Author Archives: deandondavidson

Today, were it not the first Sunday after Christmas, which supercedes other Feast days, would be kept as the Feast of the Holy Innocents. There are days in the church year when the calendar feels as though it has slipped its sensible shoes and wandered into territory too heavy for polite conversation. The Feast ofContinue reading “The Holy Innocents — Then and Now”

I sat this morning thinking of a sermon preached in my parish on the Sunday after Christmas –when I had been graciously given the morning off, and the Rev. Dr. Jim Horne stepped into the breach. He spoke of all the Holy Days that the church has placed between Christmas morning and the start ofContinue reading “The Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist: Where Love, Light, and a Little Humour Meet December 27”

by a mildly weary but spiritually hopeful parish priest who has definitely earned a nap. If Christmas Day is the glorious crescendo of the season, then Boxing Day is the theological equivalent of a long, slow exhale. It is also the day when half the country stampedes toward the mall as though the Magi themselvesContinue reading “Boxing Day: Not Racing to the Mall, but Finding Peace and Rest in the Aftermath”

Christmas Day has a way of gathering us, as if some great cosmic bell is rung and we all instinctively look toward the table. Not just any table, mind you, but the table — the place where tureens steam, candles flicker, chairs scrape, and where someone inevitably asks, “Are we sure the turkey is fullyContinue reading “Christmas Day: Gathering at the Table We Love (Featuring a Few Rector-approved Musings on Gravy, Grace, and the Gloria in Excelsis)”

Christmas Eve is the night when the whole world seems to lean in a little closer — listening for something holy, something hopeful, something that sounds suspiciously like the choir warming up in the parish hall because someone forgot to unlock the church early. There is nothing quite like the traditions of this night. FamiliesContinue reading “Christmas Eve: Where Mystery Meets Mincemeat”

There are few places in the parish more mysterious — and more perilous — than the Sexton’s closet. Open the door just a crack, and you’re greeted by a wave of scents ranging from “Easter lilies past their prime” to “lemony-fresh optimism.” It is the one space in the building where the mop leans likeContinue reading “Finding God in the Church Sexton’s Closet: A meditation on mop buckets, mystery, and the quiet saints who keep us from slipping in the hallway.”

There are mysteries in the Church that have stumped theologians for centuries: the Trinity, the Incarnation, and why the parish calendar continues to behave like a mischievous woodland creature determined to hide acorns in every available liturgical nook. I have long suspected that our calendar has a mind of its own — one that enjoysContinue reading “The Parish Calendar: A Comedy of Errors and Occasional Miracles A reflection on scheduling, double-booking, and the inexplicable endurance of the Altar Guild”

There are moments in ministry — and, truthfully, in everyday life — when someone approaches us radiating the unmistakable aura of Holy Chaos. You know the look: eyes slightly wild, hair a bit askew, papers fluttering like the wings of distressed seraphim. They say, “Do you have a minute?” which, in ecclesiastical translation, means, “PrepareContinue reading “How to Bless Other People’s Chaos Without Adding Your Own A wise and humorous exploration of pastoral presence”

Our parish Christmas pagaent will be held on Sunday. Lots of people are busy making the final preparations for this amazing celebration that places us in the final days leading up to all the excitement of Christmas. I am thankful that here at Christ Church we have some amazing Pagaent presentations that can be doneContinue reading “Christmas Pageant Survival Guide: Incarnational Joy and Controlled Chaos (A Seasonal Meditation for Clergy, Parents, and Anyone Who Has Ever Attempted to Glue Pipe Cleaners to a Halo)”

There is a moment, usually sometime between the organist’s warm-up and the choir’s collective decision about what key they will be singing in today, when the light catches the sanctuary window just so. It’s the sort of moment that makes even a long-serving rector stop mid-announcement, forgetting entirely what he meant to say about nextContinue reading “The Sanctuary Window and the Theology of Light (In which the rector ponders beauty, architecture, and how God insists on shining in even when the custodian swears he just washed that glass last week.)”