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Under the Big Tent
[Photo/The Daily Progress/Andrew Shurtleff] The question for Anglicans should not be “How big is your tent?” It should be “How does the way we gather under it announce the Kingdom of God is at hand?” What is Anglicanism? | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
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Not This Parable!
In this parable about a manager and his master (Luke 16:1-13), we have one of the most resented parables in gospels. The reason for this is clear. It is a shockingly obnoxious story about deception that seems to say things about GOD we don’t like. Or worse, it leads good people to make ridiculous…
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The Challenge of the Coin
There is nothing worse than recommending someone not come to your church. It pains me to say it, then and now. A young seeker, looking to reconnect with church wanted to talk. We knew each other from previous work, so it was a different kind of awkward. It wasn’t the usual talking-to-strangers kind. She was…
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You’re so not vain enough – you don’t think this story is about you
The “lost” parables reveal a strange truth about Jesus and a blind spot for many Christians. For as much as we want Jesus to treat everyone the same, He doesn’t. And in the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus contrasts the sinners with the righteous. He argues that the sinner who is redeemed brings GOD…
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Let’s get this party started
a homily for Proper 19C Text: Luke 15:1-10 In or Out? There are a million different ways to enter into this gospel. It is a familiar enough one that some of our long-tenured members are likely to have heard them all. The favorite approach is this one: these are two of the three “lost” parables:…
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To Choose
a homily for Proper 18C Text: Luke 14:25-33 Listen and read along! The Choice This might shock you, but when pastors get together, we talk about you. Not you in the particular. We talk about congregations and what we hear each Sunday as we shake hands. This is often the only time we get feedback…
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Expectations: of Leaders in Church
I marvel at how low the expectations are for leaders in The Episcopal Church in their commitment to a life of faith. I also marvel at how many hoops we ask of those moved by their faith. To stand for vestry (our congregational boards), you have to show up for church a few times a…
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A Dream for Church
I’ve spent much of my life searching for more from church. More from the institution. More from myself. I want church to be important and to mean something and it doesn’t always feel like it does. When I first heard of Church of the Apostles years ago, I was certain from that moment that if…