A Sign for CHoni, King Ahaz, and St. Joseph

On this Winter Solstice, this shortest day of the year, as our Jewish friends light the final candle of the hanukkiah, and as the circle of our Advent wreath comes to completion, I want to share a beloved story about a Jewish sage who asked God for a sign of his loving presence during a […]

Thomas Merton and the Angels of Advent

Readings for the Feast Day of Thomas Merton This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on December 10, 2025 I’d like to begin by reading a poem by Thomas Merton titled “Advent.”[1] I invite you to let these words wash over you and fall gently upon you like a morning dew. Let go […]

“Do But Make Room for Him this Advent and Christmas”

This article was written for the December 2025 Chronicle newsletter for Christ Church Eureka. This Advent, I’m reading a book by an Anglican theologian named Donald Allchin who enjoyed a spiritual friendship with the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, whose feast day happens to be this month (Dec 10)![1] Donald Allchin was an Anglican priest and author who […]

Matthew’s Mini-Apocalypse

Readings for the First Sunday of Advent (Year A) This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on November 30, 2025. On this first Sunday of Advent, we generally wish each other a happy new year as we begin a new liturgical year together. So, happy new year! Today, we begin our three-year journey […]