An exploration of today’s story from the Book of Acts.

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Acts 16/Mothers’ Day

In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Amen.

 Rome, Italy, is prone to earthquakes. One occurred when I lived there in the 1980’s; fortunately, it was a mild one and I hardly felt it.

 A much more powerful quake occurred when St. Paul was in a Roman prison. The dramatic story of that event and its consequences is told in today’s First Lesson.

 The story begins with Paul healing a slave girl … Read More

Exploring John the Divine’s vision of the Heavenly City.

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Rev 21-1/Jn14

In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Amen.

 Today is Mexican Independence Day. By this evening, New York bars will be packed with folks who will be keen to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Even Murray Hill—formerly a sedate neighborhood of retirees from the Garment District—even our neighborhood will be attracting revelers to our numerous watering holes.

 Of course, in ancient times, there was no such thing as “nightlife.” Indeed, for most of human history, … Read More

Jn10

In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Amen.

 Wherever you go these days, there always seems to be music playing in the background.

 You notice music in the elevator. In the supermarket. In the lobby. In the restaurant. In the airline terminal. In the subway—every place you go seems to hum.

 And the music played goes beyond the old “Muzak.” Muzak consisted of packaged tunes so bland that the actual songs could hardly … Read More

John 21:1-19

In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Amen.

 “Do you love me?”

 We have heard this question asked in countless pop songs and novels and movies. A couple may seem to be getting along pretty well, but one partner wonders about the other’s inner feelings. Harry loves Sally, but, Harry asks, does Sally love Harry?

 It’s not a simple question. It may happen that Sally does love Harry, but not as much … Read More

Holding on to new life in Christ without clinging to old ideas.… Read More

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Jn 20

In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Amen.

 My father served in the Marine Corps during World War II and the Korean War, and he remained an officer in the Marine reserves for many years after that.

 Later in his life, my father became involved in a renewal movement within the Episcopal Church. The movement was particularly effective in getting people to open up about their personal thoughts and feelings. Participants in group … Read More

An exploration of sign and symbol in Holy Week.… Read More

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Palm Sunday Homily

 In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.Amen.

 One of my first spiritual directors happened to be an expert on liturgy. He always said that, “Nothing makes an Anglican’s heart go pitter-patter like a procession.”

 It’s true. Even those who aren’t Anglicans love to see the choir march down the aisle of the church, bursting with song. We know that, soon, we will experience the familiar sequence of comforting prayer and … Read More