Paul’s Twelfth Chapter…, Proper 17 (A) – 2002
Paul’s twelfth chapter in the letter to the church in Rome and the sixteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, both seek to open to us the mysteries of a life lived with God. Herein lies the heart of the good news. Characteristically, it is good news that sounds like bad news before we find a way […]
There Was Once a Time…, Proper 9 (A) – 2002
There was once a time when any of us going to a service of Holy Communion in an Episcopal Church might hear some of Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel. “Come to me all who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Or, in a slightly older form of the English […]
What An Exciting Thing It Is…, Trinity Sunday (A) – 2002
Trinity Sunday — what an amazing thing it is to celebrate a doctrine of the church with its own Sunday in the church year! There are designated Sundays for a couple of Christianity’s central doctrines — the Incarnation and the Resurrection — but these are directly related to the life of Jesus. The doctrine of […]
Listen with Our Hearts, Palm Sunday (A) – 2002
[A note: The Prayer Book rubrics (BCP, p. 273) say that if the Liturgy of the Palms precedes the service, the Creed and Confession “may be omitted at this service.” One effective way of approaching this liturgy might be to preach before the reading of The Passion on Palm Sunday-first of all, as a way […]
Some Years Ago…, Epiphany 3 (A) – 2002
Some years ago, on an Indian reservation, there lived a man named White Plume, who was a deacon in the Episcopal Church. He was called to this “special ministry of servanthood” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 543) sometime during the early 1900’s and he remained a perpetual deacon. His ministry was spent serving his people […]
A Witness for the Lamb of God, Epiphany 2 (A) – 2002
Last Sunday we commemorated the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We heard from St. Matthew’s Gospel how John the Baptist saw God’s Spirit alight upon Jesus, and a voice from heaven identify him as “my Son, the Beloved.” Today our lesson comes from the Gospel of St. John and the scenario of Christ’s baptism […]
The Stewardship of God’s Grace, Feast of the Epiphany – 2002
Like Isaiah before us, we have been visited with visions of darkness covering the earth, and thick darkness covering the peoples. We have seen the darkness that pervades what we now call Ground Zero. We have seen the smoldering darkness at the Pentagon. We have looked into a crater of darkness in Pennsylvania. We have […]
Increase Our Faith…, Proper 22 (C) – 2001
“Increase our faith!” the disciples say to Jesus in this morning’s Gospel. Jesus replies with the parable of the mustard seed (Luke 17:6). A little faith can have a huge impact. These are encouraging words to people in small congregations, small religious communities around the world, because small numbers of faithful people can make a […]
This Is the Time of Year…, Proper 20 (C) – 2001
This is the time of the year when congregations begin to think about the annual stewardship Sunday, or, as one colleague calls it, “The Fall Begathon!” In most congregations, this season is dreaded by the leadership-but someone has to do it. If everything goes well, the budget is met by pledges and promises, and if […]
A Sure Foundation
September 1st, 2001 The baptismal covenant grounds us in faith before sending us out. During August, Phoebe and I enjoyed several weeks in New Hampshire, where most of my childhood summers were spent visiting my grandmother. Some years ago we bought a small house of our own, which sustains and refreshes us as a point […]
We’ve All Probably Heard…, Proper 12 (C) – 2001
“What’s in a name?” We’ve all probably heard that phrase used many times. Or maybe we’ve heard, “Who’s your family?” In other words, where do you come from and who do you belong to? In the city of Philadelphia, if you ask Roman Catholics where they’re from, 90% of the time the answer you get […]
On Baptism
May 1st, 2001 On January 1, 1938 I was baptized in a private ceremony in my grandmother’s house by the then Rector of All Saints Church, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The date was chosen, not because it was the feast of what was called the Circumcision, now known more discreetly as the Holy Name, but because it […]
In Today’s Reading…, Palm Sunday (C) – 2001
In today’s reading from Isaiah, God is called Lord and Savior, “to whom every knee shall bow” (Isaiah 45:23). In the Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul applies these attributes to Jesus. The Passion story from St. Luke affirms both the saving power of Jesus and his Kingship, his Lordship over all. What does it […]
Pastoral Letter from the House of Bishops 5th Sunday in Lent – April 1, 2001
The Bishops of the Episcopal Church meet twice each year for prayer, consultation, mutual support. and learning, for the good of the church and the world we are called to serve. We gathered for our spring retreat this year from March 9-14 in the ancient mountains of the Appalachian chain in Western North Carolina. Our […]
Two Occasions: Full of Wisdom and Grace
March 23rd, 2001 Let me begin with a personal confession: I have always had what I like to think is an attitude of healthy skepticism about institutions, including the Church. To be sure, the Church is the risen body of Christ. However, few servants of the institution seem totally immune from actions which can often […]
What Is an Acceptable Sacrifice…, Lent 2 (C) – 2001
What is an acceptable sacrifice to God? Do we really have to take the heifer three years old, the female goat three years old, and the ram three years old and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other, remembering not to cut the turtledove and the young pigeon? Is giving up […]
Reflecting on the Past Year: A Conversation with the Presiding Bishop
By Dan England MR. ENGLAND: I’m Dan England, Director of Communication of the Episcopal Church, and I’m here with Frank Griswold, who’s the Presiding Bishop. We’re now at the end of the first three years of the triennium, and we all thought it would be a good idea to review where we are, where the church […]
Two Celebrations, Epiphany 1 (C) – 2001
[This year, the First Sunday after Epiphany (Epiphany 1) falls on the day after the official feast of the Epiphany (Saturday, January 6). Many parishes will choose to celebrate Epiphany on Sunday. Lessons cited here are those specified for Sunday, Epiphany 1.] The meaning, in Greek, of Epiphany is a showing forth. You might also […]
Celebration of Full Communion
We have come together this morning as Lutheran and Anglican Christians, along with members of other households of faith, to celebrate the fact that, through baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ, we are limbs and members of Christ’s risen body, the Church. Knit together in the communion of the Holy Spirit, which is […]
It Was An Early October Evening…, Proper 14 (B) – 2000
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. Edmond J. Dunn tells this story: “It was an early October evening in a university town in the late 1950’s. I […]