Within Reach of St. RaPhael

Readings for a Celebration for a Home from the Book of Occasional Services (p. 156) Genesis 18:1-8 Psalm 112:1-7 3 John 1-6a, 11, 13 – 15 Matthew 6:25 – 33 This reflection was shared at the Reach in Eureka CA on the Feast Day of St. Michael and All Angels, September 29, 2021. The reading from […]

The Greatest obstacle to Gratitude

Readings for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21 – Year B – Track 2) Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29 Psalm 19:7-14 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on September 26, 2021. I’ve been reading a beloved spiritual classic from the 14th century titled I Fioretti di San Francesco, which translates […]

Gratitude Grove

This reflection was written for the Beacon newsletter of Christ Episcopal Church in Sausalito CA published on September 17, 2021. (Another version was published in the September Chronicle newsletter of Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA). Gratitude Grove Welcome to Gratitude Grove, a moment for reflecting on ways we are grateful for our spiritual family […]

honoring the wisdom in the Room

Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19 – Year B – Track 2) Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 116:1-8 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on September 12, 2021. As a freshman at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, I sat in a classroom that usually pulsated with nervous […]

Sacred Morality and Holy Ethics

Readings for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18 – Year B – Track 2) Isaiah 35:4-7a Psalm 146 James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17 Mark 7:24-37 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on September 5, 2021. Since 2013, I’ve been teaching Christian Ethics at the Episcopal School for Deacons in Berkeley; and this […]

“Our God is a Consuming Fire”

This article was written for the September 2021 Chronicle newsletter for Christ Church Eureka “Our God is a consuming fire” Hebrews 12:29 We read this verse at our last Sacred Saunter service in August when we celebrated the feast of St. Augustine of Hippo: “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). These words have […]

Sauntering with St. Augustine (in August)

Readings for the Feast Day of St. Augustine of Hippo This reflection (mostly culled from A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Calendar of Commemorations) was shared at Sacred Saunter Outdoor Eucharist on Saturday August 28, 2021 at Sequoia Park in Eureka CA. Augustine, perhaps the greatest theologian in the history of Western Christianity, was born in […]

A Community of Companions Ultimately Choosing Life

Readings for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 16 – Year B – Track 2) Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18 Psalm 34:15-22 Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on August 22, 2021. Yesterday, several of us celebrated the feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux by sauntering through the redwoods at Sequoia […]

Discovering Wisdom in the Woods with St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Readings for the Feast Day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux This reflection was shared at Sacred Saunter Outdoor Eucharist on Saturday August 21, 2021 at Sequoia Park in Eureka CA. Bernard was the son of a knight and landowner who lived near Dijon, France. He was born in 1090 and given a secular education, but in […]

A Community of Companions Walking in the Way of High Priestly Wisdom

Readings for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 15 – Year B – Track 2) This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA on August 15, 2021. Earlier this summer, Ashley and I visited a special exhibit at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco. The exhibit was titled “Last Supper in Pompeii: […]