St. John on the Mountain, Bernardsville, NJ Isaiah 65:17-25; Luke 21:5-19 Here we are, on the brink of the change of the season. I don’t mean that Christmas is coming. Or Winter is coming. I mean that we stand on the threshold of Advent. While retailers have already decorated their stores with trees and twinkling lights, we who follow the liturgical calendar must first go through Advent. Before we can hang the greens or lay baby Jesus in the manger, we must spend a season in anticipation. Next Sunday is Christ the King. In two weeks, Advent begins. Advent was … Continue reading On the brink of change

Saturday in the Octave of Pentecost Trinity Episcopal Church, Cranford, NJ Romans 8:12-17, 26-27; Matthew 6:5-13 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” I grew up a United Methodist. My father was a pastor so we were in church quite often. I remember as a pre-teen being in a prayer meeting that I’m assuming was ecumenical, because of what happened. At some point during the meeting, we prayed the Lord’s Prayer in unison. When we got to this line, “Forgive us our…” I said, “Trespasses” just like I always had. But somewhere in the room, … Continue reading As we Forgive our Debtors

Easter 4C | Psalm 23; John 10:1-10 St. James’ Episcopal Church, Edison, NJ “The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not want.”  These are perhaps the most familiar words in all of Scripture. They are as old as King David, and even though very few of us have ever worked with flocks of actual sheep, we seem to have no problem understanding this Psalm. “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus proclaims in this passage from John’s Gospel, calling to himself the role and the imagery of David’s meditation. Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is traditionally known as Good Shepherd … Continue reading The Good Shepherd

All Saints’ Day, Year B | St. Luke’s, Metuchen, NJ Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44 A week ago, the streets of New Brunswick were filled with zombies and angels, vampires and cartoon characters. The littlest ones were looking for candy. Who doesn’t love a treat? Some of the older revelers were enjoying a witches’ brew that gladdened their hearts with a bit more of a kick. At the university we handed out water and food to over 500 students on the street, encouraging them to be safe while they were having fun. It’s easy at a young … Continue reading Weeping and Joy

Proper 5B | St. Thomas, Red Bank 1 Samuel 8:4-20; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35 The Children of Israel wanted a king. As Oscar Wilde once observed, there are two tragedies in life: one is not getting what you want, and the other is getting it. The Children of Israel wanted a king. And they got one. This was not God’s plan for Israel. From the call of Abraham it was clear that God had plans and expectations for his people that would set them apart from the other nations of the earth. Their diet would be different. You’ve no … Continue reading The Tragedy of Saul. The promise of David. The mind of Christ.

Trinity Sunday B | Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; John 3:1-17 St. Peter’s, Perth Amboy, NJ Today is Trinity Sunday. Looking back a few weeks, we’ve had some big moments lately – the Ascension (the day Jesus gave the great commission and then disappeared from their sight). Of course last Sunday we celebrated the Day of Pentecost, the unleashing of the Holy Spirit in a new way, what we sometimes call the birthday of the Church. So these disciples have become apostles, sent out into the world, empowered by the Spirit. Traditionally, this Sunday, the very first Sunday in the rest … Continue reading The Call to Go!

Easter 6B | Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; John 15:9-17 St. Peter’s, Perth Amboy In this season after Easter, we hear many of the stories of Jesus after his resurrection, of his appearing to the disciples, of the earliest witnesses coming to terms with what Jesus’ death and resurrection meant to them and to the world. Those stories are in the Gospel lesson each week. But we also get to hear stories of this same group of people, fast-forwarded a few years and even a few months into the earliest days of the Early Church. We hear those readings from the … Continue reading Unexpected Sisters and Brothers