During Advent, we anticipate the birth of the Christ child. During Christmas, of course, we rejoice at Christ’s birth. What, than, is Epiphany?
Epiphany Meditation
Sermons
Cats and Christmas Trees: A Tricky Business
In case you are not acquainted with this particular maneuver–that is, of bringing a Christmas tree into the house and setting it up — you might benefit from knowing some of the best practices…
The first thing to do, is not do what I do…
The Point of Illumination
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.
Mystery is Near
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.
Eyes of the Heart, Enlightened
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.
Lessons of the Fall
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…
Prayerful Insistence
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.
Broad Phylacteries
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.
A Glorious Confusion
None of us like being confused. Confusion, for most of us, is a state of anxiety, that we like to abolish with the appearance of certainty. But perhaps there is a kind of confusion – a glorious confusion, that helps us to get close to God.
The Proximity of Opposites
It would be a lot more convenient for everyone involved if the chaotic, ugly, and frustrating could be safely stowed in a box in the basement while the transcendent, beautiful and adorable could be displayed prominently on the dining room table – never the twain shall meet!
But, unfortunately, that’s not the case. Opposites may be opposite, but they are not separate.