Category Archives: Sunday Morning

Being Complete

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There was a just-ordained priest was asked to celebrate a wedding for the first time.  He was nervous. So he decided to seek help from the Pastor, who told him, “Don’t worry about it.  Just recite any appropriate Bible verse and everything will be all right. They’re not going to remember what you say anyway.” The day of the wedding came, and the priest was even more nervous. As he looked at the couple standing before him, he forgot everything he was going to say.  Remembering what the Pastor said, he quoted the first Scripture that came to mind, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Continue reading →

Necessary Dialogues

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The first reading today is taken from Numbers. It is during the time of the wilderness trek when Moses and the people have long since departed from Egypt but have not arrived in the Promised Land. There are lots of people on the trek and as you might expect, there are lots of problems and complaints. The Lord directed Moses to select 70 elders to help with the burden of leadership. As promised, the Lord gave the elders the gift of the Spirit and they immediately began to prophesy. At the same time there are two others, not selected as elders, who receive the same Spirit and they too are prophesying. Do the elders rejoice because the Spirit of the Lord is spreading among the people? Seems not. I guess human nature being what it is, the elders complain that the two are not officially elders. I guess their thinking is that the gift of the Spirit is only for elders. Moses corrects their misconception: “Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!” Continue reading →

Somewhere along the way

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Somewhere along the way of life, we adults lost a thing or two. Perhaps, it is part of maturation. But then again, maybe we simply lost something valuable. For the second time Jesus has announced to the disciples that he will suffer, die, and rise again after three days. What follows is either a remarkable calm, a stunned silence, an amazing lack of curiosity, a moment of “what did he just say” as a cover for lack of understanding, or maybe it is just fear.  I always wonder that if a child had been there, curiosity would have piqued their interest, especially that whole “rise again after three days.” I easily imagine a child saying, “You’re gonna’ rise from the dead? Cool! How’s that?” Continue reading →

Our Cross

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The English language is a colorful landscape of idioms, expressions and all manner of this and that. Sometimes it is like exploring the attic in your grandparent’s house. Never know what you’ll find. I have always enjoyed exploring the etymology, that is, the origins of words and expressions. One of our common expressions is used when we see someone who has to accept or is stuck in an unpleasant situation or responsibility because there is no way to avoid dealing with it. We remark “that’s their cross to bear.” Continue reading →

Open to listening

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When I was fourth grade I suffered a long series of ear infections and operations that temporarily left my hearing very reduced, some days, virtually deaf. I missed a lot of school that year and when I did return to class there were two things that still stand out in my memory: (a) I had to sit in the front of the class directly in front of the teacher so that I could maximize the chance of hearing her, and (b) I had to stay behind during recess for extra lessons or studying for all that I had missed. Continue reading →

Losing one’s way

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Losing one’s way. Not all that hard to do. You just need to stop paying attention. Don’t read the road signs. Don’t listen to your digital travel app telling you to turn. Be in the wrong lane when your interstate exit comes up. And that’s just in the world of transportation. There are lots of areas in life in which you can lose your way by just not paying attention: marriage, school, sports, career, and even one’s faith life. Continue reading →

The Next Wall

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I swam competitively most of my life: high school, college, and then later in life with the U.S. Masters swim program. I wasn’t gifted with fast-twitch muscles and so have never had a very good sprint. The middle distance events were my best events. My quip was that I was given a distance stroke with a sprinter’s endurance. A couple of years back I competed in a meet and for some reason signed up for the 1500-meter freestyle – a little outside my usual range, but certainly do-able. Continue reading →

Into Mystery

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Throughout the course of my life, most people came to know me via work in  technology and science, e.g., nuclear power, information technology, and the list goes on. And it’s true I know (…or used to know) those things, but even at an early age there was always a part of me that leaned into mystery.

The first mystery I remember was the magic of airplanes. I mean…. How in the world could something that heavy fly? At one point in my life, it was all explained by the “fact” that guardian angels held up the wings to safely carry their charges to their destinations.  Eventually I learned about wing shapes creating pressure differentials and lift. Mystery’s realm was encroached upon by knowledge and understanding. I still think guardian angels are there, supplementing lift forces, keeping airplanes flying. Just saying… Continue reading →

Days when I don’t get it

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Ever been in a conversation with someone – usually not an easy conversation – when the other person, exasperated with you, the conversation, or whatever just blurts out, “You just don’t get it, do you?”  ….and there it is… the end of the conversation.  Just a few words, well delivered that can kill  conversations or end relationships.

I suspect that along with exasperation, it can often be delivered with the characteristics that St. Paul warns us about: “all bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, reviling [and] malice must be removed from you.” We might well add to his list: “You just don’t get it, do you?”  None of the above fulfills the proposal to “be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” Continue reading →

The grace to persevere

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Several years ago, the Mars Chocolate North America company wanted to rejuvenate their product line of candy bars. Their creative partner, the global firm BBDO, helped them to launch a national campaign with the basic message: “you are not you when you’re hungry.” The television advertisements were wildly popular with stars such as Betty White and Aretha Franklin appearing in them. In all the tv spots the person just wasn’t themselves until a concerned fried offered them a candy bar. The Aretha Franklin spot always cracked me up. On a long cross-country drive one of the backseat passengers is complaining about everything – and while doing so appears to be Ms. Franklin. The backseat companion encourages the complainer to eat a candy bar because “When you’re hungry you turn into a diva.”  Continue reading →