This is the final Sunday of the Easter season. Next week is Pentecost, and the reading from Acts, as well as the Collect of the Day, give expression to our yearning for the Holy Spirit. This yearning for the Spirit is very much a part of the Resurrection faith we celebrate this season. Although as…

Jesus as the vine with us as the branches is a very powerful model for the Christian life. It sets things straight as to how we are to be and what we are to do. As the text says, “cut off from me you can do nothing.” So this text calls us to be branches….

This text from John’s gospel that we read and hear today is also commended to be read as part of our burial rite. It is commended to us because it is a statement of Jesus’ promise to us in the light of one of our worst fears. This fear is the fear of separation. When…

Shepherd of souls, refresh and blessThy chosen pilgrim flockWith manna from the wilderness,With water from the rock.-James Montgomery, Hymnal 1982, #343 People are getting spiritually hungry again. You find the evidence in feature stories about the rising demand for retreats and for books on all sorts of spirituality. Women and men are seeking to be…

Many of us can remember a time when our culture enjoyed a rich tradition of story telling. It was a simpler time, before there were televisions in every home. Many families spent the evenings together, telling stories. These were casual gatherings in some comfortable place, perhaps the kitchen table. The function of these family gatherings…

There are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realized until personal experience has brought it home. John Stuart Mill Sitting at a table in the lunchroom at work the other day, a small group of people began talking about the movie Titanic. One person in the group had not yet seen this phenomenon…