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…
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…
This post needs very little introduction. Memorial Day weekend will be here before you know it — time to pack our beach bags full of books. But what books? I reached out to the voracious readers of Emmanuel and collected a treasure trove of recommendations! I promise you there is something on the list (listed…
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…
WE WERE at one of my favorite places on earth—Shrinemont! The whole family was there for our parish weekend in August. Wendy and the girls were at the pool and the boys wanted to join the hike up to North Mountain. I had to finish something for the program that evening so told the boys…
Be present in my words, oh God, and in all our hearts. Amen. Typically, preachers always look to the lessons for the week for their sermons. The Old Testament, New Testament, or most commonly, the Gospel. But each week, part of our Lectionary – the selected daily readings in the Episcopal Church – is also…
I don’t know much about snakes. Really, I don’t know anything. I think they’re weird animals – not at all cuddly, frankly a little creepy, they’re just not my thing. But this line from John the Baptist stands out to me every time I hear it: “you brood of vipers.” Turns out, vipers are interesting. They are venomous, of course, and can cause serious bodily harm…
This week we celebrate two feast days: today is “Christ the King” Sunday, where we reflect on God’s claim of dominion in our lives, with our Gospel reading the dramatic courtroom confrontation between Pilate and Jesus. Thursday is Thanksgiving, our great American celebration day, with the dramatic confrontation over whether to have that second piece…
This is a tough Sunday for me to preach. On the one hand, it’s been a big week for me, personally. I graduated on Thursday, my husband and I move on Tuesday, and this is the last time I am privileged to address you in my current capacity. I feel the need to mention and…
There we stood, the parish priest, the janitor, and me. The sink in the newly-renovated parish kitchen was emitting a gentle jet of water, straight up and out of the base of the faucet, which gracefully landed—thankfully—in the sink. The three of us stood in silence for a while, gaping, amazed that a brand-new sink…
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