Have you ever been in a situation where people did not live up to the hopes and expectations you had for them? If so, you can probably understand why John the Baptist was confused in this coming Sunday’s gospel.

Uncertain, scary times can shake us and cause us to have doubts about our faith. John the Baptist is a good example. When we like John, are moved by the Holy Sprit, we vow to follow God. When we receive blessings, we are sure that Jesus is our Savior. When we face tragedies and disasters, we perhaps may question our faith. We question why these things happen. There are times when we are wrapped up in our suffering that sometimes we can’t see, or feel God’s presence….

It’s hard for those of us who are older to believe, but the musical production of The Lion King is marking twenty-five years on Broadway. First an animated movie and then, famously, a production that melded puppetry and human performance, the show is a legendary staple of theater-going in our city (and in many others—productions of the show have toured all over our nation and all over the world).,,,

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.