A Positively Poetic Priest

How far can you journey at the moment? With everything on lock-down, we may be talking your biggest journey today is the one from the bed to the couch. Or perhaps you have gotten out for a drive or a walk in the fresh air.  I've been trying to get outside for a run, walk, or bike ride everyday, which is easier some days than others.  Lent can be a hard time and sometimes we forget we are on a journey especially since  most of us aren't journeying anywhere right now. We are staying at home. But even at home, we are on a journey. In my house, I sometimes forget where things are because it so big, and when I walk into the rooms I don't use very often,  its a whole journey of rediscovery! I find things I forgot I had. But even at home, we are on a journey. The season of Lent is always a journey. A journey through repentance, confession, reconciliation, renewal. A journey with God of self-discovery through our Lenten ...

Teacher, "In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be?" Why do they need to know whose wife this poor woman will be? Hasn't she gone through enough hassle already? Seven husbands??? Give the poor woman a break! Jesus was such a storyteller its not often we hear him going through the paces with  legal logistical argumentative proofs. However, if you remember your ancient Greek rhetoric at all (which I totally understand if you don't...) you'll notice what the Sadducees are doing  and how Jesus responds in kind. The Sadducees who speak to Jesus are using a case study to prove that there is no resurrection. The Sadducees were a group who didn't believe in resurrection, they didn't believe in an afterlife. Yet, they know Jesus does believe in resurrection, he keeps teaching and preaching about the kingdom of God. So they decide to take him on in some old style debating.  They offer a proof that ...

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen (Third Sunday of Easter BCP 224) During the season of Easter we are told many stories of Jesus appearing to his followers after his death and Resurrection. We hear of Jesus appearing in the upper room to the disciples. We hear of him appearing on the road to Emmaus, and this Sunday, the gospel passage will tell us the story of Jesus appearing on the beach of the Sea of Galilee for breakfast. In all of these stories, Jesus appears seemingly out of nowhere. A shock to all who experience him in that moment. Many times in my own life, Jesus seemingly appears out of nowhere. Not in flesh and blood, but in presence or understanding. While I feel like I should be used to it by this point, I am still surprised and sometimes shocked...

Resurrection (4/16/17 Easter Sunday) deep inside newness deeply right familiar sense the truth all along snake skin shed for want of rarity what is living fully bodied is eternity's reality

I first met Robin Murray in April of last year. I was here for my interview visit and she and I and Kaycee and Kathy Rogers went to breakfast at Amazing Foods together. I remember that breakfast fondly for many reasons, pretty much all of which had to do with the company I found myself in and the conversation we had (and of course, partially because of the delicious food). What Robin told me that day was that she was a golf widow, which was also my first experience with that term. Kim, Bear to his friends, was seriously fond of golf. From what I have heard, he golfed three days a week, eleven months of the year. I have also heard that he only talked about two subjects, golf and Robin, for he had found himself a wonderful wife and friend in Robin. Kim was also a member here at St. John's and a participant in our weekly Wednesday night bible study group, a missionary representative on our Honduras mission trip and loved delivering Christmas presents with the Daughters of the ...

"When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead." John 21:9-14 Jesus' disciples had a hard time believing that Jesus really was alive again. Partly this seems to be because Jesus looks different than he had before. We never find out how, except that Jesus is not always recognized at first. In this story from John, there seems to be some question as to who Jesus was, and this was n...

the street preacher goes on and on about Jesus and the girl nonchalantly nods along focusing on other things but something catches her ear about redemption - a feeling she's only dreamed of unknowingly subconscious wish for good "yo - what's that?" she says wondering if perhaps a few questions might be answered for the trouble on the corner "Jesus was a man - the Son of God and he died, he died for all" "Stupid, why'd he do that?" "because of love," he said, "because of love" "shut up" she said, "no one's that dumb" no one loves me that much the demons in her head confirmed why bother for this life? "oh no, Jesus did. Died for you, died for me. Died so that we might know love. Do you know love?" he questioned wondering whether he could even answer the girl looked at him in concern know love? what is love? and who's this crazy man who loves these cranky p...

Resurrection is part of a seed's life cycle Growing to the song of special tending Nature, nurture, yes, we adapt to circumstance Knowing that what is born of unseen seeds Is not our own but God's, for what can we claim  When the cause was tangential to another era Bygone, barely remembered, yet taking root Sustained in soil we cannot admit - lest By some completed accident we see ourselves Fully as we were made to be in that celestial mirror And upon seeing, change, accepting not society Nor our pricey educational mores but truth And upon waking step beyond into life *I am very sorry that SSJE isn't actually doing the word of the day now because of their focus on the rule of life for Lent. However, I am still taking the word of the day for my poetry from their daily devotion.