Gracious and loving God, watch over the people of Ukraine. Sustain their leaders, protect her people, frustrate the efforts of her oppressors. Give the leaders and people of our countries courage and a capacity for sacrifice in their defense. And strengthen the world in its resolve to name and resist tyranny wherever it may be found. In the name of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign one God, now and forever. Amen... Read more
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[a] either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you... Read more
The Religious News Service reported this week that Trinity Episcopal Church in Southport, Connecticut is no longer able to meet the spiritual needs of the people living in its community. So, the parish is launching the Trinity Spiritual Center in an effort to address the needs of those who are spiritual but not religious. Noting that “3 in 10 Americans claim no religious affiliation” and “a similar number say religion has little influence in their life”, the leadership of the... Read more
Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of... Read more
A widespread trend in American spirituality is what might be called “the buddy-fication of Jesus.” The trend is on display in the way that people pray, the expectations that they bring to their prayers, and the things that people assume are of concern to God. And it has been on display for a long time now. Much of it is bumper sticker theology: “Let Go and Let God”, “Jesus is my co-pilot”, “Jesus is my airbag” (I kid you not),... Read more
I always read and reflect on the cartoons created by David Hayward with benefit. Even when I disagree, there is sufficient content, along with the artistry, to repay the time spent on them. Recently, he pictured a pastor standing behind the pulpit with this message: “I’m sorry people. There’s been a change. I can no longer help you find. But I promise I can help you seek.” The cartoon hit a positive note with some mainline clergy and there is... Read more
With reasonable frequency I encounter people who are convinced that prayers of confession are all about making the person who prays them feel “judged” or “inferior”. Nothing could be further from the truth and place of confession and absolution in the eucharistic liturgy underlines that fact. At the end of the prayers of the people, we are invited to confess our sins “against God and our neighbor”. The priest offers words of absolution and then we extend the peace of... Read more
Years ago… I visited the Martin Luther King Center and purchased a children’s biography of King for my six year old daughter. This led to a collection of King biographies that over the years have grown in sophistication. When she was nine, she played on a frequent basis with a large number of other children in the cathedral close in Jerusalem. Among her friends was Jamie, a younger Canadian boy, and Alex, an American who had a reputation for being... Read more
Not long ago, we all believed that Covid would be a short-lived phenomenon. We can all remember a time when we hoped to “beat the curve.” We would avoid overloading our emergency rooms, emerge on the other side, and move on. Most of us opted to stay at home and distance, thinking that the impact on people who couldn’t work from home would amount to a matter of days. No one was thinking about variants. And no one – including... Read more
It is difficult to measure the significance of a life and even harder to measure it at a distance. Alongside Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was obviously a central figure in ending apartheid in his native South Africa and a unique voice in healing differences between rival factions following the election of 1994. But it will take some time to fully grasp the impact of his ministry both in South Africa and around the world as a voice for... Read more
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