This is the Advent week of peace, but I have to admit that I have not felt at peace. Advent is supposed to be a month of preparation for the Light coming into the world. We are to hope and find peace and joy and love one another. Most of us are consumed with the logistics of holiday travel and …
Judgment Turns to Hope
Advent is a time of waiting and preparation. It’s easy to jump forward to the birth of the little baby Jesus and the star and the wise ones bearing gifts. We’ll soon be decorating our homes with twinkly, sparkly things and hear the golden voice of Johnny Mathis floating through the halls. But during Advent, we wait and we work. …
Sheep and Goats
Our series on the Rapture culminates this Sunday in what is traditionally known as “Christ the King” Sunday. This is not language we typically use at Church in the Cliff. It is hierarchical and patriarchal and we prefer more expansive and inclusive images of God. However, this highlights some of the things we’ve been talking about with Rapture theology. As …
Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave…
I did not have a Scofield Reference Bible growing up. Apparently, my church was very neglectful in getting me my copy when I was baptized. Over the years, as I’ve read analysis of dispensationalism, I’ve heard about the Scofield and its use, but never had one to which I might refer. I remedied that this past week with the purchase …
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
Y’all know I love a good apocalypse, right? Whether it’s John Cusack fleeing the Mayan apocalypse with his estranged family or Jake Gyllenhaal fleeing a global-warming-caused Ice Age or Elijah Wood fleeing meteor-induced tidal waves, I’m in. (Not Bruce Willis flying into space to stop a meteor. That movie just sucked. Totally.) Perhaps a part of my adoration of the …
Hallowtide
Last night was good. As has become our annual tradition, we made a lot of food and bought a lot of candy. Good friends come over to help us eat and drink and pass out candy to thousands of kids that swarm our neighborhood. As always, it was delightful seeing all the tiny adorable kids in their tiny adorable costumes. …
St. Molly Ivins
I confess, though I do not repent, that my study of, interest in, and presentation of saints is somewhat academic. Book knowledge holds great power for me. I’m affected by it. There is also the fact that I could not have known Joe Strummer or Dorothy Day, much less Teresa, Francis, Sergius, or Bacchus. So I gather and present information …
St. Teresa of Avila
Perhaps Teresa of Avila was destined to be a saint. Her grandfather, Juanito de Hernandez, was a converso, a Jew who had converted to Christianity. Conversos were always held in suspicion by a Spanish Catholic Church concerned with proper doctrine and busily developing notions of race to export to the New World. It was thought that Jewish blood made it …
SS. Sergius and Bacchus/AWAB Sunday
It has been wonderful the last few weeks watching court decisions roll in, toppling the state dominoes of bigotry. Marriage equality is now the law of the land in 30 states, which accounts for 60% of the population of the U.S. It’s a beautiful time for all who care about justice. Even more for those who long for equality and …
St. Joe Strummer
This week, we honor St. Joe Strummer, the guitarist and lyricist for seminal punk bands, the 101ers and the Clash. His later career with the Mescaleros was equally rich. Perhaps this is a selfish choice. Paul and I are just huge fans. We never miss an opportunity to include one of Joe’s songs in our services. It is not difficult …