At the Rhiannon Giddens concert God, I’m grateful for the womanwith songs from her Black heritage,Indigenous, Gaelic, Southern heritage,and her insistence on caringfor the safety of listeners. I am grateful for restaurantswhere I sit outdoors,libraries and local storesstill with curbside pickup,ventilated, “time-visit” museums,strained, stressed, creative schools,(and the saints who work in them), church staff and… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: What, no palm branches? (Luke 19:28-44)
In times gone by, my usual practice would have been to allow the liturgy and hymns, the marching with palm leaves and the singing of “Hosanna”, to speak most loudly on Palm Sunday. However, in their absence (due to Covid restrictions this year), there is both a need and an opportunity to take a closer… Read More
Saturday Prayer, November 28, 2020
(Thanks so much to Scott Marrese-Wheeler for his photograph from Hidden Farm Road outside of McFarland, Wisconsin. He quotes Neena Verma, “Twilight, the only time of the day when the light and dark meet and become one.”) God, it is the twilightof the liturgical seasonsand today my Pentecost is a heap of ashes waiting for a… Read More
Saturday Prayer, July 25, 2020
God, the hummingbird is waiting while the butterfly drinks, and I don’t think that the hummingbird is kind, or patient or irritated, or any of the many of my feelings when I wait. This morning I pray for everyone who waits — one for a COVID-19 test result, one to re-schedule a cancelled flight, while… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: Naaman gets treatment for coronavirus
While the intervention of kings made a political football out of the army commander’s illness, the faithful Elisha kept his mind on his ministry, which was to demonstrate to the world that God’s power is present, God’s mercy is manifest, and that keeping to one’s house, advocating for frequent (hand) washing, donning the mask of humility, and protecting the integrity of one’s position as a prophet and a pastor are potent means to unleashing the change of circumstances for which we all thirst, and hunger, and pray. Read More
Tuesday Prayer
My heart is weighing me down today, God. Is it from my extreme anxiety over this virus and opening up buildings and programs again? Is it from the need to face our own mortality and not knowing how this disease will affect my body if I catch it? Is it from the 90,000 deaths in… Read More
The Pastoral Is Political: Will We or Won’t We?
The pressure is on. The State of North Carolina implemented Phase 1 of its reopen plan on May 8, 2020. Some businesses can reopen with caveats: social distancing must be in place, extra cleaning must happen. State parks can reopen, but with limits on the number of people who can gather. Churches were to be… Read More
Saturday Prayer
God, there are many brighter, clearer, more beautiful pictures of cardinals on the Internet, but I meditate on this one to remind myself that I could only see it because I looked out of my window at my neighbor’s house. I only ease the headache, tight band of pain across the chest, dropped details, snap-at-a-child… Read More
Pastoral is Political: Near the Cross Was Mary Weeping
I’ve found myself drawn to images of the Marys at the foot of the cross. Death, particularly the death of someone you love, is hard to watch. I suppose it is a natural human instinct to look away or to hide from the grief and horror before you. It takes a spiritual hardiness to remain… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
God of our path- We don’t know what’s coming. We don’t know how this disease will spread or how it will impact our bodies- if we catch it. God of our road- The journey is long. Have we hit the wall on our run? Have we overestimated our energies? May we see this is a… Read More
