A Liturgy of Dissonance in the Times of COVID-19

As a global family physically distant – yet interdependent – Lord, hear our prayer… We feel the growing dissonance between practicing the social responsibility of distance and the kingdom (kin-dom) value of proximity. “Stay away to keep us all safe!” “Please come close, we have no ‘home’ to go back to!” Which is it? Is …

The Holidays: Anxiety & Consumption or Presence & People

As we enter the holiday season, the lure of “necessary” excess and the myth of a consumption that satisfies will steadily grow stronger. This is not a reality in every culture, but it is front and center in ours.   It for this reason that I offer this timely and prophetic quote from a faith …

Is It Possible to Celebrate Christmas and the Birth of Jesus on the Same Day?

There is certainly a warm, nostalgic feeling about the Christmas season. Social media fills up with pictures of Starbucks holiday cups and we get the play-by-play of Christmas trees being purchased and filled with homemade ornaments. Holiday party’s become about as frequent as breathing and there is a general sense of camaraderie among people who …

Our Obsession with Violence & the Stories You’re Not Supposed to Hear

Upon my recent return from the Middle East (with The Global Immersion Project), I was struck more than ever before at our Western infatuation around military aggression, violence and division. Not only are these the primary narratives we are fed through our major media outlets, they are the narratives we subconsciously embrace through the latest …

The Real Santa Claus and a Homeless Jesus

As I read this reflection on St. Nick in the Common Prayer liturgy the other day, I was stirred at the contrast between the selfless generosity of this saint and the consumerist wish lists we now associate to the modern Santa Claus. While, there is almost no chance Jesus was born in December and Christmas as …