Am I addicted to my phone? According to Deloitte Americans check their phones approximately 52 times per day. I am guilty of checking my e-mail on my phone and other apps multiple times daily. I would like to reduce my screen time to be more present in the moment with individuals and in my life.
Read MoreMusic consoles. Music heals. Music alters, and it transforms.
Read MoreOur Gospel reading this Sunday from the seventeenth chapter of Luke brings to mind another instance of Jesus healing a leper. The story shows up in various forms in the first chapter of Mark, the fifth chapter of Luke, and the eighth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew’s rendering, Jesus tells the man who was just healed: “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Read MoreThe psalms are such an important (and often overlooked) part of our worship each Sunday. There are 150 psalms and fully one-third of them are laments, either individual or communal expressions of suffering and trust in God's provision. The fact that these laments are a part of our tradition is very reassuring because it gives us a vehicle for expressing our sorrow.
Read More"You are my refuge and my stronghold, *
my God in whom I put my trust."
This image of God as our refuge and stronghold is very comforting during times of trial. There is so much chaos swirling around us these days that threatens to engulf us. So, it is especially important to focus on keeping our center and staying grounded by coming to church each Sunday and keeping a daily prayer practice.
Read MoreI am very excited about all of the things that God is doing at Saint George's this fall through all of our committed lay leaders. It was wonderful to welcome back all of the children and their parents as Sunday school began last Sunday. It was also a blessing to be with everyone at the parish picnic and to have our children playing on the lawn safely within our lovely new fence.
Read More“Dear, Ben. The time has come.”
Read MoreIt's hard to believe that Labor Day is upon us and summer is officially drawing to a close. Summer is a welcome time of being in a different rhythm, having adventures, and being with family and friends in a relaxed way. But it's also nice to return to the more structured schedule of fall. This week-end will be a transition, a time for celebrating summer fun and getting ready for the fall.
Read MoreAs I approach the final days of summer, I always find myself at a moment of reflection. This year I reflect on the blessings and milestones that have occurred for my family. I reminisce about the beautiful birthday celebration that we planned for Mom in Southern California, the birth of my nephew, hanging out with old friends, catching up on recreational reading, and the summer days spent with my wife (it’s our first summer together as husband and wife).
Read MoreAs a child, I remember my father telling stories of his childhood and growing up in northern Minnesota in a devout Catholic family. His family loved to tell the stories of uncle Pope Pius X and how my grandmother’s grandfather ran away from home to save his future family from having to be nuns or priests. One of my favorite stories that my father used to tell was about they earned mass points as children.
Read MoreIt is such a blessing to be back with you after sabbatical! I have enjoyed catching up with many of you this past week and look forward to seeing those of you who have been away on summer adventures.
As we look forward to Sunday, I am particularly struck by Hosea 11: 1-11.
“The time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.”
Jesus traveled the countryside with a kind of secret nourishment—a strength that comes from hearing and living out the Word and Wisdom of God.
Read MoreI have worked for several organizations where "transformation" becomes a central theme, sometimes in a last ditch effort to remain in business. I remember when I worked for a San Francisco software company, the leadership even combined "transformation" with "creation" to form "transcreation" (for those who work in business, it was basically business process reengineering. My leadership was desperate!). Management introduced "transcreation" to us as a means to drum up new business, but within a couple of months, the office shut down.
Read MoreMy daughter likes to ask questions. A lot of questions. So many that we final bought her an Echo dot so she could ask Alexa several of her burning questions. A few weeks ago, while I was practicing a piece at home, she asked why we had preludes and postludes in worship. Perhaps you have wondered the same thing.
Read MoreThis Sunday it isn’t just an opportunity to wear one’s most audacious dye, to weigh in on an ongoing debate about whether coral, garnet, vermilion, or another hue is the best expression of those lowest wavelengths on the visible electromagnetic spectrum—this Sunday is a birthday party for the church, one of the three principal feasts of the liturgical year-
Read MoreWith the World Premiere of our 4th-7th grade Sunday School movie scheduled to follow our 10:30am Youth Sunday Service, this weekend is an opportunity for us to reflect on what the youngest St. Georgians among us can teach us about our faith. I know there have been numerous times in my own life, where someone younger has ended up being my teacher in matters of faith.
Read MoreHaving looked at this Sunday's readings, I decided it was finally time to confront my ambivalent feelings toward St. Paul. I'm not an expert; I can tell from his letters that Paul was a crucial figure in spreading the word of Jesus and establishing the early church, yet I also know that Paul's writings have been used to justify sexism, misogyny, and homophobia…
Read MoreThis summer, July 8-15, several of our youth and adult choristers, together with choristers from Saint Mary’s, Arlington, and Saint Andrew’s, Burke will make a pilgrimage to England where they will be the resident choir at Lincoln Cathedral for the week, as well as sing services at Sheffield Cathedral and St. Botolph’s, Boston. Most Cathedrals in England have an adjoining cathedral school and during school holidays, visiting choirs are invited to be the resident choir. Lincoln Cathedral has had a tradition of daily worship since 1088, one in which our singers will take part.
Read MoreEven with all the advances in phone technology, picking up a landline telephone is still an exercise in anticipation. Among all those who might be calling, it is still a joy to recognize the voice of a friend over the phone. It is a statement of relationship to recognize someone’s voice and say, “Hi Chris” when all that they had said on the other end of the line was a simple “Hello, can I speak with John?” I hear Jesus describing this kind of relational recognition in our Gospel for this Sunday:
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