My son Zachary shared this story with me recently: last weekend, during the gorgeous Spring weather (especially appreciated by all after the days of rain that preceded it!), he decided to take a book to Central Park to read and people-watch in the sun. The park was crowded, but the vibes were good. Everyone was enjoying the liberating feeling of being outside.

Zachary made himself at home on a bench, comfortable with his iced coffee and his reading material. People rotated through inhabiting the empty spaces on either side of where he was sitting. Eventually, a couple approached the bench next to him. They were carrying paper bags with food from a deli and getting ready to share some al fresco brunch and conversation. But before they sat down one of them said, “Wait! Let’s see who we’re spending time with today.”….

Yesterday, May 8, we commemorated the feast day of Dame Julian of Norwich, who is the first woman we know of to have written a book in English. She was born in 1342 in England, and lived during a time of upheaval that included famine, revolts, and the Black Plague. When she was thirty, she became gravely ill and was expected to die. Just after receiving last rites, she began having a series of mystical visions of Christ suffering on the cross. The experience brought her great comfort and joy, and she wrote the visions down in a book called Revelations of Divine Love. She later became an anchorite, living in a tiny cell attached to the church Norwich, and she developed a reputation as a wise spiritual counselor….

In March, a series of short videos that focused on toddlers and sharing were making the rounds. In each of the clips, a toddler was seated in the middle between two people. In front of each person was a plate with a napkin covering it, and on the count of three each person took the napkin away to reveal a surprise. The toddler got two cookies, one of the participants got one cookie, and one person’s plate was empty…..

Today we remember with sorrow the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was shot on the balcony connected to room 306 in the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was in Memphis to support African American sanitation workers, who were striking for higher wages, better working conditions, and union recognition…..

This Sunday, April 13, is Palm Sunday. It marks the beginning of Holy Week, when we will liturgically walk with Jesus to his death and celebrate his resurrection which brings us all into new life. In an intriguing synchronicity, yesterday, April 10, was the commemoration of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

As you may remember, Bonhoeffer was a major figure in the Protestant resistance to Hitler and the Nazis. He was arrested in 1943 for contributing to a failed attempt on Hitler’s life. He was executed on April 9, 1945, less than a week before the Allies liberated the prison camp he was in. As he was led away to his death, Bonhoeffer said to a fellow prisoner, “This is the end – but for me it is the beginning of Life!”…

In the parable of the Prodigal son, we find a young man who, driven by his own desires, demands his inheritance from his father. He takes this wealth and squanders it in a distant land, living a life of recklessness. It’s a tale of a son’s rebellion, a father’s heartache, and the transformative power of repentance.

He was eager to claim his inheritance, to break free from his father’s house, to live life on his own terms. He was driven by a desire for independence, for freedom, and adventure. In his pursuit of these things, he lost sight of the value of his father’s love, of the security of his home and the wisdom of his upbringing. He traded the lasting riches his father’s house provided for fleeting pleasures, and in the end, he found himself destitute, desperate, and alone….

As you leaf occasionally through your beloved copy of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), you may have noticed mention of “Ember Days.” These observances turn up on the liturgical calendar four times a year, and each consists of three days: the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after St. Lucy’s Day (December 14), Ash Wednesday, the day of Pentecost, and Holy Cross day (September 14). As you may have deduced, we are currently in the vicinity of the Ash Wednesday Ember Days….