Elsa Anders Cook
-
Open the Door to Us
Toward the end of my last call, I stopped writing liturgy. There were so many other things to do. So very many things. I just didn’t have time. Or I didn’t make time. Because writing liturgy takes time. Lots of… Continue reading
-
In the Middle of the Story
The question always comes up in Bible Study when we find ourselves talking about Jesus. Somewhere in the middle of the Gospel, no matter which Gospel we’re reading, we find ourselves studying a particular passage after he’s born and before the… Continue reading
-
Hope Within Me
From far too many pulpits, there isn’t a word said about how long and how hard grief can be. I don’t know why this is. I don’t know if it’s a hallmark of our society or the stubbornness of a… Continue reading
-
Lent Comes
Lent has come. And so I found myself seated in the back of the local Episcopal Church. Because I am not pastoring a church anymore. I concluded my second call on Sunday. It’s over — just before Lent was to… Continue reading
-
Thieves in the Night
Again and again, Jesus says that he’ll come like a thief in the night. At that time, the heavens will pass away and everything will go up in flames (2 Peter 3:10). We’re supposed to keep awake. This is something… Continue reading
-
New (Im)possible Things
For a long time, I have dreamed about ministry by blogging. I have made friends through my blogs. I have shared my thoughts with members of my congregation. I have processed what has been on my own heart and my… Continue reading
-
Anything Good
Last week, as I was preparing to preach this sermon, I sat with a retired clergy member of my congregation where I asked her about how she’s preached this particular Sunday. This Martin Luther King Day. This Sunday I’ve been… Continue reading
-
Sacraments and Endings
A sacrament is when something holy happens. It is transparent time, time you can see through to something deep inside time. Generally speaking, Protestants have two official sacraments (the Lord’s Supper, Baptism) and Roman Catholics have these two plus five… Continue reading
-
Poetry for Lessons and Carols
Several years ago, Bromleigh McCleneghan offered this possibility of poetry that might be included in our telling of the Christmas story. It’s a great list with excellent reflection as to why one would include poetry that you should totally… Continue reading
-
Third Sunday in January
It’s 1963 again. These words ring so true. They speak to what I’m feeling and seeing. It feels like we’ve gone back in time — to an era when I wasn’t even alive — to a time that I have heard… Continue reading
