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Envy

  Friends, we’re now in week 3 of this Lenten sermon series I put together about none other than the seven deadly sins! An intimidating premise, for sure, but I hope we find some light here together. The ancient Church taught that all sin flows out of these seven errors of judgment. First piece of Good News? We’re all in this together. These ways of wrong thinking are universal. Second piece of Good News? If we all err together, then we can all help one another make better choices. The third of the seven deadly sins that we’re looking at together is envy. The Oxford dictionary defines “envy” as “a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church employs the Latin word “invidia” to describe envy, and adds that not only is envy a longing for what someone else has, but, worse, a feeling that if you can’t have what they have, then you’d like to take theirs away so they won’t have it either. Yik...
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Greed

  Friends, we’re now in the second week in the season of Lent, and the second installment of this sermon series about the seven deadly sins! The sin we’re talking about this week is greed. First, one thing I wanted to follow up on about last week: we talked about how a 4th Century monk by the name of Evagrius Ponticus first suggested the notion of eight evil thoughts, which Pope Gregory I followed up on two hundred years later, as seven deadly sins. The question came up: if this list of fundamental evils, from which all other bad things flow, was originally eight, then what was the eighth sin? What was taken off? Here’s the answer: Ponticus taught that the eight evil thoughts were: Pride Avarice (or greed) Gluttony Sloth Lust Wrath Vainglory And SADNESS A few changes happened two centuries later when Pope Gregory I revisited this idea. He combined “pride” (the notion that you’re better than other people) with “vainglory” (the notion that your image and popularity are super importan...
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Pride

  Friends, we’re now in the first Sunday of the season of Lent. This season means a number of different things to different people depending on what kind of church you went to growing up, and what the folks around you did during Lent. For some of y’all, “Lent” means “no more chocolate”, and thus great sadness. For someone like my Dad, “Lent” means “Oh dear, that means we’re eating fish every Friday until April.” My Dad doesn’t like fish, so that’s bad news to him. For some of you, though, “Lent” means “go get a fish dinner every Friday at the Avon church,” which is good news! Because you like fish! To each their own. To some of you, “Lent” might not mean very much, because you don’t do much different this time of year. For others still, “Lent” means engaging in a book study, or daily scripture readings, or more prayer.  Whatever Lent means for you, I hope that, over the next six weeks, we can shed what doesn’t help us grow, and deepen in what brings us closer to God. As for me...
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Glorious Valentines

Friends, as I’m sure you well know, this weekend marks the observation of a relatively divisive holiday: Valentine’s Day. Some of you are thinking, Wait, how is Valentine’s Day divisive? And if you think that, you’re very lucky. Count your blessings.  For Sean and I, Valentine’s Day is the day we gird our loins. Our kids come home from school, and everything seems quiet and normal for a mere moment. Then the goody bags of candy erupt over every flat surface in our home. A tsunami of sweets. I spend three to four days on average walking around my house with a trash bag collecting wrappers, the cards the kids didn’t read, the sticks from the lollipops, candies that were discarded after one bite, fruit candies that are now stuck to tables, walls, and floors, and slime (because some kid passes that out every year). FEMA could learn a few things from me. Then, of course, the effects that high levels of sugar have on our dear children. Friday night, I went in Lily’s room to tuck her into...
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The Other Road

  Friends, here we are, at the very end of the Christmas season: Epiphany. We’re also in a whole new year, 2026, and on the first Sunday of the new year I have a beloved annual tradition of researching what the top New Year’s resolutions were, and then sharing them with my flock. All the information I’m about to share with you comes from a data collection group called Statista, the exact same researchers I quoted from last year. They surveyed 539 American adults between the ages of 18 and 80 in October and November of last year. Bear in mind, the numbers you’re about to hear won’t add up to 100 because some of the folks surveyed reported that they weren’t going to make any New Year’s Resolutions, and many folks gave a long list of resolutions that overlapped with other folks’ lists. So–the top New Year’s Resolutions for 2026: Exercise more (48%) Save more money (46%) Eat healthier (45%) Spend more time with family and friends (42%) Lose weight (31%) Improve performance at work (24%...
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Adoring

  Froeliche Weihnacht, friends. That’s “merry Christmas” in German. Now you have an ice breaking anecdote for your next awkward family dinner. Today is Christmas Eve, the day we’ve been looking forward to. Maybe. Kind of. It’s the day our kids have been looking forward to, anyway. Christmas Eve is a lot of different kinds of things, depending on who you are, and who you’re celebrating with. It could be a day of church with your family (thanks for coming!). It could be a day of baking cookies and drinking hot chocolate while watching Miracle on 34th Street.  Or Home Alone . Or Elf . Or Love Actually . Or Die Hard . Hey, whatever floats your boat. It could be a day of singing carols around the piano. It could be a day where you dry shampoo your hair and run around the house for half an hour, already late for service, trying to find your other shoe. It could be one of three days every year where you have to tolerate the presence of your mother in law without picking an argument. ...
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