​​​​​​​​​​St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Once upon a time there were some astronomers sitting at their respective telescopes, minding their own business, and gazing up at the sky. Suddenly, they caught sight of one of the largest, brightest, most glorious stars they had ever seen. They were not particularly religious, but they were familiar with the Hebrew prophecies about the promise of a Messiah. They became so captivated by this dazzling luminary that they knew immediately that something powerful was calling them

This First Sunday after Christmas calls for John’s prologue of his Gospel. It is deep in theology and imagery. However, just as I did last year, I choose to observe the eve of the feast of the Holy Innocents which occurs tomorrow. The Massacre of the Holy Innocents. is the biblical narrative of infanticide  by Herod the Great , the Roman-appointed King of the Jews . According to the Gospel of Matthew , Herod ordered the execution of all young male children in the vicinity of

Do you remember those lovely photos of yourself or your children sitting on Santa’s lap in the local department store? I’m guessing mine was taken at Bamberger’s in Newark, New Jersey. The photo and store are long gone, but the memory lingers. And the question Santa asked was usually, “And what would you like for Christmas,” to which we would provide our list of the things we hoped we might find under the Christmas tree.   Now as an adult, and a senior one at that, my list is

We just heard how Joseph got the same peculiar news that the angel has announced to his fiancée, Mary, but the angel visits Joseph, not in the bright light of day, but rather when he jumps up in bed, in a cold sweat, to be told that Mary is pregnant, not by him, and that he is to accept Mary’s child as his own.   I’d like to imagine Joseph’s reaction to that. What might he have to say? Perhaps it would go something like this: Let me introduce myself. My name is Joseph. I’ve b

Father O’Brien was being honored on the occasion of his 25 th  anniversary as pastor. A huge dinner had been in the planning for months. Half the town was there and a local politician who belonged to the congregation had been asked to make a presentation to the priest on behalf of the parish. Unfortunately, this politician got stuck in traffic and was late, so the priest decided to fill in the gap by saying a few words about his first days at the parish. “You will understand,

Different Cultures and people have varied perceptions and feelings about kings. The United Kingdom holds the tradition of a revered loyalty to the monarchy and although queens and kings do not have a great deal of power, they do have influence and are largely respected by the population.   The monarchy of France lasted until 1870 and its legacy is now in its art and architecture. It was marked by conflict and eventually revolution. Here in the United states our forefathers de

This week a young client of mine told me he had a disturbing dream and had a premonition that something bad was going to happen to him. He’s had a tough year, so I understand why he’d worry about that. Have you ever had a premonition or made a prediction?   Here are some from the past: Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, in 1943 said, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."   There was an inventor by the name of Lee DeForest. He claimed that "While theoretical

Michael Patrick O’Malley, Jr. opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend James Finnerty. Did you see the paper?" asked O’Malley. "They say I died!!" Yes, I saw it!" replied Finnerty. "And where are ye callin' from?" Death and the afterlife – resurrection and eternity – who isn’t curious about these things? Our faith tells us that God has prepared a wonderful place for us when this life on

Once upon a time in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle. The frog hopped into the princess' lap and said:   “Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marr

Our friend Bob Giolotto is preaching on this Gospel this morning at St. Matthew’s in Wilton. He is going to begin the sermon like this: “Persistence – Toilet Training.” Now, since I have no kids, you might think I have no experience with this situation. Aha, but I’ve raised several Chihuahua puppies so I assure you that I do! And, yes, it definitely takes persistence.   The first thing about the parable about which we need to be clear is that Jesus is not suggesting that God

“They found each other, these ten lepers…They drifted from garbage heap to garbage heap finding only rags to wear and scraps to eat. When the wind was right, their collective odor announced their approach and people scattered before them.   The sight of healthy people running in such terror from this rag-tag mob was ironic. The ten lepers had no strength; they were practically starving. There was no cure, no prevention except to keep it away and pity the poor ones who had it.

When you look at the lectionary for any given Sunday, you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes you just have to make it work. ...

You want me to do what, Jesus? You want my to sell Nissan Rogue? My Smart phone? My Ipad, My Roth IRA? Everything? Ah, I don’t know. I...

From the Gospel of John 13 : “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”   The shooting in Minneapolis...

In case you missed it the first time, let me repeat what we just heard: "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were...

"Money, money, money Must be funny, in the rich man's world Money, money, money Always sunny in the rich man's world Ah-ha, all the...

This Gospel leaves us with more questions than answers.  The first few verses are the familiar words of the Lord’s Prayer a crash course...

The elementary school I attended was staffed by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth. Their habit included a rectangular headpiece...

It was sometime in 1967. I was 19 and in the Minor Seminary of the Immaculate Conception at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New...

May only God’s word be spoken and may only God’s word be heard. Amen. The first time my mother brought me to work, I hid in a corner. I...