sola gratia

One bread, one body, one Lord of all, one cup of blessing which we bless. And we, though many throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord. -"One Bread, One Body" (John B. Foley) Christians are good at finding things about which we disagree.  This has been the case since before the Church’s birth, and continues to be true at every level: universal, denominational, and congregational.  We debate doctrine, quarrel over worship style, and argue about what color the sanctuary carpet should be.  Frankly, it seems at times that there isn’t much about which we concur. Even concerning things about which we generally agree, like the necessity of Eucharistic observance, we find some degree of discord as it pertains to the details.  While all Christians partake of this meal in some form, we have vastly differing opinions about it.  How often should it be celebrated; is it something we ought to do weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually?  When ...

First Sunday in Lent (C) | 17-Feb-13 Deuteronomy 26.1-11 | Romans 10.8 b -13 | Luke 4.1-13 Once upon a time, there was a painter.   One day, he made a deal to paint a woman’s house for $1,000.   But when he got started, and realized how much time and effort it was going to take to paint the whole house, he decided that he needed to do something to increase his profit on the job.   And so, since the woman didn’t really keep an eye on him when he painted, he began to mix the paint with thinner.   After all, he figured, paint is expensive.   And by adding in thinner, he’d be able to make a can of paint go farther—thus lowering his costs, and increasing his gain. As he tabulated his earnings and the amount of money he was saving, he kept adding in more and more thinner.   By the time the house was finished, he was quite proud of himself.   He’d turned a tidy little profit, and the woman would never know what he’d done.   That is, until h...

Listening is important, though it isn’t always easy.  For instance: a couple of years ago, one of my parishioners stopped me following Sunday morning worship.  He told me that, the previous Sunday, he’d come through the line after the service to shake my hand.  I’d asked him how he was, and he’d replied that his shoulder was giving him some problems.  My response?  “Good, glad to hear it!”  Needless to say, I was stunned and rather embarrassed by this revelation.  Still, I can’t say precisely why it happened.  Perhaps it was misfiring synapses.  Perhaps old age is setting in.  Perhaps someone else was talking to me at the same time.  Regardless, I wasn’t listening well.  I’m just fortunate that this particular congregant has a good sense of humor, and lovingly teases me about my faux pas.              So yes, listening is important.  It’s an essential compon...