Dear Restoration, A Prayer for your Devotions and your Table at Thanksgiving: Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you […]
Restoration,”Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” (Psalm 37:1-3)As news continues to come in about the shooting at The University of Virginia last night, our hearts […]
Dear Restoration,As the rain soaks our land, I know that many of us will pause to give thanks for our veterans today. As you remember your loved ones, neighbors, and co-workers; as you perhaps think about your own vocation to serve in this calling; may the Lord meet you in your prayer-filled conversation and intercession.Our […]
Dear Restoration,”You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you… odd.” (Flannery O’Connor)We finished Paul’s second letter to Timothy on Sunday. I hope you have had great discussions this week in your small groups about being a herald who is ready, who is flexible, who is patient. This charge in 2 Tim 4:2 […]
Everyday.Dear Restoration,On Sunday, I encouraged you, again, to read a bit of the Bible everyday and to share what you liked with someone else. You can hear the whole sermon, here.Towards the end of the message, I acknowledged that you might be in a season where Scripture reading feels a little stale and dull. It happens […]
Dear Restoration,On Sunday we gave thanks for the Lord’s faithfulness to our church and to our diocese. We celebrated 8 baptisms with 6 kids taking the vows for themselves! We are now turning our face, with anticipation, towards what the Lord has next for our parish. We remain open to the ways He wants to […]
Dear Restoration,This morning, The Rev. Chris Warner was overwhelmingly elected by the electing synod to be our next bishop. He will be our ‘bishop-elect’ until he is confirmed by the College of Bishops in January 2023 and then consecrated as bishop at The Falls Church Anglican in February 2023. Chris and his wife, Catherine, are wonderful. Laurel […]
Dear Restoration,It was so very good to be with over 300 of you at our fall retreat last weekend. I am grateful to God for the ways He encouraged us and helped us to connect to Him, to each other, and to the Scriptures. Many thanks to everyone who helped make the retreat happen.The retreat […]
Dear Restoration,”… a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God…'” Revelation 7: 9-10Our country is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, an opportunity for recognizing the contributions […]
Hi Restoration, We receive you into the fellowship of the Church. Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in the royal priesthood of all his people. (The Congregational response to Baptism Book of Common Prayer, p.170) Last Sunday was filled with exuberant joy as together, we welcomed eleven children into […]