Category Archives: Spirituality

Spot and a Still Small Voice

Posted on August 28, 2023 by John

In my early days with sheep herding dogs, I thought the only way of getting through to them was through my voice….and the louder the better. You see you train dogs in a big open field; and the sheep start … Continue reading →

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Nothing Wasted

Posted on May 27, 2023 by John

I notice those two dead spruce trees. Should I cut them down. They take up space. They are untidy. But, the mourning dove is there now, cooing. And the red winged black bird trilling; and armies of ants up and … Continue reading →

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Pentecost 17 C: Resolutely Watch for God’s Answer

Posted on September 28, 2022 by John

The readings for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost are Old Testament & Psalm, Option I Old Testament      Lamentations 1:1–6 Psalm                    Lamentations 3:19–26 or Psalm 137 or Old Testament & Psalm, Option II Old Testament      Habakkuk 1:1–4, 2:1–4 … Continue reading →

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Epiphany 3 C: The World’s Wordless Whispers

Posted on January 18, 2022 by John

The readings for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany are: Old Testament      Nehemiah 8:1–3, 5–6, 8–10 Psalm                    Psalm 19 New Testament     1 Corinthians 12:12–31a Gospel                   Luke 4:14–21 The whole idea of the Epiphany season of the … Continue reading →

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Pentecost 3B: Growth Beyond Our Understanding

Posted on June 10, 2021 by John

The Readings for the Third Sunday of Pentecost are: Old Testament      Ezekiel 17:22–24 Psalm                    Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15 New Testament     2 Corinthians 5:6–10 (11–13) 14–17 Gospel                   Mark 4:26–34 Many years ago I was feeling very sorry for … Continue reading →

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Epiphany 2 B: “I and We” and the Assault on the Capitol

Posted on January 14, 2021 by John

The Second Reading for this Sunday is 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Those who stormed our nation’s Capitol on Epiphany, January 6, shouted many slogans: “This is our house!” “Stop the steal!” “Hang Mike Pence!” But they all can be boiled down … Continue reading →

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Psalm 16: “The Lord is Everything to Me”

Posted on April 18, 2020 by John

Psalm 16 is the prayer that Christians have said in the wake of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also a perfect prayer for pandemic times.   This prayer is a meditation taking us deeper and deeper into the … Continue reading →

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Nicodemus and Us

Posted on March 17, 2020 by John

This is my second “blog in a time of pandemic.” And it fits also in my ongoing series of reflections on the Sunday readings. (I rely greatly in these comments on the scholarship of the late Raymond E. Brown, and I love his idea … Continue reading →

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Try Being Less Spiritual and More Decent

Posted on January 1, 2019 by John

“What then should we do?” That was the cry of the crowds who were touched by John the Baptist’s message in the region of the Jordan, that God’s ax was laid at the root of the trees, and those that … Continue reading →

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Springtime Sprouts

Posted on April 30, 2018 by John

Life has been happening fast at and around Heatherhope these days. Back in the hay field the alfalfa and grass that Chauncey II and III (or is it III and IV?) planted a couple of weeks ago are just minutely … Continue reading →

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