Psalm 89:1-4,19-29 | 2 Samuel 7:1-16 | Luke 1:67-79 First Coming by Madeline L’Engle He did not wait till the world was ready,till men and nations were at peace.He came when the Heavens were unsteady,and prisoners cried out for release. He did not wait for the perfect...

Malachi 3:1-5 | Luke 1:57-66 | Psalm 25:1-14 What is purer than something that has been refined? When God refines something it is as pure and good as it can possibly be. Fullers’ soap was used to clean the sheep’s wool to prepare it to be made into something useful....

Psalm 122 | 1 Samuel 1:19-28 | Luke 1:46-56 Luke 1:46-55 My Soul Magnifies the Lord... During my life this has always been one of my prayers. In fact, in the book of Common Prayer, during daily Evening Prayer the Song of Mary as it has come to be known, is often used....

Have you ever tried to define love: to find just the right words to be able to explain to another? Many writers have tried, some with more success than others, but a consistent and definitive definition seems to be somewhat elusive. Definitions fall short of the...

Psalm 35:1-5, 20-22 | Zephaniah 3:14-18a | Luke 1:3 9-45 I am a “glass is half full” kind of gal. I can and will look at the world with rose-colored glasses all day long. This year, 2020, has made it very difficult for me to do that. I work as a nurse in a hospital,...

Nephew Peter, myself, and Priscilla Rigg (circa 2004) Psalm 113 | 1 Samuel 1:19-28 | Luke 1:46-56 We are now in the throes of Advent 2020, on top of a pandemic, but I digress… Reading Luke, no singing Luke 1:46-56 warmed my heart… back around 1995, I first met...

It’s the darkest part of the year; days are short, the afternoon light has that particular golden slant that suggests it won’t last long, then the sun is gone before dinnertime. Hunkered down against the pandemic, emotional and spiritual darkness creep in as well, as...

From Isaiah 54:10 For a brief moment I abandoned you,    but with great compassion I will gather you.In overflowing wrath for a moment    I hid my face from you,but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,    says the Lord, your Redeemer. For the mountains...

Psalm 85:8-13 | Isaiah 45:5-8(9-17)18-25 | Luke 7:19-23 Sometimes, I try to picture what it would be like if Jesus came to our world right now, in human form. Imagine the local news report gone viral with the description of a person walking into the ICU of a nearby...

 I sought the Lord, and he answered me. And delivered me from all my fears. As I read the readings for today, one word that resonated and it’s a word most of has felt more this year than in years past is FEAR. Fear about getting infected with COVID 19, fear of the...

Psalm 25:3-8 | Numbers 24:2-7,15-17a | Matthew 21:23-27 Writing this blog has caused me to engage in a lot of reflection on the past year and to try to discern what our current pandemic experience and polarized politics means – to me, my community and my country. I...

For the past four decades Advent came to represent the times in my life when I could do little more than helplessly hope for and await rescue from my Christ moments. As my spiritual guides explained at the time, these are the moments when we experience the death like...

Well, one thing is for sure: I’m consistent. Each year at this time, I am drawn to the concept of the light coming after the darkness. Perhaps paradoxically, I embrace the darkness, the coziness that comes from it, the inward reflection it inspires, but only because...

I decided to look up the Bible verses for today’s blog in my old family Bible. It has been in my bookcase for years and it just seemed to call to me. When I opened it up, I discovered a handwritten note that said my grandfather had given it to my grandmother in 1955....

Psalm 145:1-4,8-13 | Isaiah 41:13-20 | Matthew 11:7-15I love Advent. Sure it's the run-up to Christmas, sure it has some lovely symbolism, like the Advent wreath and the Advent calendars and candles. But I love it because it is dramatic. Before we get the serenity of...

Psalm 103:1-10 | Isaiah 40:25-31 | Matthew 11:28-30 In today’s lessons from Hebrew scripture, we read of God’s power and strength; a God who forgives our sins, heals our sickness, redeems us from the pit of despair and even provides vindication for the oppressed. Both...

This time of year I am often blessed with the problem of finding gifts for “people who have everything”. How to find a gift that says “you’re special”, for a mother scaling back her possessions, or a friend who has never known hesitation with the American Express...

I hope that writing what the Advent season means to me is a good start. At first I didn't really know what it was about but since learning about it from Father Tim I have a better understanding. It is about having hope and faith in difficult times especially now that...

Three things struck me in today’s readings. The multitude of world changing, life altering events The references to being “a voice in the wilderness” God’s call to tend to God’s people   But this was about Jesus’ coming, right? What does it mean for me? He...

The day’s psalm and reading from Isaiah are remarkable in that both are downright uplifting – plenty of blessings and thanksgivings, a rare Old Testament exacta. Which, actually, ties to my weekday lap-swimming routine (Thank God for the YMCA). To avoid just counting...

King David’s 27th Psalm, the one that starts “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” – has it ever seemed to you a bit vacuous if not near-smug? How could, say, most any refugee or hostage have been expected to believe that no flesh-devouring...

Isaiah 26:1-6 | Psalm 118:19-24 |Matthew 7:21-27 This year, there are fences along the beaches,row after row of them,not the picturesque fences often topping the dunes,the stuff of a thousand beach photos,all romantic and half covered in sand,bent over by wind, a half...

Psalm 23 | Isaiah 25:6-9 | Matthew 15:29-39 This verse comes from Praise to the Lord in the book of Isaiah. The poem tells of how the Lord has protected those who put their faith in Them and how They comfort the people of God. This poem is a look back on what has been...

Isaiah 11:1-10 | Psalm 72: 1-8 | Luke 10:21-24  The wolf shall live with the lamb,the leopard shall lie down with the kid,the calf and the lion and the fatling together,and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze,their young shall lie down...

Psalm 19   |   Deuteronomy 30:11-14.  |   Romans 10:9-18   |   Matthew 4:18-22 I love words. I love playing with words. I love learning new words (and correcting mistaken meanings). I love the complexity and the simplicity of words. I love, and am sometimes frightened...

Today is the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is upon us. That season of waiting. Of anticipation. Of expectation. I usually rush headlong into Christmas, delighting in all the cheer, glad tidings and good will that comes with this time of year. But did you read today’s...