Peace Be With You
I can’t help thinking about the last time this passage* came up in the lectionary: April 2020. Five weeks into the pandemic shutdown, our world had been turned upside down. With every passing week, reality seemed to become less and less tethered to… well, reality. Things that had been inconceivable before the pandemic were happening […]
Redemption is Waiting
I struggled and struggled with this passage, the resurrection of Lazarus.* Finally I had to accept there was no getting around it: I have really complicated feelings about this story. If I’m honest, what comes first is the hardest to acknowledge: resentment. I seethe as Jesus justifies letting Martha, Mary, and Lazarus suffer “for God’s glory.” Jesus […]
The Power of Ritual
Last winter, I listened to an episode of the podcast On Being featuring Katherine May, in which she discussed the importance of ritual in our lives– to mark the passage of time, to give us hope, to bring communities together at regular intervals. I found the interview so compelling that I’ve been thinking about ritual ever since. […]
Clothed in Humility
I’ve always loved John the Baptist, the lonely wanderer, the poetic beauty of being “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness.” But I confess, this year I read about John and thought he was a bit of a weirdo. Walking around shouting at people, wearing rough clothes, scavenging for his food– John’s behavior […]
