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Tag Archives: Jesus
Holy Saturday: quiet as the grave
But did the very earth fall silent? Or was the drumbeat of falling rain, children of the waters of creation falling again, amplified by the rock roof, turning the storm into an orchestra of praise; what of susurrating ants, murmuring earthworms, galvanized by the hewing … Continue reading
Posted in holy days, poetry, prayer
Tagged God, Holy Saturday, Incarnation, Jesus, poetry, prayer, Resurrection, silence, tomb
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Though the fig tree does not blossom
Jesus tells his parable to those who were reeling from the news of national disaster: of Pilate’s political murder and manslaughter in Jerusalem; worshippers taken at the altar for their rebellious resistance, and workers slain by deadly working conditions. Jesus tells his parable to those who are afraid that they will be next, that the powers that be will determine that they, too, are a waste of the soil in which they are planted and rooted. Continue reading
Posted in homily, sermon
Tagged 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Exodus 3:1-15, God, Habakkuk, Jesus, Lent, Luke 13:1-9, parable of the fig tree, Psalm 63:1-8, year c lent 3
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The death of Simeon
Simeon, a man full of the Spirit of God, had been told by that same Spirit that he would live to see the face of God. What more could a man want? Yet who could see God and live? Continue reading
Mercy
filled with the power of the Spirit, the prophet found the place where it was written: good news to the poor, release to the captives,and recovery of sight to the blind, The Spirit of the Lord haslet the oppressed go free – as … Continue reading
Schrödinger’s wedding
Until its surface tension breaks upon the steward’s tongue – dissipating sweetness, sweat of vineyard labourers, honey of the sun-ripened harvest – it is neither water nor wine; until the jars are filled to overflowing, until a drop is spilled, … Continue reading
What heals history?
We enter this new year, and this new season after Christmas, with some trepidation, don’t we? We are haunted by the shadows of the past, concerned for the present, warned by the violence that greeted the new year in New Orleans and Nevada and far beyond; our hopes and fears for the future year clash and mingle in the air like smoke.
And yet this is the Feast-day, the celebration of the Epiphany, the manifestation of God’s incarnation to the nations, to us. The bright promise that God is with us, even us. Continue reading
Posted in current events, holy days, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Epiphany, Herod, Incarnation, insurrection, Jesus, love, Matthew 2:1-12, The Revelation of the Magi
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A departing
The legends and myths of the kings and the Magi, drawn from faithful, imaginative engagement with the biblical text, resonate with us as a church as we draw together to seek the same saving grace: God with us, Emmanuel; a holy Communion in Christ. The legends reflect our life together as a church, as people, whose paths converge and cross and diverge on the journey toward Christ. We will mark one such departure this morning. After twelve years together, we will remain always united in our experience of God in Christ and in this gathering at the manger and the table and the cross; and yet we will leave by different roads. Continue reading
Posted in holy days, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Communion, Epiphany, grief, Jesus, leaving, light, love, magi, Matthew 2:1-12, parish, Revelation of the Magi
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A Christmas Message
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was the cry of a newborn infant, swaddled in cloth and laid in a feeding trough. … Christmas. It’s a … Continue reading
Posted in holy days, homily, sermon
Tagged Christmas, Incarnation, Jesus, John 1:1-14
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Emmanuel
I misremembered the title of the children’s story that I cited in the middle of this reflection: I think it still works. In the Advent to Christmas stories we find a lot of fear, and a balancing dose of faith. … Continue reading
Posted in advent meditations, homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Advent, Christmas, Emmanuel, God, grief, Incarnation, Jesus, love, picture books
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Bearing Jesus
Mary, full of grace, sang not only for herself, the Almighty has done great things for me, but also for the proud spirits in need of disruption, and the poor spirits in need of nurture and nutrition; her song is not hers alone, but it belongs to us all.
Her call is not hers alone, to bear Christ into the world, to bring to light the joy of God’s mercy and love, which is our salvation. … Continue reading
Posted in advent meditations, homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Advent 4, Elizabeth, Incarnation, Jesus, Luke 1:39-56, Luke 1:46-55, Magnificat, Mary
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over the water 