A Two Goal Lead is the Most Dangerous Lead...

I have been studting for my sermon and part of the Gospel is very interesting, it is in John, chapter 12 vs 30 or so, some where in there, anyway, it says tha a voice came from the heavens and sme peopl einterpreted it as THunder. I just finished reading the commentary about it and one of the comments was that people beleived that any noise or phenomenon that came from the skies had special meaning. I began to think a little bit about that, this past week we had our very first Thunderstorm, and there were one or two peals of thunder and flashes of lightening that spread across the sky. We know now about why that happens, at least we can look it up, I am not so sure I can tell you right now, but science has described how Lightening nad THunder work. But I got to wondering about what people in ancient times did or believed when that lightening and thunder rolled. Miracles are things that are of the Bible and for many of us may not have actually happened so much as they are stories of...

Thanks to the courage and cunning of Jeff Smith this photo was taken while he was up in the bell tower of Get hsemane with the Architect and Restoration guy who is going to be working ont he Bell tower. How could anyone not give us tons of money to uncover these gorgeous pieces of art so the entire city could see them? Not to mention the rest of the windows at Gethsemane. These in particular are my favorites, at least they are today. I am hoping to have an open house on a regular basis that could explain the glory of these windows and let people in on some of the great history housed in the parish. I could stare all day at these picutre, thanks Jeff and to all who are members or members to be at Gethsemane, look at what we have! 

So this Sunday's readings include the attempted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. There are two thoughts running through my head as I read this piece of scripture. The first is an image that I, for whatever reason, was completely fascinated by while I was growing up. In one of the children's bibles we had around the house, there was a picture of Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac. It showed Isaac on the wood with Abe and his knife raised above his Sons body. For whatever reason, I was always drawn in, I recall, by that image, it sucked me right in, thinking back I believe it had something to do with the vulnerability of Isaac. Isaac was so very vulnerable, weak, helpless and, though I am not sure if I knew the story then, it seemed to me a true and living picture of what that event must have looked like. I am not sure where the picture is now, but whenever I hear this story, I wonder why I was so taken by the picture. It was probably some morbid fascination wondering what th...

I know, I know you are probably getting sick of these little puns on scripture, but I can't resist, its cheesy, but hey, its fun too! So the question of the day is what did the Spirit drive Jesus out in the wilderness in? A Hummer most likely, I have to believe it would be pretty hard driving a Cadillac or some other Luxury car in the Desert of the Middle East. I suppose it was really a camel. I Jesus was an Episcopalian from Minnesota, or rather the Spirit was an Episcopalian from Minnesota, it must have been a Subaru of some sort. Lent has arrived and I have found myself desiring NOT to do anything for Lent, it used to be a futile liturgical Season for me, I would want to change my ways in all sorts of different behavior patterns I had developed and the most I could ever get anything to stick was like a week long journaling thing that quickly because too tedious for all the things I had to do already in my life. Lately, meaning the last five years, I have not taken anything ...