Monthly Archives: October 2016

All Hallows Eve

Posted on October 31, 2016 by

spirits wake the crones take bones and withered skin to dance by starlight  feigning beauty phoenix feather passion soon consumed, confused the saints dream resurrection, raise a hymn of praise against the silence of the night a cowl thrown across … Continue reading →

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Prayer and empty air

Posted on October 30, 2016 by

A sermon for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, October 30, 2016 Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, Psalm 119:137-144 or Isaiah 1:10-18, Psalm 32:1-8, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10 On Friday morning, I went to the new Old Fort steps at the Rocky River Metropark. They carry visitors … Continue reading →

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The view from the top

Posted on October 29, 2016 by

empty light shuffling shadows fall out unseen if you never look down

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Climbing the blessings tree

Posted on October 28, 2016 by

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, Psalm 119:137-144, or Isaiah 1:10-18, Psalm 32:1-8, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10 In this Sunday’s gospel, a long-ago tax collector reminds me of the days when our youngest child was small, but climbed higher than any of her siblings or their … Continue reading →

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Where is God?

Posted on October 23, 2016 by

Where is God in this parable? God is the one holding up a mirror to us through our own prayers. Continue reading →

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Humble blessings

Posted on October 20, 2016 by

For the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost in Year C (Proper 25): the Pharisee and the tax collector are praying at the Temple. One is so self-satisfied that he is blinded by his own glory; he outshines God. One is so self-abased … Continue reading →

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Is it safe?

Posted on October 18, 2016 by

Before travelling to Jordan last week, three of my four near-death experiences had happened in the Holy Lands. Almost thirty years ago, I spent five weeks on a kibbutz in northern Galilee, where I nearly dehydrated, nearly drowned, and once … Continue reading →

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On returning from a pilgrimage 

Posted on October 16, 2016 by

Between my hands, wheat and water; bread, flat and pale. In its grain I read the story of hands breaking bread beside a river; light lifts the surface of the water; between fragments, for a moment, I can see the … Continue reading →

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Remembering our baptism

Posted on October 15, 2016 by

we all embraced on the slippery steps, laughing with the sheer sacredness of it all Continue reading →

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The Lost City of Petra

Posted on October 14, 2016 by

Treasures In Petra, beyond fhe red sands and wild dogs beyond the edifice, extravagant ruins tombs and treasures of the dead beyond the colonnaded avenues beyond the steps worn smooth choreographed by Bedouin and pilgrim feet donkeys and tourists, each … Continue reading →

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