When I volunteered to lead morning prayer last Sunday, I had no idea that the subject of the readings would be the apocalypse. The Old Testament reading was from Daniel, chapter 12: ”At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some...
Last updated: September 29, 2024 The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “arrival” and is also related to the words ad venire, that translate as “to come.” Since Advent has a number of moving parts, it is good for us, as pilgrims, to ask each year, “How do we Advent?” One answer of “how” relates to our journey in this season of waiting, where paradoxically we move and grow, but at the same time are called to sit waiting in stillness. Every year, we re-read the ancient prophesies, celebrate the joy of now, and look forward...
Last updated: May 29, 2024 Happy Easter!! On Easter we celebrate the triumph of Christ over death! Ok, yes I know – Easter was a few weeks ago already, and yes, I am often late for these kinds of things. However, we are still technically in the Easter season until Pentecost (right around the corner now), so I figured I should hurry up and just finish this blog post off. This year, I would like to share some really great artistic depictions of the resurrection. The Bible does not contain a description of the exact moment when Jesus actually rose...
The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross or the Via Dolorosa, originated from the design of pilgrimages that were wildly popular in the Middle Ages. Many pilgrims to Jerusalem wanted to literally follow the footsteps of Jesus as he walked to his crucifixion. During the 13th century, the Franciscan order became caretakers of the Christian holy sites, and the earliest use of the word “stations” to describe this Way of the Cross occured in the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy Land in the mid-15th century. Later in the...
I was alerted to the recent buzz about Mary Magdalene by my friend Laurie, who sent me this link to a sermon preached by Dr. Diana Butler Bass on the closing day of the Wild Goose Festival, July 17, 2022. In this sermon, Diana mentions research started in 2017 by Elizabeth (Libbie) Schrader, a PhD student at Duke University. Libbie, based on her examination of various early manuscripts, hypothesizes that the name Martha was added to the original story of the raising of Lazarus in John chapters 11 and 12. If this is correct, she is positing that Mary Magdalene...
