We’ve been seeing protests against racial injustice growing and expanding like never before. In the wake of what happened to George Floyd, in the midst of a global pandemic, right after a few other high profile cases of black people dying in police custody, there is an aching hunger for righteousness. And the public is … Continue reading On Service
Faith. We begin with our eyes shut and our ears open. Though we cannot see or understand we are ineluctably drawn as by a crimson cord into the heart of God. The Loss. Having once found our secure home in faith, we now are ousted and emptied. And then we fall into a new quest … Continue reading A Journey of Faith
My work as a priest has brought me into many recent conversations on what it means to practice welcome. The church I’m currently serving is very modern. Everything from the chairs and floor plan to the roofline and positioning on our property communicate a 21st century expression of faith. But if you pause occasionally, you’ll … Continue reading On Welcome
If you’re reading this, you are probably thinking about fasting during Lent, so here is everything you really need to know. What It Means to Fast Fasting is not just starving yourself. Fasting is an intentional act of giving up something to increase your awareness of your reliance on God. How you characterize God will … Continue reading Thoughts on Fasting in Lent
I want to propose a new soteriology.* Well, not so new. The systematic concept I am advocating has lurked in the background of Christian thought for centuries, but has been eclipsed by the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, a theory that relies on blood being shed for wrath or ransom. * Soteriology: a (systematic) concept or doctrine … Continue reading Nativity
One of my favorite carols is Good King Wenceslas. The reason I love this carol so much is because it tells a story about a ruler who sees one of his subjects suffering and personally attends to the man’s needs. In a time when the headlines, the realities of our political life make us cynical and … Continue reading Good King Wenceslas
Tom Gartin 