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…

Mid-April brings us two noteworthy dates: tax day and Earth Day. Although seemingly unrelated, they can be a prompt to consider how we can use our financial resources for the well-being of “this fragile Earth, our island home.” (BCP, p. 370) Donating to charities is one well-known way. A lesser known alternative is divestme…

The saying that “seeing is believing” could be a tagline for this Sunday’s Gospel, which tells the story of the man born blind (John 9:1-41).  In the story, Jesus heals a man by endowing him with the gift of sight, enabling him to see for the first time in his life.  When challenged by the religious authorities, the gratefu…

Perhaps, in your Lenten time of meditation, you may take the time to listen to one or all of these Lenten masterpieces compiled here. From the Baroque to the Modern, composers have tried to capture what earthly ears, hands and voices can feebly convey. From our lips, to God’s ears.   O all you who walk by on the road,…

Lent.   Just by reading that one word, I bet your mind was flooded with images, words, and memories. When I hear the word “Lent,” my mind jumps to words like ashes, sin, penitence, fasting, forgiveness, and death. Whatever you associate with Lent, some Lenten themes can make us squeamish. Sin and penitence, for example…

We hear a lot in the media about climate change and the harm it inflicts on people, communities, and wildlife.  Finding ways to prevent and mitigate damage is a political, economic, and social challenge.  It’s also a challenge for people of faith.  As the church explains, “In Jesus, God so loved the whole world.  We follow…