Watch the Helpers In a tragic moment like this, people often turn to the Church to help them make sense of what has happened. But, truth be told, we don’t have an answer for them. We don’t know what to think either. But while we may not know what to think, we do know what to do. A sermon preached at Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona the Sunday following the shooting of 71 people in […]
"That historical reality affords us some latitude to consider the major ways that Christians have understood the atonement over the years, and to ponder some minority opinions as well. In each, the crucifixion is the solution. Where they differ is the problem. In other words, what is the problem that the crucifixion solves?
If Wikipedia wasn’t blacked out today, I’d suggest you first go and read up on the idea of the “Music of the Spheres”. It’s an idea that had it genesis in the writings of Pythagoras, who discovered the mathematical relationships between musical tones. The idea was further developed by Plato who suggested that since music and planetary motion both involved mathematical relationships between pairs and triads, that there must be a kind of planetary music […]
What is it that you and God have entered into a relationship together to nurture and protect. What have you given over to God to die for on your behalf? What are you thankful for this year, and in this season? Don’t limit yourself to the small things – see the God of the Cosmos, Jesus the Lord of All Creation (Kyrie Pantocrator) with his hands lovingly holding your hands as you sit down to […]
(I’m working on this weekend’s sermon, for a liturgy that features a wonderful, long married couple’s renewal of marriage vows, and the Lectionary has handed me Luke 12:49-56 as the Gospel.) Interesting quote from Girard apropos of that theme: The Apocalypse is not some invention. If we are without sacrifices, either we’re going to love each other or we’re going to die. We have no more protection against our own violence. Therefore, we are confronted […]
God is saying something to us in the earthquakes and in the natural disasters. But what? And even if we decode the message, how are we to respond? Diana Butler Bass was our guest preacher at Trinity Cathedral this past Sunday. In this wonderful sermon she finds hope in the patience of God. MP3 File
We focus on the language of Lord, we focus on the image of Messiah. We seek the wisdom of the itinerant rabbi. But Jesus is first and foremost our savior. Whether we seek his shelter or not. He saves because that is his fundamental nature. “Do not be afraid Abram, I will be your shield” MP3 File
Moses goes to mountaintop, talks with God and receives the Law. Jesus goes to wilderness and speaks with the Satan. What is really happening in this gospel passage? And what lesson are we to take with us as we begin our Lenten journey this year? MP3 File
St. Paul's great hymn to love is read at just about every wedding an Episcopalian ever attends. The irony is that the passage has nothing explicitly to do with marriage at all. It's Paul's advice about how to avoid needless squabbling in a congregation. The word he uses for Love, Agape, has a depth of meaning to it that is not readily apparent. It would put too fine a point on his choice though to […]
At first glance the three texts assigned by the lectionary for this week have little if anything in common. One talks about the people's gratitude to receive the Law. The other talks about people's anger at hearing the words of the Lord's favor and jubilee. The last is Paul's attempt to soothe the tensions of a congregation in serious conflict. And yet when we take each at face value and remember that these are all […]
