May 14, 2026 - The Feast of the Ascension

Preached at Evensong - readings are Psalms 24 & 96, Daniel 7:9-14, Matthew 28:16-20

In the name of the Risen and Ascended Lord. Amen.

The first time I went to Israel was in 2012 and I had the opportunity to see so many wonderful and holy sites. But one place we didn’t go was the Chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. It just wasn’t on our itinerary. So, when I went back in 2020, just about a week before the pandemic began, I told the guide we hired that I wanted to go to see the site of the Ascension. He warned me that there wasn’t much to see and that I’d probably be disappointed. But I insisted – I’ve seen the sites of Jesus’ birth, death, and Resurrection, so I wanted to add the missing Ascension site.

May 10, 2026 - The Sixth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Readings (note, we are using a trial version of the lectionary in Eastertide that has an alternate first reading and Psalm)

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

The hardest part of faith for a lot of us is the problem of suffering. We experience tragedies, illnesses, and misfortunes and we just want the suffering to stop. Or, if the pain doesn’t go away, we want to know why. Not that a reason for suffering necessarily relieves the pain, but it gives it a larger purpose that at least makes it tolerable. But, truth be told, all the reasons for pain and suffering that preachers sometimes give are unsatisfactory and only lead to deeper sense of woundedness.

May 3, 2026 - The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary Readings (note, we are using a trial version of the lectionary in Eastertide that has an alternate first reading and Psalm)

In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.

A couple of decades ago if you would have asked someone in the record label industry what their business was all about, they probably would have said something like: “Well, we try to find talented musicians, then we record their music, and sell albums to you.” They misunderstood their business, which is why MP3s and eventually streaming became such a threat. In actuality, their business wasn’t selling vinyl, cassettes, and CDs, it was selling access to the music people wanted to listen to. But they struggled to figure out how to monetize a non-physical product.