The Empathy of a Sissy

Readings for the Feast Day of St. Francis Galatians 6:14-18 Psalm 148:7-14 Matthew 11:25-30 This sermon was preached at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church on Sunday October 4, 2010. There was a discussion in a First Grade religion class focused on St. Francis of Assisi. After school, a First Grader came home very excited about what […]

Zinn and the Art of Cultivating Compassion

Readings for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Psalm 25:1-9 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37 This sermon was preached at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church on Sunday July 11, 2010. According to the Jewish Talmud, at a time when Jesus was around Nelson’s age,[1] there were two famous rabbis teaching in Jerusalem, Hillel and Shammai. One […]

Praise the LORD!: A Spirituality of Breath

Readings for the Second Sunday after Pentecost: 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) Psalm 146 Galatians 1:11-24 Luke 7:11-17 This sermon was preached at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church on Sunday June 6, 2010. A few years ago, American journalist and author A. J. Jacobs published The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the […]

Julian of Norwich’s Spirituality of Prayer

Readings for the Feast of Dame Julian of Norwich: (Acts 16:9-15) Hebrews 10:19-24 Psalm 103:1-4, 13-18 John 4:23-26 This sermon was preached at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church on Sunday May 9, 2010. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name. Amen. Today we celebrate one of my […]

The Tao of Doubt

Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter: Acts 5:27-32 Psalm 118:14-29 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31 This sermon was preached at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church on Sunday April 11, 2010. After the grand drama of Holy Week and the glorious celebration of Easter, we might feel overwhelmed with church on this second Sunday of Easter. (It […]

A Palestinian Perspective on the Prodigal Son

Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year C): Joshua 5:9-12 Psalm 32 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 This sermon was preached at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church on Sunday March 14, 2010. Last summer, I had the privilege of attending an international conference in Jerusalem, where I befriended several Palestinian Christians, shared Eucharist with […]

Transfiguration on Tamalpais

Readings for the Last Sunday after Epiphany: Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-36 This sermon was preached at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church on Sunday February 14, 2010. About 1700 years ago, a Roman emperor imprisoned a kind-hearted priest for secretly conducting weddings for young Christian couples. The emperor felt that weddings limited […]

Christian Pilgrimage

A Christian pilgrimage is a journey to a particularly sacred space where Christians can discover the image of God within themselves, others and the world in new and refreshing ways. In unpacking this definition, we will encounter some ridiculous relics, some excessive ascetics, and some smelly pilgrimage sites. Pilgrimage as Journey Long before Thomas Guides, […]

Christmas with A Kempis

Chapter 25: Earnestness in Amending Our Lives or From Allah to Zarathustra, There is Nothing Better “[One] has no need to go beyond Jesus, for [one] will discover nothing better.” Allah, Buddha, Christ, Dao, Elohim…I was thinking about going through the whole alphabet naming more Ultimate Realities, but I got stuck on “F”. I thought […]

Advent with A Kempis XXIV

Chapter 24: Judgment and Punishment for Sins or The 5 P’s “The [one] who habitually exercises patience goes through a wholesome purgatory while still alive” I have a weakness for alliterations, especially when the letter “P” is involved. Inspired by the above quote from today’s chapter, I have gleaned 5 ‘Advent with A Kempis’ Lessons […]