Church Pulpit Posts
Christ Coming Into The World | The Rev. Canon Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
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….
Still Christmas | The Rev. Susan E. Hill, Associate Rector
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….
A Journey of Discernment | The Rev. Susan E. Hill, Associate Rector
Over the last three Sundays in the Adult Forum we have explored a book called Discernment: A Path to Spiritual Awakening, by Rose Mary Dougherty. In the course of the short book, Dougherty discusses the importance of prayer, self-knowledge, and developing discernment as a habit of life.
She concludes her book with this lovely poem by Sister Maura Eichner, about a particular journey of discernment. May it guide your own Advent journey and beyond!….
Waiting | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
On the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, visiting family and I decided to trek down to the Angelika movie theater for an afternoon showing of Hamnet. Based on a novel by the same name, the film is a meditation on the theory that William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet as a response to a profound grief he experienced in the life of his family.
This is not a review of this theory, the book espousing it, or the film adaptation (although I can confirm that all nine of us, ranging in age from 17 to 76 were interested in going, and that every one of us was crying at the end!). The movie, while beautiful, is not for everyone. The subject matter is intense. The plot unfolds slowly….
Opportunity For Change| The Rev. Canon Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
John the Baptist steps onto the scene like a sudden trumpet blast in a quiet valley. There is no warm-up, no polite throat clearing, just a voice crying out in the wilderness, calling Israel to turn back toward God. His message is simple, startling, and bracing: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”
Repentance, in this passage, is not merely feeling sorry or privately regretting our missteps. It’s a turning, a reorientation of the heart, much like a traveler realizing the path has been bending away from the destination, and deciding, at last, to pivot. John stands in the desert as a guidepost, urging God’s people to change direction because God’s reign is approaching….
A Blessing of Angels | The Rev. Susan E. Hill, Associate Rector
The Diocese recently hired a new Canon for Lay and Clergy Formation, the Rev. Tanya Wallace, who will have a dual role. She will help shepherd the people who have been nominated for Holy Orders through the ordination process. And she will also support the spiritual formation of everyone in the Diocese − helping all of us to go deeper in our lives of faith.
Canon Wallace will officially begin her call in January, but she recently met with some of the folks who will be ordained. She offered them a blessing drawn from a lovely prayer from John O’Donahue’s To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. I think it is a wonderful prayer for us all − enjoy!….
Turn, Turn, Turn | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
Happy new (liturgical) year! Despite the fact that Christmas decorations arrive ever-earlier, and the reality that many of us reading this will be mostly focused on Thanksgiving and its aftermath, a new time in the church year is—literally—right around the corner. The season of Advent arrives this weekend, and with it comes a distinct shift in liturgical tone and spiritual orientation.
One focus in Advent is on “preparation.” There are lots of ways we can prepare, and it is incumbent upon us not to allow the busyness of literal preparation overcome the seasonal process of reorienting our hearts. To-do lists have their place, and action steps come with relationships. Still, in addition to all of that, Advent offers us invitations: to alter our vision; to turn toward the birth of something new…..
Steadfast Faith | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
Recently, as I was reeling from one of the latest crises and flailing around for my center, I came across this prayer. Written by SueAnn Shiah, a self-described “musician, filmmaker, community organizer, ethnomusicologist, queer Christian pastor, and public theologian,” these words both provoked and comforted me. I share them with hope that you will find something of value in them, too (let me know!):
A Prayer for Steadfast Faith
Lord of all creation, you knitted us in our mother’s womb, and we are born into a world full of love, fear, comfort, and anxiety. Open our eyes to the blessings of beauty and care so that we might be transformed by that and share that outpouring in concert with all of your beloved creatures….
Resurrection | The Rev. Canon Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
There is a story in John’s Gospel, which we will read on Sunday, where Jesus is talking to some religious leaders called Sadducees. They came to Jesus with a question meant to trap Him – a riddle about marriage in the resurrection. They did not believe in life after death, so they posed a question they thought had no answer. Jesus however responds not with confusion, but with clarity.
“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
In those few words, Jesus reveals something profound – not only about eternal life, but about the nature of God Himself….
Belonging | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
If you are a fan of horror films, this is your season and tonight is your night. There’s lots to choose from in the categories of suspense, supernatural creepiness and gore. But for me, one of the most evocative representations of Halloween is in the Hollywood classic Meet Me in St. Louis. Released in 1944, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Garland (among others), the movie follows a family through the seasons of the year that lead up to the 1904 World’s Fair.
The film was based on a book, which was a compilation of short stories originally published in the New Yorker magazine. It’s a musical (natch), and includes famous numbers like “The Trolley Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The “Autumn” section of the story focuses on Tootie, the youngest sister of four, who dresses herself up in rags and a fake mustache and goes outside after dark on Halloween to make mischief with the older children….
Subscribe to receive the latest news, events, volunteer opportunities, and more — right to your inbox.