tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54882473727124430072012-02-16T10:55:45.969-05:00Sarenoreply@blogger.comBlogger621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-67325760182389675852008-06-17T11:06:00.001-04:002008-06-17T11:06:48.258-04:00

Buffalopride0823.jpg, originally uploaded by w.wabbit.Clara Gillies! She's our deacon, and she's retiring this Sunday. We love her and we'll miss her serving among us. (Of course, she'll still be hanging out, but after serving for decades as a deacon in the church and on the streets of Buffalo to all those with AIDS, she's due for a rest.)And this past Buffalo Pride Day, she was one of the

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-4234624477775129662008-04-28T16:49:00.000-04:002008-04-28T16:50:36.689-04:00

Click here to check outThe Trinity Silent Meditation Meetup!

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-28089495982424721112008-04-07T14:25:00.002-04:002008-04-07T14:28:38.427-04:00

Cam Miller preaches (briefly) on the story of the Road to Emmaus, and then more so on Trinity's recent trip to El Salvador, what they found, and Archbishop Oscar Romero. This is part one of two for the complete sermon, and the text of the sermon can be found on Cam's blog at www.trinitybuffalo.org/camsblog.html. This sermon was preached at Trinity Episcopal Church in Buffalo, NY on April 6,

Sarenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-73560602722510364062008-03-30T19:58:00.001-04:002008-03-30T19:58:53.964-04:00

Whoo hoo! This is part one (of two) of Cam's Easter 2 sermon. I apologize for the poor sound quality - this will improve in future postings.Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of Cam's favorite days in the church is the day we read the story of Doubting Thomas. And so here we have a lovely sermon on why he likes Thomas oh-so much. Enjoy! (And don't forget to watch part two, also on Trinity's youtube

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-43244722267133304172008-03-21T16:49:00.002-04:002008-03-21T16:51:50.729-04:00

This was preached on Maundy Thursday, 2008Holy Thursday, Year A, 2008Luke 22: 14-20All during Lent, you know if you’ve been here that Cam, our Rector has been reinterpreting the gospels for the day. Today is my turn. What you’ve just heard is from the NRSV – the new, revised standard version, which is what most mainline protestant denominations use in Sunday worship, as well as many Roman

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-78215684201342072512008-03-21T13:35:00.000-04:002008-03-21T13:35:50.529-04:00

Major whoh.So, okay. There are moments like these that I think,a) this is why I'm still a christian.b) this is why I'm still a priest.c) this is why I haven't given up on the church, in general.d) this is why I like working for this man.SERMONS@TRINITY- Trinity Church Buffalo New York: Good Friday 2008

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-1046083427263255582008-03-19T15:11:00.001-04:002008-03-19T15:12:37.500-04:00

This reflection was given at Trinity @ 7, March 16, 2008Tonight’s theme is ‘spiritual storminess’Now, there are a bunch of differentWays you can think about this phenomenon,This sturm und drangThat arrives on the scene of our livesWithout so much as a by-your-leaveBecause the storm can be loud and showy\Like a thunderstorm at nightOr quiet like snow falling, relentlesslyOr sometimes, you only

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-41613003344332918572008-03-19T15:06:00.001-04:002008-03-19T15:08:27.618-04:00

This was preached at the Palm Sunday service, March 16, 2008The reading of the Passion was long today, as it always is, so I’ll keep my reflections short.There is a space between suffering and hope. It is like the momentary pause between the exhalation and inhalation of our cycle of breath – that moment where all is quiet, and if we wish it, we can touch death as well as life. Mostly, we don’t

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-33316467620478241512008-02-10T14:46:00.001-05:002008-02-10T14:54:51.538-05:00

This sermon will have been preached on Sunday evening, at the Trinity @ 7 gathering.“Life is shortAnd we do not have too much timeTo gladden the heartsOf those who travel the wayWith us.So make haste to loveAnd be swift to be kind.”*This was the favorite blessingOf someone I once knew.A friend of a friend – you know the sort.Someone who just seemed to embodyThe very best the world had to offerNot

Sarenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-87739872338115928442008-02-10T13:45:00.000-05:002008-02-10T13:47:25.346-05:00

This was preached at the early service at Trinity on this day of February 10, 2008.I would like to talk about how very counter-cultural Lent is.The season of Lent is not quite like any other in the year. Christmas is joyful – advent tentatively so. Pentecost is joyful, as is epiphany. Easter is unmitigatedly joyful, and the season after Pentecost is not without its joy – it’s certainly not

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-8643934032089004192008-02-06T10:59:00.000-05:002008-02-06T11:01:36.017-05:00

Well, so far so good. It's always nice not to utterly renig on your Lenten promises on the first day of Lent.Day one - BAC at something like 6am. Meditation, check! The other bits of my Lenten journey are much easier to do, and don't require near the amount of discipline as these two, and they're on track as well.Yay.

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-67381571500109736372008-02-06T10:58:00.000-05:002008-02-06T10:59:35.067-05:00

This is the sermon that is/was given on February 6, Ash Wednesday at noon and 6pm.Ash Wednesday, 2008Since coming to Trinity I have encountered a compelling definition of hypocrisy, which is the opposite of integrity. So, if as Cam has said to us from time to time, if integrity is the space between what you SAY you believe and what you actually DO decreasing, ever decreasing, then hypocrisy is

Sarenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-72204374669146607682008-02-04T14:17:00.000-05:002008-02-04T14:36:45.159-05:00

All yall who watched the Super Bowl instead of coming 'round to Trinity @ 7 yesterday missed something really rather cool. We were joined by our friends from the Buffalo Turkish Community Foundation who brought us, their neighbors, Ashura or Noah's Pudding which was not only an incredibly tasty sugar-fix, but a cross-cultural interfaith experience. ...Allow me to explain."Sharing Ashura is a

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-56464351940574699132008-02-04T14:16:00.000-05:002008-02-04T14:17:13.916-05:00

This was given at the Trinity @ 7 service on February 3, 2008Trinity @ 7February 3, 2008FreedomCan we be free if someone else isn’t?No, let’s back up – Where are you?Are you hurt?Are you hurting?Have we learned the lessonThat distinguishes the two?Hurt, meaning you have a woundA pain that radiates through your selfAn emotional tearA physical scarAn injury to your psyche, to your soulThat’s been

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-78328651739355071862008-02-01T14:44:00.000-05:002008-02-01T15:01:29.445-05:00

To whomever is in the neighborhood,You are all cordially invited to Ash Wednesday services at Trinity Church on Delaware Ave. This year, Ash Wednesday is February 6th. Services are being held at noon, and 6pm. (Yours truly will be preaching and presiding at 6pm.)To whomever is listening, neighborhood or no,YAY LENT!I think I might have started my lenten stuff early this year. I find this sort

Sarenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-48304670457403980942008-01-28T15:09:00.000-05:002008-01-28T15:10:38.227-05:00

This sermon was given at 8:30 am on January 27, 2008Answer readily the call of Jesus Christ – this is how our collect starts us out this morning. A request, a plea, even, to give us the grace to answer the call of Jesus, the Christ.“The call of Jesus Christ” – an eloquent way of distilling down three years of prophetic teaching capped off by a state execution.Now, I wonder – did the person who

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-7623990897379229242008-01-28T15:07:00.000-05:002008-01-28T15:09:17.204-05:00

This little something-something was given on January 20, 2008 at the Trinity @ 7 service.It strikes me that we live in a state of fear…or somethingMaybe it’s a state of anger for youOr worry, for herPerhaps there is variationAnd it takes slightly different formsFor each of usThere is an alternative, of courseAnd it doesn’t require a pilgrimageTo a distant land(Though sometimes that helps)It doesn

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-51842389972415019992007-12-31T13:04:00.000-05:002007-12-31T13:07:10.667-05:00

This is a reflection that was given on December 30, 2007 at Trinity @ 7I have often thought of enduranceNot to run the raceBut of what will lastFrom age to ageEternalOr as eternal as a flower bloomIn the timeline of historyWhat is five hundred yearsOr a few thousand, evenIn the span of humanity?But still, I consider enduranceA family name will not endureA fortune will not endureA violin will not

Sarenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-56559350938660942172007-12-30T12:41:00.000-05:002007-12-30T12:49:57.224-05:00

This was the sermon preached this morning, Christmas 1, Year A, 2007Merry Christmas.You know what I love about the season of Christmas? That it only really starts on Christmas Eve. Of course, all around us you would think that the official beginning of Christmas was the day after Thanksgiving (or is it the day after Halloween these days?), and the end is about noon on Christmas day, but this

Sarenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-44726791772196418822007-12-19T12:18:00.001-05:002007-12-19T12:19:49.489-05:00

It's a Christmas Collect somewhat different from the one in the BCP.O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of Jesus the Messiah, Prophet and Son whose message and ministry provide for us light in the midst of darkness, hope in the midst of apathy, and strength in the midst of weakness: Grant that we, who see him as our inspiration in this world may hold fast to our faith and

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-54721472650497795612007-12-19T12:16:00.000-05:002007-12-19T12:32:31.727-05:00

This sermon was given on December 16, 2007, which was Advent 3, Year A. When I wondered what it meant when we said that we believe Jesus is the Messiah, when I wondered if that meant that Jesus was God, or that Jesus was the Son of God, or that Jesus (along with all of the other prophets of the Hebrew scriptures, as well as the angels as we have them in the Hebrew scriptures) is a Son of God,

Sarenoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-62292631631272316152007-10-03T15:23:00.000-04:002007-10-03T15:25:14.272-04:00

Hey yall.My rector, the Rev. R. Cameron Miller, has gone and done it again. He's hit the nail on the head and if anyone is interested, please go read his blog. It may interest you to know that his latest entry is the column that got censored from our diocesan newspaper, and so the only place you'll get to see it is the blog. If you have no idea what I'm talking about - ykno the bru-ha about

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-12019208552549004322007-08-26T20:48:00.000-04:002007-08-26T20:50:12.097-04:00

This little snippet was given at tonight's evening service. Enjoy.Do you remember the second law of thermodynamics? If you ever knew it, if it didn’t go in one ear and out the other, if you aren’t one of those poor souls who never that the opportunity to experience the Joy of Physics Class.The second law of thermodynamics is ostensibly about the games that gasses play.A gas will expand to fill

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-55914992299645731332007-08-16T12:01:00.000-04:002007-08-16T12:06:20.403-04:00

Wowzameru.So, as a part of our website redesign, we're getting some new pics done of the church. The photographer, who uses a new and funky technique to get the most out of the shots, put a few of them up on her flikr site, and they are just gorgeous....Though, a slight word of warning: While most of the comments on the pictures are unstintingly kind and generous, both to the photographer and

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-38723628456762627342007-08-14T12:56:00.001-04:002007-08-14T13:03:30.666-04:00

"Never argue with a guy with a chainsaw," person A said with something like astonishment."I didn't argue," person B said with a totally straight face. "I turned the hose on him. But he sneaked back three days later when I was not at home and he chopped the tree down, anyway."...This was a conversation that actually occured during staff meeting. Identities have been sheilded to preserve the

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-83171918759359578772007-08-14T12:55:00.000-04:002007-08-14T12:56:07.061-04:00

This little something-something was offered in the evening service on Sunday, August 12, 2007.I have a secret to share with youIt is the way to enlightenmentIt is the path of righteousnessIt is the key to the kingdomI have a secret to share with youAnd it isThat there is no secret.Just do whatever is in youTo doBecause there is somethingIn you that yearns toDo this thingBecause you’d be so

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-83449873080282815072007-08-14T12:53:00.000-04:002007-08-14T12:55:06.333-04:00

This sermon was given on Sunday, August 12, 2007, which was Proper 14, Year C.The excerpt from Psalms today that we heard was only part of one whole psalm, Psalm 33, which really, is all about God: how wonderful God is, how God made everything there is, it’s a psalm of praise. Somebody was pretty happy about God when they wrote this. But it’s got some subtle digs in there, too. More than once

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-6279564278597445932007-08-14T12:52:00.001-04:002007-08-14T12:53:14.907-04:00

This little something-something was offered at the evening service, circa August 5, 2007.This was a day when nothing happenedAnd yet it was so full ofA nameless joyBut other than that, it had no destinationI woke up early andGot the day startedAll the normal, predictable things happenedI went to workWas completely preparedDid all the things I needed to doCame home to eat and daydreamReturn

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-83011868881642417582007-08-14T12:50:00.000-04:002007-08-14T12:51:56.695-04:00

This sermon was preached on Sunday, August 5, 2007, which was Proper 13, Year C.I want to talk today about greed. Greed. Examples of it, how to recognize and why to avoid it is what all of the readings today touched on. And yet, there was no clear definition that would help us along in our own lives. And since it is sometimes helpful to look back on a word that is so common to us, to take a

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-69929890979502453122007-08-14T12:48:00.000-04:002007-08-14T12:50:17.080-04:00

This sermon was preached on Sunday, July 29, 2007, which was Proper 12, Year CTeach us how to pray.That’s what Jesus’ friends and students asked him. Teach us how to pray. But of course, not just a simple, no strings-attached statement, teach us how to pray. It also has the added flavor of one-up-manship and whining. John taught his disciples to pray – won’t you teach us how to pray?But for

Sarenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-82467279976773854372007-08-14T12:45:00.000-04:002007-08-14T12:48:47.686-04:00

This sermon was given on Sunday, July 22, 2007, which was Proper 11, Year C.All who are weary and heavy-laden…All who are stressed-out and worn down,All who are anxious and frazzled,All who have had it up to here and can’t take it any more…Come.And this, you will notice, is not an invitation that will require a heck of a lot of hardwork on the part of the weary, stressed-out, anxious, heavy-laden

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-83879725415356332092007-07-18T10:59:00.001-04:002007-07-18T10:59:49.600-04:00

This little something-something was given Sunday evening, July 15, 2007.Just breathing on that veil that separatesWhat Seems To Be and What Isis the very thing that disintegrates it,leaving… something lovers and mystics,poets and infants,musicians and philosophers,parents and siblingshave been trying to explain to othersand themselvesfor thousands and thousands of years– time out of mind, really

Sarenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-65757287030496353912007-07-18T10:57:00.001-04:002007-07-18T10:58:15.350-04:00

This sermon was preached on July 15, 2007 (Proper 10, Year C)Who is my neighbor?The situation is a typical one. The new teacher comes walking into town – imagine the scene with me. I’m envisioning some Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western. The new teacher comes to town with some disciples in tow. Out strides the locals with one or two official types out in front. The guy in town with the biggest

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-29271363216250585612007-07-18T10:55:00.000-04:002007-07-18T10:56:58.538-04:00

This little something-something was given Sunday evening, July 15, 2007I was told at some point this week, or reminded, really,That the main part of the experience of happinessWas the decision to be happy.Now, that’s just the sort of reminder that I loveBecause it’s something simple(Though of course, not everythingThat is simple, is easy)It’s something I can actually affect myself,Something I can

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-24490211511999600422007-07-18T10:53:00.000-04:002007-07-18T10:55:45.999-04:00

This was the morning sermon preached on July 8, 2007 (Proper 9, Year C)We make our beds and then we lie in them. And yet, there is grace.You have watched us reap all that we have sown;We went through fire and through water,Yet You have brought us through our pain andInto your dwelling place.That’s what the Psalm teaches us. The Psalmist – whoever he was, King David didn’t write this particular

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-12409850490982106602007-07-18T10:49:00.000-04:002007-07-18T10:53:01.773-04:00

This little something-something was given on Sunday evening, July 1, 2007.I was thinking about expectations.I have always thought that that there were two sorts of expectations.There was the sort of expectations that you knew where unrealisticPies up there, in the sky.Hopes and dreams for the far future.Wishful thinking for a situation to be somehow,Magically,Different than it is.And then there

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-27716921537767006942007-07-08T17:22:00.000-04:002007-07-18T11:00:44.889-04:00

Sermon given at Trinity Church, July 1, 2007, Proper 8We have here some very somber readings. We have a reading from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – martyr. We have a reading from the Rev. Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer – martyr. We have a reading from Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah – martyr. The story about Jesus as it is told, has him on the road to Jerusalem – that final trip to Jerusalem,

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-84214957474926077732007-06-21T12:42:00.000-04:002007-06-21T12:46:45.603-04:00

The opening prayer for worship on Sunday. I deeply suspect this was written by my rector, The Rev. R. Cameron Miller. I'll keep you posted on that suspicion.Beloved,God of billions,who live in the igcognito of anonymitywho have beenhealedcleansedspiritually roto-rootedby your power that is so much greater than ourselves:have mercy on us.We are legion,each one of us -a legion of dawning splendor

Sarenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-6973958438037838222007-06-20T11:52:00.000-04:002007-06-20T11:55:28.538-04:00

Alrighty then. So, there's this DVD that my parish had made. It's a little old school, but it gets the point across. Do, check it out.

Sarenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-82631881029156425692007-06-20T11:23:00.000-04:002007-06-20T11:26:16.232-04:00

This is a short guided meditation that I wrote for my confirmation class to illustrate in a really experiential way, that we all have sacred space. I thought I'd share...There’s something that’s a little hard to describe, but there’s something about a place. It might be a memory that comes up, or a feeling – a feeling of being safe, or unsafe – think about it. We all have spaces that are

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-20631793058846075012007-06-20T10:52:00.000-04:002007-06-20T10:55:51.316-04:00

Trinity @ 7 Sermon for June 17, 2007Take a plane to New York City. From Grand Central Station take the train to Buffalo. Get a taxi into the city, right into Niagara Square. Walk down Delaware Avenue, away from the river and pause at Chippewa to get some coffee and some atmosphere. As the scent of the coffee hits you, know that even just for now, just for this moment, there is beauty in the

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-56486922383871592652007-05-20T13:04:00.000-04:002007-05-20T13:06:23.060-04:00

Trinity @ 7 Sermon for May 20, 2007No one said the Spiritual Journey was easy…“Now is the time to know that all you do is sacred.”-HafizWhat would it mean for us in our lives, right now, if we took this snippet of wisdom for Truth. Actual truth. Our truth. Right. Now.I have moments, mundane, every day moments when I understand this – I get it on some gut level that’s not always easy to put

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-8898040370827256532007-05-20T13:03:00.001-04:002007-05-20T13:04:29.073-04:00

Sermon from May 20, 2007Easter 7, Year CSome prayers come from our heads. Can you imagine it with me? Think of the list of people you know who are sick, or going through a rough time, or who are in some sort of life transition (most of which are good in theory, but end up being really stressful in reality). This list you’ve just compiled could qualify for the designation, “prayer list”. It’s

Sarenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-50948382549370471652007-05-20T13:01:00.000-04:002007-05-20T13:02:51.655-04:00

Trinity @ 7 Sermon from May 13, 2007(yes, I'm incredibly late.)Anger.I have a box in my houseIt is beautifully stained and hand carvedIt shows figures of immense stature and importanceWith their arms crossed, impatience and annoyanceWritten across their featuresIt is a large box, bigger than it seemsAbout the size of a hope chestFrom back in the dayWhen women had a hope chest in preparationFor a

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-74584567338224327552007-05-01T09:50:00.000-04:002007-05-01T10:08:54.419-04:00

So, the voting booths arrived on Friday. I saw them sitting in the chapel. I didn't think much about it until I arrived at work this morning, only to find a minivan with a little BVM on the dashboard in the parking space very clearly reserved for "Trinity Assitant #1". Which would be me. And I wondered to myself, in a not entirely charitable way, how could this be confusing to someone? I am

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-26535161589740208942007-04-19T16:08:00.000-04:002007-04-19T16:12:41.451-04:00

Okay. So yes, I can give spiritual direction, but I also need to get spiritual direction, and while I've heard it said that so long as you're reading Thich Nhat Hanh you don't actually require a spiritual director... I'd like one anyway.I've been searching since I moved back to Buffalo.I want a spiritual director who is progressive and gutsy. Local would be nice, but I'm fine with online

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-58454614120753908532007-04-19T13:54:00.000-04:002007-04-19T13:56:17.282-04:00

Trinity @ 7 April 15, 2007Tonight we’re talking about prioritiesBut not just prioritiesThere’s something deeper thanHaving a priority, an order of Importance in your lifeAnd that is seeing.Just seeing.When we really seeDeeply see a thing, sayA bag of popcornWe deeply see into our own SelvesWhen we see the bag of popcornHow do we know it?Not in the way of identificationPop secret or the boy scout

Sarenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-17128859467579202162007-04-19T13:52:00.000-04:002007-04-19T13:54:12.537-04:00

2 Easter, Year C, 2007Written by the Revs. Sarah Gordy & Fran GardnerPoor old Thomas always gets a bad rap. He’s gone down in history as Doubting Thomas, but he’s just like the rest of us would be in that situation. And it’s not like any of his beloved colleagues completely understood the Resurrection and were waiting at the door for Jesus with their hands on their hips, saying, “Well, it’s

Sarenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488247372712443007.post-14233971687509418642007-04-07T15:30:00.000-04:002007-04-07T15:35:06.123-04:00

Good FridayApril 6, 2007“What the death of Jesus does mean”The Rev. Sare GordyJesus died. He was executed by the state. And his followers were left, not only to continue on the good work he’d begun, but also, they were left with the nagging questions that still linger today, even after the moving hymns have been sung about being washed in the blood of Jesus, even after stirring sermons and

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Holy ThursdayApril 5, 2007“What the death of Jesus doesn’t mean”The Rev. Sare GordyAtonement. The definition of atonement, according to the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church is, (hu)man(ity)’s reconciliation with God through the sacrificial death of (Jesus) Christ.As we’ve heard on Palm Sunday, for those where were there with us, this is something that makes sense if a) you’re

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The theme of tonight is the spirituality of the wind and cold – which might be a tough one to swallow, a hard thing to imagine after the beautiful day we had today, and the practically balmy weather we’ve had for the past three days, and really, the sort of global-warming winter we’ve had.There’s something incredibly simple about a coldBiting wind. One moment the day is clear and seemsEven warm,

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For the previous parts of this preaching series, as well as its continuation, please head on over to Cam's Blog.The past two sermons have dealt pretty strongly with the deconstruction of Christianity – taking it apart,like you might take a toaster or a ’57 Chevy apart to figure out which bits are essential, which bits are the bells and whistles, and which bits are the ones that keep the other

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Trinity @ 7February 25, 2007There is a lot we can learn about God and ourselves from nature. Perhaps this is not news to you – perhaps you’ve felt all along that a hike in the woods is more than just a nice walk, that a waterfall is more than just lots of water going from there to here, that that brief and exquisite moment where you looked the hawk, or bear, or deer in the eye was more than just

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Tai Chi: slacker.Meditation: check!Creativity: check! ...that is, if planning creative projects counts. I've been planning out some new curtains for my office door, as well as a possible scrapbooking project for the very near future. I'm hoping to implement those plans tonight, over some pizza.I've been craving pizza.

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Well, alrighty then.Lenten Check-in: Ash WednesdayTai Chi - check!Meditation - check!Creativity - ...not so much. By the time I got home at 9pm, there just wasn't much left. Kind of a sad and uninspiring start to Lent, in that way. But, I console myself with the idea that in fact, Ash Wednesday turned out to be every-so-slightly busier than I had expected it to be. And in general, it was a

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Ash Wednesday, 2007It has been my experience that Ash Wednesday is a moment of solemnity in the year. Perhaps not a moment of outright grief, as Good Friday is, but certainly a time to make an attempt at humility, a time to recognize mortality, a time to deny ourselves the comforts of habits and vices and food, and as much as anything else, it’s all done to mark the beginning of this season that

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As I sit here and write my Ash Wednesday sermon, it dawns on me that I ought to post what I'm doing for Lent. Let's begin with a little prayer.Gracious and merciful God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all, blessing those who have engaged in a fearless moral inventory and sought to be reconciled with you, with one another, and within themselves. Create in us now, O

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Trinity @ 7February 18, 2007There was a woman who lived long ago named Theresa, and she had a vision of the inner life that I’ve always found compelling. She saw the soul as a castle – a huge, beautiful, solid crystal castle that glowed from some inner light. The Interior Castle. Like any such fortress it had many different areas, and different lines of defenses. There were the fields outside the

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Last Sunday in Epiphany, 2007Year CIn the readings today we hear about Moses and Jesus both doing a very similar thing. They both go up to the mountain, they both pray, they both return transformed (in this case, their transformation is marked physically by a glowing face), and they both go from there and act. Their actions are slightly different from one another – Moses goes on to lead his

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The Mentor's blog is going to be wicked interesting.His description: "This blog is not about me it is about a community engaged in listening to the whisper of God and our struggle to re-invent Christianity for the 21st Century. Christianity came to be caste in the image of the Roman Empire even though Jesus and the earliest Christians were about as far from emperors and coercive autority as

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So, alright, I'm an idiot - or I can be, at times. I'm happily swimming in my little LJ world, content with my writing communities, but lo & behold, all of my former classmates have Blogs. I've just discovered a bunch of them. It's kind of exciting. It's a brave new world.It's kinda cool - I'm not sure where to start...Well, alright, I know exactly where I'm going to start... ::grins:: I'll

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Right. So, I suppose I have to have a blog. Iffn I want to post on a blog, I probably need one, right?But what if I already have an lj I love and adore? It's a rough world. These are the sacrifices you make for a job you love.Behold, the blog. ...Ykno, it's kinda like having a work email and a personal email. I have a work blog and a personal blog... Multiblogging. If it's anything like

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