Br. James Koester, Superior Wisdom 9: 1-6 I’ll begin this morning, not so much by putting you out of your misery, but rather to satisfy your curiosity. I’ll begin by saying there is nothing, yet, to announce. The Chapter will meet later this morning to elect a new Superior to succeed me and that of course will initiate a host of things. We anticipa…

Br. James Koester, Superior Wisdom 9: 1-6 I’ll begin this morning, not so much by putting you out of your misery, but rather to satisfy your curiosity. I’ll begin by saying there is nothing, yet, to announce. The Chapter will meet later this morning to elect a new Superior to succeed me and that of course will initiate a host of things. We anticipa…

In my first-grade art class, I remember molding and painting a very rough purplish-gray dinosaur. I was very proud of that dinosaur. It’s still on display a shelf in my childhood bathroom. I’d like to invite you to remember your own experience of creating something as a child—smudging paint on a piece of paper, building a sandcastle, drawing your f…

In my first-grade art class, I remember molding and painting a very rough purplish-gray dinosaur. I was very proud of that dinosaur. It’s still on display a shelf in my childhood bathroom. I’d like to invite you to remember your own experience of creating something as a child—smudging paint on a piece of paper, building a sandcastle, drawing your f…

Profession of Jack Crowley SSJE in Life Vows John 21: 1-14 When you told me the other day Jack, that you wanted to use the same gospel reading for today’s profession, as you had for your initial profession three years ago, I thought, well that makes my life easy, I’ll just use the same sermon! After all I reasoned, some here today weren’t here in 2…

Profession of Jack Crowley SSJE in Life Vows John 21: 1-14 When you told me the other day Jack, that you wanted to use the same gospel reading for today’s profession, as you had for your initial profession three years ago, I thought, well that makes my life easy, I’ll just use the same sermon! After all I reasoned, some here today weren’t here in 2…

John 7:16-18 When we hear “south of France” today, we may think of sunny beaches or fields of lavender. A nice place to go on vacation. But in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries the association was with heresy. Followers of a heterodox form of Christianity, whom history has come to know as Cathars, were prevalent throughout the region.…

John 7:16-18 When we hear “south of France” today, we may think of sunny beaches or fields of lavender. A nice place to go on vacation. But in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries the association was with heresy. Followers of a heterodox form of Christianity, whom history has come to know as Cathars, were prevalent throughout the region.…

Feast of the Transfiguration Exodus 34:29-35 2 Peter 1:13-21 Luke 9:28-36 At its heart, the Feast of the Transfiguration is about the revelation of who God is in and through Jesus Christ – and in and through his followers as we are transfigured by this experiential knowledge. At first, this innermost identity is like a “shared secret” among Jesus’ …

Feast of the Transfiguration Exodus 34:29-35 2 Peter 1:13-21 Luke 9:28-36 At its heart, the Feast of the Transfiguration is about the revelation of who God is in and through Jesus Christ – and in and through his followers as we are transfigured by this experiential knowledge. At first, this innermost identity is like a “shared secret” among Jesus’ …

Br. Curtis Almquist Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 Psalm 78:23-29 John 6:24-35 Back when I was seven years old I had this wonderful opportunity to attend a symphony orchestra concert for my very first time. I was with my second-grade classmates from school, and we paraded into a vast orchestra hall and settled ourselves into seats that were way too big for an…

Br. Curtis Almquist Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 Psalm 78:23-29 John 6:24-35 Back when I was seven years old I had this wonderful opportunity to attend a symphony orchestra concert for my very first time. I was with my second-grade classmates from school, and we paraded into a vast orchestra hall and settled ourselves into seats that were way too big for an…

Matthew 13:54-58 Today’s Gospel lesson isn’t about Jesus. Rather, it’s not about the Jesus we have come to know, to accompany in his ministry with the disciples. Instead, it’s about another Jesus, one of memory, of presumption, and of misplaced expectation. In the Rule of our Society, we understand as part of the practice of silence the honoring of…

Matthew 13:54-58 Today’s Gospel lesson isn’t about Jesus. Rather, it’s not about the Jesus we have come to know, to accompany in his ministry with the disciples. Instead, it’s about another Jesus, one of memory, of presumption, and of misplaced expectation. In the Rule of our Society, we understand as part of the practice of silence the honoring of…

Br. Luke Ditewig Ephesians 4:14-21 John 6:1-21 When I was a young child, my parents began a sabbath tradition adapting Jewish practice with special prayers and bread at the Saturday evening meal. It is a way to make Sunday special first at home before church the next day. This includes Dad blessing me and any visiting children, which soon expanded …

Br. Luke Ditewig Ephesians 4:14-21 John 6:1-21 When I was a young child, my parents began a sabbath tradition adapting Jewish practice with special prayers and bread at the Saturday evening meal. It is a way to make Sunday special first at home before church the next day. This includes Dad blessing me and any visiting children, which soon expanded …

Judith 9:1, 11-14 John 20:11-18 Psalm 42:1-7 We encounter tonight two very different women. The first prays to God for the success of her plan of deception to save her besieged city. The other, a young woman, stands weeping by an empty tomb. What connects these two women—the one, daring all to save her people; the other, alone and bereft, met in th…

Judith 9:1, 11-14 John 20:11-18 Psalm 42:1-7 We encounter tonight two very different women. The first prays to God for the success of her plan of deception to save her besieged city. The other, a young woman, stands weeping by an empty tomb. What connects these two women—the one, daring all to save her people; the other, alone and bereft, met in th…

Br. Geoffrey Tristram Jeremiah 23:1-6 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 In the year 1919, the poet W B Yeats wrote a poem called ‘The Second Coming’. There is a famous line in that poem which has resonated through the decades. He wrote, ‘Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.’ The first world war had just ended, and it felt like chaos had descended on the wo…