Well, Lent is upon us again, and we find ourselves starting out on a path that always begins with wilderness and temptation. If we know the stories of our ancestors we know that wilderness and temptation take us back to times that are almost prehistoric, to a story of wandering in the wilderness not for … read
A recent TED talk explored what lifestyle choices might enable a person to live to be a hundred. Developmental psychologist Susan Pinker studied the residents of a small village on the island of Sardinia where there are six times as many centenarians as on the Italian mainland, less than 200 miles away. There are 10 … read
During most weeks, I often find myself at the corner of 15th and Broadway, getting a cup of coffee, having lunch, or running some errand. For the past month or two, while in that area, I have seen an older woman sleeping under a blue tarp, shopping cart right by her head, in front of … read
This is a funny story, the story of the Magi’s visit to Jesus. It’s funny because, thanks to one particular hymn, and Amahl and the Night Visitors, and our sentimentality around the Christmas story, we have completely misremembered it. Here in the second chapter of Matthew is the only place in the whole of the … read
I have long been a fan of the idea of the Incarnation, the idea behind the Christmas story that the infinite God chose to put on finite human flesh. For me, the Christmas story makes God more personal; it makes God real, somehow. When we see God in the baby Jesus, we see a God … read
In preparing for the sermon this week, I came across a delightful sonnet about this Bible story. It’s called “The Visitation” by Malcolm Guite. As you hear these words, picture older pregnant Elizabeth greeting the young and pregnant Mary. Here is a meeting made of hidden joys Of lightenings cloistered in a narrow place From … read