“In scripture, angels generally appear not to guard but to deliver a message. The message is almost always some version of ‘Don’t be afraid. You are not alone. God is with you. Keep going.’ While these angelic visits do not guard those who are visited, they do gird them by providing power and strength for the journey.”

Bring us, O Lord God, at our last awakening into the house and gate of heaven, to enter into that gate and dwell in that house, where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise nor silence, but one equal music; no fears nor hopes, but one equal possession; no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity: in the habitations of thy majesty and glory, world without end. Amen.

“We all can name personal days of infamy. The death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the day we heard the diagnosis that changed the course of our life. The moment we realize we can no longer protect our children or discover our loved one with dementia no longer recognizes us….”

“Joy is not only good for our well-being, but it is also at the heart of Jesus’ life and ministry. I came into the world, Jesus told his disciples, “so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)”

“love is not restricted to married couples. Siblings, friends, neighbors, chosen family. If we have people who show up for us when life is hard and celebrate with us when life is good, we know what it is to receive this love. If we have people for whom we show up to console in tough times and to rejoice in good times, we know what it is to give this love. To have even one relationship like this is a blessing. To have two or three is an abundance.”

“Where we too often see scarcity, God sees abundance. Where we see people in need, God sees people with gifts. When we see as God sees and live according to that vision, we become witnesses for Christ and participate in the transformation of the world.”

“…in a time of such deep division in our world, it seems to me the bishops are setting an example for how to stay in relationship and keep working together. As the old song says, they won’t know we are Christians because we’re right, ‘they’ll know we are Christians by our love.’ ”

“…let me be clear about where we stand at St. Paul’s: Whoever you are, whoever you love, whatever pronouns you use, you are welcomed, loved and accepted here.”

Expressing gratitude each morning has the power to shape our attitude for the rest of the day. In the General Thanksgiving we don’t simply say we’re grateful. We ask God to give us the wisdom to live “with truly thankful hearts,” being grateful “not only with our lips, but in our lives.”

“The Episcopal Church used to be the divider of the weeds and now we need to look for the flowers in the cracks,” she said. “You do not pull out the violets. You water them. Feed them. Fertilize them. Nurture them. … If we could do that, I think we would find our congregations and our structures would be more aligned with how Jesus has intended our garden to grow.”

- Julia Ayala Harris, President of the House of Deputies of The Episcopal Church

“Community not only creates abundance — community IS abundance. If we could learn that equation from the world of nature, the human world might be transformed.” - Parker Palmer

“It’s easy to fall into despair, to wonder if we’ve slipped too far to recover our equilibrium. Where do we find hope?”

Please support the people of Uvalde, Texas with your prayers.

The Rev. Barbara Kempf is on Sabbatical through September 2022.

What practices — daily, weekly, or otherwise — center and energize you?

“A life that could be seen as cursed is experienced instead as blessing.”