When the war was on in South Africa, began having refugees to deal with…And then various ministers came and said, ‘All who belong to the United Something, follow me.’ And then another one would say, ‘Everybody who belongs to the Such and Such, come with me.’ And the [Salvation] Army captain who was a youth […]

A Christmas Prayer The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned. – Isaiah 9:2 Dear St. John’s In just a few days we will be celebrating the birth of Christ. Throughout the season of Advent, we’ve been adding one candle a week to […]

Dear St. John’s, I am delighted to announce to you the upcoming ordination of Todd Thomas to the diaconate on Saturday, June 15, at 10 am at the National Cathedral. This will be the first of two ordination services for Todd, as we look forward to his ordination to the priesthood six months later on […]

I had a part-time job at a music store many years ago during seminary. At the time, it was a great place for me to get to know people outside of my almost exclusively Christian academic circles. I remember one conversation in particular that I had with a co-worker – a gay man, and the […]

This past Sunday, I invited us to reflect together on a question that Bishop Mariann recently posted on her blog: “Why are you a Christian?” I loved hearing many of your responses as I passed the microphone around from person to person at each of the four services. Many of you responded by saying that […]

Dear St. John’s,   Last month, at both the Candidates Forum and the Annual Parish Meeting, we informed you of our continued efforts to identify the next junior warden. To allow additional time for this important search, former Senior Warden Roxy Wolfe, graciously agreed to run for election for this position at the Annual Parish […]

Leaving a Legacy: Planned Giving at St. John’s Have you ever considered what your legacy will be when you’re gone? Do you ever think about how you might make a lasting difference that will extend generations beyond you? For most of us, there is a deep, God-given desire to see those things we value and […]

See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. – […]

In this week’s chapter of Enough: Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity, Adam Hamilton talks about cultivating contentment. One of the points that Hamilton makes (which I personally find to be both fascinating and deeply convicting) is that we tend to be content with those things we should never be content with, and discontent with […]