Friday (St John of the Cross)

  • Usual AM routine. MP in the (cold) cathedral.
  • Discussed some administrative/pastoral issues with the Archdeacon.
  • Read, evaluated, and responded to a tentative plan for a major conference sponsored jointly by Nashotah House and The Living Church. Can't say anything about it yet, but it has the potential to be very exciting.
  • Began work on the third meditation (or four) for the diocesan ECW retreat I am conducting in February.
  • Broke away from that to have lunch with Bishop John Roth, my ELCA counterpart. We discussed a broad range of topics, but focused on our cooperative work in Cairo.
  • On the way back to the office from lunch, I turned on the radio and heard about he massacre in Connecticut. The observance of Holy Innocents Day has been thrust upon us early this year. "Rachel weeping for her children ...".
  • Returned to working on the retreat address. The material is based on St Paul's letter to the Philippians, and I am really enjoying working closely with the text.
  • Did my initial reflective study of the readings for Epiphany, which falls on a Sunday this cycle. This will, by God's grace, eventually yield a sermon that will be delivered at Trinity, Jacksonville.
  • Scanned and otherwise processed the accumulated hard-copy detritus in my physical inbox (which is actually rather easier to manage than my cyber-inbox).
  • Friday prayer: Lectio divina on Isaiah 8:1-14.
  • Evening Prayer in the (dark) cathedral.
  • After some chili for supper at home, attended with Brenda the performance of Messiah (or parts thereof) by the Springfield Choral Society at the RC Cathedral. Very nicely done. 
  • Upon further reflection on the Connecticut tragedy, this much can be said--indeed, must be said: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. Today, not much more than that. But certainly not any less.

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