A Communion Plate
The primary formative rituals of the Christian church are baptism and eucharist, or communion. Both have undergone elaborate development in the course of church history, often in ways that markedly …
On Aging and Olding
When I reached my 85th birthday last Fall Sylvia notified me that I was now officially “Old Old.” It was a little like feeling the difference between “aged” and “ag-ed.” More …
The Dark Sky of Shelton Laurel
The events of two consecutive Friday nights have convened a conversation in my mind that needs to find its way to my keyboard. A week ago we went to the …
A Pause at the Turning
“Holy Darkness” (detail), by Sylvia Everett. CLICK HERE for full work. The power of attraction flows throughout the universe, turning even light into the darkest void. In the black hole …
Vocational Seasons
At our Roundtable Worship gathering on September 14 we focused our conversation and prayers on the question, What is my vocation at this stage of my life? With our reading …
Roundtable Liturgy for August
I have decided to post the liturgies from our Roundtable Worship regularly in this space. The first reason is that the opening liturgy gives voice to my “sense of the …
Pray for the Republic
We pray for the republic where each voice is heard speaking freely from the heart, where each ear is bent upon the task of understanding, where the stranger finds a …
Bishops, Kings, and Tyrants
On January 21, 2025, Bishop Mariann Budde of the Episcopal diocese of Washington DC turned to the newly inaugurated President Donald Trump at the end of her homily during the …
Cosmic Christ and New Creation
On November 24, the last Sunday of the church year, I collaborated with our worship leaders in organizing a service that would move us from the symbolism of “Christ the …
Coming to the Table
Three strands of my life have coalesced in the recent publication of two books. First, in 2000 I built my first round communion table, which was followed by several more …
Buried at the Keyboard
You haven’t seen any new postings from me for the past month because my fingers have been busy typing up two books that I probably mentioned sometime earlier. This is, …
Rededication of the Andover Newton Table
I recently got news that the communion table I built for Andover Newton Theological School in 2000 was rededicated for its new use in Marquand Chapel at Yale Divinity School. …
Ketoctin Grace
As long-time readers of this blog know, a small brick church in Virginia’s Loudoun County has been a singular presence in my entire life. Ketoctin Baptist Church was founded in …
Poetics, Liturgy and Lent
At the invitation of the pastors at my church, I provided the opening call and prayer for our worship services from Ash Wednesday to Easter this year. It became a …
Twenty Years of Roundtable Worship
Last Sunday was the twentieth anniversary of the Roundtable Worship Gathering at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville, North Carolina. Whether by dogged perseverance, habit, or the winds of the …
A Prayer from Ukraine
In response to my previous posting, my long-time friend Gerd Decke, a retired pastor in Berlin, sent me a prayer he had received through a German church-relief agency from the …