Series

But Who Do You Say That I Am?

Aug 27, 2023   ·     •   Matthew 16:13-20

God is still speaking to this Jesus following assembly here at St. Mark’s and has more for us to say and more for us to do together. More

Lessons in Democracy

Jul 02, 2023   ·     •   Matthew 10:40-42

247 years into this experiment in Democracy, I want to be cautious … Because of the shift in the body politic a service like this can be viewed as really close to the edge of Christian nationalism.
More

An Expansive God

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” When we hear these words, we feel that we belong to something bigger than we are. …When we sign ourselves, we feel protected, full of grace, and blessed. We church folk invoke the Trinity often, but we don’t like to talk about it. More

Turmoil Amid Triumph

Apr 02, 2023   ·     •   Matthew 21: 1-11

As we journey together through Matthew’s Gospel, turmoil is a frequent companion…it’s an understandable temptation to simply seek comfort and solace while overlooking the turmoil around and inside of us. Turmoil, like temptation, can help to clarify what is important, foundational, and essential in our lives. More

What God Can Do with Earth and Ash

Feb 22, 2023   ·     •   Matthew 4: 1 - 11

… what if repentance is not about moral transformation but rather a shift in our perception? A possibility to see the world anew. More

Evolving in Faith

Feb 09, 2023   ·     •   Matthew 5:13-20

…Life is more complex than a set of rules. Context matters, so we must learn to live with the tension: the tension of not knowing and of living with uncertainty. For that we need to find our inner compass. We need to learn to know ourselves…. More

When Christmas Is Born in You

Dec 18, 2022   ·     •   Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25

…the Spirit becomes the extension of God’s reconciling love and intervention in the world, and you are part of that amazing grace. In other words, when the Spirit of Jesus is born in you through the gift of the Holy Spirit, you participate in the Incarnation. More

Cold Fury at Not Seeing All of God’s People As Beloved

Jan 10, 2021   ·  

Cold Rage
So-called Christians 
Treatment of White Protestors vs. Black Protestors 
The thief of our BLM Banner
The continued threat against our city More

Don’t Let My Sorrow Make Evil of Me 

Jan 03, 2021   ·  

I have a friend, Bill and I do our best work teasing each other.  It is how we show love.  Years ago I was on the phone with him and I was complaining about something.   Bill said that I was too priestly to be this crabby.  I said, “buddy my 40 hours of nice is up.”  

So often he likes to remind me that things I say and do are not in line with my vocational calling.  So once again talking about something that was difficult, or crabby making involving the gun lobby, my friend Bill said that is not all that “Jesusy’.  I laugh so hard that he brings it up to me a lot. 

When I say I hate or I am not willing to sacrifice, that is not Jesusy.   More

What does Jesus have against goats? (Christ the King)

Nov 22, 2020   ·  

The parable of the goats and sheep are not just about a dollar to the homeless man, or a donation to Everyone home DC, or the Incarceration ministry or Washington Interfaith Network.  We should do all of that work.  The parable of the sheep and the goats is about changing our perception.  It is about changing our eyes, our hearts, our ears…so that we see.  In Native circles we are told we cannot see with colonizers eyes.  You can be 100% Native and still have be taught in residential schools and you have the eyes of a colonized person, so we must train ourselves to see a new.   More