This column was written for and ran on EpiscopalCafe.com on 21 April 2012. We have a new addition in our household, a giant-pawed Great Dane puppy named Julian. She came into our lives recently as a 10-week-old, gangly, runt-of-the-litter, Brindle-colored baby and immediately wriggled her way into our hearts and minds. Watching her adjust to her new surroundings, with three new people and two new dogs (who are, as they constantly remind us, Not. Amused.) reminds me of missionaries and the adjustments they go through when they arrive in a new land. Just as missionaries need to leave … [Read more...]
We are the link …
September 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
John 14:6-15 When Bonnie asked me to come here to preach on the Feast of St. Augustine, I started looking for stories about your patron saint. Most of stories I found are ones you already know, but there is one story that dates back to his youth, when his mother, Monica, wanted him to embrace the Christian faith in which he was raised and become a priest. Augustine, we all know, had other ideas. The official biographies, which I think you well know, tell the story of how he left home to teach rhetoric. The unofficial biography … [Read more...]
Who and whose are you?
March 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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...]
Love and mission in Honduras
March 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Episcopal News Service has a great article today by Lynette Wilson on Ministerios Nuestras Pequeñas Rosas, Our Little Roses, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Our Little Roses is a home for girls who have been abused, abandoned or orphaned. It is one of the best ministries I've ever seen - a refuge of love and care for those who are in such great need, most of all, to be loved. Diana Frade, the founder of OLR, is a friend of mine, and I've been privileged to visit and serve at Our Little Roses five times. Twenty-five years ago, Diana started this ministry, as the article recounts, because she … [Read more...]
Living with the poor
February 26, 2011 By 2 Comments
This morning brought an e-mail from a former bishop in Rwanda, The Rt. Rev. Venuste Mutiganda, of a marvelous article published today in the New Times of Kigali. The article tells the story of two British diplomats - the High Commissioner to Rwanda, Ben Llewellyn Jones, and the Director of the Department for international Development (DfID), Elizabeth Carriere - who spent three days living with rural families in Rwanda. Why? So they could experience "firsthand what it means to live off less than one dollar a day." The article, found here, explores how these two high-ranking … [Read more...]
It is past time to listen to God
February 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8) In just one week, the U.S. government could come to a crashing halt. Really. All because our Senators and Representatives have not bothered to do their jobs. Since receiving, in January 2010 - more than a year ago, mind you - President Obama's proposed budget, Congress has managed to pass no spending bills. That's right. Not one. All our representatives have managed to do is pass continuing resolutions, leaving … [Read more...]
The art of the possible
February 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“Politics,” I said to a 20-something friend recently, “is the art of the possible. It is not evil. It is about how we work together to do the most good for the greatest number of people at any given time.” The 20-something was surprised. “What did you say ‘politics’ is?” she asked. “It is the art of the possible,” I told her. “I may not get everything I want, and you may not get everything you want, but in the end, if it is done correctly, if we are faithful, together we achieve the best result possible at that moment.” The 20-something was excited to learn … [Read more...]
How to do your part in Haïti
February 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Last weekend, I participated in the 92nd Council of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, where I did a presentation on Haïti and how we can be involved in partnerships there. At the presentation, I showed a movie I have made, Bondye di ou: Fè pa ou, m'a fè p'am ("God says to you: You do your part, I'll do mine). It is a 12-minute video on the history of the Diocese of Haïti, and how that Diocese is leading the way in helping the nation recover from the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010. It also describes the ways in which parishes, other institutions and organizations can … [Read more...]
Who said anything about ‘gentle’?
December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I woke up this morning with Advent on my mind. I was replaying in my head messages from friends and various Advent resources calling this moment in our lives a time of “gentle waiting.” “Gentle waiting!” I thought. “Why are we engaged in gentle waiting?!?” I’m fear that we are trying to tame Advent when we make this call. And I don’t think Jesus wants us to do that. I mean, what’s gentle about the Gospel lessons we hear in this season? Jesus tells us to keep awake, therefore, for we do not know on what day our Lord is coming. (Do we really imagine that the … [Read more...]
Easter in Haiti: Alleluia!
April 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Dear Beloved in Christ: Easter in Haiti Easter services here were incredibly powerful today. To be able to proclaim, "Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!" in a place that is still filled with death almost defies description. Hearing the angel proclaim "He is not here" in Luke's Gospel brought tears to my eyes, for there are so many -- perhaps as many as 300,000 -- who are not here with us now. At the English service, I read Bishop Duracin's Easter message to the congregation. (In Haiti, the Bishop is the preacher in all of our parishes.) In his message, … [Read more...]
