Exposing Violence Through Forgiveness

This is a concluding reflection for the class “Responding to Human Violence” (John 2:13-22), part of the Lenten series “Beholding the Lamb, Being Held by the Shepherd: Exploring the Question of Suffering in the Gospel of John” taught at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church on Sunday March 11, 2012. According to Girard, violence emerges from mimetic […]

Being Held by the Shepherd

This is a concluding reflection for the class “Being Held by the Shepherd” (John 11:6, 17-37), part of the Lenten series “Beholding the Lamb, Being Held by the Shepherd: Exploring the Question of Suffering in the Gospel of John” taught at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church on Sunday March 4, 2012. (Lesson based on paper written […]

Ember Letter: Lent 2012

Dear Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno, I hope this Ember letter finds you well during this season of Lent. I have been trying to prepare my heart and soul for the celebration of the resurrection by fasting once a week and feasting on the words of Anglo-Catholic author Evelyn Underhill.[1] I have been thinking a […]

Beholding the Lamb in the Eucharist

This is a concluding reflection for the class “Beholding the Lamb” (John 1:29-39), part of the Lenten series “Beholding the Lamb, Being Held by the Shepherd: Exploring the Question of Suffering in the Gospel of John” taught at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church on Sunday February 26, 2012. When we understand that Christ enters into our […]

Abiding in the Love that Prunes Away Violence

This is a concluding reflection for the class “Throwing Branches into the Fire: Confronting Anti-Judaism in John and Anti-Semitism in Church” (John 9:1-7, 38-41), part of the Lenten series “Beholding the Lamb, Being Held by the Shepherd: Exploring the Question of Suffering in the Gospel of John” taught at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church on Sunday […]

Asking the Question with Julian of Norwich and the Buddha

This is a concluding reflection for the class “Asking the Question” (John 9:1-7, 38-41), part of the Lenten series “Beholding the Lamb, Being Held by the Shepherd: Exploring the Question of Suffering in the Gospel of John” taught at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church on Sunday February 12, 2012. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his […]

From Bashful to Bold

This is a draft of a paper to be presented at the Engaging Particularities Conference (“Engaging Particularities X: New Directions in Comparative Theology, Theology of Religions, Interreligious Dialogue, and Missiology”) at Boston College on April 1, 2012. Rabbi Norman Lamm, the current president of Yeshiva University in New York, tells of a time when he […]

The Secret Chord: Leonard Cohen and the Ketuvim

Several years ago, I wrote a paper comparing the lyrics of Leonard Cohen with the Ketuvim (the portion of the Jewish Bible including the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Chronicles). Cohen’s passing has moved me to revisit my “old ideas” about one of my […]

Evangelizing in God’s First Language

Listen to sermon here: Evangelizing in God’s First Language Readings for the Third Sunday after Epiphany (Year B) Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:6-14 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 This sermon was preached at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Berkeley CA on January 22, 2012. “For God alone my soul in silence waits; truly, my hope […]

God’s Resolution to Us

Readings for the First Sunday after Christmas Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Psalm 147 Galatians 3:23-25. 4:4-7 John 1:1-18 This sermon was preached at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Berkeley CA on January 1, 2012. (Watch a vlog of this sermon here) Happy New Year! This morning is the first morning of 2012. And I can’t think of […]