“They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority” (Mk. 1:22). In our Gospel reading, we catch Jesus at the beginning of his ministry: fitting enough, as tonight we celebrate the new ministry […]
Learn more“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me’” (Jo. 1:43). Jesus called twelve apostles to be his followers, to be his inner circle or small group. He was […]
Learn more“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39). The court is still out on William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury: the court, that is, of […]
Learn more“The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders” (Ps. 29:3). “Onomatopoeia”: that’s a spelling bee word for a particular phenomenon where the word that’s coined resembles the sound that’s made. You know […]
Learn more“Light has sprung up for the righteous, and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted” (Ps. 97:11). They say that when the universe came into being with a big bang, the explosion was accompanied by an initial flash […]
Learn more“Let it be with me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38). Every so often, things pivot on a single moment. Our Gospel reading is a case in point. When the angel appeared to the Virgin Mary with the […]
Learn more“Among you stands one whom you do not know…” (Jo. 1:26). Jesus is at the center of every Gospel story, the “reason for the season” as people say; but in our reading today we encounter him on the […]
Learn more“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns” (Rev. 19:6). This evening we commemorate St. Lucy of Syracuse, a young Sicilian woman martyred in the great persecution under the Emperor Diocletian in the fourth century. Our saint […]
Learn more“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk. 1:1). Christians talk about “the four Gospels” (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), but it’s actually only Mark who uses the word “gospel” or “good […]
Learn more“Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory” (Mk. 13:26). “Hey, man, what’s up?” By the time I was a boy in the 1960s, “man” had become the generic honorific […]
Learn more“God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Eph. 1:20). In our second reading today, the apostle Paul is praying a blessing upon his parishioners in Ephesus. Paul is a pastor, tending […]
Learn more“Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand” (Zeph. 1:7). In Nashville, if you are out raking the leaves or cutting the grass at noon on the first Saturday of the month, you’ll hear the […]
Learn more“Then we who are alive will be caught up in the clouds… to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever” (1 Thess. 4:17). “Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for […]
Learn more“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9). At the most basic level, peace is the absence of conflict. These days there isn’t much peace around the world. Think about Ukraine; think […]
Learn more“All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 Jo. 3:3). Tonight we celebrate the Feast of All Saints’, and the new ministry of Chad McCabe, as Rector at Trinity Church, Clarksville. […]
Learn more“You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:15). Jesus was a great teacher, but his power as a preceptor did not depend on innovation. In other words, Jesus’ teaching was largely drawn from the […]
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