A Sermon at the Priesting of Michele Simmons Church of the Good Shepherd Lookout Mountain, TN July 1, 2020 (Pauli Murray) Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 9:35-38 For the last several years, decades even now, those of us who serve and live inside of the Christian story as a gathered people have spoken about change. We have spoken about how the world is changing. We have spoken about how the Church is changing, or should be changing, in order to meet the
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June 17, 2020 Dear East Tennessee Friends, I write to you today on the fifth anniversary of the Mother Emanuel AME Church massacre. After being welcomed into a Bible study at Mother Emanuel, a young white man, fueled by racist hatred, killed nine members of Mother Emanuel, including their pastor, and wounded three more. Many of us hoped and prayed that the blood of these martyrs would be enough for us to make the changes necessary to be a different
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The Bishops of Province IV, the Southeast United States, including Bishop Brian Cole, issued a joint statement. You can read it here on the Episcopal News Service.
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June 2, 2020 “Q. What is the mission of the Church? The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” Dear East Tennessee Friends, I write to commend to you Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s statement on President Trump’s use of St. John’s Episcopal Church in D.C. and a Holy Bible last evening. In our time together as Bishop and Diocese, you and I have committed ourselves to be
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Words Pentecost 2020 St. John’s Cathedral Knoxville Acts 2:1-21 John 7:37-39 The Right Rev. Brian L. Cole Words. When a people share the same language and speak to each other and listen to each other, then words can be a powerful instrument for healing and wholeness, for finding a place of deeper forgiving and forgiveness. The right words, combined with a spirit of gracious listening, well, they become more than words. They take on marks of the sacred and
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Ascension Day 2020 Acts 1:1-11 Luke 24:44-53 The Right Rev. Brian L. Cole Andrei Rublev is arguably the most famous Russian icon painter ever. An Orthodox monk, he lived during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. His most famous icon, the Hospitality of Abraham, depicts three individuals seated around an altar. We think of it as an image of the Trinity, while also aware it depicts the strangers who visited Abraham and Sarah. Icons are more common in
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May 9, 2020 To our Grace Point family, As we all know these are extraordinary times. Many of us have been wondering if summer camp at Grace Point would be possible this summer. After much deliberation with our Bishop and other executive directors around our country, we have come to the conclusion that summer camp will not be feasible this summer. Our main goal has always been to ensure the safety of everyone who visits Grace Point. The safety of our
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May 8, 2020 Dear East Tennessee Friends, In St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus declares that loving God fully and loving our neighbors as ourselves are the two great commandments. Everything else we do as followers of Jesus builds on these calls to love. The Diocesan COVID-19 Task Force is releasing today Guidelines and Questions that will assist all of us in discerning when and how best to return to some form of in-person, public worship. As you read and study their
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“The darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide When other helpers fail and comforts flee Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me…” Abide with Me, Henry Francis Lyte Dear East Tennessee Friends, I am writing to you on the Wednesday after the fourth Sunday of Easter. I write to you as we all continue to live in the midst of changes and chances of the COVID 19 pandemic. In writing to you now, I do so aware that the
Read MoreSign for My Father, Who Stressed the Bunt By David Bottoms On the rough diamond, the hand-cut field below the dog lot and barn, we rehearsed the strict technique of bunting. I watched from the infield, the mound, the backstop as your left hand climbed the bat, your legs and shoulders squared toward the pitcher. You could drop it like a seed down either base line. I admired your style, but not enough to take my eyes off the bank
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