It is with great pleasure that I welcome back beloved former rector, Charlie Colwell, to preach at the one combined 10am service on St. Barnabas Day this weekend. During his time at St. Barnabas, he founded the Center for Jewish-Christian-Muslim Understanding, a non-profit group based in Dobbs Ferry, to expose to the general public the commonalities among the three faith traditions through interfaith discussion and the Arts. At a time of great tension in our nation, he felt it was vitally important to embrace and give witness to religious inclusion and acceptance.
Next weekend in Irvington, St. Barnabas will be among the sponsors of the 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration of African American Arts and Culture. I am, once again, looking forward to giving witness to the healing spirit of our faith tradition at this life-giving community event.
At this point in the life of our nation, promoting racial inclusion and reconciliation is as vital as the support of religious tolerance for the Muslim community in the fraught years following 9/11.
Onward in the Spirit,
This past Sunday in my sermon I leaned heavily on the wisdom of Anne Lamott as I explored the nature of mercy as it relates to the practices we immerse ourselves in during Holy Week. Here’s her definition of what mercy looks like: “Mercy is radical kindness. Mercy means offering or being offered aid in desperate […]
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, it was thought that 500-year-old church divisions could be healed if churches reached across denominational lines and got to know each other. This was an exciting time for the churches in Irvington, as all the fundamental theological issues between the Protestant, Catholic, and Anglican Churches were on the way […]
In my message last week, I wrote of an emerging sense of optimism shared by our church leadership that church life can once again take on the semblance of normality. This past week, Bishop Dietsche shared his own sense of optimism in a letter entitled, “Return of the Common Cup.” He wrote, “…with the waning […]