giving

  • Rejecting the Widow’s Mite

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    As a priest I tend to hate the late fall. Mostly because it is our so-called stewardship season: the time in which we once again beg people to give money to the church. We try to pretend that it is about giving in the most generous sense, that we are concerned with Time, Talent, and…

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  • The Servant God

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    A mother-in-law’s gratitude at odds with the public spectacle. Jesus leaves town, perhaps because of his notoriety, but perhaps also because the people are more interested in him, in the wonders that he has done, in the power that he possesses. And not in what GOD is calling him to actually do. Not in what…

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  • Being Where GOD Will Be

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    That is our certainty. It is found being where GOD is. Where GOD says GOD will be. It isn’t found in our stated beliefs or creeds or political affiliation or what our Sunday School teachers taught us about GOD: it is about how we treat the powerless and the defenseless.

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  • The Christmas Dilemma

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    We have two Christmases. We have the one about Santa, gifts, Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole, snow, generosity, Christmas Spirit, laughter, letting other people cut in line, inviting friends over. The one in which we watch A Christmas Story for 24 hours straight and open presents in Christmas pajamas. The one in which we are…

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  • Building for Mission

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    a homily for Proper 28C Text: Luke 21:5-19 Encountering Jesus’s Mission Jesus ends the teaching at the Temple and begins to leave with his closest followers by saying some pretty tough words. Listen: In the hearing of all the people he said to the disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in…

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  • Why I’m Giving Up on Time/Talent/Treasure

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    Stewardship in the Episcopal Church is really pretty messed up. One of our favorite things we say about Stewardship is that it isn’t only about money. It is about giving in many ways, especially giving of our time, our talent, and our treasure. It’s a catchy phrase. There’s alliteration, which is always fun. And the…

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