“If you are a Christian, your family is not just the people with the same last name as you, but those baptized in the same name as you. “ The above quote is from the Rev. Sam Allberry—a priest in the Church of England. Although it is not unusual for a bishop in The Episcopal…

“He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see…

Anyone who has been a Christian for more than a day recognizes that God works in mysterious and unpredictable ways. Sometimes, however, the full extent of his mysterious and unpredictable intervention in our lives is not fully apparent until later, sometimes years later. As one who has passed his 70th birthday, I am only now…

Whether in a parking lot showdown for the last open space or in our desire to advance our status and reputation, pride manifests in the human heart in many ways, some more subtle than others. However, the ugly pride monster rears its head in all of us. Sadly, like Jesus, we live in a culture…

Several years ago, I had organized a Good Friday service that was a combination of music and meditations. And my music director brought in a young viola player for an obligato part in a choral piece. I went up before the service to introduce myself, and we chatted for a little bit. As might be…

  A curious thing happened to me this week. I was examining the scriptures, reading about Paul on trial before the Jewish court in Jerusalem. At one point, the tribune in charge of him took him back to his jail cell for his own protection, “fearing that they would pull Paul to pieces” (Acts 23:10b)….

God has an extraordinary ability to defy our expectations. Especially if he really wants to get our attention. Beyond Expectations When I was a college student, I went to try a large Episcopal church not too far from where my family attended. It was an 8:00 a.m. service held in a small chapel, and the…

A priest friend extended a challenge to his congregation the other day. “Let’s take a couple of minutes to pray and think about what the Lord might want to say to you.” My response? “Ohhhhhh.” My friend’s words intrigued me. When I preach, I tend to focus on what God wants me to say, not…

People do not come out of the womb fully formed, mature Christians. I love my children, but I don’t always enjoy having to make and enforce rules for them. Yet one of the goals of parenting is to help our children learn how to make wise choices and develop strong character. But could we shepherd…

In 1994, three explorers in southern France stumbled upon one of the greatest archeological discoveries of all time. It came to be called the Chauvet Cave (after one of the explorers), and what was found inside was by far the oldest known artwork made by human beings. Hundreds of paintings of more than 13 different…