A Positively Poetic Priest

This past Sunday, the Epistle reading in the Revised Common Lectionary was from the book of Ephesians, Ephesians 6:10-20. Since this passage is paired with the Bread of Life discourse from the gospel of John, the number of times one preaches on it is few and far between. This passage is rather well known for a passage from Ephesians, because it talks about putting on the armor of God. The author of the passage outlines some items of clothing which followers of Jesus should put on in order to fight against the spiritual forces of evil in this world. Belt of Truth Breastplate of Righteousness Shoes of Peace Shield of Faith Helmet of Salvation Sword of the Spirit It sounds lovely. But there are a few things I noticed about this passage this past week. While there are some very good reasons for the pieces of clothing mentioned, I realized that if I drew a diagram of the armor of God, it leaves some portions of my body rather uncovered. It also leaves out a few aspects of the fait...

I can't wait for the summer fruit to arrive. Rich juicy strawberries perfectly crunchy grapes with cool refreshing insides peaches with tangy sweet juice running down my fingers tomatoes redder than the new fire hydrants blueberries to stain my fingers ripe wild raspberries Today Jesus gives us a parable with very summery imagery. We aren't quite there yet, and with the snow flakes of this morning, we have to continue waiting, patiently and impatiently. This morning's imagery gives us a view into how Jesus sees our relationship to God. God is the vine-grower,  Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. We are called to bear fruit, through the help of Jesus and God. Jesus intends us to see ourselves as part of this metaphor, to see ourselves as part of the process of the kingdom of God. We are the branches, reaching out into the world, bearing good fruit for God and spreading the bountiful gifts that God gives through the fruits th...

Sara Miles spent many years working as a cook in a restaurant. The cook that she worked for had some great sayings she writes in the book. ""You," he'd boom, pointing with the eight-inch chef's knife, "are a waiter." A moment of silence for emphasis, and he'd lunge forward: "That means, goddamnit, you wait!"(page 19) What the chef says is a play on words for sure, but waiting is a lost art in American culture. However, patience is one of the Fruits of the Spirit from Paul's letters.  How does waiting make you feel?  What is the value in learning how to wait?