Celebrations and challenges in Egypt

egypt_map

My friend and fellow missionary, The Rev. Canon Paul-Gordon Chandler, has written an eloquent piece on Episcopal News Service about what is going on in Egypt, where he is serves, particularly between the Muslims and Christians. Paul-Gordon, a mission partner with The Episcopal Church, is an author, Episcopal priest and interfaith advocate serving as the rector of St. John the Baptist Church in Cairo. Paul-Gordon writes especially of how he is called to help facilitate dialogue and understanding between the two faiths and Egypt struggles to live into its new identity. He speaks, too, of how … [Read more...]

Let’s be scandalous!

Archbishop Oscar Romero

John 15:12-17 Ba ism al Ab wa al Ibn wa Roho al Kudus, Allah wahed. En nom de Dieu unique, Pere, Fils, et Sancte Esprit. In the name of one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. On the morning of Feb. 23, 1992, I was received into The Episcopal Church at St. George’s, Arlington. I had first come to that parish more than a year before, full of fear and trembling, for I was born and bred to the Roman Catholic Church, raised by Dominican nuns, trained by Jesuits priests, and I knew, on that first day I entered St. George’s, that what I was doing was a sin. I was … [Read more...]

Being known … and still loved

samaritan woman 450 enl

How often have we looked at someone and in that one look, made a snap judgment, placing that person in her place because of the way she dresses, deciding that because he is so good-looking, he must be a good guy? And how often have we had someone take one look at us and make a snap decision about who we are, because of how we look, where we are, how we act in that one second of our lives? “You could just tell that she was …” “I knew just looking at him …” Snap judgments, we call them. No matter how many times we discover -- later on -- that we were wrong, that the … [Read more...]

Build up, build up, prepare the way

mural

The Episcopal Church Foundation announced today that Archbishop Desmond Tutu, retired Primate of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, is joining the call to "build up, build up, prepare the way" for the rebuilding of the Episcopal Church in Haiti. Having served in Haiti for nearly a year, this effort is near and dear to my heart and, I hope, to yours. The announcement: FOR INFORMATION:          Teresa S. Mathes, Episcopal Church Foundation 717-599-0627  TMathes@EpiscopalFoundation.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Archbishop Desmond Tutu … [Read more...]

The MDGs: This is God calling!!

African Madonna

Keynote address for the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia's Millennial Development Goals Day 2011 One of the reasons I believe I was asked to be your presenter this morning is not just that I served as an Appointed Missionary in Haiti, nor that I served as an Appointed Missionary in Sudan … but because I have lived at the other end of the MDGs, the Millennial Development Goals, that I have seen the power and the hope that come from these goals, and that I can stand here, as a witness to tell you: It is good. It is good … that we gather here this morning to learn more about the … [Read more...]

Are you willing to die for Jesus?

Daiichi nuclear power plants

John 3:16 For the last 10 days, we all have watched with great horror and trepidation the terrifying events in Japan. A 9.0 earthquake, 100 times worse than the earthquake in Haiti. A tsunami that breached every wall built to defend against it. Entire small towns literally erased from the face of the earth. Up to 17,000 people believed dead, some washed out to sea, never to be found. Hundreds of thousands of people displaced, without sufficient food, water, medicine, or shelter. And, of course, the nuclear power plants that are melting down, or in the process of … [Read more...]

Emulating Joseph

Saint Joseph

The Feast of St. Joseph Today in our service, we are gathered to honor St. Joseph, the earthly father of our Lord, about whom we know so very little. Joseph has always gotten something of a short shrift in the Gospels. He’s not mentioned often – 18 times total, more than half indirectly; he never gets to speak … and then he disappears. But there are some things we do know about him: •We know he was of the right lineage – Luke says he was of the House of David and a son of Heli, Matthew places him squarely in the lineage from Abraham to David to Jesus. •We know he … [Read more...]

Who and whose are you?

The Temptation of Christ, Ary Scheffer, 1854

Matthew 4:1-11: A bilingual sermon for the First Sunday in Lent Whenever I read of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, of Ha Satan, the Adversary, tempting Jesus with food, with great spectacle, with power, daring Jesus to become someone he is not,[1] I think of TV commercials. Siempre que leo de la tentación de Jesús en el desierto, de Ha Satanás, el Adversario, tentando a Jesús con los alimentos, con gran espectáculo, con el poder, atreverse Jesús a convertirse en alguien que no es - pienso en comerciales de televisión. I’ve never liked most ads on TV. The ones that are … [Read more...]

Get your Lent on!

ashes

Updated ... Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent, the time when as Christians we are asked to step back from the hurly-burly of our lives to reflect on our relationship with God and the knowledge that indeed, we are dust, and to the dust we shall return. For many people, Lent is a time of fasting: from chocolate, cigarettes, meat, alcohol, you name it. With the rise of social networking, many are now choosing to fast from Facebook and e-mail and Twitter as well, because, as some have said, any of those things is addictive and therefore gets in the way of their … [Read more...]

Listen! Listen! Listen!

Icon of the Transfiguration by Andrei Rublev (1405), now located in the Moscow Annunciation Cathedral

Matthew 17:1-9 When Peter and James and John went up the mountain with Jesus that long-ago-but-memorable day, they literally had no idea what was about to happen.   They thought they were going to pray. After all, that’s what Jesus regularly did, and so for them, this was just another day following their teacher and Lord. But, really: They had no idea what was in store. Up they go, and boom! Jesus is transfigured right in front of them! His face shines like the sun, his clothes are dazzling white, and right there stand Moses and Elijah, chatting with Jesus! You … [Read more...]