Reflections of an Urban Priest

This is not a carefully guarded secret. I use a 30" upright electric smoker set to 210 degrees Fahrenheit and hickory for pork. The flavors blend incredibly well. Hickory is also a flavor from the Ozark Mountains that I so love. Go to favorite meat market and buy as many pork shoulder as will fit with space on your grills and you need to serve, considering space for the smoke to circulate. Preheat smoker, again to 210. Allow Pork to achieve room temperature. Remove skin. Coat in mustard, a light dusting of ground cumin, and hot sauce. Place the pork in the smoker, adding the hickory shavings. Leave alone. I mean really, leave it alone, and wait 9-12 hours as the smoke blends with the flavors of the gradually heating pork. I check the smoker temperature several times, but I do not open the smoker. I replenish hickory shavings three times during the first 2 hours, but then not until I am pretty close to taking the pork off. When I take the pork off, I put it in t

So often we see the cross as the core imagery of Christianity; in the Episcopal Church we often use a crest and shield as a symbol of our denomination. The executioners cross and the shield are images of imperialism, one of Rome and the other of the English crown.  I offer that the picture painted by Professor Osvaldo Vena, New Testament Professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and published at workingpreacher.com is one that truly resonates with me. The image he paints of basin and towel rest easy in my heart; the elements used by Jesus to wash the feet of those he loved should be the imagery of our denomination and not the marks of imperialism.

John the Baptist was locked up under Herod’s palace. It was not the massive European palace of the middle ages with tens of rooms and a view over a flowing river. It was smallish, stone and mud and fit well into the hillside along Jerusalem. The story goes that John was held in the jail under the palace. John was cared for by his disciples; those who hung on his every word. Many of whom probably thought John was the Messiah, the one who is to come. John sent his disciples to Jesus with one question. Are you the one? Are you, if you will, the one who was to save Israel, from itself? Jesus sent the disciples back, not by sending back with a simple yes, because that might have been questioned. Jesus said, Matthew 11:4-5 continues the dialogue “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” To me it is simple. Jesus could very well of sai

I was reminded of this today....  If   BY   RUDYARD KIPLING (‘Brother Square-Toes’ —Rewards and Fairies ) If you can keep your head when all about you        Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,     But make allowance for their doubting too;    If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,     Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,     And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;        If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;    If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster     And treat those two impostors just the same;    If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken     Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,     And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings     A

I am not a scientist; I am a theologian, a master of things divine, or so my degree states. I love seeing God’s handiwork all around me. Every day, even several times a day, I encounter God in the simplest activities. I believe that God created life and blessed it. Think about it. The DNA, which to my understanding holds the key to our lives, our hereditary traits in just a few elements of code. All life, maybe there is an exception, contains DNA and when we look at that of a banana or that of a human, they are not that different. All life possesses this remarkable code. (Bill Bryson) I believe that all life is of God and that God knew us in the womb and guides our DNA, if you will, as we delve into any aspect of life. God is with us – guiding us. I do not know how. But what I do know, or maybe it would be better to stick to what I believe, is that God made all of creation. (Genesis 1-2) Since God made all creation, God should be guiding us as we interact with each other, all c

A mini statement of religious instruction used during our worship in the Episcopal Church when we baptize new members can act as a mustard seed, upon which to build our faith. The Baptismal Covenant contains five questions regarding how we, as Christians, are called to live out our faith. And where we, as the beloved children of God that we are, can find help. The answer from our worship is:   I will, with God’s help.   Our help comes from one place and one place only, and that is God. Our Baptismal Covenant concludes with five questions. 1.    Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? 2.   Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? 3.   Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? 4.     Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? 5.     Will you strive for justice and peace among al