Normally we think of Lent as a somewhat somber time, a time of penitence in preparation for (our remembrance of) the Crucifixion on Good Friday, followed by the celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Day. However, today’s readings remind us that there is more to our preparation than feeling penitent, however important penitence may be….

The story of the Prodigal son is one of the best known of all the stories in the Gospels. It is easy to see why, since it connects immediately to each one of us in a way that is instantly self authenticating. Has any one of us not felt like the Prodigal? The common response…

At this particular time of the year we continue to hear how much God loves us and forgives us, no matter what. During this season of Lent, we remember our Baptism, the time when we were marked and sealed as Christ’s own forever. We also realize that we are to support each child, each person…

Somewhere, probably around the tenth grade, most of us learned about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in our American History class. And, somehow, most of us remember something vague about the “separation of church and state.” Well, the founders of this country would be appalled at how their noble ideas of religious liberty…

If you ever want to find out how much you don’t know about something, take a walk in the park with a real birdwatcher. As you make your way down the path, you will notice that your birdwatcher friend pauses now and again, as definitely as if someone had called her name. She stops, her…