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Lent

The season of Lent is almost upon us.  Soon we will hear again the call to a holy Lent. It is usually around this time of year that I am asked how the dating of Easter is determined.  Unlike Christmas, Easter is not a fixed date on the calendar.  Easter does not adhere to an on the third Sunday of March or April pattern, either. The early Church did not have a common date for celebrating Easter.  There were different dates. most notably between Western (Rome centered) and Eastern (Constantinople centered).  King Oswy of Northumbria gathered clergy and other scholars in 664 at the Council of Whitby. Among other items, the Council was to determine which dating system would be used to determine a common date for Easter.  Representatives from both side presented their cases.  At the end of the Council, Oswy elected to use the pattern that was in use in the Western (Rome) church: 1) The first Sunday 2) After the first full moon 3) After the vernal equinox T...
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**Sermon for 16 February 2025** The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C

                                                                             You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all. God’s kingdom is there for the finding. You’re blessed when you’re ravenously hungry. Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal. You’re blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes with the morning. Luke 6:(MSG)             What does it mean to be “Blessed”?   I am sure many of us have different answers to that question.   Our answer might be linked to what kind of day we are having.   Was the day stressful at work, for example?   The response may even depend on when in our lives we are asked.   A young parent with a career and family would, undoubtedly, an...
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"Answering the Call" **Sermon for 5 Epiphany C, 9 February 2025**

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”             Now, it has probably been a long time since someone asked you that question.   Perhaps as far back as elementary school or even high school.   Common answers, especially in elementary school include police officer, firefighter, teacher, and doctor. Do you remember what you answered?   Maybe your answer even changed over time.   Perhaps your career may have changed over time.   Gone are the days when people devoted 40 years to one company or to one career.   Second and third careers are much more common             This morning, we hear the call stories of the prophet Isaiah and of Jesus’ first followers.   Normally we tend to think of calls in relation to clergy and the religious.   Such vocations are a calling.   Monks, nuns, and priests and deacons are not the only calls...
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The Presentation

This past Sunday (2 February) was the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple.  Forty days have passed since the celebration of Jesus' birth.  Mary and Joseph now bring their infant son to be dedicated in the Jerusalem Temple. Jesus' dedication was in keeping with Jewish Law (see Leviticus 12:1-4) .  So here Mary and Joseph show themselves to be obedient, Law-keeping Jews.  We also learn of their social status, or lack thereof.  They offer two turtledoves or two pigeons (see Luke 2:24 and compare Leviticus 12:8). As God's Son, Jesus did not need to be dedicated or set apart.  Jesus, by divine nature, was already set part as holy.  Jesus was also fully human.  So He undergoes the human rituals of the people He was born into (circumcision, dedication, and Baptism) as a way of fully identifying with our human nature. (Although, on a note, Baptism was understood differently in Ancient Near East Judaism.) Simeon and Anna are wi...
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A New Creation **Sermon for The Conversion of St. Paul (1/25/25)

  Before marriage            after marriage Before children             after children Before cancer                after cancer Before divorce              after divorce Before retirement          after retirement                                                                  Before heart surgery     after heart surgery               These are just a few life-changing events.   I’m sure you can name events that have transform...
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January Lion's Roar Lead

Dear Ones, I pray that you and yours had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.   May God’s love and peace be with us all in this new year. The Vestries of both St. Mark’s and All Saints’ will have their Annual Meetings and Elections later this month.   New leadership will be elected to the respective Vestries.   Reports will be shared about the parish’s life and ministry.   We’ll look ahead to the rest of 2025. All Saints’ Annual Meeting is Sunday, 19 January after the 11a Eucharist.   St. Mark’s Annual Meeting is scheduled for the 26 th after the 9a Eucharist. One very important change will take place before the Annual Meetings.   The Wardens of both churches have agreed to amend the partnership agreement.   I will be shared between St. Mark’s and All Saints’ in a thirty-three- to -sixty-six split beginning 1 January 2025.   There will be, as announced, changes to the worship schedule.   This primarily impacts our friends...
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Happy New Year!!

 Well, almost . . .  Soon, those of us who follow a lectionary, will enter Year C.  The lectionary is a three-year cycle of Scripture readings appointed for use during the Sunday services.  Many churches (the Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and United Methodist to name few) use The Revised Common Lectionary.  A lectionary helps much of the Bible to be read (and heard) and prevents a random selection of favorite passages by preachers. Each of the three years in the lectionary is focused on one of the Gospels.  Year A of the lectionary features Matthew.  Year B (which we are just finishing) showcases Mark, with some John as well.  Year C centers on Luke's account of Jesus' life and ministry.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the backbone of the lectionary because they share many of the same stories about Jesus' teachings and healings.  They are called the "synoptic" gospels for that reason. It may seem rather odd to begin a new...
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