Today, December 6, is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas of Myrna, and as I am writing this ahead of time my email is becoming flooded with requests for Giving Tuesday. We often refer to these December weeks as the “season of giving,” and with good reason: whether we are giving thanks, or our efforts, or a tangible or financial gift, the recommended focus during this time of year is other-centered. We look beyond ourselves for opportunities to connect; always lovingly, often sacrificially....

This is the exact time in the calendar year when we find ourselves poised on the outer edge of the “holiday season,” and ready to jump. Much has been said and written about the complexities inherent in these next six weeks; a time when high interpersonal expectations meet socio-cultural norms meet consumerism meets long, long “to do” lists. By any measure, it’s a lot. We know it’s a lot because we see some of the negative effects of this season in those around us. We might even feel them some ourselves....

When I was a young girl and sulking about having to do something social that I would rather avoid, my grandmother would always quote her own mother to me. When she was young and preparing to attend a gathering—happily or otherwise—my grandmother would get dressed in clothing appropriate to the occasion, comb her hair, and gather her coat and belongings to leave her home. As she got to the door, her mother would stop her. She did a superficial spot check to make sure all was well and then gave my grandmother a hug, adding some version of this statement as she walked out: “make them glad they asked you.”

A pastor in a book about giving recounts the following story: when he was a young boy, his mother used to send him on occasional errands to the local florist to pick up bouquets for the family dining table. He writes of how much he resented this chore. He didn’t care about having cut flowers in his home. He didn’t want to stop what he was doing to walk all the way to the shop to get them. On top of everything else, he really didn’t want to be seen out in his neighborhood carrying his purchase. He feared his friends might mock him, or incorrectly assume he had a romantic partner.....

Halloween came early to my neighborhood last weekend. Charlie and I are renting an apartment not too far from the Javits Center. Often, we have guests from far and near walking our streets from various conventions, getting air or looking for restaurants. Last weekend, New York Comic Con was in residence, so our visitors were more colorful and more noticeable than usual.....

Last Sunday, and for the next six weeks, our Adult Education at 10 am will be focused on The Way of Love. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has recommended this broad and adaptable Rule of Life to those of us identified with what he calls “the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.” The Way includes seven practices, each meant to help us follow Jesus more intentionally and grow in God’s love: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest....

What is it about autumn? Whether we are actively engaged with the academic year or not, there is something about Labor Day weekend coming and going; something about those days where the air is just a bit crisper and we notice it getting darker a tad earlier. Maybe it’s because so many of us were students for so long or because we live in the Northeast with its distinct seasons, but it’s hard not to feel the bittersweet combination of summer’s loss and the hope that accompanies new beginnings.

I had two conversations this week that stayed with me long after they were finished. The first was with one of my sons, and the topic was the early retirement, at age 29, of NFL quarterback Andrew Luck. The second conversation was with one of my nephews, who is a rising junior in high school....

Yesterday was the day in our church calendar when we remembered Mary, mother of Jesus. Is there any female figure in Christian history who has been on the receiving end of more transference than Mary? She has been appropriated institutionally and culturally in all sorts of ways; she has been remade in the image of values held by diverse—and sometimes contradictory—times and places. She is as idealized as she is beloved.

Last week, in the Holy Apostles kitchen, Steve Turtell taught me how to make the bread we use in the Holy Eucharist at our 11 am service. It was a very hot day and I was a plebe in the process, but Steve was patient and kind and my first efforts produced a “good enough” product (still, if you experience the consecrated bread as being a bit dry over the next few weeks please forgive the inevitable learning curve!). The recipe is pretty straightforward, and once an experienced baker shares a few helpful techniques most anyone can create the bread we share in our worship together....