This post originally was delivered as a sermon for Noonday Prayers at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Enid, Okla., April 24, 2019. "If a thing is free to be good it's also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible." C .S. Lewis, in this brief quote from "The … Continue reading Genocide remembrance: Love, indifference and the long-suffering of God
Faith
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross, taken from "Beauty beyond words: Encountering Christ through art at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church" As Christians we are called to take up our cross and follow Christ. The Stations of the Cross, or Way of the Cross, is a 14-step reflection on the last day of Jesus’s human life, from being condemned to death … Continue reading Stations of the Cross
Good Friday calls us to walk in love, humility, sacrifice
In a society that increasingly calls us to worldly power, to the temptations of empire and enterprise, today — Good Friday — calls us back to The Way, to the path of humility, peace and self-sacrificial love. We know today as the day of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. But, it also is the capstone of Christ’s … Continue reading Good Friday calls us to walk in love, humility, sacrifice
‘ALL ABOUT CHRIST’ — Group extends grace to current, former inmates
ENID, Okla. — Each Sunday morning, 20-30 men and women gather at Grace Place, an annex of Emmanuel Enid, to have Bible study, sing contemporary worship songs and learn practical ways to apply biblical messages to everyday life. The worship service isn’t unlike many other church groups in Enid, with one exception — almost all the worshipers … Continue reading ‘ALL ABOUT CHRIST’ — Group extends grace to current, former inmates
OPENING A DOOR: Episcopal and Orthodox congregations sharing space in new collaboration
ENID, Okla. — East meets West in a new collaboration between faith traditions, with members of a local mission parish of the Russian Orthodox Church meeting for worship services in a chapel at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. An expanding service The Russian Orthodox congregation held its first service and fellowship dinner at St. Matthew’s, 518 … Continue reading OPENING A DOOR: Episcopal and Orthodox congregations sharing space in new collaboration
Sweatin’ in the desert of temptation
As we continue our internal journey in Lent -- our journey of penitence, of turning toward God -- it is essential we wrestle with the question of sin, of the devil's persistence in pursuing us and how we're taught to overcome temptation. I write this as a sinner, constantly tempted and often failing in the … Continue reading Sweatin’ in the desert of temptation
The yoke that still hangs heavy
This lay sermon was delivered for Noonday Prayers at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Enid, Oklahoma, Wednesday, March 13, 2019, the feast day of The Right Reverend James Theodore Holly. Today we remember Bishop and Missionary James Theodore Holly. The first black bishop in The Episcopal Church, Anglican missionary to Haiti and first bishop of the … Continue reading The yoke that still hangs heavy
Lent: Not an end unto itself, but a call to greater action
Most of us start Lent asking ourselves, or being asked, “What will you give up?” This act of giving something up – a favorite food, a frivolous pastime or common distraction – is all many people know of Lent. At the heart of Lent is the effort to identify those aspects of our lives that … Continue reading Lent: Not an end unto itself, but a call to greater action
Lent, and the dustiness of our being
Our entry into this period of self-examination and penitence traditionally begins with the visible mark of ashes on our forehead. If you’re lucky, the mark resembles a cross – the sign of our faith. But, whether you receive the perfect ashen Roman cross or something resembling a smeared Rorschach inkblot, the meaning is the same: … Continue reading Lent, and the dustiness of our being
The Methodist question: passion, pain and the need for grace
This originally was published by CNHI News in the opinion column "Reflections with Purpose." In the difficult and often rocky path of a Christian life, there is perhaps no task more fraught with pitfalls than striking a balance between passion and grace. And grace, my friends, is sorely needed right now as members of the … Continue reading The Methodist question: passion, pain and the need for grace
