If you haven’t been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see “Siena: The Rise of Painting,” I hope you will have a chance to do so. The exhibit focuses on works of art painted in that Italian city just as the Renaissance was beginning to come to life. Between the years 1300 and 1350, Sienese artists moved the art of painting into a new era of detail, color and perspective…..

When we take the opportunity to share with another person about what having a real and life directing faith in Jesus Christ means to us, what will we say? When the moment comes when God is depending on our voice to prepare the way for another person to come closer to God, will our voice be heard and what will we say? Will we share what is important or slide by with peripheral talk?

What a message for us at Advent, “Let every heart prepare him room….”

Last Wednesday evening, I had the privilege of attending a program at Carnegie Hall featuring work from participants in the Creative Arts Therapy Program at Rikers Island. It was a beautiful evening. Original artwork was all over the walls of the reception area. A short film featuring dance and music programs was shown, and then a panel including Arts Therapists, a former program participant, and someone working with citizens returning to their communities went deeper into the power of creative work in helping people find their voices….

C.S. Lewis was an Irish-English author as well as a tutor and lecturer at Oxford University, and then Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English Literature at Cambridge University. He is called a Christian “apologist,” a technical term for those who explain and defend the Christian faith. One of his most popular books, Mere Christianity, was based on a series of fifteen-minute radio addresses for a broad audience interested in learning more about Christianity. And of course, many of us have read his Chronicles of Narnia series of fantasy novels for children (and adults!) that have underlying Christian themes….

We are the Episcopal Church, which means we are a church with bishops. The Greek word for bishop is “episcopos,” which means “overseer”—indicating that some of our clergy are called especially to a ministry of organization, supervision and unity. Each diocese in our national church elects a diocesan bishop, and all clergy and worshipping communities are under that person’s care….

Recently, a clergy colleague and I were having a conversation about the tensions between Christian commitment and citizenship. This priest could tell that people in her congregation were feeling divided. She knew they were well-intentioned; that they were trying to do the right thing, even as they felt conflicted in making decisions and uncomfortable once the decisions were made….

Ever since I served at St. Michael’s Church, I have had an affinity for the feast day of St. Michael and All Angels, which falls on September 29. Most of my focus has naturally been on the “St. Michael” part of the feast. But this year I find myself interested in the “All Angels” part as well – who are “all” the angels?!…