“Rooted, but Different”

February 14, 2021

In this morning’s scripture reading, Jesus is in the presence of his spiritual ancestors. He’s on a mountain top with the two leaders who bring to the Hebrew people the Torah and the Hebrew Prophetic tradition, that provide the foundation for Jesus’ ministry. These traditions are not static. In both Moses’ and Elijah’s lives and […]

February 7, 2021

I got my start in climate activism when I was a Senior in College. I was working for Campus Life, and I was invited by Professor of Economics Eban Goodstein to be a part of the largest one-day teach-in that has ever occurred in the United States, known as Focus the Nation. Teams of students, […]

“One Yes…And Then Another”

January 31, 2021

Today we read one of my favorite stories about Jesus and his parents. If you’re ever wondering if you’re doing a good enough job parenting, just tuck this story away. You probably haven’t lost your child for an entire day and taken three days to find them. If you have, well, Jesus turned out […]

“Dreams Fulfilled in Bodies”

January 3, 2021

There is a joy in life that comes from reflecting. When we make space in our lives for watching for the Holy in the ordinary, we are sometimes gifted with seeing it burst into our world, iridescent, full of hope. I’m a fairly impatient person by nature. I want to make things happen, to be […]

“Surprising Gifts of Gratitude”

December 20, 2020

Much to my surprise, as a lifelong night owl, I have become a morning person this year. Finding myself up before the sunrise has been a bit disorienting. And yet, each morning, there is peace, drinking coffee in my favorite chair, seeing the first sunlight filter through our neighbor’s fir trees across the street. Silently […]

Old Promises Reborn

December 13, 2020

Isaiah and Mary both encounter the rebirth of the Grace of God in their times. Their words arise in the midst of the Babylonian Exile for Isaiah, and the Roman occupation of ancient Palestine for Mary. The Spirit of the living God is poured out on both of them, with similar promises of God’s […]

“Receive Comfort. You Ready?”

December 6, 2020

No one in the Emergency Room knew quite what to do with me as a Chaplain. It was my final Semester of Seminary, and three days a week I’d ride the train from Princeton to Penn Station, take the subway up to Columbus Circle, and walk into Roosevelt-St. Luke Hospital’s ER. I loved working with […]

“Harvest of Compost”

November 22, 2020

This season of Harvest for millennia has been a time of making offerings. When the grain silo is brimming, as the canned vegetables and preserves are put up in the root cellar, mixed in with the incense of bonfires rise the prayers of thanks for the harvest, and the offering of food to others, while […]

“Wait, Be Ready How?”

November 8, 2020

I don’t think the five wise bride’s maids got ready all on their own. I doubt that they independently have the same thought of bringing extra oil to keep their lamps trimmed and burning. Reading this text this week, I wondered if, In Jesus’ parable, there was only one or two who realized it was […]

“Called to the Table”

November 1, 2020

Tables are holy places. I learned from my mother how the beauty of a well laid out table could make any meal feel special. Candles, flowers, polished silver, a pitcher of water, the condensation on water goblets. There’s nothing quite like a crowded table, full of laughter, and tears, and life. I can think of […]