Holy Saturday is not just about the death of a person, but about the death of anything that we hold dear. It is about the death of dreams. It is about the death of marriages, friendships, careers. It is about the death of the way the church used to be. It is about the death of ministries and programs that once bore much fruit, but now are gone. It is about the loss of companions in ministry who have moved away or become disaffected. It is about the death of all our best efforts to make a difference in our world, and the realization that the kingdom doesn’t come on demand. It is about the realization that sooner or later those of us who follow Jesus will be on our way to bury him without a clue as to what will happen next. It is about completely letting go of what we have known without any expectation of what is to come.
Read MoreHoly Week is about an “exodus” from the rat race that enslaves us. Every day this week, God is saying “Depart, depart, go out from there!” Indeed, Luke’s Gospel refers to Jesus’ passion in exodus terms. In Luke’s account of the transfiguration (9: 28—36), Peter, James and John overhear Moses and Elijah “speaking of his departure (exodus), which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” To follow Jesus to Jerusalem, to the Last Supper, to Good Friday, and to the tomb is the only way out of what enslaves us. Let me repeat: It is the only way out.
Read MoreWhen we are overwhelmed with love, we find it hard just to sit there and receive it. Why? We find it hard to sit there because for a variety reasons we have come to believe we are not worthy of such love. Grace attacks our self-understanding and is experienced as a threat. It disarms all our usual defenses and we just don't know what to do with such a gift. We resist because we aren't sure we want to live with the kind of freedom such love offers us.
Read MoreWhat we discover in the psalms of lament is that the only way to get beyond the pain is to name it in the presence of the one who can take away its debilitating power eventually: “Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30.6).
Read MoreUnless we see the truth about our society, we will not be set free from the ways that enslave us. Knowing and facing the truth has always been challenging, but even more so now when the “facts” are much in dispute.
Read MorePaul’s words challenge our usual way of thinking about life. We go into the wilderness of Lent with one culturally conditioned “mind” and Paul challenges us to adopt a mind formed by Christ.
Read More“We are living through perilous and polarizing times as a nation, with a dangerous crisis of moral and political leadership at the highest levels of our government and in our churches. We believe the soul of the nation and the integrity of faith are now at stake.” (From A Confession of Faith in a Time of Crisis)
Read MoreWhen I was an assistant at Trinity Church, Boston, I prepared teenagers for confirmation. Along with the Rector of Trinity and his wife, Nancy and I were invited to dinner at the house of one of the teenagers. After a wonderful evening together, Nancy and I said good-bye to our hosts, Bob and Ann Muller. Yes, the Bob Muller, Purple Heart recipient, former Director of the FBI, and now Special Counsel of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and related matters.
Read MoreEpiscopalians, and I suspect other Christians, spend too much time in their head in worship. The great thing about music is that it gets in your body—in your gut—and you begin to move—albeit in very limited fashion in an Episcopal service! David’s worship was embodied. He was leaping and dancing, and doing so half-naked!
Read MoreA survey conducted by the health company Cigna found that “Nearly half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone or left out.” Perhaps most troubling of all for the future of our society, the survey found that generation Z—those 18—22—is the loneliest generation.
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