In the beginning was the Word. The preachers’ dilemma: words used to communicate the deep mysteries of God are like mallets used for brain surgery — blunt and clumsy instruments, ill-suited for the task. Yet, they are what we have in that brief liturgical window allotted the sermon each Sunday. So, we struggle to make…
Speech Acts
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God spoke and called worlds into being: “Let there be,” God said, and there was, and it was good — creation by speech act. A speech act consists of words, and sometimes gestures, which not only express but create that which is expressed. Speech acts are…
Marriage and Mystery
Tomorrow, in new cassock and surplice and for the first time as priest, I will read the Gospel and lead the matrimonial prayers in The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage. The couple is young and dear and in love (with Christ and with one another) and is, I feel confident, about as ready for…
First Blessings
I am a husband and father, a high school math teacher, a lover of books and music and coffee, a sinner by fallen nature and a saint by the grace of God in Christ Jesus. And now, as of 17 May 2015 — exactly fifty years and two weeks after my baptism — I am…
Are You Called to Ordained Ministry?
My work involves assisting people in what we call the discernment process, which asks “Am I called to Ordained Ministry?” People often want to know a good way to discern an answer to this question. I’ve adapted some material that I’ve written for use in our diocese, that may be helpful. This article doesn’t deal…
