Our particular branch of Christianity is called The Episcopal Church because we are a church with bishops. The word Episcopal comes from the Greek episkopos, which means “overseer,” and the Latin episcopus, which means “bishop.” To say that we are a church with bishops is also to say we are a hierarchical church. Bishops have oversight in their diocese. They serve as chief pastors to both clergy and laity there, and they have responsibility for the doctrine, discipline and worship within their dioceses.

In short, they are the boss(es). At our ordinations, Bob, Susan and I, like all priests and deacons, vowed to respect and be guided by the pastoral direction and leadership of our bishop. By extension, the churches we serve do the same….

We live in a world that is unpredictable, a world which is worrisome to us, a world in which we never thought we would experience.

What do we do when trouble tries to bury us? Do we trust God even when we can’t see His plan? Somehow we seem to think God needs to explain what he is doing. Trust God? Be calm? Have patience?…

One of the best parts of living in New York City is the option to get from one place to another on foot. Even if only for part of our travels, walking is embedded in how we negotiate our days. And the more we walk, the better we get at all the little shortcuts at streetcorners. We start to anticipate when the lights will change and move forward accordingly. And, if no cars are coming toward us and all is clear, we might cross the street even if the red hand is still solidly telling us to stay put.

As many of you know, we have been discussing The Social Justice Bible Challenge in our Adult Forum on Sundays. Each gathering includes some of the most beautiful, provocative and (sometimes) unsettling passages in Scripture. As an offshoot of our conversations about our longing for justice and our individual discernment about how best to live that longing…

When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?

This is perhaps a disturbing question in Scripture. It comes at the close of a parable encouraging faith and being persistent in prayer. God answers prayers, but what if a day comes when people no longer pray or have faith? A few countries are already there.

The picture below was taken in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. A parishioner forwarded it to me after telling me how moved she was to see a town crosswalk painted with the rainbow flag. This image is beautiful in several ways. First, the expression of solidarity is clear, bold and impossible to ignore. Second, the sign of welcome is integrated into the life of the community (everyone uses roads, most people use crosswalks). And third, the flag is painted in an area defined by motion—indicating that inclusion is assumed. If we are to move from one place to another, that process is sustained by diversity….

This fall, our Adult Christian Education Forum series will focus on scripture that reminds us of God’s emphasis on justice and inspires us to take action as individuals and as a community in the world. The material we’ll use is drawn from a book called The Social Justice Bible Challenge, edited by Marek P. Zabriskie.

In the book’s introduction, Zabriskie observes that there are many Christians who do not connect the Bible with the pursuit of social justice. On the one hand, there are those who enjoy studying scripture and perhaps applying it to their own personal lives. But these folks often stop short of taking action in the wider world to advocate for justice and equality for all. On the other hand, there are Christians who devote themselves to outreach and social action in their community. But they may be less comfortable grounding and sustaining themselves and their mission in scripture….