“Not an Angel” (Christmas Eve)
It’s the fabulous St. Paul & St. Andrew Christmas Pageant! This year’s pageant is “The Writers’ Room.”
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The Writers Room (Christmas Pageant)
It’s the fabulous St. Paul & St. Andrew Christmas Pageant! This year’s pageant is “The Writers’ Room.”
The Writers Room (Christmas Pageant) Read More »
The Great Interrupter
On this blessed Second Sunday of Advent, we look to the coming of — John the Baptist??
Certainly! John the Baptist is the central character of Advent, the star, so to speak. And boy, is his a story to be told.
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Tell Me More
Very few things grab our attention as quickly as the simple phrase, “Once upon a time.” Storytime is the best. Kids and adults both love the cozy, cuddle up time over a picture book. And there is nothing as sweet or tender as a heart-to-heart between loved ones, when somebody takes a tiny leap of faith to share with another a bit of their life’s story.
Gratitude As an Act of Resistance
On this last Sunday of the Christian year, right before the beginning of Advent, we celebrate “The Reign of Christ”, also known as Christ the King Sunday. It has an interesting history. In 1920s Italy, Pope Pius XI was concerned about the rise of a narrow nationalism and fascism at home and abroad, and he wanted to mark a day for the church to emphasize that, as Christians, our primary loyalty is not to a political party, or any leader, or even our nation, but to Jesus Christ.
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The End Is But the Beginning
Birth pangs are a frequently used motif in the apocalyptic imagery that was common in Jesus’s Jewish tradition. As someone who physically birthed two humans from my womb, I know a thing or two about birth pangs. One of the things I learned through my labor and delivery experiences is that fear-based resistance intensifies pain and draws out the process in dangerous and unhealthy ways.
We’ve been talking and singing about the importance of resistance, of holy resistance, in recent days.
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The Mighty Widow
The gospel story of the woman giving her last two coins to the temple treasury leaves me with some questions. Jesus notices the woman’s generosity, but does he actually approve of her contributing so sacrificially? And why does this widow, offered so little protection by religious or secular law, want to support a system that ignores her and her needs?
The Uncommon Good: Public Engagement
Jesus is clear. These are the greatest commandments, and they work together. You can’t love God without loving your neighbor, and that requires loving yourself as well. But how many of us are good at all three?
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The Uncommon Good: Why Are We Here?
“Whoever wishes to become great among you must be a servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be servant of all.” Mark 10:43
Why are we here? That’s a question I ask myself every now and then. Maybe more now than then, given the strange and troubling political climate of this moment.
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The Uncommon Good: Identity & Difference
“Who are you?,” is one of those big existential questions that I think faces all of us. On the most basic level, our names are the first ever introduction we get to most relationships. From emails, to texts, to perhaps even being yelled at in a crowded spaces, our names and what we call ourselves shapes deeply how other people interact with us.
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