Category: Theological reflection
-
A story that won’t let us look away
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A (track 1), Proper 8—June 28, 2026 Genesis 22:1-14Psalm 13Romans 6:12-23Matthew 10:40-42 Readers of this blog will both be keenly aware, and breathe a sigh of relief knowing, that I am not a preacher. And I certainly don’t envy any preacher who might try…
-
Do what, now?
The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A (Track 1)—June 21, 2026 Genesis 21:8-21Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17Romans 6:1b-11Matthew 10:24-39 Take up your cross, the Savior said, if you would my disciple be;Take up your cross with willing heart,and humbly follow after me. (Hymn 675, Hymnal 1982, words by Charles William Everest, alt.)…
-
Oak Trees and Icons
The Third Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Proper C, Track 1—June 14, 2026 Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7)Psalm 116:1, 10-17Romans 5:1-8Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23) Note: I apologize that this post is so late due to health issues combined with just being overly busy. I’m a city-dweller, and I feel that in my blood. But…
-
When you’re called by God
The Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5, Year A—June 7, 2026Track 1* Genesis 12:1-9Psalm 33:1-12Romans 4:13-25Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 *In the Episcopal Church, there are two “tracks” during Ordinary Time following Pentecost; each follows different readings from the Hebrew Scriptures and accompanying Psalms. You’ve gotta hear this song by Tara Vanflower:…
-
Happy Pride!
(The kids are alright) Detroit’s Pride festivities are this weekend, but the whole month celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community. And I should note upfront that the subject of this blog post is not my area of expertise, so please fact-check. I was grading papers this week. One student,…
-
It’s complicated.
The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday Genesis 1:1-2:4a 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Matthew 28:16-20 Psalm 8 The image above is a popular iconographic depcition of the Holy Trinity, interpreting the three angelic visitors received by Abraham and Sarah as a representation of the Trinity. You can see many different versions…
-
Remember the Point
Pentecost (Whitsunday), Year A—May 5, 2026 Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21 John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 The lectionary is a choose-your-own adventure today. By way of explaining the enormous list above: It’s the custom in Easter for the first reading to be from Acts;…
-
God’s DNA
The Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A—May 17, 2026 Acts 1:6-141 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11John 17:1-11Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 My apologies for the lateness of this post; it was an unexpectedly busy weekend—I was barely at home, and when I was, I really had to sleep. For Christians in the Modern era,…
-
Us and Them
The Sixth Sunday of Easter—May 10, 2026 Note: I may revise this post later in the week. I had nearly finished it when my computer restarted for software updates and while the site keeps saying, “auto-saving,” it apparently did no such thing. Acts 17:22-31 1 Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21 Psalm…
-
Iona
A serious omission! I didn’t share this poem here. My poem “Iona” was published on Earth & Altar in December 2024, and I don’t seem to have posted it here on this blog! So here goes. You can read it on Earth & Altar‘s site here:https://earthandaltarmag.com/posts/iona (St. Columcille is better…
