Chris Allen will open the community art show “Deep Winter Dreaming” on January 6th at the Johnson Heritage Post. She will also offer a bracelet beading workshop on Saturday, January 7th at 1 p.m. All are welcome. Chris Allen writes: “An artist and gardener all my life, I love to play in the dirt, growing food and flowers. Moving to... READ MORE >
For many of us living this far north, winter is a time of going deep, of hibernation, of what seems like emptiness and death on the surface, but holds life underground. For our 15th annual community art show, Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church is taking the theme Deep Winter Dreaming, to be held at The Johnson Heritage Post, running... READ MORE >
There is a growing movement across the globe and across denominations focusing on Creation Care. One way this emphasis is being held up is through an annual Season of Creation. Just as many churches have seasons—Advent, Epiphany, Easter, Lent, etc. (color-coded, we like to say)—so many churches worldwide have adopted a new season to honor the Creation and to prioritize... READ MORE >
When I think of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I remember a solemn procession in St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. I can’t recall what the specific occasion was, but a river of vestments, chasubles, and copes moved slowly down the central aisle. And then, amidst the propriety and pomp, one person cannot contain the joy, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu starts dancing... READ MORE >
Many Christians don’t sing Christmas carols till December 24th. Not because we are Scrooges, but because we are in a church season known as Advent: from the mid-6th century, the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas were kept as a time of expectation, often as a mini-Lent. What are we expecting during Advent? The birth of a baby, yes. The... READ MORE >
Why does gratitude matter? Why do the world’s great faiths—including the Psalms common to Judaism and Christianity–all carry songs of thanksgiving? Why do so many of the people I love to be around have a general aura of gratitude? Well, of course it could be that gratitude keeps us from what St. Augustine calls ‘sin’—turning in on ourselves. When we... READ MORE >
In March 2020, we entered a new world. Restaurants, churches, schools, airports, schools and borders closed. We washed hands obsessively and emptied bottles of hand sanitizer. A traumatic disjuncture in our lives. During those early days I heard a public health official say that the pandemic might go on for a few months. Months! Not until July! Impossible! Twenty months... READ MORE >
Sometimes the climate crisis can feel overwhelming. A number of community members have aligned with MNIPL to work on environmental concerns. Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light “works to grow the climate movement in Minnesota by empowering individuals and communities across the state to take action that is authentic, effective, and energizing in their context.” After meeting this summer and then... READ MORE >
Context is central to Christian faith: this is clear throughout the New Testament. The fact that scripture is written in so many different voices into different situations underlines this. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are not the same: each has a unique writer who has selected (often) differing stories, and has a particular style and emphasis—because they are written for... READ MORE >
I remember being shocked when my best friend in fourth grade, Mary, confided in me that she couldn’t share our usual candy bar, because it was Lent. Lent? As a good Presbyterian, I’d never heard of such a thing. In the earliest church, the forty days of Lent were preparation time for those to be baptized during the Easter Vigil.... READ MORE >
