Divergence on the Lectionary – Holy Name
First Reading Numbers 6:22–27 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – 4 Advent, Year A
First Reading Isaiah 7:10–16 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – 3 Advent, Year A
First Reading Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, […]
Jimmy
Of all the short stories I’ve written (there aren’t really that many) this is my favorite, about Jimmy, the sexton in a large metropolitan parish, and a very special Midnight Mass. Jimmy Jimmy opened his housekeeping closet and withdrew the longest of his step-ladders. He’d need it to reach the Madonna, and tonight, She had […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – 2 Advent, Year A
First Reading Isaiah 11:1–10 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the […]
The Christmas King
(Twenty years or more ago during the week before Christmas Eve I was pondering what it was about the baby Jesus that led the shepherds to recognize Him for who He was. From those meandering thoughts arose this story that I used as a sermon, I think. Now, twenty-plus years later, the images of walls […]
The Gift of Emptiness
Receiving Your Inheritance – Sunday after the Ascension (Easter 7) Year A Acts 1:6-14 Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 We have come into a place in the cycle of the lectionary that is difficult for me to write about. The way that Jesus speaks to His disciples and to His Father […]
Why Do We Study?
(This is another of the articles I wrote for the Cross, the publication of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew. It deals with one of our three disciplines (Prayer, Study, and Service). But it speaks to the study of the Bible in a wider context too, so here it is.) Prayer, Study, Service. We hold to […]
“O come, O come Emmanuel!”
(I wrote this back in 2015 for the Cross, the publication for the Brotherhood of St. Andrew. I think most of it still applies.) Most of us have sung this already this season. If we haven’t we certainly will soon. It is the cry of every heart, even those who don’t know God, (though they […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – 1 Advent, Year A
First Reading Isaiah 2:1–5 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the […]
A new take on Romans 7
I wrote this back in November of 2012. I suspect it’ll find it’s way into a Divergence in Year A (Proper 9, I think) But I’m going to publish it now, separately, with a few minor edits. Maybe this isn’t new, but it’s new to me. I’ve read an awful lot of commentaries on Paul […]
The Stations of the Cross
Over the course of my career as an Episcopal priest I have found myself discontented with the versions of the Stations of the Cross that I knew and used during Lent. Early on I found a set of Stations written by a friend, a Roman Catholic priest that felt “better” and used them for a […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 29/Christ the King, Year C (track one)
First Reading Jeremiah 23:1–6 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, […]
“Are You the One?”
This short story grew out of my meditations on the message that John sent to Jesus from prison. Once upon a time there were two parents, a loving Mother and Father, who had to go away for a long time. Now, this mother and father had many children. A big family, at least a dozen […]
On Fatherhood
Another article I wrote for the Brotherhood of St. Andrew a number of years ago. I think it still holds. This year Father’s Day fell on Trinity Sunday. I joked with my parish during the sermon that I was grateful because it gave me an excuse to focus on one Person of the Trinity, and […]
Divergence on the Lectionary – Proper 28, Year C (track one)
First Reading Isaiah 65:17–25 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will […]
