Meditations from members and clergy at St. Thomas' Parish. http://www.stthomasdc.org Sat, 31 Jul 2010 18:14:28 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.stthomasdc.org/images/M_images/St-T-Logo-round.png http://www.stthomasdc.org Meditations from members and clergy at St. Thomas' Parish. http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/taiz-homily-wayne-floyd.html Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/a-prayer-for-the-victims-of-the-earthquake-in-haiti.html Holy God, source of life, lover of souls, out of the depths we call to you; in the face of incomprehensible anguish and sorrow, we lift the cries of our distress and implore you to show mercy upon those who are suffering from the destruction of the earthquake in Haiti. We pray for those who have died and for their loved ones who grieve, asking you to hold them in the arms of your love; we pray for those who have been injured in body, mind or spirit and ask you to heal them; we pray for those who are homeless and wandering, for families torn asunder and ask you to shelter them. Strengthen the hands and hearts of those who assist in relief efforts and grant us all firm resolve to stand with our neighbors who are in need, to love them and to offer our generous support of them in this their time of trouble; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen The ERD Haiti Relief Fund (http://www.er-d.org/) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:30:16 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/taiz-homily-michael-bell.html A transcript of the Taizé homily given by Michael Bell, on January 24, 2010. Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:00:00 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/taize-homily-matthew-jarvis-19.html A transcript of the Taizé homily given by Matt Jarvis, on January 10, 2010 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:00:00 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/taize-homily-11-15-dave-kucharski.html A transcript of the Taizé homily given by David Kucharski, on November 15, 2009. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/why-i-give-44.html Dennis Linn, one of my favorite Jesuit writers, speaks about our relationship with God saying “We become like the God we adore”. He expounds on this idea, illustrating how like a child emulating her parents and other role models, we ultimately are shaped by our image of God. His words resonate for me. My heart’s desire is to be transformed into God’s image. The God I adore is tender and vulnerable, inviting me to embrace my own vulnerability with courage. My God is gentle and kind, always forgiving. My God raises up the weak and the oppressed, turning upside-down the political economy of the world. But, perhaps most wonderfully, my God is a God of abundance, inviting me to experience ever more deeply the extravagant love poured out on us as God’s children. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:00:57 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/cues-homily-10-4-09.html Being a Christian, and specifically an Episcopalian, is something I grew up doing. It was part of the weekly rhythm of our family…we went to church Sunday mornings, Mom had choir practice on Wednesdays, we had choristers on Thursdays, and there were various committee meetings throughout the week that both of my parents participated in. We were “involved.” With parents like these as role models, it is perhaps no surprise that my faith is important to me. And, by no means do I consider my faith something that I simply adopted out of habit - I thoroughly love the Episcopal Church and have taken great pride in being an Episcopalian. Now that I am in my mid-30s, I even sometimes volunteer the fact that my faith is important to me without concern that someone is going to judge me, or if they do, I can live with those consequences (and probably be all the better for it). Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:02:28 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/taize-homily-clay-williams.html It is difficult for me to stand before you. Yes, partly because public speaking always makes me nervous. But, also because I feel so vulnerable standing here in front of you, talking about my spirituality. Some of you who know me well may realize that I often have a hard time expressing how I really feel-often using sarcasm and cynicism to prevent the conversation from becoming too serious. But today, I stand before you without reservation to explain how important today's scripture is to me and my journey. Sat, 16 May 2009 22:00:00 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/taize-homily-christian-garcia.html My name is Christian. I would like to share this afternoon what was for me the definite moment when I knew that God exists and also that God is watching. If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans. Says Woody Allen. And this is the perfect quote to start with... Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:00:00 +0100 http://www.stthomasdc.org/thoughts/taize-homily-kristin-queen-shaffer-3.html Today marks a turning point for me, a sort of pre-anniversary, if you will. A month from today, if the timetable I have been living with for the last 9 months is correct, I will officially become a mom. On top of that I will officially turn a year older. I am hoping that I will be able to add and wiser to the last half of that sentence; that I will instantly be just that, older and wiser; that the fears and uncertainty of taking on such an awesome responsibility will be realized, instantly, miraculously, divinely. Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:00:00 +0100