May 13, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Faithful Perseverance

Our vacation last week took us back to Maryland to visit good friends and spend some time with our daughter and her boyfriend. All in all it was a good trip, and United didn't lose our luggage.

While there I had a conversation with a clergy friend of mine (a non-denominational pastor who has served several churches and now also teaches a couple of courses at the local community college) that started when he asked, “Do you ever get tired of doing this?”

I had almost that same conversation with another clergy friend this past Monday when they talked about the low attendance at their church on Sunday and scrambling to find replacements for the assigned liturgical ministers.

We (clergy) are called to teach and preach. We administer the Sacraments. We absolve and bless. We baptize and bury. We do any number of things, seen and unseen, for the benefit of people, church, and God. And, at times, it can feel like a futile endeavor as we struggle to form disciples of Christ.

In a results-driven world, we can be our own worst enemies as we wonder why people don't attend the bible studies or other formation classes they've asked us to create. We wonder how we can make Sunday worship essential to people who see it as just one of several activities to choose from that day. We try to come up with creative answers when asked, “How many people are in your congregation?” And we fight to keep from comparing what we offer against what others offer.

Do I ever get tired of doing this? Sometimes. Some days are worse than others. Which is why I look for opportunities to learn and refresh, like the webinar I've signed up for later today called, “Holy Limits in a Burned-Out World: A Conversation for Clergy.”

But when I feel particularly tired of doing this, I remind myself that, more than anything else in my job description, I am called to be faithful. I am not called to be a corporate CEO. I am not called to have the most entertaining sermons. We are not called to have the slickest website or most polished streaming production. We – me and you – are called to be faithful in worship, prayer, and working for the spread of the kingdom of God. It can be hard. It can be discouraging. It can also be extremely rewarding and life-giving. And looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Everyone gets tired. Everyone needs a break – even Jesus went away to recharge. May we all be faithful, as the Lord is faithful, and persevere in working for the spread of God's kingdom.

Blessings,

May 5, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Vacation

In case you missed it, Joelene and I are off on vacation this week. We left last Thursday evening and will return sometime this coming Sunday.

We went back to Maryland to visit our daughter and her boyfriend, take in some sights, and have family photos taken. We are also reconnecting with a number of our friends while out there.

Vacations, for me, are a mixed blessing. The planning, prepping, packing, and pre-trip organizing can seem like more work than it's worth. And when I return, there's the unpacking, laundry, getting back into my time zone, and falling back into the rhythm of everyday life. I need a vacation from my vacation.

On the positive side, we get to spend time away, put work pressures out of mind, and just enjoy things as best we can. The fact that it hasn't been as hot and humid as it is during the summer also helps.

So know that we are enjoying ourselves, but we are also looking forward to being home in a few days when I hope to find everyone safe and healthy.

Blessings,

April 29, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Visibility and Invisibility

We pray that N. may be to us an effective example in word and action, in love and patience, and in holiness of life. – BCP 535

What does a priest do? They write sermons. They preside at the Eucharist. They pray. They anoint. They listen. They offer guidance. In the ordination service (BCP 531), they are tasked with “proclaiming by word and deed the Gospel of Jesus Christ . . . to love and serve the people among whom they work, caring alike for young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor. They are to preach, declare God's forgiveness to penitent sinners, pronounce God's blessing, and celebrate the mysteries of Christ's Body and blood” – among other things. Another place says that the job of a priest is to “administer the saving benefits of Christ's passion through word and sacrament.” And still another source says that the priest acts on behalf of the gathered congregation. If you look, you can probably find other descriptions of what a priest is and does.

Not all priests perform these roles perfectly. Some are performed better than others. Some days we fail more than we succeed. Hopefully we succeed enough to make a difference. These are tall orders and, as my ordination chaplain said, “not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and deliberately.”

The silver chalice we use here at Saint Luke's has a mostly hammered finish, but the bottom eighth of the stem is polished to a mirror-like finish.

On Easter, as we were praying the Lord's Prayer, my eyes were focused on the sacraments there in front of me. It was at that time I noticed my reflection in the stem of the chalice; or, rather, my partial reflection. The polished bottom eighth clearly reflected my chasuble, while the hammered finish immediately above obscured my face.

There are some who say that the priest is a stand-in for Christ at the Eucharist. I'm not sure about that, but I am sure that I am administering the saving benefits of Christ's passion through the sacrament being offered, and that I am acting on behalf of the congregation, especially in that moment. As I looked at that reflection of clear chasuble and obscured face, I was struck with the remembrance that what I do at the altar isn't what I do but what Christ does through me. Another way of saying that is, “It's not about me, but about Christ.”

Teresa of Avila said that we are the hands, feet, eyes, and heart of Christ. There are times when we all are called upon to be the hands, feet, eyes, and heart of Christ in this world. When that time comes, may we clearly reflect the presence of Christ while obscuring ourselves for the greater good.

Blessings,

April 22, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Whom Do You Follow?

The gospel passage for this coming Sunday is John 10:1-10, the first half of what is known as “the Good Shepherd passage.” It is here that Jesus talks about being the shepherd who leads his flock. He talks about being the gate that protects the sheep. And he describes those who try to climb into the sheepfold by another way as thieves and bandits who come to steal, kill, and destroy the sheep. This is in direct opposition to himself who comes to give the sheep abundant life.

A number of Church Fathers discuss this passage. St. John Chrysostom says, “Jesus rightly calls the Scriptures 'a door,' for they bring us to God and open us to the knowledge of God.” St. Augustine says, “Whoever would enter the sheepfold, let him seek Christ's glory, not his own. For many, by seeking their own glory, have scattered Christ's sheep instead of gathering them;” and, “Who is he who enters by Christ's door? He is the one who imitates the suffering of Christ, who is acquainted with the humility of Christ.”

Earlier this month the president threatened to wipe out the entire civilization of Iran “never to be brought back again.” This was a genocidal threat not based in life but based on death and destruction.

Early last week the president posted an AI generated image of himself as Jesus, later claiming he was posing as a doctor. This doesn't come close to seeking Christ's glory, nor is it anywhere near humble.

Also last week Pete Hegseth, in a Pentagon prayer service, supposedly recited Ezekiel 25:17, but quoted Samuel L. Jackson's assassin character from the Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction just before that character shoots a man to death. In using this quote, Pete was using the wrong door.

In Sunday's epistle, Peter writes, “when he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten . . .” once again reminding us of how Christ actually behaved.

We are asked to follow the Prince of Peace. We are asked to serve him who served us. We are asked to follow the Good Shepherd who leads his flock to abundant life.

These events of this past month should make us all stop and ask ourselves, “Who are we following?”

Blessings,

April 15, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Church

A church is a community that exists as, and only as, a participation in God's life-giving movement. – Anthony D. Baker, Wisdom, Knowledge, and Faith, pg. 20

The Episcopal Church hosted a Zoom seminar a few weeks ago that featured Episcopal theologians from a variety of schools and disciplines. The seminar was not quite what I was expecting, but the various participants (and some who were not present) had written essays collected in this book. In his essay, Baker puts forth the idea that Christian theology is “a study of motion;” that is, it's the study of our journey from and back to our home with God.

If we think about this journey, and we think about God, we can see that God is motion. From the beginning when God created “the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home” (Eucharistic Prayer C), to the sending of the prophets and his Son, to the eventual gathering of God and people in the heavenly city, God is in motion. And we are part of that motion.

Like the Prodigal Son, there are times when we wander away, but we also always make our way back. Like that son's older brother, there are times when we refuse to participate in God's expansive love, but hopefully we also choose to be part of God's family and make our way back into the house.

The mission of the Church is to “restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ, come together for worship, and to work, pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom. This is our participation in God's life-giving movement that Baker is addressing.

When we invite people to join us for worship, we are helping them move into God. When we sit with them and help them through the service, we are helping them participate in God's movement. If we are worshiping by ourselves, we are moving into God. In the moment we participate in Holy Communion we have made the journey to join with God in the hope that we become one.

May we never forget that, as God is bound together in the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and moves in love, we are bound together in a faithful community as we move from separation to union.

This, then, is the point of Church – to help move us ever closer into the live-giving movement of God.

Blessings,

April 8, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Making Christ Known

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith . . . Collect for Wednesday in Easter Week, BCP 223

The gospel appointed for this day is the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. This is one of the most famous resurrection stories – two unnamed disciples are traveling to Emmaus after the crucifixion and have an encounter with the risen Christ. They don't recognize with whom they are talking until Jesus takes bread, blesses it, and breaks it. It's at that point that their eyes are opened.

A few things to note here:

They didn't recognize him while they were talking about the events of the past few days. They didn't recognize him after they had been told about the empty tomb. They didn't even recognize him while discussing the scriptures. They recognized Christ when they had the experience of participating in what we now recognize as the sacrament of Holy Communion – taking, blessing, breaking, and receiving bread.

Christ is not limited to the overly miraculous. While Christ can be found in scriptures, it's probably not a dissertation about Christ in the scriptures that draws people to the faith. And we can talk to people about our experiences of Christ, but it's not our experiences that cause people to experience Christ for themselves.

Christ is made know in a number of small, intimate, personal interactions. Christ is made known in caring for someone in need, in the sharing of a meal, in a quiet conversation, in providing shelter or safe passage, and in any number of ways in which our eyes are opened to seeing another person as a child of God.

We don't need to heal someone of cancer or raise someone from the dead to demonstrate the presence of Christ . . . all we need to do is open our eyes to everyday interactions and love others as Christ loved us.

Blessings,

April 1, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Present Sufferings

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time . . . – Collect for Wednesday in Holy Week, BCP 220

What does it mean to “accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time?” Are we asked to not complain about what we're going through? Are we asked to lie there and take it? Are we asked to say, “God knows best,” and give up?

I don't think that's what this prayer is asking of us.

Instead, what if this Collect is asking us to compare our sufferings to the sufferings of Christ during Holy Week? Are we suffering because we speak up for those on the margins? Are we suffering because we show compassion to those whom others ignore or abuse? Are we suffering because proclaim a Jesus who didn't resort to violence?

And yes, I know that our sufferings don't always revolve around the above. Sometimes we suffer because of a severe illness, chronic pain, the loss of a loved one, or end-of-life issues.

Suffering comes in many forms and many contexts, and there is no one size fits all way to deal with it.

So maybe what the Collect for this Wednesday in Holy Week is asking us to do is to continually make Christ our focus during all times of our life. Are people attacking us because of our faith? Then let us honestly compare what we proclaim to the teachings of Jesus and use that as our foundation. Are we in chronic pain? The let us continually live a life focused on the life of Christ, in order to show there's more to our life than pain. Are we dealing with end-of-life issues? Let us live in the hope of the resurrection.

All of this may come across as pithy answers that don't really address the issue. But it just may be that this Collect is asking us to find a way to gracefully live in a way that proclaims the presence of Christ, no matter what we're going through.

Blessings,