The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 11,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
In the wake of Sandy Hook two years ago, I preached this sermon on the Feast of Holy Innocents. In reading it this year, I can’t help but think of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Rafael Ramos, Wenjian Liu, and all those who have been murdered this year because of fear, hatred, and power.
On Monday, we gathered in this very room with our families and with dressy clothes and candles and a great glorious noise to celebrate the coming of God to dwell among us as a human. This is the miracle of our faith. Here we are, four days later, still in the midst of the Christmas season—you can see the flowers and the festive hangings—remembering the slaughter of infants in Bethlehem for the sake of Jesus Christ. We also remember tonight all innocent children who have been killed throughout time, especially those babes at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In this world, there is grief in the midst of rejoicing. Our God is not afraid of our grief, nor does he shrink from our questioning and doubt.
In grief and fear, we have choices about how to respond in our questioning. As we wonder about power and love and God, we can…
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This morning, I was contemplating the connection between keeping up friendships & keeping up with Jesus.
As 2014 wanes, I’ve been thinking about 2015, and filling up with aspirations–expectations–that I sort of know will crumble (but still hope they won’t); I’ve been saying that in 2015, I want to “double down on people.” Relationships have been so exhausting the last few months, but part of me knows that a lot of my wellness depends on continuing to interact with people, especially dear loved ones.
I realized that my relationship with God is the same way–though there’re years of history between us, I can’t just depend on that to see me through, I’ve got to continue to prioritize interacting with/time with God. My new internet crush, Katharine Welby, writes about the same kind of thing here.
I’ve come to believe that there are no coincidences in the liturgical calendar.
I awoke early on 22 December, just as light was beginning to streak the sky, having completely forgotten that the night before was the longest span of darkness for the year before and the year to come. Something made me realize it as I came awake in bed, and I hoped it was a sign that light is starting to break into the ice jam of darkness in my own mind, bringing to an end the exhausting and isolating but yearly phase of grey. Continue reading
“you can’t reason with grief
it has no ears to hear you.”
***
“Funny.
The world won’t let you keep your faith
But it won’t let you lose it, either.”
***
from The Women of Lockerbie, a play by Deborah Brevoort.
hope of things not seen 