This week, I encountered a book that was published last summer. It’s called Hope: A User’s Manual by Maryann McKibben Dana.     The book title caught my attention because I’ve been thinking a lot about hope. In many ways, I’ve struggled to feel hopeful in the last year or so. I’m worried about so many things. I fe…

Revival and renewal are the aim of an Episcopal Church festival taking place in Baltimore during July 9-12.  As we continue to move past the pandemic, we aim to rediscover God’s love, guidance and power so that the church looks, lives, and loves like Jesus.  In addition to revival services, the festival will feature worksho…

We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, fo…

I want to talk about Benjamin Franklin. That’s right. I have always admired this “founding father,” to the point of dressing up like him in Elementary school for history week (and thank God my mom indulged me with her sewing!) Now, imagine my delight to hunker down in a blanket with tiny dogs and a Ken Burns film about my F…

When you come to church on Sunday, you’ll notice that Hudson Hall has undergone a transformation. Our stage will look more like 16th century Italy than 21st century McLean. Shakespeare Opera Theatre has, once again, taken up residence at St. Thomas, and will be here from now until mid-July.   Here are three reasons why…

This past week St. Thomas along with other parishes in North Fairfax County represented Jesus and the Episcopal Church at Reston PRIDE. LGBTQIA+ PRIDE events have taken many shapes since the first march in 1970, but now they take place in the middle of anxiety as states pass laws criminalizing transgender medical treatment,…

  In March, Katie and I celebrated our long awaited Indian wedding. Surrounded by friends and family, in the picturesque setting of Goa on the west coast of India, we re-affirmed our marriage commitment to each other in a traditional Hindu ceremony. For those who are not familiar, a Hindu wedding is made up of a series…

To support families experiencing mental health challenges, St. Thomas gratefully hosted speakers from the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on May 7th.  Rebecca K. and Nyika R. addressed the importance of awareness and action in several areas: Know the warning signs.  An example is a notable…

There is an old tradition of the church that has been making a comeback lately. It has a fascinating history that dates back to 470 AD when France was in turmoil – the Goths were invading, so the threat of war was constantly looming. Add to that the turmoil of disease, fires, earthquakes and even wild animal attacks. It is…

I have been asked many times over the last year “How do you reconcile your clear call to preaching and teaching with this choice to be an academic and archivist?” Today was the perfect answer to that question.   Today, I conducted a oral history interview of an 83 year old Episcopal Priest. He was the first openly gay pries…