As Black History month draws to a close, let us pause to remember, to honor, and to celebrate. We remember the suffering, we honor the resilience, and we celebrate the victories of the Black community, who against all odds, kept faith in a God who delivers. This Sunday’s Gospel from John, Speaks powerfully into that story.

In this passage, we meet a man named Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee, a leader, educated and respected. Yet he came to Jesus at night. Night suggests darkness – not just the time of day, but a spiritual condition. Nicodemus had position but still lacked something. He had religion but still wrestled with understanding. So, he came in the dark, searching for light….

In our culture of busyness, we who are faithful talk a lot about “doing” vs. “being.” We remind ourselves and one another that we are “human beings” and not “human doings.” We cherish small moments of quiet—especially in our beautiful, chaotic city. We work to carve out time for contemplation and stillness. Scripture commends such time and space to us. Spiritual leaders in all traditions point to its importance for growth. And sometimes, contemplation gets elevated over action, as if the singular, inner journey is the most legitimate path toward God….

Absalom Jones was born into slavery in 1746 in Delaware. He taught himself to read from the New Testament and other books. At the age of 16, his mother and sister were sold, while he was brought to Philadelphia. In the evenings, he attended a Quaker school and also worked, and he was able to keep his earnings. In 1770, he married an enslaved woman and purchased her freedom. Then in 1774, he gained his own freedom through manumission….

In my Annual Address during our service of Holy Eucharist last Sunday, I referenced the statement in response to the murder of Renee Good posted by Matt Moberg, NBA chaplain for Minnesota Timberwolves. With his words, chaplain Moberg offers a cry of the heart—and a call to Christians and all faithful people to examine what discipleship means in our lives. You may or may not agree with him, and your feelings and reactions may find expression differently….

When Jesus proclaims the Beatitudes, he is not speaking in abstractions. He is speaking into a world marked by deep inequality, political oppression, and religious complacency. The crowd before him know hunger, violence, and exclusion. Jesus dares to say: Blessed are you…..

Our Director of Operations has a book on her desk titled Death by Meeting. The book presents itself as a “leadership fable” about one of the common realities of all organizations: the need to gather for the purpose of disseminating and processing information. Which, as the title of the book suggests, can be a burdensome—if necessary–expectation for the people in attendance.

We at Holy Apostles had a meeting scheduled for this coming Sunday. Because of the impending winter storm, we have rescheduled our Annual Meeting for next Sunday, February 1st…..

There is so much going on in our world and especially in our country today that is frightening. I am a bit of a news junkie, but these days I am finding that I need to disconnect a bit more — and to instead spend more time with the fundamentals of our faith. I especially find it useful to come back to the baptismal covenant, which we renewed last Sunday as part of our service marking Jesus’ baptism….

We are now in the season of Epiphany; a time to mark the gradual lengthening of daylight, and to carry our celebration of God’s manifestation to us in the Christ child forward into a new calendar year. This year—as in every year—we face many unknowns. In all that will unfold during 2026, we are called to remember God’s companionship with us. God’s ongoing conversation with us, God’s loving presence, abides. It is not contingent on the choices we make or the details of the world we inhabit.

Matthew’s Gospel shows us that faith begins not with certainty but with seeking. The Magi do not understand everything. They misstep in going to Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem. They ask questions. They rely on grace. Yet God guides them still – by the star, by Scripture, and finally by a dream.

When they find the child, they fall to their knees. The Journey ends in worshiping the Christ child. Matthew then tells us something beautiful: “They went home by another road.” Encountering Christ does not leave us the same. It changes our direction, our loyalties, our way of seeing the world….

There are a lot of music lovers in our family, which means that at some point during this festive season discussion about favorite Christmas pop songs gets introduced. The responses are similar from year to year: someone always says Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Another likes Bruce Springsteen’s version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” My response is always the same. It’s not Christmas for me until I hear John Lennon and Yoko Ono sing their “Happy Christmas” song….