How can I prepare myself to be “good soil”? Many years ago I worked with a woman I didn’t get along with. I had lots of good reasons to dislike this woman. She made my life miserable and I nursed that resentment for years. Then one day, I realized that the anger I was carrying was hurting me more than it was hurting her.
I like this passage as I do most that reveal the human side of Jesus. Here his ministry clearly is starting to heat up: crowds are thronging and follow him home, his family and many others think he’s crazy, and the Pharisees proclaim he is possessed by the devil. Sounding maybe even a bit peeved, Jesus dismisses the latter with a clever rhetorical flourish
Do we, in Mark’s Gospel passage, witness the most significant and important act of delegation in the history of the world? We see and hear it every day: “Can you assist me with this?” “Can you take something off my plate?” “I’m in the weeds – can you help me out?” It makes our lives – work and personal – more manageable, more tolerable,
Each of today’s readings encourages us to look at the unexamined and repressed. Pharaoh’s dream mystified him because flourishing and withering crops were equally vivid. The Pharisees’ disciplined themselves to worship righteously on the Sabbath and were blind to the need to heal. Paul refused to judge himself good and his neighbor failing because only God could see the whole, the light and the
Ascension’s Social Concerns and Action Committee will be meeting next Sunday at 12:30 in the front meeting room of the rectory. The meeting is open to all who are interested in attending. House Eucharists – Be sure to sign up for one of the House Eucharists that will be held during Lent. The sign-up sheets are on the bulletin board in the Parish hall.
FRANCK, MENDELSSOHN & BACH Cantabile (from Trois Pièces) César Franck (1822-1890) One of the twelve great organ pieces of Franck, this sweet, touching piece is very beautiful indeed. It begins with four rich chords on the foundation stops (fonds) of the Grand-Orgue division, with the principal melody of the piece hinted at in the pedal line. Then the melody officially starts – on a
She was no angel. At 82 she was still beautiful, with elegant hands and a perfect profile. But she was no angel. Her sense of humor could be raunchy and cruel. She pulled people’s strings like a virtuoso. But she loved her children. And she loved her grandchildren. God, not so much. We spoke about God. I shared my faith. She shared her life
I will confine my comments to the Psalms. Although the psalmist refers to God as a “refuge” in Psalm 46, he most often emphasizes God’s strength and force: “my rock and my redeemer” (19); “He makes wars cease” (46); “God the Lord speaks and summons the earth . . .” (50); “. . . for you, O God, are my fortress.” (59); “. .
Today’s reading in Genesis describes Joseph’s brothers’ jealousy of their father’s love for him, and fear of his abilities to interpret his dreams. They sell him to traders and allow their father to believe he has been killed by wild beasts, rather than see Joseph’s spiritual gifts as a way for them to grow in wisdom. Psalm 119 speaks of God’s statutes providing comfort
At its January meeting the vestry: Heard Fr. Andrew report on the success of the preparations for the re-opening of the sanctuary on Christmas Eve 2010. Heard Fr. Andrew extend his special thanks to the four departing Vestry members, Mary Gaillard, Barbara Head, Steven Hubbard and Stanley Weinberg and to Warden John Grimes, for their service during their current terms of office. Heard Mtr.