Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. – Matt 4:17 Repent. That’s a word that is hard to use and hard to hear. Too often, we hear the word repent as a club being used to beat us into a guilty obedience to an angry God. We need to rescue the word from religious abuses. We need to find a way…
The church that feeds people
722 N. 145th St. | Shoreline, WA 98133
Weekly Message (Page 10)
This week I attended the annual Clergy Conference for our diocese. This was a working conference looking at the role of anxiety in our lives and in our congregations. The title, “Heat and Light”, is meant to convey the positive and negative effects of anxiety. As a positive, anxiety can be the expression of a longing for God, a longing for something…
Thank You We spent this week preparing for the Annual Meeting and Celebration of Ministries that will take place on Sunday after the second service. I have had a wonderful time reflecting on all the wonderful accomplishments of the past year. We have many generous and capable people contributing to the life, ministry and worship…
On Sunday we had our first worship in the sanctuary since the demolition of the altar and choir platforms, side walls, and choir screen. Without the wall and shelf behind the altar, we had to figure out where to put the things, like flowers and chalices and bread baskets. The altar guild and Chris Johns…
The astute reader may have noticed the lack of December update. The biggest reason for that is that organ builders are also organ maintainers, and spend a good chunk of time maintaining local organs. In December, “maintenance” predominantly means “pre-Christmas tunings,” and these kept Jonathan busy the whole month, thus no December update. Now, though,…
We hear a lot about how the Millennial Generation does not see the value of church, so I was delighted to hear an interview this week where a young man, about my son’s age, was describing how much he loved his church. When he first visited the church several years ago, he was welcomed warmly.…
One of the greatest gifts I experienced on my sabbatical came in the depths of silence. On the third day of that silence, I felt a great freedom, a release from worry. I had been contemplating the challenge of anxiety in my life and I realized, or I just knew, that in this moment, all…
Have you ever felt that if you could just get more money, life would work out? Or maybe you have dreamed of the one true love that would fill your life with joy? Or perhaps you have pursued business success to find happiness and satisfaction? Or maybe, for you, it was the dream of a bigger house? …
On Sunday we heard a gracious sermon from the Rev. Jonathan Hanneman in which he shared the wonderful story of how he and his wife, Shannon Walker, found their way to St. Dunstan’s, the Episcopal Church, and eventually, to the priesthood. We celebrated his ordination and call to serve as a curate at the Church…
Nine years ago, shortly after I was called to St. Dunstan’s Church, a young couple visited our worship. Jonathan Hanneman and Shannon Walker later told me that they intended to worship at a different church that morning but discovered that it was closed that day, so they came to St. Dunstan’s instead. I thank God…