By Parson Brown, on May 29th, 2013 That title is a reference to Wendell Berry. A rough translation: Boomers = people who go where ever the opportunity is greatest regardless of the mess they leave behind. Stickers = people who stay in one place because the community is greater than the individual. As with all dualities it is immediately true and false . . . → Read More: Boomers & Stickers
By Parson Brown, on April 5th, 2013 In our Thursday morning Bible Study for a while at least we are going to be looking at the non-gospel readings for the following Sunday. For the season after Easter that means instead of an old testament lesson we have a reading from Acts, and the epistle lesson comes from Revelation. This week is the . . . → Read More: Individualism and The Church
By Parson Brown, on January 30th, 2013 We at St. Mark’s have been blessed with some beautiful new paraments for the altar. The problem with new articles made “for holy use” is that there are old articles made for the same purpose. You are caught in the bind of thinking a) we didn’t find them “good enough” for our use so why . . . → Read More: Of Vestments, Parishes, Truth, Love and Ecumenical Ties
By Parson Brown, on January 28th, 2013
Biblical Text: Luke 4:16-30 Full Draft of Sermon
Following the season of Epiphany texts we’ve been looking at the ways that God reveals himself. We’ve structured it around what I’ve asserted is the question of the age: How do we see/meet God? Our culture and even many of our churches have attempted to claim . . . → Read More: Preaching the Good News to the Poor
By Parson Brown, on November 6th, 2012 Sir Thomas More liked to compare the English King (Henry VIII) to a lion. One of his expressions was simply, “if the Lion ever came to know his own strength” [fill in the blank with the evil that could be done]. The other was commenting on dealing with that king. Paraphrasing, to him you can . . . → Read More: Thoughts on an Election Day
By Parson Brown, on July 27th, 2012 I feel like I have to explain that last one, Christendom. That is simply the word that described a time from roughly Constantine to circa 1965. What it meant was that anywhere you went in the west two things were roughly true: 1) Christianity even if of various shades or just nominal was a shared . . . → Read More: Denominations, Congregations and Christendom
By Parson Brown, on November 3rd, 2011 Tuesday was All Saints proper. We will celebrate it this Sunday. All Saints is the Christian feast day that originally inspired Halloween or All Hallows Eve. There are all kind of explanation stories about where this feast day came from. You can read some of them at the wikipedia page or is you want something . . . → Read More: Hymns We Sing – All Saints Edition
By Parson Brown, on October 10th, 2011 This question came up in Bible Study Sunday. Is mormonism a cult? It’s coming up because of Mitt Romney and Rick Perry’s pastor. (Knowing how programmed things are at that stage, let me just say that I’d be surprised if Rick Perry didn’t know what that guy was going to say. While I think religious . . . → Read More: Mormons, cults and other things…
By Parson Brown, on September 4th, 2011
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It is not really fair to make fun of the disciples. We are at a great advantage. We know the full story and we have the Spirit. (Yes, Pentecost means something). And I’m sure I’m bulldozing over huge cultural difference, but I just kinda think that human nature never changes. (Without the . . . → Read More: Where’s the leader?
By Parson Brown, on January 25th, 2011
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A few remarks by people in bible class afterward were interesting feedback. This seem seemed to strike harder than I would have expected. Not that the notes that struck were not there, just that I would have expected a slightly different reaction.
Protestantism and Lutheranism in particular are very polar – . . . → Read More: Do you have a church?
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