A Positively Poetic Priest

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Second Sunday after Christmas Day BCP 214) "The dignity of human nature." God both created and restored the dignity of human nature by coming to live among us as a human being. Dignity is one thing I have kept my eye on this past year, trying to make sure, in the ways that I am able, despite the continuing crises, that dignity for all people was not forgotten in our little corner of the world. Jesus, as a child and later as a man in ministry, recognizes everyone dignity and shows that regard throughout his interactions.  This has been a hard year, and many times has allowed people in power to overlook the dignity of other human beings. Thankfully our hope is not in the peop...

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (The Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day BCP 212) For most of us this year, it has been the little thing getting us through. The days in the sun, laughing at bad jokes and memes, dreaming up shenanigans with friends. Everywhere we look there are frustrations and restrictions threatening to depress and defeat us. Thankfully, our yearly festival of Jesus' birth comes around again. While it will not look like it has in years past, it is still a reason to rejoice.  In all our struggles and humanity, God comes to us. This is no little thing. This is one of the resounding truths of our God. God is with us through every struggle. No matter how hard, how frustrating, how devastating, God is in th...

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. (Fourth Sunday of Advent BCP 212) Daily visitation! God visits us daily!? Unfortunately, while we notice when the stray cat visits us daily, I am not sure all of us notice God's daily visit. Thankfully, like the cat that comes back, God always does come to visit us daily. Our daily visitation from God happens whether or not we notice. God visits us because God loves us. However, when we do notice, that is when our spiritual lives start growing.  For some of us, noticing God on a daily basis in our lives is an old practice. It is a habit and a visitation which gives shape and meaning to our lives. For some of us though, noticing God in our lives is one of those things that lives on our to-do lists that somehow never gets crossed off. Des...

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (Third Sunday of Advent BCP 212) Sorely hindered. Check. In need of help. Check. In need of mercy. Check. This has been a hard year. Instead of settling into a reliable pattern, this year has shifted and moved and confused us all. It is almost as if someone did stir up us all up, and with any stirring, what was on top before has fallen, what was on the bottom before has come to the top, and generally everything is different now. I like this prayer, but praying it means that things will only change more, not less. When Jesus comes to stir the world, life definitely changes!  Thankfully through any stirring, God continues working good for us. Throughout this year, this pandemic, these daily crises...

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Second Sunday of Advent BCP 211) One of the many things that has come to light during this year is the full depth of what it would mean for our country to truly repent of the sin of racism, and how we haven't managed to do so yet. This coming Sunday in the Gospel reading we will hear the call of John the Baptist by the River Jordan asking people to confess and repent. John was not the first and he hasn't been the last prophet sent by God reminding us to repent and return to God. What does it truly mean to repent? The root word for repentance in Hebrew means to turn around. Repentance means a fully life change. When we recognize and confess our sins, we name th...

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Thanksgiving Day BCP 246) I still have kale growing in my lettuce bed. After the last couple weeks of cold temperatures and a few frosts, I'm not sure how its still growing, but I am trying to enjoy the blessing of fresh grown kale from my garden. It reminds me that even though things can be harsh, there may still be blessings waiting for us. Through all the troubles and frustrations, there are still reasons to give thanks for this year. Certainly this year has been rough, hard, frustrating, and troublesome (or however you would like to phrase it, I have to be somewhat dipl...

 11/19/20 What does it mean to be free?  Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 29 BCP 236) What does it mean to be free?  The Collect for this coming Sunday, the last Sunday of our liturgical year, prays that we all may be freed from sin and brought together under Christ. In this year, a year full of struggles around freedom and personal safety for many, the question about what it means to be free is poignant. Many people feel that true freedom is being able to do whatever they want whenever they want, despite other people. However, at no time in human civilization, has that been the definition of freedom. Freedom has always been impacted by social an...

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 28 BCP 236) The Collect for this coming Sunday has always been one of my favorites. Just the imagery of inwardly digesting the Scriptures is wonderful. But what hits me this year, in our crazy ongoing process of a year of concern and care, is the ongoing process of relationship with the Scriptures. We can't just listen to them or read them once, we also have to mark them, learn them, digest them. The only way we will hold on to the hope of everlasting life is by returning over and over again to the Scriptures.  We all need hope right now. With so much uncertainty in our lives, our gratitude and hope in God's promis...

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. It is amazing how quickly we get used to routines of worry. As I write this, we are still waiting on final election tallies. We are living at a time of increased risk of illness as the COVID-19 case total rises sharply. We are questioning what the future will hold and what we should do about the different aspects of our lives. It can be hard to see beyond the answers, and more questions, the next few days will hold. Thankfully, as Christians, our big picture has not changed. We are still looking forward in hope to the day when Jesus "comes again with power and great glo...

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (All Saint's Day BCP 245) It is a good time of year for knitting. The days and nights are cooler, making us all desire warm, comfy, cozy things. Knitting is not only creative, it creates something warm and comfy as well. However, if you think about knitting from the perspective of the yarn, it is a strange twisting and entangling process through which the whole, the end goal, cannot be seen.  The Collect for this coming Sunday starts by acknowledging that God has knit all of us together in community in Christ. As the people being knit together, we are like the yarn,...

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 25 BCP 235) Every prayer we pray is in some ways dangerous. Prayer always changes the world. Prayer changes the pray-er, the pray-ee, and the situation, even if we do not realize it. In that way, every time we pray, we are changing the world. For those fighting for the status quo, all our prayers are dangerous. This coming Sunday we will pray for God to increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity. These are especially dangerous gifts in the power structure of the world, because every act of faith, hope, or charity changes the world and realigns its trajectory towards God's justice. Attached to the newsletter today you will find a PDF of a novena, a set of prayers for nine days, leading up to Elect...

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 24 BCP 235) One good thing that national and global disasters do is draw our attention away from our own little corner of community. Especially in this day and age, we have a tendency to focus only on our own situations and our own personal community. We forget the great wide world of creation and all the things going on other places, including all the other people striving for a good life.  When we start looking beyond our own backyards, we can see the wondrous miracle of diversity throughout the world. People live in so many different ways, work in so many different environments, and prioritize different aspects of life. Usually when w...

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 23 BCP 234) I wrote the other day on Facebook that life the last six months has been like running in the dark. For most of us, going for a run is always a challenge, but attempting to run in the dark, either early in the morning as I do or late at night, has its own particular challenges. The biggest challenge is that it is hard to see where you're going and if the ground is safe and even. Running in the dark can feel very treacherous, and many of us have had such feelings about our lives right now. Moving forward each day is treacherous. We don't know what is coming and we don't know where the ground is.  Thankfully, in the Collect for this coming Sunday, we pray for God's grace to always precede and follow us. Basically, we are asking fo...

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 21 BCP 234) God shows God's almighty and amazing power chiefly in showing MERCY. The greatest way we know about God's power is through MERCY. Mercy, what so many leaders and politicians have cited as weakness, God uses to show great power.  The world would be a very different place if we all followed in God's image and showed our power through showing mercy towards others. Mercy has never been a trademark value in the United States. Throughout the centuries we have shown what little power we have through war, bullying, threatening, and genocide. Politicians and leaders love to claim we are, or perhaps were, a Christian nation, yet, in looking at our histo...

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 20 BCP 234) Everyday things change. This is true all the time, but seems especially true this year. Every day things have changed. New rules, new garments, new ways of meeting, new ways of shopping. Every day we open the news, the newspaper, our social media sites and learn of more changes in our society and lives. We definitely live in a world in which things are passing by, sometimes faster than we can keep up with! Thankfully, as fast as this world passes by, we know in God there are many things which endure forever. God's love for us and God's mercy are never ending. We can hold on to these no matter what else passes by too quickly. When we make God's heav...

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 19 BCP 233) Through social media we see a lot of inspirational quotes about following your heart, trusting your heart, and listening to your own heart. In many ways, these are well and good, we do need to learn to listen to ourselves in order to know ourselves and learn from our emotions. However, in other ways, I find these quotes require a grain of salt because if we don't have God in our hearts, following our hearts may lead us in the wrong direction. Without God in our hearts, we may follow our hearts when they are listening to human values and not Godly values. Without God in our hearts, we may walk down a path we are not suited for. The Collect for this coming Sunday helps us to pray for God to guide and govern our...

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 18 BCP 233) As Admiral Ackbar, from the Star Wars series, says most famously, "It's a trap!" Trusting in our own strength and ability is most definitely a trap. Throughout the Bible there are stories of humans trying to do things on their own strength and failing miserably, while there are also many stories of people doing things in God's way, even when it seems like it won't work, but it does. When we trust in our own strength or abilities only, we become proud and believe we don't need God. And we all know that saying about pride... (an adaptation of a verse from Proverbs) "Pride comes before the fall."  Thankfully, when we trust in God's...

  "Get back Satan, way back. Get back Satan, way back!" I want you to repeat this with me. Put your hand up ("Stop in the name of love" style) "Get back Satan, way back. Get back Satan, way back!" Together we are going to say this a few times during this sermon. "Get back Satan, way back. Get back Satan, way back!" I'm sure we all totally understand Simon Peter in the Gospel passage for today.  He loves Jesus, as his friend, mentor, teacher, and Messiah. He deeply cares about Jesus. He doesn't want anyone hurting or killing Jesus!  We don't want anyone hurting or killing people we love.  We get it.  This is part of the reason dealing with suffering is so hard.  We don't want people to feel pain, intentionally or accidentally, those we love and those we don't know. Yet,  suffering is a mark of being a disciple of Christ.  "Get back Satan, way back. Get back Satan, way back." Jesus, though, knows what will come of his ...

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 17 BCP 233) If you happen to watch our weekly Porch Pondering videos, you'll know that I have started a series on the Fruits of the Spirit. The list of the fruits of the Spirit come from Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22-23. Paul was exhorting the Galatians to stay away from bad behaviors and instead let the fruits of the Spirit grow in them, and he elaborates by specifically listing nine fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  The Collect for this coming Sunday asks God to "bring forth in us the fruit of good works." When we follow the way of Jesus ...

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 16 BCP 232) A Prayer for the Power of the Spirit among the People of God God of all power and love, we give thanks for your unfailing presence and the hope you provide in times of uncertainty and loss. Send your Holy Spirit to enkindle in us your holy fire. Revive us to live as Christ’s body in the world: a people who pray, worship, learn, break bread, share life, heal neighbors, bear good news, seek justice, rest and grow in the Spirit. Wherever and however we gather, unite us in common prayer and send us in common mission, that we and the whole creation might be restored and renewed, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. In May, during the festival celebration of Pentecost, Presiding Bishops Elizabe...

I am a hypocrite. Not all the time, but sometimes it happens. A hypocrite is a person who acts in contradiction to their stated beliefs or feelings. Sometimes I am accidentally a hypocrite. I do things in situations I never thought I would encounter that are different than I thought I would do.  Sometimes I am simply a hypocrite because I do things even though I wish I could do something else. I believe in banning Styrofoam from the face of the earth, yet sometimes I end up buying things that have Styrofoam in it.  Or sometimes I learn new things and thus change my actions from previously stated feelings. Its not always a terrible thing to be a hypocrite. There are times being a hypocrite really means that you have learned and grown and now are doing things differently than you have stated before. In the Gospel passage from Matthew today, Jesus is a hypocrite. For all his telling off of the Pharisees for being a hypocrite,  it is such a human condition, that Jesus finds h...

 8/13/20 Wondrous Fruit Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 15 BCP 232) What are 'the fruits of [Jesus'] redeeming work?' In the Collect for this coming Sunday, we pray for the 'grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work.' So what are the fruits, and how can we receive them thankfully?  Immediately, the first fruit of Jesus' redeeming work which comes to mind is salvation. Through Jesus' acts of death and resurrection, we are saved from sin and death. This indeed is a hearty fruit! And, one which we are able to eat of continually. Another fruit which comes to mind is the fulfillment of God's promises....

"Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't   believe impossible things ."  "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've   believed   as many as   six impossible things   before breakfast." as written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll in his popular book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Six impossible things, before breakfast no less! Honestly though,  the idea of Jesus walking on water  doesn't seem all that impossible. Seems like God-Incarnate would naturally be able to do something like defy the laws of physics and walk on water. What is almost impossible to believe, what seems most amazing in this story, is that Peter walks on water. Peter, a clumsy human being, defying the laws of gravity. Sadly of course, because it is Peter, and he doesn't seem to do anything right for ...

From Johnny Appleseed, "Oh, and every seed I sow, Will grow into a tree. And someday there'll be apples there, For everyone in the world to share. Oh, the Lord is good to me, Oh, the Lord is good to me, And so I thank the Lord, For giving me the things I need; The sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord is good to me." Franklin lies on the wandering path of the American legend Johnny Appleseed, otherwise known as John Chapman, born in Massachusetts in the late 1700's. He kept journals as he walked across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Illinois. He planted apple cider orchards (not the juicy apples we normally eat). But the apple cider was helpful for the settlers who followed him later in order to have something to drink instead of unsanitary water. Even during his lifetime, legends began to spring up about this interesting and pioneering man. In every regard, Johnny Appleseed was a carefree and generous sower. He planted in places where there w...

"Nurses protest unsafe working conditions" "Teachers worried about feeling unsafe in returning to schools." "Businesses cited for unsafe regulations" Feelings of being not safe these days are prevalent. Across the country, m any people feel unsafe on a daily basis,  especially in the crisis of the moment.  For those of us who are used to feeling safe,  it can be a strange experience to feel unsafe,  and it changes how we feel about what is going on in the world.  Yet, even in our own country, millions of people feel unsafe on a daily basis.  Either because of their race or their gender or their sexual orientation or their disabilities or because of the threats of the people around them, they feel unsafe on a normal basis. Feeling unsafe is in many ways a eye-opening experience.  From what I know about our congregation,  most of us have not had to live most of our lives this way.  We have places and normal times of feeling safe.  One of t...

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 14 BCP 232) It is hard to truly always be right. We like to think we are always right, about everything, naturally. However, we all do come to terms with being wrong occasionally. The Collect for this coming Sunday prays for God to help us always think and do what is right, so that we can live according to God's will. While we may think we are always right on human terms, this is a whole different story.  Thinking and doing and living according to God's right will is very different than simply doing what seems right in human terms. God's way of doing things doesn't always seem right in human terms, so living according to God's will doesn't always look consiste...