november fireworks
november fireworks celebratory balloons rising in the woods
one point perspective
one point perspective sees the vanishing point ignores the splendor
stone-eating lichen
stone-eating lichen turns bridge to soil by degrees patient composter
three vines in Autumn
three vines in Autumn two pests and two cousins bitter-sweet friends
roots dig into soil
roots dig into soil floods clean them off again this is getting old!
some feed bird and beast
some feed bird and beast and some seek soil as siblings more than enough
Watching south-seekers
watching south-seekers who forbear the frost and freeze this snowbird stays
Peeking carefully
peeking carefully - giggling behind the tree stump: "they’ll never find us!"
Summer lites the match
summer lites the match then autumn flames leap skyward snow cools the embers
Climbing toward winter
climbing toward winter every leaf perfectly stitched on a Persian rug
Flowering asters
Flowering asters Late season binge-drinking bees - One more before frost…
Here was High tide once
here was high tide once, fled the rock, gone out to sea tides cannot decide
Wonder what’s inside…
Wonder what’s inside… Bird or snake, glop or candy - Tempting to find out!
Trees ask, “What happened?”
Trees ask, "What happened?" "I do not know" says the rock - "It’s gone like summer"…
Out in every way
Out in every way, Reaching moss, fern, leaf, and stone - Her neighborly roots…
Hard life, this maple
Hard life, this maple, Twin trunks full of life today Many tiny shoots…
Mother of Beech trees
Mother of Beech trees, Children arrayed all around - They all stay in touch…
Not a thought given
Not a thought given As the blade sawed through the tree - Out popped a village!
We’ve got character!
We’ve got character! the mushrooms say to the tree - She just rolls her eyes…
The tall grasses say so
Tall grasses say so, The goldenrods nod with them - Seeds will slumber soon…
Ferns are first to sleep
Ferns are first to sleep, Oaks complain, "it’s still summer!" But ferns know better…
Hands on, minds quiet
Hands on, minds quiet - We flow into heart spaces, Healing each other…
The wind crescendos
The wind crescendos morning leafs plop on wet stone whooshing then plopping…
I wait among leaves
I wait among leaves Hoping the rain will fill me So the birds may drink…
Manure Sunday...
Sermon for Lent 3 (year C), March 24, 2019 St. James, Poquetanuck & Grace Church, Yantic Looking at today’s gospel, you wouldn’t be far from the mark to think that we might call this "Manure...
Water into Wine...
Sermon for Epiphany 2 (year C), January 20, 2019 St. James, Poquetanuck & Grace Church, Yantic Illumined by God’s Word and Sacraments, may we shine with the radiance of Christ's glory. . The...
hmmmm...
Sermon for Sunday, December 2, 2018 (1 Advent Year C) St. James Poquetanuck, Grace Church, Yantic, CT For me the holidays are difficult. I react badly to the artificial joy and commercialism that...
Following Children....
Sermon for Sunday, October 28, 2018 (Proper 25 Year B) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT One of the disadvantages of reading the Bible the way we do every Sunday, is that we get little...
Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another...
Sermon for Sunday, September 30, 2018 (Proper 21 Year B) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT Grace Church, Yantic, CT Today’s gospel is difficult. There are hard saying here that suggest...
1+1+1 = 1
Sermon for Sunday, May 27, 2018 (Trinity Sunday Year B) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT 1+1+1 = 1. That’s what Trinity Sunday celebrates; this odd and paradoxical idea that God, Jesus,...
Resurrection...
Sermon for Sunday, April 19, 2018 (7 Easter Year B) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT What is Christian Hope? Why do we worship today and then go out into the world… into our...
Actuating Our Gifts...
Sermon for Sunday, April 22, 2018 (3 Easter Year B) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT At the Southeast Region Convocation yesterday, our Bishops, Ian and Laura led us through a...
An Americanized Peace?
Sermon for Sunday, March 7, 2018 (4 Lent Year B) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT Have you ever been impatient with a situation, and completely exasperated with the people involved?...
Holding Mary's Heart...
Sermon for Sunday, December 24, 2017 (4 Advent Year B) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT Our King and Savior now draws near: Come let us adore him. "Mary! Mary Nazareth!" I look down at...
Having Mystical Experiences?
Sermon for Sunday, November 12, 2017 (2 Advent Year B) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT What did they experience out there in the wilderness, all those from the whole Judean countryside...
Parable of the Quiet Singer...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT A quiet singer, sitting to the side, rose with the funeral congregation for the final hymn. He thought...
Flesh & Blood
Sermon for Sunday, November 12, 2017 (Veterans Sunday) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT Army Command Sergeant Major Roger Heinze was quoted in the Washington Post while talking to a...
Put on Your Wedding Robe...
Sermon for Sunday, October 15, 2017 (Proper 23) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT Matthew’s Parable of the Wedding Feast is difficult on two counts. First that it suggests that God is in...
Stepping Forward...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT Forty gather on the grassy lawn in front of the church, nervously laughing as the facilitators line us...
Little Lending Library....
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT I see it on the corner along my walking path... a Little Lending Library. It calls to me. "I'll just...
Sighs Too Deep for Words...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT I'm sitting on the front porch stoop when a friend and neighbor walks by. He sighs deeply. "Mike", I...
To Crush Our Enemies...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT She asks "What is the purpose of Tai Chi?" Conan-the-Barbarian replys: "To crush our enemies, to see...
The Serenity Pray-er...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT In Cathy's office there hangs a framed poster of Julian of Norwich, by Cynthia Large. I ponder it often...
You Also Go Into the Vineyard...
Sermon for Sunday, September 24, 2017 (Proper 20) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT "All things come from you oh Lord; and of your own are we giving you" Today’s parable of the grumbling...
Spilling the Heart...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT The two lines face one another like Napoleon and Wellington drawn up for battle. I've never met my...
Between a Rock and a Hard Place...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT "If I was the one interviewing her", she says gently, "I probably would have said that she isn't...
Sailing Into the Mystic....
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT Paul had asked for an overnight vigil. I sat there to keep him company and the church open for those who...
Going First...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT He is standing across the street, looking angry at our local collection of Occupy Wall Street...
Homelessness and the Rock from which we were Hewn....
Sermon for Sunday, August 25, 2017 (Proper 16) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT Before I knew that I was coming here to St. James, Fr. Ron asked if I would be willing to talk to you...
Murmuration of the Heart...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT As I finish a tidy story about pervasive self-criticism, the Chaplain’s energy seems to sink deeper into...
Being with...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT I carry my cup of shelter-coffee from the counter to the table and sit down with two men. "Hello" I say...
Serendipity...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT On my daily walk, I catch up on an old friend and neighbor… I slow the pace and say hello… our...
Breaking Bad in Southeast Connecticut...
Sermon for Sunday, July 30, 2017 (Proper 12) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT I've been binge watching the Netflix show Breaking Bad over the last three weeks. It's really compelling...
The Advocate… the helper… the comforter… the Spirit
Sermon for Sunday, May 21, 2017 (6 Easter) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT When I was a student Chaplain, I would ask my patients first about their sickness; the reason they were in...
The Kingdom of God runs on Dunkin Donuts....
Sermon for Sunday, April 30, 2017 (3 Easter) St. James Episcopal Church, Poquetanuck, CT Nobody. Nobody follows a dead Messiah… and that’s just a fact. Jesus was not only one who claimed to be...
Walking the Labyrinth...
Mystic Micro-Gospels; small spiritual stories in and around my neighborhood in Southeast CT I walked a labyrinth during a Lenten retreat. Christian designs matured during the Middle Ages based on...
What Deacons do... What can we do together?
What gifts we lack will be found in their fullness when we come together with others outside our Parish who turn out to have the gifts we need. And those gifts are often found in the most...
Heaven and Earth Fit Together and Intersect...
Sermon for Sunday, January 8, 2017 (1 Epiphany) St. David’s Episcopal Church, Gales Ferry, CT (missed due to weather) Today’s gospel reading about John’s Baptism of Jesus is short and tidy, but...
Inviting oneself to dinner with enemies....
Sermon for Sunday, October 30, 2016 (24 Pentecost Proper 26) St. David’s Episcopal Church, Gales Ferry, CT Half of Luke’s Gospel is about Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem at the end of his ministry....
Our Parish is Tied to Our Neighbors....
Sermon for Sunday, October 16, 2016 (22 Pentecost Proper 24) St. James Episcopal Church, New London, CT Luke’s parable today is one of the stories Jesus told his disciples on the road to...
Crossing Chasms...
Sermon for Sunday, September 26, 2016 (19 Pentecost, Proper 21) St. David’s Episcopal Church, Gales Ferry, CT My Retirement Ceremony from the Navy was in 2007, the week after this lesson about the...
Who are our Enemies?
Sermon for Sunday, May 29, 2016 (2 Pentecost Proper 4) St. David’s Episcopal Church, Gales Ferry, CT Put away from us, we entreat you Lord, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are...
Putting Your Fingers in the Wounds of Christ...
Sermon for Sunday, April 3, 2016 (2 Easter) St. David’s Episcopal Church, Gales Ferry, CT The Lord is my strength and my song, * and he has become my salvation. I have a good friend named Barbara...
Hens & Chicks….
Sermon for Sunday, February 21, 2016 (2 Lent) St. David’s Episcopal Church, Gales Ferry, CT You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." *Your face, Lord, will I seek. The Rev’d Samuel Wells,...
To See Jesus in the Winter Garden... in the Advent that is Going on All Around Us….
Sermon for Sunday, December 20, 2015 St. David’s Episcopal Church, Gales Ferry, CT My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior I am the gardener in our family...
Settling Refugees in Southeast Connecticut...
Last week, I attended a presentation at the Rotary Club of New London on Refugees by Chris George, the Executive Director of Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS), based in New Haven,...