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Tag Archives: Herod
Word and witness
It is only the creative order of the Word, of God, that makes sense of the world, that sheds light on the life of the world. It is in Jesus, in the humility of birth and Incarnation, even in the confusion of the Cross, in the victory of Resurrection, the transcendence of Ascension that we find light in the darkness. It is in the light of the Word that life makes sense, with all of its joy and all of its promise, even its pain; with forgiveness and with justice, in the Word it becomes a story we can live with. Continue reading
Posted in holy days, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Herod, Isaac Asimov, John 1:1-18, R.S. Thomas, Word of God
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Gilroy, guns, and White anger
Red Letter Christians published a piece I wrote reflecting on the uncivil war simmering in the soul of America, one that breaks out all too often in acts of violence like last weekend’s tragedy in Gilroy, California. Continue reading
Posted in current events, gun violence, lectionary reflection
Tagged #Gilroystrong, gun violence, Herod, Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:18, racism, White supremacism
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Epiphany: we need another way
What I didn’t write in the parish newsletter This Sunday, we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men at the manger; the completion of many a Christmas tableau. On Christmas Eve, we pondered a moment how the birth of a … Continue reading
Posted in holy days
Tagged Epiphany, gun violence, Herod, Holy Innocents, immigration, migration, refugees
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If compassion were king
Never think that there is nothing to be done. Never imagine that your smallest gesture of compassion, your insufficient word of kindness, your little piece of love in action is wasted. Continue reading
Epiphany
A sermon for the Church of the Epiphany, Euclid, Ohio, January 2017 Outside of the main city, down through the wilderness, is the lost city of Petra. The intricately carved rock edifices bound deep valleys and lead for miles. Once … Continue reading
Posted in holy days, sermon
Tagged #HolyJordan, Epiphany, Herod, history, Jesus, wise men
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Year B Christmas 2: the flight into Egypt and beyond
This is not a story about how special, important, and indispensable Jesus was; that his family out of all the others in Bethlehem was warned to get out of town, so that he alone out of all the little boys … Continue reading
Posted in sermon
Tagged baptism, Bethlehem, boat people, flight into Egypt, Herod, immigration, John 3:16, Matthew 2, refugees
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Epiphany
Epiphany: A lightbulb moment. A parish church. A cake, a tradition. People going down to a snowy river in Russia to renew their baptismal promises in the freezing waters. The other Christmas. Magi, wise men, kings; gold, frankincense, myrrh; Herod … Continue reading
Posted in sermon
Tagged Church of the Epiphany Euclid OH, Epiphany, Episcopal Church, God, Herod, Jesus, justice, light, magi, peace, prophecy
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Holy Innocents
The hard historical evidence for the massacre of the innocents of Bethlehem may be sketchy, thank God, yet the meme pervades our culture, from Moses to Jesus; even though we can barely comprehend the idea, we admit it to our … Continue reading
Posted in meditation, poetry
Tagged God, haiku, Herod, Holy Innocents, life, massacre, names
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Year C Advent 2: John’s story: to be continued
The first in a two-part mini sermon series at Church of the Epiphany, Euclid There is a backstory to today’s gospel. Luke gives us lots of context: who was ruling where, and had been for how long; he gives us … Continue reading
Posted in sermon
Tagged baptizers, flashback, Herod, John the Baptist, Luke, Tiberius, Year C Advent 2, Zechariah
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Despicable dancing?
There is a theme of dance, loss, enmity, and faithfulness running from the Old Testament lesson to the gospel. I don’t know quite what to make of it, because it keeps twirling away every time I think I’ve caught the … Continue reading
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