Happy Father’s Day! Today we remember all of the fathers, all of the dads, all of the grandfathers and great-grandfathers. And all of the beloved father-figures in our lives — whatever gender they might be! So, today, of course, I remember my dad — who was a force-of-life in my life. (And I know what you’re…
Hello everyone and welcome to Pentecost Sunday, the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and, essentially, the birth of the church. It’s no coincidence that one of today’s Collects is a Collect for Hospitality. It begins with the words, “Welcome, welcome, welcome . . . .” — the perfect sentiment to recognize God’s intentional…
When asked what I do for a living, I no longer answer “clergy” or “Episcopal priest.” Frankly, lots of people just don’t know what to do with that. Stereotypes abound. We only work on Sundays. We are not allowed to drink nor to curse. And God forbid you should curse around us! (Truth be told,…
MY APOLOGIES!! I wrote this a few weeks ago for Memorial Day but set it aside and delivered a different homily in response to recent tragic events. Being Father’s Day, I have LAZILY repurposed this blog post about my dad for my June 19th homily. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ Father’s Day is a day to remember. A day…
A very good friend gifted me with a delightful and nerdy book: A Field Guide to the English Clergy: A Compendium of Diverse Eccentrics, Pirates, Prelates and Adventurers; All Anglican, Some Even Practicing. Written by The Rev. Fergus Butler-Gallie, a reviewer describes the book as “Ridiculously enjoyable” and I agree. The chapters are divided into various galleries…
This morning, I see several calls for celebration: in our country, it’s Mother’s Day, when we acknowledge mothers and mother figures who have touched our lives. In the Episcopal Church, today marks the commemoration of early Christian mystic and theologian Julian of Norwich, whose words are as relevant and beautiful today as when she wrote them in the 14th century. And…
Being one of six kids, when I was growing up, breakfast was quite a production. I can still vividly picture my mother and grandmother scrambling to get us all fed. In our kitchen on 24th Avenue, we had an L-shaped restaurant booth that we would all squeeze into which I thought was pretty cool. Weekdays…
On Sunday, low Sunday, we may still be a bit hungover from the intoxicating joy of Easter. A sugary spirit filled high-on-faith experience fueled by beautiful music, fabulous flowers, chocolate rabbits, and marshmallow peeps – so sweet and so compelling who could deny that day that the Lord is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. So,…
MY CONFESSION dear ones in Christ gathered faithfully here at Emmanuel is that my memory is bad lately. Not for names or faces: I’m having trouble sometimes with the day of the week, the month, or even what year it is. Some of that is the weather here in Virginia in April—winter then summer in…
How many times do you think you have washed your hands over the past two years? Especially during the pandemic – keeping things squeaky clean so that we would not help spread the virus. Way too many times to count on our fingers, right? So, lets’ put together a little equation: 365 days x 2 years x…
Emmanuel Voices 
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