Posts

Easter 4 Year A 2026: John 10:1-10

The other day, I was commenting to my husband how excited I was about the prospect of getting a real sheep to St. Matthew’s for Vacation Bible School. The theme for VBS this year is Psalm 23, which we read today, and there is so much sheep and shepherd imagery throughout scripture to explain to the ancient near east’s agrarian society the relationship between God and His people using terms that were familiar to them. I said it would be good for all these city slicker kids - my own included - to see what an actual sheep looks like. I told my husband it shouldn’t be that difficult to find someone with a sheep nearby, since my stepmom’s parents had a farm out by Mead where they farmed sheep. And he, as the grandson and nephew of actual farmers, turned to me with a look of incredulity and said, “speaking of city slickers, you don’t farm sheep, you raise sheep”. So I might not be the target demographic of all of the sheep metaphors in scripture. In my clergy text chain, one colleague sent t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Easter 3, Year A 2026: 1 Peter 1:17-23

This year’s Lent Madness winners were Constance and her companions, also known as the Martyrs of Memphis. In August of 1878, yellow fever invaded the city of Memphis, Tennessee, for the third time in ten years. By the month’s end, the disease had become epidemic and a quarantine was ordered. While more than 25,000 citizens had fled in terror, nearly 20,000 more remained to face the pestilence. As cases multiplied, the death toll averaged 200 people per day. When the worst was over, ninety percent of the people who remained had contracted the fever and more than 5,000 people had died. In that time of panic and flight, many brave men and women, both lay and ordained, remained at their posts of duty or came as volunteers to assist in spite of the terrible risk. Notable among these heroes were four Episcopal sisters from the Community of Saint Mary, and two of their clergy colleagues, all of whom died while tending to the sick. The Sisters had come to Memphis in 1873, at the bishop’s reque...
Post a Comment
Read more

Easter Sunday 2026

Wednesday night, my husband and I were watching Survivor . At the end of every episode they have Tribal Council where one member of that episode’s losing tribe is voted off of the show. As that tribe enters tribal council, host Jeff Probst instructs them to take a torch and light it in the fire because, “This is part of the ritual of Tribal Council because, in this game, fire represents life. As long as you have fire, you are still in this game. When your fire’s gone, so are you.” As Jeff was giving his spiel, I turned to my husband and said, “the liturgy of Survivor ”. He chuckled and I said, “I’m not joking” and he said, “oh, I know you’re not”. While we most often think of liturgy as occurring in the church, so many other things in our lives have what are essentially liturgies. I read an article last month about the liturgy of Taylor Swift concerts. The word liturgy comes from the Greek leitourgia which roughly translates to “the work of the people”. While it is often written down -...
Post a Comment
Read more

Good Friday 2026

Image
One of the great privileges of parish ministry is that of walking alongside families who are mourning the death of a loved one. In Episcopal “last rites”, which the prayer book calls “Ministration at the Time of Death”, the opening prayer recalls to us the resurrection: “Almighty God, look on this your servant, lying in great weakness, and comfort her with the promise of life everlasting, given in the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen .” In the words of this prayer, we are reminded of the small space between death and life eternal as we then begin the Litany at the time of Death - which is recommended, when possible, to be prayed by a group of people, not just the priest alone. It is a beautiful experience when family members and friends are there to pray the responses and help usher their loved one into the arms of Jesus. Today, we have the opportunity to be that loving community to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To come face to face with his suffering and death....
Post a Comment
Read more

Palm Sunday, Year A 2026

There are many debates that are ongoing in Episcopal preaching circles. One of those debates resurfaces every year: what to do with Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday, as I’m sure you have all noticed, is a long service. We’ve already been here for (checks watch) 40 minutes. We could have used a shorter Gospel, which would’ve started at Judas’ betrayal and ended before Joseph of Arimathea comes along. But it’s important for us to get the entire story. This is the only day every three years where we can hear the Passion according to St. Matthew, all the way through the crucifixion and burial of Jesus.. One of the solutions preachers sometimes arrive at is to nix the sermon altogether. To let the Gospel stand for itself. But, our Book of Common Prayer requires a sermon if there is to be a Eucharist. And, although the Palm Sunday service tends to be longer than usual, brevity in preaching can be impactful. A twenty minute homily isn't necessary, but it’s important to take a breath and break do...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lent 5 Year A 2026: John 11:1-45

On Saturday, October 26, 2013 Nebraska lost their afternoon game to Minnesota. In 2013, that was way worse than it is now. In the early evening, my phone rang. Now for those of you who might not have had cell phones in 2013, there are two things you need to know. First, the ringers on our phones were on. We answered phone calls in general. And second, our ringers were so on that we paid money for special ring tones. Different people had their own ringtones so you could tell who was calling without having to look. So while my phone, in general, rang to the tune of “Danger Zone” from the movie Top Gun , my brother had chosen his own ring tone on my phone. It was called “eagle’s call” and it came pre-downloaded on the phone. There were bells in the background followed by a ridiculous, loud caw. So back to that evening, my phone began to caw from its place on the sofa and I assumed my brother was calling to discuss that terrible, terrible football game. But when I answered the phone, it wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lent 3 Year A 2026: John 4:5-42

My first grade daughter has been learning about various habitats and the natural homes of various animals. From grasslands to savannahs to deserts, she will excitedly tell you all about what she’s been learning in school. We most often use the word habitat to describe the homes of animals, since human beings can live in almost any habitat. But the habitat of first century Jews and Samaritans is important to today’s lesson from John, which centers around a well. Wells in Jesus’ time served multiple purposes, both physical and social. Wells were hand-dug, stone-lined, and covered with heavy stones to prevent contamination and disputes. Located in the arid Near East, they were crucial for physical survival. Due to limited rainfall, wells were the primary water source for people and livestock, making them central to life. But equally important, wells served as community hubs, meeting places for major life events (like Rebekah and Rachel), and symbols of divine provision and blessing. Wells...
Post a Comment
Read more