry of Jesus is ready and waiting for us to carry it out.
Read MoreJesus walks, moves, doesn’t stick around. He doesn’t wait until you’ve figured out your plans, vested your 401(k), said your goodbyes. Jesus has a mission and that mission means movement.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus is driven toward Jerusalem, compelled to his final confrontation with the powers of Death—he wins through the cross and resurrection, but his mission doesn’t end there. Jesus is still on the move, going out and sending out, finding those broken places and people who need the healing power of his love.
Read MoreSince travel is about having new experiences, I offered a piece of lobster to my oldest, who had never tried it before. Obviously this was a generous sacrifice on my part. I wanted him to have a true taste of the north east. I wanted his first bite of lobster to be a revelation, a kind of Oprah moment about living his best life and savoring the good stuff. He agreed to try it. I swear that the piece of lobster had only been in contact with his mouth for a fraction of a nanosecond before he grimaced, spit it out, and declared it, “too squishy.”
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