Week of August 25, 2019
“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” Jesus’ statement from last Sundays’ Gospel reading reminds me of the line from the movie They Live when the unnamed drifter played by Roddy Piper enters the bank and says, “I’m here to chew bubble…
Week of August 18, 2019
A few weekends ago my wife Mandy, my daughter Maura, and I were staying in a cabin just outside of the town of Clarksville, Arkansas. We had rented a small cabin located in the woods next to some other similar vacation cabins and the odd home off the beaten path. On the first night, while Mandy and…
Week of August 11, 2019
I am on vacation this week (I wrote this article in advance, in case you are curious) and during this time I’m not off on some off-roading adventure or visiting family, but instead am tackling the huge task of destroying the deck in my backyard and replacing it with a patio. That rickety old deck…
Week of August 4, 2019
Last Sunday’s reading from the Gospel of Luke (11:1-13) is one of my personal favorites, not just because in the passage Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray, but also talks about how God listens. More specifically, Jesus assures the disciples that God always listens, and always responds. Now, admittedly, that response is not always…
Week of July 28, 2019
In this Sunday’s passage from Genesis, we are treated to the negotiation between God and Abraham over the fate of the people of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is important, from the point of context, to note that this is not in retaliation for the well-known offenses of the men of those cities attempting…
Week of July 21, 2019
From the Rector’s desk.. On Sunday evening, July 28th, the newly-christened Kaw Valley Minster will be holding a solemn Evensong at Grace Episcopal Church in Ottawa, Kansas. The Kaw Valley Minster is a fellowship of parishes and other Episcopal institutions in this area that seek to find ways to minister to the community together, and include…
Week of July 14 2019
From the Rector’s desk.. This may look a little bit like those “back to school” sales you are already seeing in stores, but we are already doing some major planning for the upcoming school year. The two biggest items on the list are hiring a new Christian Formation staff person and renovating the lower level of…
Week of July 7, 2019
In the last few weeks, I have had the same conversation with two different adolescents. They had both been to our diocesan children’s and youth camp program, “Mega Camp” in early June, then gone to other overnight camps later in the summer. In both cases, the youth in question shared with me that their experiences of community…
Week June 30, 2019
Now that we are past Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, we as a church spend the next almost six months in the season of Pentecost (e.g. the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, et al). It is the longest of the liturgical seasons, using the same color green as Epiphany, as well as the term “ordinary time,” which is…
Week of June 16, 2019
Sunday is Trinity Sunday, and as such is our “patronal feast day.” For many churches, the feast day is that of their patron saint, the saint which their particular parish is named after. Often, the patronal feast day is a chance to reflect on the life, character, and witness of the figure as a community. …