An oral tradition is not an act of remembering. It’s an act of maintenance. When something that was written 800 years ago is passed from one generation to the next, it stops being 800 years old, and becomes something that your grandmother taught you.
When we find ourselves on the edge — confronted by the inevitable challenge of our mortality, facing eternity, we are humbled by a mystery that cannot be fathomed.
This is a moment of religious desperation, a moment when try, in vain, to tame the ultimate.
On November 27th — which, as of this writing is three days off — I will have been your pastor for one year! In garlic terms, then, my bottom two or three leaves would now be turning yellow.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
the heart, by itself is a biological necessity, but the heart with eyes is a religious necessity.
The heart must interact with the rest of the world. Then the heart is given meaning. Then the life is given purpose.
This change — this transformation from heat wave to cold snap… from flourishing to dormancy, from ripple, to ice…is a seasonal reminder that we must learn to be good at letting go; a reassurance, built into the cycle of our lives, that there is no such thing as sadness without beauty…
Prayer does not take away our responsibility.
Because prayer is not simply a speaking outwards toward God.
Prayer is more than that. Prayer is an acting inward toward God.
Climate change is not going to go away if we ignore it.
We are confronted with the singular concern of our time.
The singular problem that faces not only our community, but our species.
