Grant us always to seek the truth, come whence it may, cost what it will. You probably know that Christmas is the shortest liturgical season of the year. You may know this because you pay attention or from the Twelve Days of Christmas song, or Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night play; but so, it is. Now because it is very short, we don’t often get a Christmas 2 Sunday with its readings, but we have one this year. Some of you may also know we had a choice of three different Gospel passages. I figured we probably haven’t heard this story very often. I also know that Episcopalians are unlikely to read their bibles. We tend to trust that we have read the most important parts. As we look at this somewhat obscure Gospel, a bit of explanation feels necessary. Because we read the nativity story of Luke each year and it…

Today is the third day of the 12 days of Christmas. Liturgically, it is the first Sunday of Christmas. I want to first say that the Gospel of John is amazing. Sometimes that is all there is to say. This portion of Scripture we just heard is called the prologue of John’s Gospel. Each Gospel has a different flare, a different flavor, as each writer presents, as it were, a different refraction of the divine light, a different dimension of the meaning of Jesus Christ. Luke’s gives us the nativity and is all about being on the journey. Mark’s Gospel begins with John the Baptist and making the path straight. Matthew’s Gospel is centered on the genealogy of Jesus (curiously through Joseph, to trace a line from David), and positions Jesus as both the New Moses, and the light to all the nations, because we also have the story of…

Merry Christmas! It feels good to say it. So, let’s say it again. Merry Christmas! On this day, in this year, at this time, I am glad to be able to call myself a Christian; it gives me joy. I’m not the best at being a Christian, maybe it’s all just aspirational. (Thank God that that is not the test for ordination.) Still, I get to call myself a Christian, and not only is that helpful to me, but it makes me really glad and hopeful. My hope and prayer is that it also brings you joy, a true gift. There will be some who do not see the joy and merriness in this night and day in this year 2020–as if because we cannot worship or gather together that somehow this is not Christmas. There is an implicit scoff, “what about it is merry?” When you can’t be with…

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. You may have read my frequent statement in our News of the Week —a thing that has been going around church social media– “The building is closed; the church is open.” This is where we are, where we find ourselves. We may be upset that our church building is closed, but a church building more than most other places is a giant petri dish that will spread this virus. To gather in our normal way is be inside a building with a whole bunch of people, generally close to each other (hugging during the peace), sharing air, in particular sharing air while singing, with…

The phrase “all politics is local” is commonly used about politics of the United States. … The former Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O’Neill is most closely associated with this phrase; perhaps he coined it. I find it full of truth. There is also a statement made by Karl Barth, a Swiss theologian from the early to mid-20th century, who wrote “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” Of course, the unsaid part of that reasoning is to not interpret your Bible through the lens of your newspaper. I have been mulling these sayings or expressions around in my head… I’m sure in light of the election. Along with these expressions is the very simple thing that I had heard many times before and heard again fresh on Wednesday morning from Bishop Greg, which is that regardless of the…

All Saints is a principal feast. This means it is one of the high holy days of the Christian year. And unlike days like Christmas and Easter, most people don’t really know what we are doing today on All Saints’ Day, other than, and very frankly said, celebrating those people who have died before us. What might be helpful is a brief march through history, and an explanation of where Anglicans find themselves…. In the earliest of Christian days, it was Christian martyrs who were viewed as Saints. This is why we hold Saint Stephen to be so very important to the faith, as the first Christian martyr. You see illusions to this in the reading we had today from the Revelation to St. John. Referring to saints only as the martyrs continued for the first couple of hundred years of Christianity. By the 3rd century, people began to include…