Church
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Climbing Higher
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5 min read
a homily for Proper 26C Text: Luke 19:1-10 It so often feels that gospels about money are tricky during Stewardship Season like this. We already hate to talk about money. Bringing up economics in a homily is a tricky enough proposition during the rest of the year. It sometimes feels as if the preacher is…
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The New Coke Effect
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2 min read
One of the world’s most famous failures was “New Coke”. It is often trotted out as a reason people don’t like change: a colossal mistake in which the Coca-Cola Company dared to change their signature drink. As the story goes, the change was a failure and the world went back to normal. Except that isn’t…
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Under the Big Tent
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1 min read
[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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To Choose
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6 min read
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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Law and Liberation
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6 min read
a homily for Proper 16C Text: Luke 13:10-17 The third time’s a charm Let me start with a conceit. As is so often the case, what Jesus says and does is not heard the same way by everyone. Jesus is breaking the law. For those who benefit from the lawbreaking, particularly the woman in…
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Expectations: of Leaders in Church
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2 min read
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…