The Parable of the Two Lost Sons

Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year C)

Luke 15.1-3, 11b-32

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

                                                   

Today’s Gospel lesson, commonly referred to as the parable of the Prodigal Son, is one of those stories that is so well known, so central to our life of faith, that it hardly needs any explanation. It is so foundational to our faith that many have referred to it as “the gospel within the gospel.” In many ways, it sums up our fundamental understanding about God and our relationship with him. It is a story of disobedience. It is a story of losing one’s way. It is a story of repentance. It is a story of unending love. It is a story of infinite mercy. It is a story of radical forgiveness. It is the story of death. It is the story of resurrection and new life.

Read more!

That's Not How God Works

Third Sunday in Lent (Year C)

Luke 13.1-9

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

During the past week, I have figuratively walked with a dear friend and cherished colleague who has been dealing with a pastoral crisis in a family in his congregation in Honolulu. Back in November, the daughter and granddaughter of his parishioners were tragically killed in a house fire. An utterly devastating event in the life of this family. Finally, about six weeks ago, there was some joy for them. Their son, the brother of the woman who had been killed, got married. But then, a week ago today, tragedy struck again. The son—the young man who had recently gotten married—was on a fishing boat 24 miles south of O’ahu. He had just caught a large ono. While posing for the obligatory picture with his prized catch, the fish managed to jump back into the ocean, pulling the young man overboard. He became entangled in the lure, still connected to the fish, and was pulled under the waves, which were higher and choppier than normal. For several days, the Coast Guard and scores of Good Samaritans performed search and rescue operations, hoping to find the young man. Sadly, to no avail. The Coast Guard called off all search and rescue procedures Wednesday evening. Monday night, as my friend sat at the pier with his parishioners, waiting for the rescue boats to return from the second day of searching, the father of the young man—the father of the woman who died in the fire, the grandfather of the girl who died in the fire—said to my friend, “our family must be cursed.”

Read more!

Discerning Our Identity

First Sunday in Lent (Year C)

Luke 4.1-13

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Have you ever struggled with trying to figure out what you were supposed to do? Have you ever had to make a major decision about your future, about a relationship, about your identity? Or if a decision had already been made, perhaps imposed on you by another, have you ever had to try to figure out just what it meant in your life, or just how you were going to make that decision a reality? That’s essentially what Jesus is going through in today’s Gospel lesson—the story of his temptation. This is a time of discernment for Jesus. He is trying to figure out his life. How to get his proverbial act together.

Read more!

Lenten Disciplines for Relationship and New Life

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Today we make an abrupt shift in our liturgical focus, which in turn is reflective of the focus of our spiritual lives. We shift from the season of Epiphany, with its focus on the nature of God and Jesus and on the many and varied ways in which God is manifest in and through Jesus, to the season of Lent, with its focus on our own mortal nature, using the key images of sin and death. To be sure, we tend to have a love-hate relationship with the season of Lent and its less-than-positive imagery. Some people hate Lent because, compared to the seasons both before and after, it seems so dark and dreary. And some people really love Lent, viewing it as a time of intentional spiritual exploration in preparation for the glories of Easter.

Read more!

The Gospel of Change

Last Sunday after the Epiphany (Year C)

Transfiguration Sunday

Exodus 34.29-35; 2 Corinthians 3.12—4.2; Luke 9.28-36

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” I would have to disagree. There is a third thing that is certain in this world. Change.

While many people may not care for change, it’s pretty certain that it happens regardless. Just look at the changes that we undergo as we go through our lives. After we are born, we are completely dependent on others for our care. As we mature, we are able to begin taking care of some of our own basic needs. As we get a little older, we begin school. We graduate from high school. Some of us go on to college. After graduation (from whatever level of education), we enter the workforce in our chosen field. At some point in this process, most people leave their parents’ home and move into their own home. Eventually, many get married. They have their first child—maybe eventually having more children. Our children grow up, go to school, and eventually leave home. In due time, we retire. And throughout this series of changes, some people experience even more changes—moves to different homes, changes in jobs or even careers, health issues, etc. Each of these milestones brings with it changes in mental and physical ability, changes in our appearance as we age, changes in our way of life, and even changes in our sense of identity. Such changes are inevitable.

Our Scripture readings for today are all stories that, in one way or another, involve change. Change in appearance. Change in relationship. Change in identity.

Read more!