Home > Lenten Blog 2024 HE IS RISEN!March 31, 2024 Acts 10:34-43 | 1 Corinthians 25:6-9 | John 20:1-18 | Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24“They (the angels) said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Questioning the SpiritMarch 30, 2024 Job 14:1-14  |  1 Peter 4:1-8  |  Matthew 27:57-66  |  Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16In today’s Gospel, Matthew 27:57-66, it reads, …” after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 So what’s so good about this Friday? March 29, 2024 Isaiah 52:13-53:12  |  Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9  |  John 18:1-19:42  |  Psalm 22I first started attending St. Luke’s in 1995… in a few years, I would join the Canterbury...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Servant and PriestMarch 28, 2024 Exodus 12:1-14  |  1 Corinthians 11:23-26  |  John 13:1-17, 31b-35  |  Psalm 116:1, 10-17Maundy Thursday is a day of traditions. Jews and Christians alike celebrate the Exodus from Egypt with a Passover meal....

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Encouraging strength of spirit and character. March 27, 2024 Isaiah 50:4-9a  |  Hebrews 12:1-3  |  John 13:21-32  |  Psalm 70I have never been a fan of the saying, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” One reason is because the term...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 I put my trust in You, Lord March 26, 2024 Isaiah 49:1-7 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 | John 12:20-36 | Psalm 71:1-14Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.This verse from today’s Psalm...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Covenant March 25, 2024 Isaiah 42:1-9 | Hebrews 9:11-15 | John 12:1-11 | Psalm 36:5-11Isaiah 42:1-9Here is my servant, whom I uphold,my chosen, in whom my soul delights;I have put my spirit upon him;he will bring forth justice to the...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 An outfit for a Sunday of festivitiesMarch 24, 2024 Mark 11:1-11| Isaiah 50:4-9a|Psalm 31:9-16|Philippians 2:5-11|Mark 14:1-15-15:47Palm Sunday has always been one of my favorites church celebrations. It ranks up there amongst the major...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Legality vs. AmbiguityMarch 23, 2024 Ezekiel 37:21-28 | John 11:45-53 | Psalm 85:1-7 Today’s readings bring home to me that magnificent but sometimes scary difference between obeying a law and being guided by the ambiguity of God’s...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 “The kingdom of heaven is like…”March 22, 2024 Jeremiah 20:7-13  |  John 10:31-42  |  Psalm 18:1-7I remember having a necklace with a little round, see-through glass ball with a very tiny seed inside… A mustard seed…  I was probably in...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 What’s in a name? March 21, 2024 Genesis 17:1-8  |  John 8:51-59  |  Psalm 105:4-11Forty-eight years ago this week I began recruit training as a firefighter with the Warwick Fire Department. I was so excited. After getting our turn-out gear...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Roughing It March 20, 2024 Daniel 3:14–20,24–28  |  John 8:31–42  |  Canticle [2] or 13“Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *you are worthy of praise; glory to you.” (Canticle 13)Shadrach Meshach, and  Abednego may never have had a...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 But they did not understand. March 19, 2024 Photo courtesy of lumoproject.com2 Samuel 7:4, 8-16  |  Romans 4:13-18  |  Luke 2:41-52  |  Psalm 89:1-29Luke’s New Testament words today bring to my mind the relationship between parents and...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Who is Susanna? March 18, 2024  Susanna [1–9,15–29,34–40],41-62  |  John 8:1–11 or John 8:12–20  |  Psalm 23Not being a Biblical scholar nor an avid reader of the Apocrypha, I was curious about the Old Testament reading. While the background...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 God’s MercyMarch 17, 2024 Jeremiah 31:31-34 | Hebrews 5:5-10 | John 12:20-33 | Psalm 51:1-13”Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness;… “What is mercy? I’ve seen several explanations for this word. Some indicate that one is...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 God Prevails March 16, 2024 Jeremiah 11:18–20  |  John 7:37–52  |  Psalm 7:6–11Let us destroy the tree with its fruitLet us cut him from the land of the living,So that his name will no longer be remembered.” –  Jeremiah 11:18-20This passage...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Did Jesus Have FOMO?March 15, 2024 Wisdom 2:1a, 12-24  |  John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30  |  Psalm 34:15-22I see this gospel (John 7:1–2,10,25–30) as a push-pull between Jesus’s human and divine selves. We hear about Jesus first deciding NOT to go...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Shining Lamps & God’s Love.March 14, 2024 Pat Hallenbeck, 1972, working with the youth group.Exodus 32: 7-14  |  John 5:30-47  |  Psalm 106:6-7, 19-21The gospel reading for today, from John 5:30-47, made me remember my life 50 years ago,...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Comfort March 13, 2024 Isaiah 49:8-15  |  John 5:19-29  |  Psalm 145:8-19Although the word "comfort" does not appear in these passages, I became aware that the concept is a theme found in each one.In Isaiah God comforts His people in the...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 WaterMarch 12, 2024 Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12  |  John 5:1-18  |  Psalm 46:1-8With all that water is, it is no wonder it winds its way through our stories and beliefs. In Ezekiel 47: 1-9, 12, the river brings life. “It will become fresh; and...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Paying Attention March 11, 2024 Isaiah 65:17-25  |  John 4:43-54  |  Psalm 30:1-6, 11-13As I attend to life’s troubles – which seem vexingly more complex with age – the Spirit whispers to slow down, be silent, pay attention. These practices...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 IlluminationMarch 10, 2024 Numbers 21:4-9 | Ephesians 2:1-10 | John 3:14-21 | Psalm 107:1-3,17-22I took my one and only art history course as a college sophomore in 1975. Regrettably, the only thing I retained from those studies is the...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Right on cue, the Lenten roses are blooming March 9, 2024 Hosea 6:1-6 | Luke 18:9-14 | Psalm 51:15-20 Even without non-stop snow and deep freezes, this winter has felt particularly dreary. Maybe it was the seemingly endless gray weather in...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Loving Your Neighbor March 8, 2024 Hosea 14:1-9  |  Mark 12:28-34  | Psalm 81:8-14“The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Mark 12:28-34Love it is one of the biggest things that is talked about during the season of...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Thread of the DivineMarch 7, 2024 Jeremiah 7:23-28  |  Luke 11:14-23  |  Psalm 95:6-11It is 4:47PM on the night that my blog is due. Recently, I had a conversation with Father Tim and was inspired to be a part of the Lenten blog series this...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Pondering SafetyMarch 6, 2024 Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 5-9  |  Matthew 5:17-19  |  Psalm 78:1-6         Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of your servants in safety under your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 FORGIVEMarch 5, 2024 Song of Three Young Men 2-4, 11-20a |  Matthew 18: 21-35 | Psalm 25:3-10Today we live in a culture that often ignores the importance of forgiveness, and today’s readings remind us how essential it is to ask for and give...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. March 4, 2024 2 Kings 5:1-15b  |  Luke 4:23-30  |  Psalm 42:1-7It’s true, isn’t it? Those who know us in a certain context – family, friends, neighbors, co-workers seem to...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 The Law of LoveMarch 3, 2024 Exodus 20:1-17  |  1 Corinthians 1:18-25 | John 2:13-22 | Psalm 19­­The Old Testament lesson appointed for today lists the 10 Commandments that were given to Moses.  I remember learning the 10 Commandments as a...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Grateful March 2, 2024 Click image to enlarge Micah 7:14-15 | Luke 15:11-32 | Psalm 103:1-12 My mind began to meander as I sat with today’s readings. One of the reasons for my winding and weaving thoughts is that many of these words are...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Where the journey may leadMarch 1, 2024 Genesis 37:3-4, 12-28 | Matt 21:33-43 | Psalm 105:16-22Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”This gospel...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Roots of Trust February 29, 2024 Jeremiah 17:5-10  |  Luke 16:19-31   |  Psalm 1In today’s lessons, both the passage from the Book of Jeremiah and Psalm 1 paint the same image:Blessed are those who trust in the Lord… They shall be like a...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 GreatnessFebruary 28, 2024 Jeremiah 18:1-11, 18-20  |  Matt 20:17-28  |  Psalm 31: 9-16“but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Honoring GodFebruary 27, 2024 Isaiah 1:2-4, 16-20 | Matt 23:1-12 | Psalm 50:7-15,22-24“Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.”  Psalm50:24As we have been...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Hmmm February 26, 2024 Daniel 9:3-10 | Luke 6:27-38 | Psalm 79:1-9Jesus said, “I say to you that listen,  LOVE YOUR ENEMIES…          Do good to those who hate you.                Bless those who curse you.                         Pray for...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Where Do I Walk in the Covenant with God? February 25, 2024 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16  |  Romans 4:13-26  |  Mark 8:31-38  |  Psalm 22:22-30In all the readings for this the second Sunday of Lent a reoccurring theme has somehow taken up space in...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Feast of St. Matthias the ApostleFebruary 24, 2024 Acts 1:15-26  |  Philippians 3:13-21  |  John 15:1, 6-16  |  Psalm 15 February 24 is the Feast of St. Matthias in the Episcopal church and the readings for today celebrate him. Many may...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Help us better understand God’s love. February 23, 2024 Ezekiel 18:21–28 |  Matthew 5:20–26  |  Psalm 130Lent is my favorite time of the church year.  Forty days to remember Christ being tempted by the devil.  His strength.  His love for...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Becoming February 22, 2024 Esther (Apocrypha) 14:1–6,12–14  |  Matthew 7:7-12  |  Psalm 138When I read today’s lessons, I was so excited! I love Esther. She is so inspiring- a Cinderella/Joan of Arc woman. If you ever think “I can’t do...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 The peace of being renewed in right spirit awaits us.February 21, 2024 Jonah 3:1-10  |  Luke 11:29-32  |  Psalm 51:11-18At my first reading, today’s texts all seemed to be about evil – honestly not my favorite part of scripture. As I re-read...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Pray, Forgive, OvercomeFebruary 20, 2024 A terracotta sculptural model of Saint Matthew by Giuseppe BernardiIsaiah 55:6-11  |  Matt 6:7-15  |  Psalm 34:15-22As Christians, we are called to grow into the image of God. What does that mean?...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Sheep and Goats February 19, 2024 Leviticus 19:1-2, 2:1-18  Matt 25:31-46 Psalm 19:7-14The parable of the sheep and the goats… This one intrigues me—especially upon learning our beloved Fr. Tim and his dear wife Diane will soon be not...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Destructive, yet life-giving – water. February 18, 2024 Genesis 9:8-17  |  1 Peter 3:18-22  |  Mark 1:9-15  |  Psalm 25:1-9Water. Beautiful to look at, refreshing to drink. But what happens when there is too much? After the January storms...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Listening, Doing, and Knitting My Heart to God February 17, 2024 Isaiah 58:9b-14    |    Psalm 86:1-11    |    Luke 5:27-32“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.”Today’s...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 How Fast to Your Fast February 16, 2024 Isaiah 58:1-9a  |  Matt 9:10-17  |  Psalm 51:1-10Support Support us, O Lord, with your gracious favor through the fast we have begun; that as we observe it by bodily self-denial, so we may fulfill it...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 Choices February 15, 2024 Deuteronomy 30:15-20  |  Luke 9:18-25  |  Psalm 1"See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity…I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and...

Home > Lenten Blog 2024 All You Need Is Love!February 14, 2024 Joel 2:1-2, 12-17  |  Isaiah 58:1-12  |  Psalm 103  |  2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10  |  Matt 6:1-6, 16-21When we began to put plans together for our Lenten blog, I was surprised and somewhat amused that Ash...