Claimed and Named: Walking on the Baptismal Road

Today in our gospel reading from John, we hear John the Baptist re-telling the story of Jesus’ baptism. John tells a slightly different story around this event than do the other gospel accounts, but John’s gospel carries on our theme for Epiphany – that of Jesus’ baptism...

“Downton Abbey.”
How many of you are following this hit TV series on PBS?
I’m a recent convert.

There was something in the opening episode of Season Four that caught my attention.
I was struck by how a problem between two characters was resolved.

Mr. Carson, the head butler at Downton Abbey, and Charlie Grigg, a stage...

In all of the Christmas story, angels figure prominently.

And we’re not talking about “Hallmark” angels – you know, the beatific, cute cherubs with halos and wings and white flowing gowns that were all the rage some years ago.

The word “angel” from the Greek, means basically: “messenger of God”,...

Because many of us are so familiar with the Christmas story – of Mary, and Joseph and the baby Jesus in the manger… Because year after year we hear the familiar story repeated…

…the effect of this is that we start to think of the Christmas story as a story that is predictable, a story unfolding as planned.
We know what...

Are you feeling overwhelmed and anxious, these days?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Many of us these days are starting to feel the crunch of the end-less “to-do” list:
Christmas shopping, card-writing, decorating, planning the Christmas parties.
In my extended family, this is the year my wife and I are scheduled to host...

Every Monday after Loaves & Fishes lunch, four of us would hang out a little bit afterwards to play a round of euchre.

But last Monday, I witnessed something around our euchre table that really made me pause.

One of the lunch guests joined us, but not to play; but instead, to watch us play, to listen and learn.
Not only did she NOT know how...

The Sadducees ask Jesus a very detailed, specific question – about who a certain widow would be married to while in heaven, especially given that, on earth, she had seven different husbands.

This very specific, detailed question reminds me of the type of questions I remember hearing among some of my friends in grade-school, or was it early...

To me, the remarkable thing about the person with leprosy whom Jesus healed, is that he took the time to savour his healing, to feel the joy and gratitude, and to remember Jesus, the Giver of this gift of healing.

Where all the others healed were eager to rush back to Jerusalem, to show themselves to the priests who would declare them officially...

I came across an article in a recent issue of the journal Psychological Medicine which talked about depression.

The study’s findings suggested that religious people were just as likely to experience depression as non-religious people; and even more so, in some cases.

On some level, these findings are surprising. Don’t you think?

...

This is a confusing story, let’s face it.
The ending is so shocking. So opposite to what we’d naturally expect.

This downright crooked and conniving manager swindles and mis-manages his master’s funds and property.

And, then, what does the master do?
The master “commends” this manager, appearing pleased with him,...