Accessing Christmas

by the Rev. Scott Walters

On a recent trip to novel., to redeem a Christmas gift card, I picked up a collection of essays by Molly McCully Brown titled Places I’ve Taken My Body. Molly would have been one of our LPS preachers last spring if we hadn’t had to shut down for the pandemic that is still

On Thomas Merton and the Psalms

by the Rev. Amber Carswell

I’ve observed two diametrically opposed approaches to religious life and the pursuit of God.

First is the pursuit of novelty. I don’t think we can often be accused of this in the Episcopal Church, by and large, but the pursuit itself is certainly familiar to all of us in a consumer-driven society. “If I just had

Because it’s Clean

by the Rev. Paul McLain

In the movie “Lawrence of Arabia”, Major T. E. Lawrence was asked why he was drawn to the desert. He answered, “Because it’s clean.” Perhaps that is why John the Baptist began his ministry there. The wilderness of the Holy Land is not like those we have in the Mid-South. Instead of woodlands, marshes, and

Grateful to the End

by the Rev. Scott Walters

At noon today (as I write), an Irish friend and I will Zoom (suddenly a verb in our vocabularies that needs no explanation). Pádraig is a poet and theologian and has worked in conflict resolution in the North of Ireland. He’s going to record poems for our Advent Service of Lessons & Carols,

Hold Fast to What is Good

by the Rev. Amber Carswell

A famous artist that Missy admires liked a photo of hers on Instagram. The problem was that it was a picture of Missy and me at the beach; the artist has never liked a picture of Missy’s artwork. This was the second time in a week I’ve had this conversation: a theologian I follow and

Time Horizon

by the Rev. Paul McLain

Last Wednesday morning, Ruthie and I arrived early at 157 Poplar to be among the first hundred people or so to vote in Shelby County. I must confess that I’m a “political junkie” who enjoys following campaigns and elections. But one thing that troubles me about our process of selecting leaders and deciding issues is

Indoor Eucharist at Calvary

We are thrilled and grateful that Bishop Phoebe Roaf has issued guidelines for the reception of Eucharist in one kind (bread only) indoors.

We plan to celebrate Holy Eucharist at Calvary beginning this Sunday, Oct. 18, at 10 a.m. All of our general protocols for Morning Prayer remain in place.

When receiving communion, both parishioners

A Maker’s Attention

by the Rev. Scott Walters

On my days off and evenings, I’ve been adding on to our tool shed. There’s not much room between it and the fence at the back of our lot. But a four-foot extension provided storage for bicycles and a few of my clunkier carpentry tools that I’d rather not lug up from the

Calvary Park Announcement

Some days, time seems to have ground to a halt in what we’re coming to call Covidtide, with so many ordinary markers and routines having been removed from our lives or altered beyond recognition. At other times, we find ourselves shelving yesterday’s plans, in light of today’s reality, in order to make something new happen tomorrow. Remember back in