Last week I talked about the glory of God in the context of the Ascension of Jesus. If you were here you might remember this, but for the sake of those who were not, I explained that the Hebrew word kabod carries in its meaning both a shining shimmering brightness and a weightiness. Kabod, glory,…
Imagine I came to you and told you the following story. I was out in a remote place, and I saw a windstorm coming from the north, an immense cloud full of lightening, surrounded by light. The center of the cloud glows with four living creatures, that look a little like human beings, but each…
Twenty-five years or so ago, I was living in Topsham and working in Westbrook. My daily commute took me past the paper mill with its tall chimneys. During that same time I needed to replace my glasses, and because my prescription was woefully out-of-date, I needed a new one. I had the exam and bought…
A few weeks ago, I followed with some interest a thread of a conversation about the baby Jesus. It was not a discussion about the theology of the Incarnation, no. It was a whole series of stories about how the baby Jesus from people’s nativity scenes went missing, and what they used to replace him….
I read this week that the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh where the synagogue shooting occurred is the same community in which Fred Rogers lived and worshiped. So it is, literally, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. I don’t know if he rubbed off on them while he was alive, but the stories I’ve heard about how people…
I was first diagnosed with asthma in the second or third grade, as I recall. That feeling of not being able to get air into my lungs is still disturbing even today on those rare occasions when I have a full-blown episode, but as a child it was terrifying, and the fear only made the…
You are not going to believe what I heard on the radio as I was driving here this morning. Archaeologists have found Jesus’ bones in a recently unearthed tomb in Jerusalem!!!! April Fools! At clergy retreat in February, one of my colleagues asked the bishop what recommendations he had for preaching this year,…
I imagine many of you heard the music of Georg Friedrich Handel as you heard that first reading tonight. All those amazing names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. It’s at the heart of what we are here celebrating tonight—that God came to be one of us, to live among us, to…
Today, the last Sunday of the church year, is traditionally called “Christ the King” Sunday. It’s the day when we remind ourselves that part of what we believe as Christians is that there will be a day when we experience the kingdom of God, the reign of God, fully realized. There will be no more…
This week, when someone said to me, “I love All Saints Day!” I had the presence of mind to not simply say, “Yes, me too!” but to ask, “Why? Why do you love All Saints Day?” I expected her to say that it was a day to remember the people she loves who have joined…
