A Positively Poetic Priest

"Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen." (First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord, BCP 214) As we move into the season after Epiphany, the seasonal emphasis of Jesus as a baby in Christmas changes to seeing Jesus start his ministry as a young man. We will hear the stories of Jesus starting his ministry, in starting to show the world who he really is. This coming Sunday we will hear the story of Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan River. In some ways this story is quite appropriate for the beginning of a New Year. Jesus starts out his new ministry, and we start a new year again. Both are the beginnings of journeys which will take us furthe...

movement in circles you've got your hands full movement in circles empty hands waiting for food movement in circles leaving me wanting you movement in circles leaving you wanting me movement in circles the political left movement in circles becomes the political right movement in circles go fully around to find the beginning movement in circles go fully around to find the end 5/7/17

Palm Sunday After another week with another school shooting, I sit here listening to the Passion story with a heavy heart. Why must we feel the need to act out on our fear and anger by killing other people? Hasn't the human race grown out of this behavior yet? Alas, we have not. The senseless violence of the Passion story is all too evident. Even Pilate asks, Why crucify him? What evil has he done? Jesus indeed had not committed any evil. He stood for peace, for relationship with God for caring about the poor and oppressed he stood for love and grace and mercy. And we gave him no mercy. In our human fear and anger we sentenced to death a man who wanted to teach us a new way of living, which scary and vulnerable as it is, is also one of peace, justice, and eternal life. Palm Sunday is a day of tension in the Christian life and story. Traditionally, we start this day with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the...

2016 has been quite the year. It has been up – with the Summer Olympics, huge breakthroughs in medicine which has allowed more people with ALS, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease to live healthier and longer lives, with more equal rights for people all over the world being recognized. It has been down – with the many police and terrorist shootings, with the deaths of some major celebrity figures, with confusing political movements happening all over the world. The social and global media agencies are using their powers to create intensity and stress about certain problems and to cover up other problems. With all of this going on in the world, some people may be wondering how Christmas is even relevant anymore. Yet, exactly because of our crazy world, Christmas is more important than ever. Christmas is important because it is about a beginning. Not an end or a middle, but about a new beginning. Christmas is important because it is about vulnerability. Not hiding or shaming, but ab...