"Knit my heart to you..." There is perhaps no greater force drawing us away from God’s love than our fear. Our regrets over the past are fears of inadequacy, and for our place in this world. Our longing for the past is based in the fear that our best is behind us. Our anxieties over … Continue reading Lent 4 — Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Month: February 2020
Lent 3 — Friday after Ash Wednesday
The straight path Most of us start Lent asking ourselves, or being asked, what we will give up. This act of giving something up – a favorite food, a frivolous pastime or common distraction – is all many people know of Lent, and can broadly be categorized as fasting. The practice of fasting is an … Continue reading Lent 3 — Friday after Ash Wednesday
Lent 2 — Thursday after Ash Wednesday
"Crossroads" “We have freedom to do good or evil; yet to make choice of evil, is not to use, but to abuse our freedom.” This brief quote from Saint Francis de Sales underscores an important aspect of our Lenten journey: the examination of the paths we have taken, the choices we have made, and how … Continue reading Lent 2 — Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Lent 1 — Ash Wednesday
Our entry into this period of self-examination and penitence traditionally begins with the visible mark of ashes on our forehead. If you’re lucky, the mark resembles a cross – the sign of our faith. But, whether you receive the perfect ashen Roman cross or something resembling a smeared Rorschach inkblot, the meaning is the same: … Continue reading Lent 1 — Ash Wednesday
Lent 0 — Shrove Tuesday
If you ever want to see one of the miracles of our everyday life, you need look no further than the transformation of a humble caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. The lowly worm spends its early days stuffing itself with food, with no thought to its future purpose. When it is time for transformation, though, … Continue reading Lent 0 — Shrove Tuesday
The wisdom of silence
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair — every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Proverbs 2:6, 9-10 “My brother died today.” I fought the call to nursing home ministry because I knew this moment … Continue reading The wisdom of silence
Our grief is an act of worship
Read in memory of Ruthie Carter, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Enid, Okla., Feb. 22, 2020 "Jesus wept." “I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord. Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though he die.” We hear those words from our opening prayer again in today’s Gospel reading, from St. … Continue reading Our grief is an act of worship
Welcome to Emmaus Path!
Welcome to The Emmaus Path! To all of you who've been following along with my writing over the last several years, Thank you! I've finally taken a step I've been meaning to for some time, and created this separate site, at EmmausPath.com, where all my faith-based writing can be collected without being mixed in with … Continue reading Welcome to Emmaus Path!
The uncomfortable path of truth
Delivered for Noon Prayer, 2.19.2020, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Enid, Okla., in observance of the Feast of Frederick Douglass (20 February). “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” That line, from our very brief Gospel reading today, is one of the most popular quotes from Scripture. But, what … Continue reading The uncomfortable path of truth
Replacing laws of oppression with the law of Love
C. F. Andrews and Gandhi Laws. As humans, we love laws. The ancestors of our faith had 613 commandments in Mosaic Law. That was a lot, and it was, in fact, impossible to comply with them all. We’ve come a long way since then. Today, if you wish to have a copy of the U.S. … Continue reading Replacing laws of oppression with the law of Love
Listening to Creation
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the … Continue reading Listening to Creation
Be the bridge of reconciliation
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 One of the first people I met in nursing home ministry was Bruce, … Continue reading Be the bridge of reconciliation
Good news — You may now be dismissed
This past Sunday was the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord — recalling Joseph and Mary presenting the infant Jesus at the Temple (Luke 2:22-40), to dedicate him, as their firstborn, to God. I love this feast day because it includes one of my favorite passages from Scripture, the Nunc dimittis, or Song of … Continue reading Good news — You may now be dismissed
