We heard, in today’s Old Testament lesson, the beginning of the Book of Ruth. The scene was set, the characters were introduced; the three women in the story lost their husbands; Naomi pleaded with her two daughters-in-law to stay in Moab and find themselves new husbands in their own country while she returned to the
What is Ruth All About?
Priscilla and “What Can I Do for You?”
I was on a Zoom call the other day with our Sunday school teachers and as I listened to their vision and energy and passion for our children and the message of Jesus Christ, I couldn’t help but think of my very early days here at Epiphany. When I came, we had no Sunday school
Feast of the Virgin Mary
I’ve had Mary on my mind recently. I’ve been reading a book by Hans Urs von Balthazar titled Prayer. He was a Swiss theologian, who trained as a Jesuit priest, but left the order to be a more active in the world, and yet, also continuing to be a person who lived a life of
David
In my life I have seen three versions of Michelangelo’s Statue of David. One is the original that before the pandemic millions visited each year in Florence at the Galleria dell’Accademia. The other is a stunning full-size bronze copy purchased by John Ringling to be the centerpiece of his art museum in Sarasota. It was
It’s Okay to Feel What You Feel
Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends! How are you doing this first Sunday in Lent? This time I ask this not as a nice segue way into my sermon – be nice to the people Ruth Anne so they’ll want to listen—but because in my experience, in the average Christian year, we seem to really
Forthtellers of the Gospel
Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends: How are you doing? Where do you land on a scale from one to five? I know we were all looking forward to this New Year and the vaccine that it promised and promises us but so far, as a parishioner recently wrote me, this new year hasn’t necessarily
Our Collective Calling in Jesus
I am Kelli Martin, and I have been a parishioner at Epiphany for over 2 years. A group of us at Epiphany were talking recently about today’s Scripture: we talked about how a child getting lost during the time of Jesus’ childhood would not have been alarming at first. Parents wouldn’t go from 0-100 in
Let it Be
Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends! One of the things I most appreciate about our God is that God, my creator, really loves the real “me.” God is a down-to-earth, lover of all humanity and creation kind of God, who, even though I have spent years trying to live up to my idea of what
God Loves the Small Things
Something very small is about to take place. Something small, yet personally significant, at least to the parents, Mary and Joseph. A baby is going to be born. Certainly, in their hearts, there is a stirring, there is hope. In their imagination and conversation, they speculate and anticipate. Both have had dreams and visions around