Movements shake things up! One moment, everything feels stable, secure, predictable. Then suddenly the ground shifts, the earth shakes, and what appeared steady and familiar …
How quickly the crowd gathered around Jesus as he entered Jerusalem and how quickly they dispersed as he was arrested, tried and crucified. People were …
Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may …
Today we hear of the promise of a new covenant written not on stone but in our hearts. We hear Jesus speaking of being lifted …
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take …
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you …
The story of the serpents in the wilderness is intriguing. The people of God had been rescued from slavery in Egypt and were making the …
Some things just don’t make much sense. Water doesn’t become wine, bread and fish do not suddenly multiply, the lame do not jump up and …
“The Lord has shown, O mortal what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and …
“Jesus called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up …
As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you …
In the midst of two stories we know so well, the story of Noah and the flood and the story of Jesus and his baptism …
We are created out of love and for love. We walk the same earth and breathe the same air, and yet…
We proclaim that it is …
He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.”—Genesis 15:5
The internet has the power to make …
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” –Luke 10:29
This Lent, I traveled to Haiti to investigate the impacts …
“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'” -Matthew 10:7
For the Human Family, The Book of Common Prayer
O God, you made us …
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and …
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that …
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed …
“Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute.
Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” …
It is Holy Week. This week is always hard for me, as I am impatient to get to Easter without having to go through Good …
A friend recently asked an innocent question that completely floored me. “I hear you Christians talking about racial reconciliation and Beloved Community, but what does …
https://episcopalchurch.wistia.com/medias/04wspsoc91
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson outside of the Canfield Green apartment complex in Ferguson, MO. I …
“Perhaps … I am the face of one of your fears. Because I am a woman, because I am Black, because I am a lesbian, …
My name is Sowdo
My name is Sergio
My name is Sadiki
My name is Linda
Fundamental to the creation of Beloved Community is inclusiveness. Fundamental to inclusiveness is …
One evening a grandfather told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two “wolves” inside …
“The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community. The aftermath of nonviolence is redemption. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation. The aftermath of …
Jesus covers a lot of ground in the gospels, but who determined where he went?
Matthew, the gospel writer, tells us that the infant Jesus was …
There is a common saying in Tamil (a South Indian language) that it is alright to pardon an enemy or an oppressor, but one should …
Betrayal is a breakdown in trust. In my experience it represents the worst kind of pain. I think of three particular instances in my life …
In today’s scripture passage, Paul gives one of his accounts of his encounter with Jesus. He was on his way to Damascus when a heavenly …
Jesús dijo, Vayan a la cuidad, a casa de cierto hombre, y díganle: El maestro dice: mi hora está próxima; en tu casa celebraré la …
“Go.”
“Go into the city.”
“Go into the city to a certain man.”
Go into the city to a certain man, and say.”
Jesus sent two of his disciples …
Each Holy Week, as I read the scriptures leading to Gethsemane, the Last Supper, and inevitably the cross, I am aware of Jesus’ care for …
The parable of the Good Samaritan is surely one of Jesus’ Top 10. People who know nothing of Christianity still recognize the story: the three …
One of the gifts of pondering my discipleship as part of the Jesus Movement is the opportunity to reflect on the ways in which I …
“It is good for me to go away.”
We so often want Jesus to stay with us, right here and now. We are comfortable in familiar …
This is Jesus’ promise to those eleven disciples sitting at the supper table with Him two thousand years ago. Jesus is telling them that they …
God’s call to Abram is about as clear of a passage about going as there can be. God says, “get up! Leave! Go where I …
The Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY is one of my favorite places on earth. It is, for me, a “thin place” – a …
Bartimaeus, the blind man of Jericho, had an incredible faith in Jesus and what He could do for him. Imagine this man sitting on the …
The meaning of this scripture passage for me is that it is Jesus’ statement of mission a way forward for Jesus and for us today. …
In the Old Testament, the book of Ruth comes to us like a precious gem following as it does numerous stories of war and conquest …
My brother and I started off the year making a pledge to each other. My brother turns 50 this year and I am his senior …
“Go out at once into the streets…” This scripture speaks to me because it is about action. It speaks to us of the expansiveness of …
The fifth grade class at Trinity Episcopal Day School in Baton Rouge is intrigued by what it means to “go and bear fruit” as described …
If Lent – and life – is a journey, then we can have no better words to be our companions on the way than the …
These verses, especially: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”, resonate with me in a very direct way this Lent. I recently became a Postulant …
The Book of Esther is one of my favorite stories of The Bible. There’s a lot of learnings and reflections we can make from this …
The lepers in Luke 17 are not healed until they obey Jesus’ instructions to “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” When they start on their …
One of the perceived obstacles to working with refugees and immigrants is language. “If we speak different languages, how will I ever connect?”
In Rwanda last …
When I was in seminary, I had the great opportunity to travel to Liberia to learn about the relationship between the Episcopal Church of Liberia …
Growing up, I always marveled at my mother’s gift of blessing everyone she ran into. It was like she owned the words “Dios te bendiga.” …
I love this verse. It’s all about “being sent.” It consistently reminds me that as Christians, we need to be out and about in the …
Our faith as Christians is one of movement, of devoting our lives to a triune God who ever asks us to move. Our scriptures teem …
Go, Baptize, Teach, Remember.
These two verses are called by Christians “The Great Commission “. It catches my attention that it seems to be backwards. Usually …
Mark 10:52: Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’
Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
On vacation in …
Jesus had just fed the multitude of five thousand men, beside women and children. What was going through the minds of those disciples, I wonder? …
In a sentence: Discipleship is more radical than we believe it is!
In a couple of paragraphs: We have built a church institution that is more …
Joshua is working to claim the land that God has promised. He is sending warriors into battle, and this verse is a part of their …
I love this passage from James which asks important questions about faith, James 2:14-16 : “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you …
The sun shall no longer be your light by day nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night. Your sun shall …
In my work with The Episcopal Church, I am lucky to see people across the world choosing the kind of fast God proclaims through Isaiah. …
The imagery the psalmist uses in these passages is remarkable, particularly in how the writer describes God and Zion as the same: “Walk about Zion, …
I was born and raised an Episcopalian. I never imagined I would choose the streets of an inner-city as a place to proclaim Christ. I …
One sentence from the story of Job tells a myriad about whom he is and how he is thought of and cared for. It begs …
I have had a lot of change in my life: moving to different cities and countries, divorce, relationships, change of jobs and careers, different degrees …
He tenido muchos cambios en mi vida: mudanzas a diferentes ciudades y países, divorcio, relaciones, cambios de trabajos y carreras, diferentes títulos en la universidad, …
In Mark 16:15, Jesus said to his disciples to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He also told them to …
This gripping text tells part of the story of Jesus and the disciples being in the Garden of Gethsemane, before Jesus is betrayed by Judas. …
A Time to Get Going
A Paraphrase of God’s Command to Noah (Genesis 8:15-9:3)
When God delivered Noah and his family after a tumultuous year-long voyage over …
Come let us go…I need you!
I may not know you.
I may never meet you.
But I need you.
I need your gifts and skills,
your determination and strength.
I …
When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” Mark 4:35
It is one thing to go; it …
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, …
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed …
Into paradise may the angels lead you,
At your coming, may the martyrs receive you
And lead you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.
May …
“The advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to the one who possesses it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12b (NRSV)
Study after study in this country shows that …
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. Isaiah 32:18 (NRSV)
“On a single night in January 2013, …
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this, your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into …
“The phrase “Holy City” is constantly used to describe the reverence for her shrines, but what it really means is that Jerusalem is the essential …
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us…so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world, may repose upon …
Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel for the nations …
O God, by your Word you marvelously carry out the work of reconciliation: Grant that in our Lenten fast we may be devoted to you …
EPPN Lenten Series Part 2: Supporting Peace in the Land of the Holy One
Spotlight on Negotiations
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain …
EPPN LENTEN SERIES:
SUPPORTING PEACE IN THE LAND OF THE HOLY ONE
An Ash Wednesday Reflection from
Alexander D. Baumgarten
Director of Justice and Advocacy Ministries for The Episcopal …
A Lenten Reflection on Repentance
February 12, 2013
“Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desires not the death of sinners, but rather …
John 18:1-19:42
Two young women testify on behalf of immigration reform in the form of the Dream Act, at General Convention 2012
By: Hershey Mallette
Oh, Peter, not …
March 29, 2013
By: Hershey Mallette
Oh, Peter, not again!
Every time…every year…you deny Jesus?!
If I were Peter, I’d claim Jesus!
Would I? Do I?
Wait…
Maybe I am Peter.
Oh no, …
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
By: Grace Flint
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love …
Philippians 4:1-13
By: Charles McClain
“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there …
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
By: Adam Pike
In today’s reading, Paul describes God’s wisdom not as a virtuous trait, or a well of knowledge built by experience and …
John 12:1-11
By: Jamie Osborne
I think there is a tendency to characterize Jesus more like a superhero than a human being. The Christian faith affirms that …
Luke 19:28-40
By: Jonathan Melton
“After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem” (Luke 19:28)
The “this” that Jesus said, before he went …
Acts 17:22-31
By: Rachel Jones
Photo by Nils Chittenden
Saying someone has the spiritual gift of discernment is a short way of saying that they are good at …
Matthew 13:47-52
By: Zack Nyein
As a newly-minted postulant for the priesthood in The Episcopal Church, the word “discernment” carries a lot of baggage. I think about the …
Luke 2:25–35
By: Jessie Vedanti
Photo by Nils Chittenden
Simeon, a man whose only credentials were his piety, was ready to face death knowing God had provided a …
By: Callie Swanlund
When I was little, I remember waking up one Saturday morning and – before I was even fully awake – knowing what I would find …
Romans 4:13-18
By: Hershey Mallette
“For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but …
Psalm 122
By: Grace Flint
From Grace’s recent visit to the Philippines (2013)
I grew up in a non-denominational church where anything liturgical was considered insincere. Instead of …
Philippians 3:4b-14
By: Jason Sierra
“I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)
As a teenager I …
John 7:37-52
By: Adam Pike
In our gospel reading for today, we hear Jesus make an invitation:
Drink of the living waters. Never again experience thirst.
Surely this is …
Wisdom 2:1a, 12-24
By: Jamie Osborne
End of Day (2013)
Lent is a serious time in the church year, but it is also a beautiful time. This season of …
Exodus 32:7–14
By: Jonathan Melton
The Adoration of the Golden Calf by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)
I cannot read this passage from Exodus without thinking of Mooby the Cow, a …
By: Phillip Fackler
After graduating from college, I spent a year working in Malawi. I didn’t make much money and resources were scarce, so my life …
Mark 10:42-45
By: Rachel Jones
Prophets are intended to be truth-tellers of the most serious kind – the truth that could save or kill, hurt or heal, …
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
By: Allison Sandlin Liles
The gift of prophecy is one that, I admit, I’ve always longed to possess. There’s something about urging Christians to …
Isaiah 65:17-25
By: Zack Nyein
I grew up in the buckle of the Bible Belt. The first time I heard about the gift of prophecy was in 1999. …
Wisdom 7:24-28
By: Callie Swanlund
During my senior year in high school, I was in a terrible skiing accident in which I collided with a tree, and …
Daniel 6:10-16
By: Margaret Ellsworth
Photo By Aaron Wolpert
Last year for Lent, I didn’t give something up, but took something on instead: praying the Daily Office. That is, …
Sirach 38:1-8
By: Christopher Esposito-Bernard
Whenever a church hires a new pastor, there’s a buzz that generates across the congregation. Questions like, “Will he be like so-and-so?” …
Matthew 18:21–35
By: Lindy Bunch
This past spring, I had the opportunity to travel with my fellow seminarians studying restorative justice to Riverbend High Security Penitentiary in …
Colossians 3:12–17
By: Lucas John Mix
Lent is a time of taking on duties and giving up pleasures. It is also a time for accepting the gifts …
Isaiah 55:1-9
By: Nina Vest Salmon
The dining hall at the college where I teach offers students who are on a meal plan limitless food. Those not …
Psalm 95:1-7
By: Nils Chittenden
Icon, Westcott House, Cambridge, England
Although I’ve recited Psalm 95 at Morning Prayer thousands of times, whenever I read it I am always …
Mark 4:26-29
By: Vivian Taylor
“He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, …
Luke 4:14-21
By: Patrick Christopher Kangrga
Reading Torah, Toronto, Canada (2012)
Lent is a perplexing liturgical season. We do the complete opposite of what we think we normally …
Philippians 4:4-9
By: April C. Caballero
“Peace in the Black Light” by Unreal Photography
The peace of God is a reality, which rests on all of creation, although …
Luke 10:38-42
By: Cameron Partridge
Hope in Action Campaign, Diocese of Massachusetts
At first glance, the story about Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), unique to the Gospel of …
John 7:37-41a
By: Mary Catherine Young
Iconographer: The Rev. Jon H. Walsted, Staten Island, New York
A triptych, a three-paneled icon, was recently installed at St. John’s in …
Luke 9:28-36
By: Hillary Raining
Gospel book, scene: Incarnation and Transfiguration, c. 1025-1050
Faith is a complicated gift. It is the kind of intangible that gets battered around …
Matthew 5:11-16
By: Margaret Ellsworth
In college I lived in a house with five of my closest friends and would often trade off cooking meals. I was …
Mark 10:35-45
By: Christopher Esposito-Bernard
Photo by the Rev. Nils Chittenden
I have a confession to make. I think there are a lot parts of the Bible that …
Song of Solomon 3:1-4
By: Lindy Bunch
Photo by the Rev. Nils Chittenden
Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but …
Isaiah 55:6-11
By: Lucas John Mix
NGC 1291, NASA/JPL-Caltech/Yale University/H. Crowl (Yale University)
“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;let the …
Matthew 6: 1-7
By: Nina Vest Salmon
A student was dissatisfied with his grade on a 10-page paper he had turned in for an assigned three- to …
John 15:1-11
By: Nils Chittenden
The Interior of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Istanbul by John Singer Sargent (1856–1925)
It was the English writer and raconteur Miles Kington who …
Deuteronomy 26:8-10
By: Vivian Taylor
“So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought …
Romans 14:10-13
By: Patrick Christopher Kangrga
The men in my family have always been the unlucky ones. It’s a simple issue of math. We are outnumbered. And …
Luke 10:1-9
By: April C. Caballero
Peace. It is unwise. Peace does not get the popular vote. Peace is not a natural instinct. And further, peace takes …
Psalm 69:8-18
By: Cameron Partridge
I came to explore the wreck.The words are purposes.The words are maps.I came to see the damage that was doneand the treasures …
Isaiah 58:1-12
By: Mary Catherine Young
Self-denial is probably the most common practice associated with the six-week season of Lent that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends …