Dear Friends in Christ, Two national holidays coincide this year. Monday, January 20, marks both Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday and Inauguration Day. This co-incidence forces our attention to our civic engagement. We have to look at this day not only as Americans, but also as Christians. What does it mean to stand…
Dear Friends in Christ, I want to convince you that stewardship season is now. Conventional wisdom in the church world says that fall is the time for stewardship. Every church that I know sets up a pledge campaign in October so that the vestry can make informed decisions in preparing a budget for…
Dear Friends in Christ, How big is your gospel? Growing up at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church over in Springfield, I thought I knew what the gospel looked like. As you might expect, my gospel was populated by a lot of people who looked a lot like me. After college, I moved on…
Dear Friends in Christ, Here in the week after Christmas, many of us are finally ready to contemplate the prospect of a new year. All of those events that were “after the holidays” are suddenly at hand. As January begins, we collectively pick up the abandoned threads of our lives, often with a start…
Dear Friends in Christ, We all want to “make haste to Bethlehem,” to hurry to the manger. Hurry, it seems bring the operative word. I see that my schedule for the coming weekend includes three parties in two days, as well as baking several dozen cookies, grocery shopping for the holiday, and bringing…
Dear Friends in Christ, It is often said that Christmas is a season for children. I believe this statement is true—but not necessarily in the way we think. December is, indeed, a time of great excitement for children. Parents take them on special outings. Their homes and classrooms look different than usual. They may get brought to…
Dear Friends in Christ– This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, which marks the end of the liturgical year. We celebrate it in white and gold and alleluias. Christ the King is a relatively recent addition to the church year. It was instituted in 1925 in the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Pius…
Dear Friends in Christ— It is often said that we give in response to gratitude. I believe this maxim is true. But I also want to suggest that the reverse is equally true: we become grateful by giving. Generosity does not just spring from gratitude. It also cultivates gratitude. It is our actions…
Dear Friends in Christ, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD.” (Micah 7:7) This week, I am thinking a good deal about how we invest in our future. I am thinking about it in the context of our Diocesan Convention, which is gathering as you read this message. I…
This weekend, we’ll celebrate Halloween at Grace with Trunk or Treat on Sunday from 3:00 to 5:00 pm, and I’m already in the Halloween spirit. I’ve been thinking about twilight – not the book, but that magical time between sunset and dusk, where light and dark meet. In the Middle Ages, twilight held deep significance…