Lockdown. It is the tragic and fearful state which we all experienced early on in the pandemic. Everything came to a halt. Sadly, some countries are in the midst of lockdowns again. What struck me as I considered the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples after the resurrection (John 20:19-23) is that they were in lockdown:...
Most of you are probably familiar with the military acronym AWOL, Absent Without Leave. It refers to persons who have left their posts without permission (but who have not permanently deserted.) In the midst of Lent, I want to re-purpose the same acronym. I think many of us are regularly Absent Without Leaving. In other words, we may be physically present (or at least virtually present on a phone call or video chat), but we are emotionally absent, our minds and hearts engaged somewhere else....
Have you ever felt like you are sailing in a fog? I think the pandemic alone, even without the other stresses we are experiencing nationally, makes us all feel disoriented....
I write to call for prayer for our nation and to reflect personally and Biblically on some of what we have seen....
What a traumatic and tragic week we have been through together. I am reeling from the report of the death of a Capitol police officer from the mayhem on Wednesday in Washington. I know many of you, like me, are still having trouble believing that the Capitol could have been under siege with members of Congress literally hiding in the building....
In light of the recent pandemic, you might feel it is better to worship from home, or your local congregation may not be meeting temporarily. If so, we invite you to tune into one of the following churches. These parishes will be live-streaming worship services this Sunday. Please click on the links below to visit their websites for more information. If your congregation...
Keep ReadingDear Clergy, Many of you are familiar with the book and movieThe Perfect Storm. It told the tragic story of one fishing boat lost at sea in 1991. It encountered a storm created by three converging factors: a ridge, a cold front, and the remains of Hurricane Grace. At the moment, it feels like we in this culture are facing a similar storm, a combination of a pandemic with...
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