I was supposed to preach Sunday. I was getting over a cold. Love of neighbor meant I needed to tell the pastor who invited me in case he wanted to cancel. He still wanted me to come. Still, I told the congregation I wouldn’t be shaking hands. They didn’t want to catch what I’d had […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year A, Advent 4, Matthew 1:18-25
On the Fourth Sunday of Advent we finally seem to find what we thought the season was for: We are anticipating the birth of Jesus. This is the week of his first “advent,” or “arrival,” among us. The lectionary Gospel readings brought us here through a hurky-jerky journey. It is “Year A,” when the texts […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year C, 5th Sunday of Easter, John 13:31-35
On the 5th Sunday of Easter, the Revised Common Lectionary stays in John, taking a leap forward (and, if you think about it, backward too) into Holy Week. The text is John 13:31-35. On Maundy Thursday, if you remember, we heard this and an earlier portion from the same chapter (John 13:1-17, 31b-35). (And if […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: Gregory of Nazianzus and the Nature of Ministry
Dear ______: I don’t usually write to two days in a row. Basically I never write you except on Thursdays. But I decided to make an exception today. In the East today is the commemoration of one of my favorite saints, Gregory of Nazianzus. I thought it would be a good idea to recommend him […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year C, Advent 4, Luke 1:39-55
On the fourth Sunday of Advent the lectionary Gospel finally brings us to what we thought the whole of Advent should be about: the anticipation of the birth of Jesus. No more of John the Baptist and his wild preaching about turning the world upside down, leveling the mountains and filling up the valleys with […]
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