One of the Best-Selling…, Proper 26 (A) – 2002
One of the best-selling verses in the Bible these days is the following: And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.” So […]
Sermon preached at Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio during the gathering of bishops and spouses of the Episcopal Church
The chief priests and the elders approach Jesus. They are outraged. Their power to control, dominate and decree the very will of the Most High has been overridden by one who dares to speak, dares to teach with a different kind of power: the life-giving love and mercy of God. “By what authority are you […]
Striving for True Boldness
“Words are a medium of divine self-disclosure,” I once heard Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel declare to a group of Christian liturgists as they congratulated themselves at having celebrated a largely wordless liturgy. I recall that he looked like a Hebrew prophet of old, and spoke with the authority of one who prayed deeply. He respected […]
Finding A Way Out of the Wilderness, Lent 1 (A) – 2002
Our 40-day Lenten journey began on Ash Wednesday. In many churches, the people of God were marked with ashes as a sign of penitence and mortality. In words, we are told, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” (BCP, p. 265) And forever mindful of the horror of September 11, 2001, […]
One Traditional Analogy…, Day of Pentecost (C) – 2001
One traditional analogy for worship in the Episcopal Church is that of a symphony orchestra. The members of the congregation are the players in the orchestra, with many different instruments represented among them. The score is the Prayer Book, and the conductor is the celebrant or officiant, who leads and helps tie everything together. And […]
Orientation of Bishops and Deputies
I'd like to add my welcome to that of Mrs. Chinnis and Rosemari Sullivan and thank you for your willingness to be part of this great deliberative body we call the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. I also need to thank you for your sacrifice, realizing that this is the Fourth of July weekend, […]
The Text from the St. John Gospel…, Epiphany 2 (B) – 2000
The text from the St John Gospel is a quintessential evangelism and mission text. First, Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me,” and he did! This is remarkable. It is just backwards from the way we are inclined to gather people into the Christian faith. There is a wonderful hymn by St. Richard of Chicester, commonly […]
Word and Sacrament…, Proper 25 (A) – 1999
Word and sacrament are at the heart of our worship and our life together as Christians. Today’s Gospel brings these two elements together in a very bold way. Our sacramental life together is given by God out of love for us. The Word of God is given to us so that we may know God […]
Somewhere out in the Wilds…, Maundy Thursday – 1999
Somewhere out in the wilds of Cyberspace there is a website called “Ask the Oracle.” Those who stumble upon it as they surf the Internet are invited to have their fortune told. All that is required is to mentally focus on a yes/no question about the future. When the inquirer feels ready, she clicks on […]
Food For The Senseless, Proper 15 (B) – 1997
In Eucharist, as in Baptism, simple elements reveal to us important truths about things deeply important to life. Our life. Our life meaning a life that is lived together: in community. This is what the bread and wine, and water and oil, seek to express. That life is ours. Plural. Life by its very nature […]
Today We Celebrate…, St. Mary the Virgin – 1996
Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, the principal feast of Mary in all branches of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church, and indeed, in some Protestant churches as well. Because she is regarded as the greatest of the saints and the first Christian, today marks the chief saints day which […]