As 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).
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As 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.
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It 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.
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My 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.
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This 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-
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With 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.
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Having 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…
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This 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.
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Even 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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Dear Friends,
We had such an amazing Easter celebration last Sunday! It was great to have two completely packed services. It was a blessing and privilege to share our nave with so many family members and friends as we rejoiced in the Resurrection.
As we approach the mysteries of Holy Week, my thoughts journey back to the Holy Week moments that have stayed with me, from years long ago.
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Dear Friends,
One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is found in Exodus 3: 1-15. Moses is tending his father-in-law's sheep "beyond the wilderness" on Mount Horeb when he suddenly encounters God speaking to him from a burning bush. God tells Moses that he is to lead the Israelites from captivity in Egypt to a "land flowing with milk and honey".
Dear Friends,
One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is found in Exodus 3: 1-15. Moses is tending his father-in-law's sheep "beyond the wilderness" on Mount Horeb when he suddenly encounters God speaking to him from a burning bush. God tells Moses that he is to lead the Israelites from captivity in Egypt to a "land flowing with milk and honey".
Dear Friends,
One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is found in Exodus 3: 1-15. Moses is tending his father-in-law's sheep "beyond the wilderness" on Mount Horeb when he suddenly encounters God speaking to him from a burning bush. God tells Moses that he is to lead the Israelites from captivity in Egypt to a "land flowing with milk and honey".
I love the season of Lent! It’s not just that it provides us with a time for the spring cleaning of our souls, or that it has some of the most beautiful music of any of our liturgical seasons. For me, Lent is anything but a sorrowful and sad season, but quite the opposite. There is a quiet joy that pervades. What I love most is that this season is about undergoing a transformation. Lent provides the structure for self-examination in the midst of our chaotic world. It provides that opportunity to re-order our lives, to put our focus and energy into that which is truly important - our faith in God…
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I’m fairly used to spending most of my time inside these days. And, at this point, imagining a forty-day trip into the wilderness feels downright bucolic. I can imagine the beauty of those desert afternoons—the evening breeze through the dunes at sunset, the stars multiplying in the sky as the blue of eventide fades into violet. And, as the night darkens, I imagine a new moon revealing the cascade of the milky way across the sky. I feel a deep sense of peace, outside in creation.
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This Sunday is the Last Sunday after the Epiphany and the final Sunday before the Lenten season begins. It is also Social Justice Sunday at Saint George's. We will be blessed to have the Reverend Melanie Mullen, Director of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care for the Episcopal Church, USA, as our guest preacher and forum speaker. Melanie is on Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's staff. I hope that you will be able to come to a service as well as the 9:30 a.m. forum to hear about the vitally important social justice ministry of our National Church.
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