There’s been a lot of talk lately about how we, as a society, make, enforce and follow laws. That is a worthwhile and necessary conversation. But, before we can form good answers in the realm of secular law, we, as Christians, must come to grips with how we follow the law that supersedes all laws … Continue reading Love … and live according to the Law
Faith
Sometimes we must withdraw to advance
How do we advance when everything tells us to withdraw? For an answer, I turn to an unlikely source for a faith-based reflection — the rough and salty U.S. Marine Corps General Oliver Smith. Gen. Smith was one of the commanding generals of Allied forces during the Korean War. Very early in the war Smith’s … Continue reading Sometimes we must withdraw to advance
Faith in the furnace
How do we live when we are surrounded by the fires of life? I don’t mean “How do we survive?” Each of us will die. How and when is in God’s loving hands. What I mean is, “How do we live?” How do we face the fires and storms of this life? And how do … Continue reading Faith in the furnace
Finding divinity in the drudgery of isolation
With all the church closings, the quarantines and perhaps a little more time stuck in the house than we’d like, it can be easy to lose touch with our spiritual center. I admit, I suffered no shortage of dismay when the church doors closed. But, this is a good time to reflect on how we … Continue reading Finding divinity in the drudgery of isolation
Humility and the power of the servant girl
When you think of finding ultimate wisdom, the meaning of life, the path to inner peace — pick your euphemism — there is a beyond-cliche image that comes to mind, and that gets played out over and over in movies, spoofs and marketing: the seeker makes an arduous climb, at risk of life and limb, … Continue reading Humility and the power of the servant girl
Lent 12 — Second Sunday in Lent
Stepping forward, with eyes of faith “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Those words from Corrie ten Boom speak to one of our chief sources of fear in this life, fear that clouds our vision of God: fear of an unknown future. Our future, at least to us, is … Continue reading Lent 12 — Second Sunday in Lent
Lent 5 — First Sunday in Lent
Into the desert... As we continue our internal journey in Lent -- our journey of penitence, of turning toward God -- it is essential we wrestle with the question of sin, of the devil's persistence in pursuing us and how we're taught to overcome temptation. I write this as a sinner, constantly tempted and often … Continue reading Lent 5 — First Sunday in Lent
Lent 4 — Saturday after Ash Wednesday
"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
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 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
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
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
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
