So often when we read the Gospels and we see Jesus being talked about, oftentimes he seems to be in the midst of a relationship with people. Out of relationships comes this discovery of who He is and who God is and what Jesus is about – the kingdom – the teachings of what he’s about. Today I want to share with you a story of an experience I had a couple of weeks ago…
We find ourselves in the season referred to as Epiphany, that season where God’s presence is shown forth to the world. Today’s readings are about the baptism of Jesus, one of those first moments in the Gospels where Jesus’ life is beginning to expand and reach beyond just his intimate family, but into the world. And so we gather on this Feast of the Ephiphany for our annual meeting…
According to the parish website, our liturgy this morning is a contemplative celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Now in my experience and perhaps some of yours, a contemplative eucharist can mean several things. It can mean perhaps candles and incense; it can mean Celtic music, or music from, say, the Taize community in France, or it can mean no music at all…
“Breathe!” Did you ever have someone say that to you? “Breathe!” It usualy comes at a time when you’re not breathing too well. You’re stressed out, you’re worried about something, your anxiety level is rising, you’re actually breathless, and someone says, “breathe!” I’ve heard that said a few times to me, “breathe!”
Jesus was definitely a person of wisdom. And part of that wisdom had to do, I think, with Jesus’ ability to not think in kind of a dualistic way. In other words, Jesus was not someone who saw the world in either ors: either this or that. But Jesus was much more able to see the world in terms of this and that…
The Jesuit theologian and paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin did a lot writing during the twentieth century. Some of his writings are complex to read, but what he is trying to convey is worth the complexity. One of the thoughts that comes to mind comes from our reading from Revelations. Teilhard has this sense that all of creation has been created and is moving toward its fulfillment…
Have you ever met somebody who is just really wise? Just filled with wisdom? It’s a rare thing to find, but when you see somebody who is wise, you just draw in the wisdom. Wisdom is something that is difficult to attain; it’s not something you can study for. Universities don’t offer degrees in wisdom…
Imagine we are living two thousand years from now, in the year 4009, and we’re looking back two thousand years, and we’re looking at the way we viewed illness and disease, and the way we treated it…
There’s high energy around here today. All the programs are kicking back in, all the church school programs begin today, the youth programs are beginning, the choirs are at full voice, our Clergy Forum began this morning, the Men’s Group meets this afternoon, there’s a certain energy that comes over us in this part of September as we gear up for the year together…
“Increase in us true religion.” Hear that phrase in our opening prayer, our collect? It’s an interesting phrase. What does it mean? I’d like to offer a couple of thoughts on that. One area of study that I find really interesting, and I wish I had studed more, is anthropology…