This weekend, houses of worship around the country will participate in the annual “Preach-In” on climate change hosted by Interfaith Power and Light. IPL started as a “religious response to global warming” fifteen years ago when a coalition of Episcopal congregations in California joined together to purchase renewable energy. Since then, they’ve broadened their focus and partnered with a wide …
The Bosom of Abraham
This is one of those weeks where I’m not quite sure what to do. For the past couple of weeks we’ve been talking about the “Great Reversal” in Luke. This week we’re looking at another paradigmatic example of that, the story of Lazarus. Note this is not the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead found in John 11, …
The Poor Will Be Rich… (Program and Recap)
Program Very good discussion this Sunday, but, as always, there were things I was hoping to get to that we could not. We were looking at Luke’s Sermon on the Plain. He makes sharp divisions between good and evil and is very clear that the best result, the ultimate end, is the reversal of fortune for those at the top …
Blessed Are the Poor. Woe to the Rich. Uh-oh.
There is a Monty Python sketch about a Robin Hood-type character named Dennis Moore. He steals from the rich and gives to the poor until the rich have become poor and the poor rich. This is the paradox of reversal: when the first become last and the last first, we end up with the same class hierarchy. Nothing has really …
The Great Reversal (Program and Recap)
Program Good conversation last Sunday. Bonus points to Sarah for saying that transformation starts with hope. I’m always blessed by the wisdom of the gathering. I did want to comment on one part of the conversation. In talking about a larger, cosmic battleground in Luke, we stumbled upon questions of interreligious dialogue. It’s a question that bedevils those who are …
The Great Reversal
Long before I came to Church in the Cliff or went to seminary and was exposed to the liturgical calendar, I received a covert education on it. Living in New Orleans, one is immersed in the flow of that calendar. The already low productivity in the Big Lazy drops even more after Thanksgiving. Holiday parties and ski vacations for those …
The Baptism of Jesus (Program)
A little behind, as always, but here is the program from last Sunday. For our response, we did a remembrance of baptism with the blessing: “May the Holy Spirit work within you.”
The Baptism of Jesus
In the Epiphany, we considered the identity of Jesus. However, we only really considered it through the eyes of others. Every child is born with expectations, but perhaps none more than Jesus. I mean, my dad wanted me to be good at golf, but he didn’t have angels singing to him about it. The reality is that none of us …
Epiphany
Again, catching up, so this was the e-mail that went out last week for Ephiphany: Merry Christmas! Did you think that was over? Not quite. As the lyrical evidence clearly shows, there are twelve of them. They culminate on January 6, this Sunday, in the Epiphany. Technically, the Epiphany is the account the visitation of the Magi provided by Matthew. …
Advent Programs
Got a little behind in the end-of-school/Christmas rush. Ready to get back to my normal level of disorganization. Advent Week 1 Advent Week 2 Advent Week 3 Advent Week 4 Christmas Eve