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Part of me flinches away from our Gospel reading this week. I don’t feel up to writing about suffering and loss, about denying ourselves and taking up our crosses, about losing our lives in order to save them. During these days that feel apocalyptic already, I wish I could focus on a more soothing passage of Scripture. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, or, He leads me besides the still waters, or, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. But no. This

St. Paul’s - Proper 16 - August 23, 2026 Do you remember in school when the teacher would come in and say, “Please clear your desks. We’re having a pop quiz today?” As Matthew tells the story, Jesus (being an excellent teacher) asks two questions in his pop quiz. He prefaces his zinger question with an easier one: Who do people say that I am? In other words, what’s the word on the street? What have you heard? What do the opinion polls suggest? I don’t know about you, but I

St. Pauls - Proper 15 - August 16, 2026 The world has always been hungry for good news, but right now, I think we might be starving for it. We’re exhausted by the onslaught of devastating headlines—one after another after another. The rise of infectious diseases. Earthquakes and fires. The rising cost of living.. The ailing planet. The catastrophic wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. The Immigration dilemma. The desecration of Big Bend National Park and state park. I could g

St. Paul’s - Proper 14 - August 9, 2026 Add verses 4-8: But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water.

St. Pauls - Proper 13 - August 2, 2026 At a crucial moment in the classic film 101 Dalmatians, Pongo, Perdita, and their fifteen puppies are huddled together in a small room, watching television, waiting for the right moment to escape from the wicked Cruella de Vil. One of the puppies, Rolly—despite being totally captivated by the screen—looks up and says: I’m hungry, Mother. I’m hungry. Perdita, tired and anxious, replies: Now Rolly, you’ve just had your dinner. But Rolly in

St. Pauls - Proper 12 - July 26, 2026 Me or we? It’s a question each of us faces and answers everyday as we say our prayers, make decisions, establish priorities, and live our lives. Do we live as insulated and isolated individuals or as a person connected to and interdependent with others? Me doesn’t just apply to a single individual. Me could be a group, a parish, a business. So me or we is also a choice made by churches and religions, political parties, corporations, and n

St. Pauls - Proper 9 - July 5, 2026 Yesterday, our nation paused to celebrate Independence Day. We gather to honor civic freedom, self-determination, and the liberty to forge our own paths. We celebrate the strength it takes to build a nation, the grit required to sustain it, and the heavy sacrifices made to secure our rights. For four Sundays now, we have been inside the longest speech Jesus has given so far in Matthew’s Gospel — the discourse on sending. In our lectionary t

St. Pauls - Proper 8 - June 28, 2026 "Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward." When I was a kid my grandfather often said to me, Mike, I can read your tracks before you make them. Sometimes he could see things about my life I couldn’t see for myself. Other times he told me what I already knew but it made more sense when I heard it from him. Sometimes we had difficult but meaningful conversations and other times he told me truths I

St. Paul’s - Proper 7 - June 21, 2026 Love triangles. I want to talk with you today about love triangles. You know what I am talking about right? You’ve seen the pictures and headlines on the tabloids in the grocery store check out lines. Love triangles are often the subject of movie plots and sometimes they are the circumstances in which a crime is committed. They are also a part of our lives. The question isn’t whether we are in a love triangle. We are, probably several. Th

St. Pauls - Proper 6- June 14, 2026 There’s a lot of pain in the world today. But you don’t need me to tell you that. It’s an everyday reality; physical pain, emotional pain, spiritual pain, and the systemic pain of violence, injustice, poverty, racism, to mention just a few. We read about in the news. We see it in the tears of others and hear it in their voices. Every one of you could tell a story about pain you have lived through and pain you are living with today, whether

St. Pauls - Trinity Sunday- March 31, 2026 What I am about to tell you may sound a bit strange. It might even sound as if I am being unfaithful and inappropriate, especially today, the Feast of the Holy Trinity. I think it’s important, however, even necessary. Ready? Stop thinking about God. You probably didn’t come here today expecting to be told to stop thinking about God so let me explain what I mean. Last week I met with a gentleman who comes to see me for spiritual direc

St. Pauls - Pentecost - May 24, 2026 Jesus showed them his hands and his side. That doesn’t sound a lot like Pentecost. When we think of Pentecost we usually think of the rush of a violent wind, divided tongues of fire, speaking in other languages, intoxicated by the Spirit. That’s how Luke describes it in The Acts of the Apostles. But John’s account of Pentecost tells about locked doors, fear, wounds, peace, a shared breath, being sent. Luke tells us that the disciples were

St. Pauls - Easter 7 stewardship- May 17, 2026 My guess is that most priests, when speaking of their seminary training, would say that very little, if any, time was spent in teaching or forming them to be a successful chief executive officer or business manager. This is certainly true for me. Yet, a significant percentage of my time is spent dealing with administrative matters. Every year our parish files a parochial report and stewardship summary. These reports are, as a col

St. Pauls - Easter 6 - May 10, 2026 My Sister-in-law, Nancy is a retired lawyer. For years, she would stand beside her clients interceding, presenting evidence, and arguing for rulings and verdicts in their favor. I wonder if that’s how we often understand the Advocate Jesus speaks of in today’s gospel. That’s how I saw it when I first became a Christian. Maybe that is now or has been your understanding too. This advocate would stand with us before God and try to persuade God

St. Pauls - Easter 5 - May 3, 2026 When we read biblical narratives, we tend to place ourselves as the protagonist--at least I do. Almost without thinking, I imagine that the only way to learn from the story is if I am at the center. In the call of Abram story, I rarely imagine myself as one of those not called. Instead I ask, what if God called me to leave my home? What can I learn about obedience here? In the Jonah story, I never think I might be one of the sinners in Ninev

St. Pauls - Easter 3 - April 19, 2026 Rarely does the gospel tell us what to do or believe. Rarely does it give us a straight answer. And today’s gospel, the road to Emmaus story, is no different. It doesn’t give us answers. It raises questions and invites reflection. It’s a map by which we orient and find ourselves. It reveals intersections of Jesus’ life and our lives. It begs to be recognized as a story about our lives, and it is a story with which we are familiar. It is a

St. Pauls - Easter 2 - April 12, 2026 Lent to Eastertide. Death to life. Sorrow to joy. Is it just me, or does the transition feel harder this year? Harder to grasp? Harder to celebrate? Yes, I believe the tomb is empty. Christ is risen, death has been defeated, our sins are forgiven, and love wins. I believe all of this. And yet…. How should we live into the resurrection at a time when evil, death and cruelty, and uncertainty appears to be in charge? Where and how

St. Pauls - Palm Sunday - March 29, 2026 Yesterday, March 28th, was the third No Kings Day protest and today, Sunday, March 29th, is Palm Sunday, but here’s what I wonder: What if Palm Sunday was the original No Kings protest ? What if Jesus, the disciples, and the crowd that follows Jesus are protesting violence, injustice, and imperial power? Under the Roman Empire’s oppressive thumb, there was plenty to protest about. Instead of protest songs there were shouts of Hosanna!

St. Paul’s - Lent 5 - March 22, 2026 There may be only one thing everyone can agree on: every day it appears more and more that things are falling apart – both here and around the world, and including the world itself. This experience of falling apart generates fear, and some people and groups try to induce fear on purpose. Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun reminds us that fear is a natural part of life, especially when we feel there is nothing to hold onto. Yet, she writes, “Fear

St. Paul’s - Lent 4 - 3/15/2026 Today’s gospel ( John 9:1-41 ) offers multiple possibilities for a sermon. We could talk about the disciples’ question and the relationship of sin and this man’s blindness. Is it a punishment? Is that how God is? Or we could talk about Jesus making a mud salve for the man’s eye. What’s that about? It offers a sermon on healing. I was blind and now I see. What’s that all about? Another sermon could focus on the man’s neighbors and their failure