A release from The Episcopal Church: An invitation to join “Beijing +25: Celebrating the Blessing, Realizing the Dream” online study group [June 30, 2020] The
“Like the preacher, the Christian must trust – must trust the grace of God and Jesus as the Christ that God is with her. That God guides and redeems and sanctifies even bad decisions. But second – and perhaps most importantly – it is the smallness of life that counts – living life at the cell-level. It is the one, Jesus said, who is faithful in small things who will be faithful in big things. It is the one who invites Christ into the small areas of life, who is honest and lives with integrity in the little challenges and events – who will find himself honest and full of integrity when facing the large challenges. That person is the one who wanders down the path of life with purpose and grace.”
“As Christian leaders, we believe all people have a right to the most basic needs of human life: food, water, and shelter. It is in your power to ensure that the most economically vulnerable Arizonans do not end up as secondary victims to the COVID-19 pandemic.” – Arizona church leaders appeal to the State’s Department of Housing Director.
“Because you say so, Jesus, I will listen. Jesus calls each of us, where we are, in whatever situation we find ourselves, and he invites us to use our entire being to bring hope and healing into the world. For some it’s letting go of insecurity and doubt, for others it’s letting go of ego, and for others it’s trusting their own voice to speak up for others.”
All of the Cathedral’s items are being reviewed to ensure that any connected with slavery, colonialism or contentious figures from other historic periods are displayed with clear objective interpretations and contextual information, and are presented in a way that avoids any sense of aggrandisement. – Canterbury Cathedral
“The message is simple. Round up, care for, teach, and feed my sheep. We see it in the reading from Ezekiel where shepherd, sheep, and instructions for the care of them, are repeated 18 times (Ezek 34:11-16). A shepherd leads a hard life. Cold nights. Hot days. Little food. The pay is poor, the work is dangerous. Predators, poachers, bandits. You are always on watch. And you must especially care for the weak, the ewes, the lambs. It is not your flock, but your Master’s.”
St. John’s Royals Oaks Episcopal Church was Zoom-bombed during its Sunday service. Outsiders managed to say the n-word and Heil Hitler, and (possibly) appear in
“Perhaps we do not need more things or more power. Perhaps we need more rest. Perhaps we work hard because it anesthetizes our pain. Perhaps there are better ways to deal with our pain.”
“All of my favorite spiritual memoirists are white women. The church communities that welcomed them are largely mainline Protestant ones (Kathleen Norris excepted). Those are, unsurprisingly, markers of my own identity. As influential as their voices have been in my own self-understanding, I might be identifying with these authors more than I am being stretched by my listening in.”
We’re looking for the good news in the story of Isaac’s near sacrifice