Praying for the Royals
No, not the baseball team. The royal family of England. When Queen Elizabeth died a few weeks ago, I added two prayers to our Sunday...
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- Jun 2
- 4 min
What are you doing here?
Sometimes you read something and you end up with more questions than you had before you read it. What you read was good and helpful, but...
40 views
fathermark
- Jun 1
- 6 min
Drink This Cup
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation...
23 views
fathermark
- May 27
- 3 min
In Jesus' Name
It's more familiar to us than you might think. We are actually quite accustomed to people doing things in the name of others. It...
14 views
fathermark
- Apr 27
- 2 min
Belonging
We are something of a counter-cultural community. One of our church's mission tag lines is 'Share Community.' Our others, for the...
61 views
fathermark
- Mar 25
- 4 min
Coup de Grȃce
Okay, I admit it. I'm a bit of a sap for seeing pictures of grace in all sorts of places. Take for instance the ending of the movie...
31 views
fathermark
- Mar 23
- 3 min
We Won't Let Hatred Grow
As is often noted, music is a powerful and persuasive communicator. It has a way of getting around and behind our defenses without our...
68 views
fathermark
- Mar 1
- 4 min
From CRT to JRT (from Critical Race Theory to Joyful Race Truth)
Critical Race Theory has been quite the stir during the whole pandemic period: race defined along justice lines – oppressors and...
27 views
fathermark
- Feb 19
- 4 min
The Dangers of Re-entry
History is replete with religiously minded folks that went off the deep end. Just to name a few from the last 50 or 60 years, we could...
43 views
fathermark
- Jan 30
- 3 min
Wine of Cleansing
One of the typical Epiphany Gospel readings is from John 2 – the miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. You know the one – where...
22 views
fathermark
- Jan 9
- 3 min
Manifestations of the Divine
Epiphany. The season between Christmas and Lent. The actual Feast of the Epiphany was this past Thursday – it's always on January 6th. ...
19 views
fathermark
- Jan 4
- 3 min
Not Losing Our Story
Historically, the Church has found that the greatest way to spread the faith and maintain the faith is to tell the story. And...
22 views
fathermark
- Dec 22, 2021
- 2 min
Leaven
Jesus told another parable about the Kingdom. He compared its workings to the working of leaven. This parable is similar to the mustard...
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fathermark
- Dec 21, 2021
- 2 min
Mustard Seeds
The mustard seed. It's a very tiny seed, but it grows to be a large shrub or even a tree in warmer climates. When Jesus told the...
15 views
fathermark
- Nov 10, 2021
- 2 min
On Being Called Home
People away on long business trips. Lonely college students near the holidays. Military personnel deployed on combat duty. Homesick...
24 views
fathermark
- Oct 20, 2021
- 4 min
Idle Talk on a California Pier
People talk. Sometimes with a purpose, sometimes just to pass the time. Even idle conversation can lead to unintended run-ins with the...
30 views
fathermark
- Oct 14, 2021
- 3 min
Justice and the Joy of the Saints
Movies can be so unpredictable. Maybe it's better to say that my emotional response to movies is very unpredictable. Any good story has...
21 views
fathermark
- Sep 30, 2021
- 4 min
Thinking It Out: Predestined for Freedom
Predestination and the free will of mankind. Both are biblical truths, but they don't seem to fit well together. We tend to somehow...
12 views
fathermark
- Sep 23, 2021
- 3 min
Learning Contentment: lessons from imaginary fruit on an imagined planet
A wise old bishop (he really is old – in his nineties now) once described the sinful disposition of our hearts this way: “We want what we...
13 views
fathermark
- Sep 9, 2021
- 3 min
The Crazy World of News - Again
Two posts ago, I mentioned that I would be doing a three-post series on the crazy world of news media. This is the third post and really...
50 views