The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies. It is filled with swash-buckling adventure, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and her daring rescuer—”the man in black”. Its not the adventure or the thrill of the chase or even the daring rescue of the princess that makes me love The Princess Bride, it […]
Fear is a powerful, motivating force. Fear has been used as a tactic for getting people to do things—we might threaten a child with a whippin’ as a form of motivation. Tyrants use it to force those around them to do their bidding. Bullies threaten on the playground in order to feel powerful. We are […]
Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. Sometimes I wonder if Paul might not be a little Pollyannish in his reasoning. I want to cling to this soliloquy but do I really believe it? How much suffering can be endured and does that really produce character? Its […]
It was supposed to be a joyous occasion. One in which we celebrate Eucharist—revival style—out on the front lawn with the bishop and Confirmation and a bar-b-que dinner. We should have had pretty table cloths and flowers and a blue grass band. We should have had face painting and bouncy houses and families camped out across the grounds […]
There are events and people in history that we consider great. There’s the Great Depression, Alexander the Great, The Greatest Generation, The Great Wall of China, The Great Gatsby—maybe not so much that last one—but you get the gist. We associate particular events, people, even places with the word “great” because they mean something more […]
I don’t know about you, but the road to Emmaus feels a lot longer this year. Looking back over the last six weeks of social distancing and quarantine, I did not have a true appreciation for what it would mean to “stay-at-home” and close down all non-essential businesses. Sure, its produced some great memes and […]
“Peace be with you.” The first words Jesus utters to his disciples upon his resurrection are words of peace. The first words Jesus offers to the one who doubts are words of peace. Even before his death, Jesus gave his disciples words of peace, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” […]
Alleluia! He is Risen! Easter Day has come at last. Though I know in my heart it is Easter, I’m not sure what day of the week it is most of the time anymore. My calendar has been turned on its head and I am pretty sure most of yours have been as well. When […]
It is tradition to preach the Paschal or Easter sermon of John Chrysostom at the Easter Vigil. This custom was begun in the very early years of the church and maintained in the Orthodox tradition. That makes since as Chrysostom was the Archbishop of Constantinople which would retain its orthodoxy after the schism with the […]
The work of death—that’s what many of us think Good Friday is. It is the day Jesus died, the day that death seemed to have claimed victory, the day the tomb is sealed and all of our hopes seemed doomed. It is a day of doubt and darkness. Death enters in this day and that […]