by St. Francis | Oct 9, 2026 | Rector's Reflections
For people of the word, whose faith is bound up in books, we often give little credence to words. We say things like talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words, and put your money where your mouth is. Even our patron saint is purported to have said, “Preach the...
by St. Francis | Oct 1, 2026 | Rector's Reflections
I heard the following story in the book Liturgies for Resisting Empires by Kat Armas, and she credits it to the indigenous people of North America. Once there was a great forest fire, and all the animals of the forest fled to the edge of the tree line and watched as...
by St. Francis | Sep 25, 2026 | Rector's Reflections
I can’t remember where I heard this, but it is some of the best advice I’ve ever been given. When life seems unbearably hard, and nothing is going your way, give thanks to God for what you have. Give thanks for the things that you never think about unless they’re...
by St. Francis | Sep 17, 2026 | Rector's Reflections
Why do I give to the church? I could instead ask the vestry to lower my salary by the amount that Jennifer and I choose to give and save everyone a lot of time. Or I could give to the church where I grew up, the one that sent me to seminary. I could give to some other...
by St. Francis | Sep 10, 2026 | Rector's Reflections
The church was full on September 16, 2001. When the bell rang, everyone stood. There was no talking, whispering, or rustling of bulletins. The quiet weighed like a lead apron on the congregation. The crucifer was flanked by two torchbearers, who were followed by...
by St. Francis | Sep 4, 2026 | Rector's Reflections
How do we reconcile evil in the world? This is a question I’ve received several times, and one I’ve asked myself. The direct answer is that we can’t. While we can account for human evil, natural evil (disease, disaster, famine, and death) throws the ledger completely...
