Presentation A: Luke 2:22-40Let’s see if we can summarize the story of Jesus’ presentation at the temple in Jerusalem.(Note: It’s not like a PowerPoint presentation…his parents are bringing him to the temple to fulfill the custom ...
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Today is Benjamin’s (my youngest child’s) eighth birthday. I think that makes it official: I am no longer a mom of “little” kids—a fact that makes me simultaneously cheer with relief (everyone can bathe themselves!) and ache with long ...
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Epiphany 3A: Psalm 27:1, 4-9 Had I not gone into ordained, priestly ministry, I might have made an incredible, professional worrier. I’m not even kidding—I worry almost as often as I breathe. Okay, I may be overstating this point, but ...
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My friend Kate was featured on NPR's "Race Card" project last week, talking about her family's history as slaveowners. Her grandmother upheld the "idea of the benevolent slave owner," telling Kate proudly that their family's slaves had been "trusted house ...
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Epiphany 2A: Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 40:1-11, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42 The supposed site of Jesus’ Baptism by John in the Jordan River is a pathetic and muddy stream, as I mentioned last week. The source of the river in Banias i ...
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Among many Christian scholars, authors, and leaders these days, there is much talk of taking a "narrative" approach to ideas. What does it mean to talk about "narrative theology" or "narrative ethics"? I can't tell you what it means for ...
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Baptism of Our Lord A: Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 29, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17When we do baptisms at St. James’s, the candidate is usually less than one year old. The altar and clergy are decked out in white. Next to t ...
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Two friends have been particularly on my mind, and in my prayers, in recent days. One is living on another continent, far from family and friends here on the East Coast, coping with illness, and longing for job opportunities that ...
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Christmas 2A: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23After the wise men are warned in a dream not to return to Herod, an angel warns Joe in a dream that Herod is searching for Jesus and that they should giddy-up (I’m picturing a ...
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Many of my favorite Gospel verses come from the stories of Jesus’s birth and early years, including the words that Mary utters after the angel Gabriel informs her that she will give birth to a son conceived by the H ...
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