by the Rev. Paul McLain Not long after I first arrived at Calvary, the Reverend Bill Kolb sent me an email welcoming me to Calvary and Memphis, letting me know we share a mutual interest in pastoral care and inviting me to lunch at a midtown restaurant at 2:30. I emailed Bill back and … Continue reading “Brother Bill”
by the Rev. Scott Walters For the first Ash Wednesday since Ardelle and I entered the Episcopal Church 24 years ago, I won’t receive the imposition of ashes on my forehead by another Christian today, hearing the loving and unadorned reminder that I am dust, and to dust I shall return. This is a … Continue reading “Thoughts on an Ashless Ash Wednesday”
by the Rev. Scott Walters The 100 North Main building is an instance of something I’ve wondered at since my house building days. One would think that humans wear out the things we build. And, of course, we do. Boot soles and palms rub stair treads and handrails slowly to dust one touch at … Continue reading “Tending and Repair”
by the Rev. Amber Carswell Shakespeare’s Othello and Much Ado About Nothing are two sides of the same coin. Both stories feature couples in love and evil antagonists who plot to thwart that love by sowing lies amidst the good wheat. Much Ado‘s comedic arc, where the lovers overcome Don John’s shadowy machinations to … Continue reading “Shakespeare and QAnon”
by The Rev. Paul McLain On the day before Epiphany, a parishioner sent our clergy team an email sharing the tradition of Epiphany chalk. It is a centuries-old practice in some communities to bless chalk on Epiphany so that people may use it to bless their homes. The chalking is done above the lintel … Continue reading “Epiphany Chalk above Cracked Windows”
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 … Continue reading “Accessing Christmas”
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 … Continue reading “On Thomas Merton and the Psalms”
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 … Continue reading “Because it’s Clean”
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 … Continue reading “Grateful to the End”
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 … Continue reading “Hold Fast to What is Good”
