As we prepare for the birth of Christ, I think it fitting to share a blog post which I published at this time last year reflecting on Jesus’s mother Mary and her song of praise, the Magnificat.  Mary’s words remain radical even today.  Christmas blessings to you, +GOB I’ve heard the Magnificat, the Song of…

In the previous two blogs about “Facing a Task Unfinished,” (Part 1, “The Call”; and Part 2, “Holding the Ropes”) we’ve examined the call to missions and those who hold the ropes in prayer and support for missionaries. Today, we’ll learn from two who responded to this call: Henry Martyn and William Carey. They were…

In the previous blog, we met the two main characters in one of Jesus’ parables from Luke 18: the Pharisee and the tax collector. We learned quite a bit about each of them from their posture and attitude as well as the content of their prayers. But remember? “It’s complicated.” So when Jesus says, speaking…

  The parable I’m focusing on is from Luke 18 and involves two main characters. They both come up to the temple—literally, because they had to walk up a hill. The Pharisee The Greek infers that the Pharisee knows his way around; he sort of strides right in. He’s been here before; he knows where…

I’m using a particular collect to frame this message. From the start, it acknowledges both the mercy of God and our need for that mercy, because we have not just gone but are going astray from his ways. You see, if I as a believer in Jesus am somewhere “out there,” away from God, more…

We look today with gratitude at the life of a woman by the name of Fanny Crosby. She is not part of our Episcopal-Anglican tradition, at least by her membership. Born in the late 1800s in the county of Putnam, New York, she was always a Methodist who never had any inkling of becoming an…

Life has become a maelstrom in which speed and accomplishment, consumption and productivity, have become the most valued of human commodities. In this rush over work, we take everything for granted. What else can we do? We consume things, people and information. We do not have time to savor this life, nor to care deeply…

In the early part of the thirteenth century, God spoke to Francis through a whole series of events, from an encounter with a leper to a vision where he heard God say, “Restore my church.” Initially, he thought that meant to rebuild the ruins outside Assisi. He had no idea in the beginning that he…

As we discussed in last week’s post, none of us is worthy apart from Jesus. But sometimes we forget that, even in church: “Oh, let’s make room for Michael, because he’s doing well at business these days. We could use the income from his gifts.” “Come and take this special seat, Michael. We’re really glad…

Only once in my life was I actually fired from a job.  I was very young and completely unaware of the politics in the office where I was working—or that they were turning against me. Forgiveness—or Not I thought I was doing fine. I had people even tell me so, including my boss. But I…