Emmanuel
It was an angel’s explanation to Joseph in a dream that changed everything. His mind was made up. The plan was to quietly disentangle himself from Mary’s unlikely pregnancy story. His plan was painful but practical. But, now comes his own angel encounter. Same...
Question
John spoke his question for Jesus through a prison window. “Is our hope safe with you, Jesus, or should we hope in someone different?” The question is as old as the Bible and as new as today’s sunrise. Jesus answers indirectly by saying, “Blind see; lame walk;...
Worshipping Joyfully
2019 Bishop’s Address to the 113th Annual Council of The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta Good afternoon, brothers and sisters. The gathering idea for this year’s Council is “…worshiping joyfully.” We pull that directly from our shared purpose statement: “We...
Joy
When the Bible and prayer book speak of worshipping joyfully or just joy, they agree that joy most fully happens in response to God. And, it most reliably occurs when we are being and offering our full selves. The backdrop for this can be silence, service, spoken word...
Opening
God wants to do a new thing, call it an opening. This is how God operates: Death into life. A slave revolt in Egypt. Our God makes a way out of no way. Many feel that life has become a gerbil wheel-exertion with little progress at great cost. God wants more for us and...
Stirred
James Bond likes his martinis “shaken, not stirred.” But, according to St. Paul, God likes God’s people stirred, not shaken. We are stirred by the fact that we’re partners with God in God’s righteous purposes. Stirred that we have been given the good news that God is...
Testimony
“You are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.” A beautiful fact is on display in this simple sentence. Just as the disciples were with Jesus from the beginnings of his ministry, so Jesus has been with us from our beginnings. God in God’s genius...
Holy
The thing about God’s love is that it persuades. Gently, but clearly. Not controlling but accompanying. God’s love isn’t bought off by our charms. God’s love isn’t impressed by accomplishments. God’s love suffers through our egos’ need to recite our virtues until we...