The Table Blog

Dear Church:  We are fast approaching Lent and want to give you a heads up on what we’re doing as we enter a season of reflection and repentance together:  1. Ash Wednesday will begin our season together on February 17th. We will gather outdoors in…

Church, This past Sunday in the sermon, I briefly commented on the gospel Jesus was proclaiming in our Gospel passage (Mark 1:14-20). We aim to keep our sermons around fifteen minutes at The Table so I didn’t want to spend too much time drawing comparisons…

Dear Church, This past week we entered the season of Epiphany. Last Wednesday we held a prayer meeting on Zoom to care for each other and pray for the events surround the riots and insurrection at the Capitol in D.C. This Sunday Fr. Ben preached…

Dear Church, Today is the Feast of Epiphany! Epiphany (which means “revealing”) commemorates the Magi who came from the far-flung places of the world bearing gifts and following a star to meet the child who would become the king of the whole cosmos. After today’s…

Church, Last week as I prepared, I wrestled with whether or not I was including enough ‘Christmas joy’ in my sermon. Even after preaching it, I felt uncertain and was left pondering. To proclaim that “God is present with you in the mundane and the…

Dear Church, This past Sunday, we read the Annunciation and the Magnificat, and wondered together and learned from the humble and courageous faith of a 1st-century Palestinian peasant girl that we now know as the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the midst of our deep longing…

Church, As I sit here writing to you, I find myself short on energy and somewhat numbed by the lack of daily connections with others. This new monotony has somehow muted my sense of meaning. Each day seems so similar to the last that it…

Dear Church, As part of my Advent discipline I am re-reading Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation by Martin Laird. It’s a precious, accessible book on contemplative prayer; we highly recommend it.  This morning I again gave myself over to…

Dear Church, Advent begins Sunday November 29 this year, and in the words of our friend (and Canon Theologian for our diocese) Emily McGowin: “This is shaping up to be the most Advent-y Advent we’ve ever Advented!” Our theme for Advent this year is “The…

Church, Jesus’ teaching on asking, seeking, and knocking is often associated with prayer; however, while this teaching does impact how we should pray, Jesus is actually giving us a new script for belonging and being together.  In a world defined by scarcity, we need strategies…