Jesus Offering the Light (Arathi) by Jyoti Sahi. 2004, India. Collection of the Artist. Dear Incarnation, Welcome to the season of Lent. The forty days of Lent are a traditional time for the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (acts of charity). As a community, we will spend this season practicing a particular form of prayer called the Examen, which I introduced in Sunday’s sermon ( listen here ). The Examen was created about 500 years ago by Saint Ignati

Dear friends, During my sabbatical last summer, I visited Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Though it is most famous for the stained glass interior, I found myself drawn to the stone carvings surrounding the arched exterior door. My two favorites are above: the creation and temptation of humanity. The figures are surprisingly tender for hundreds-years-old carved stone: God's loving gaze at the person he calls from the dust. God's gentle hand on the shoulder and arm of Eve, drawing he

Hiking in the Italian Alps last summer Dear Incarnation, This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, the final Sunday before the season of Lent. Our scriptures tell mysterious, evocative stories of mountain traverses, radiant light, descending clouds, and a divine voice. These are stories of heaven meeting earth; God’s divine life breaking into our creaturely life and our material world. It’s also an Acapella Sunday, when we’ll particularly attune our ears to the simplicity and po

The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Mafa, Cameroon, 1973 Dear friends, I’m not sure I have ever gotten a response quite like I did to Sunday’s sermon on meekness (you can listen here  if the snow kept you away!). I’ve already heard about several after-church meals where people wrestled together with the challenge of meekness. And I’ve received nearly a dozen thoughtful texts and emails. I am so heartened and humbled by this response. You are asking the kinds of questions I want us

"And he shall reign forever and ever" — from the score from Handel's Messiah Dear Incarnation, What a sweet Sunday, recalling the hospitality of the Holy Family through chalk and stars, and welcoming Arthur and Mason to our own holy [church] family through water. It was good to be together after such a dizzying start to the new year. The news cycle has been unrelenting, and if you’re like me, you’re still trying to make sense of the last major headline when the next one (and

Christmas Eve candlelight. Thanks to Whitney McArthur for the photo! Dear Incarnation, As we approach the close of 2025, I invite you to take some time to reflect. We have all lived through a year of significant local and national upheaval, impacting many of our jobs, neighborhoods, and relationships. And so I invite you to carve out a bit of time this week — before work, school, and other responsibilities begin again full-force — to step back and reflect with God. On Sunday,

Albrecht Altdorfer, The Birth of Christ (1513). I first encountered this painting through Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Advent letters from prison, in which he reflects on the painting's depiction of Christ among the ruins. Dear Incarnation, Earlier this week, I had the privilege of seeing our own Katie Foran (vestry warden, worship leader, and all-around beloved Incarnation member!) perform in a Christmas concert with the Choral Arts Society at the Kennedy Center. (Thanks to Karen R

Dear Incarnation, Another week of Advent in the books! How is it going? Several of you have shared with me a sense of failure in your attempts to observe Advent thus far. Maybe you feel like you’ve let too much Christmas in too early. Maybe you feel like your attempts to slow down are frustrated by a crazy-busy holiday schedule. Maybe your desire to light candles and pray has been overtaken by noise and chaos and, well, life. If so, please hear me: you can’t fail at Advent. D

The remnants of Christ the King Sunday: canned goods, the lion and the lamb, and so many paper crowns at the altar Dear Incarnation, Welcome to Advent! Sunday’s Lessons & Carols service was beautiful. I’m so grateful for all of our scripture readers; the amazingly talented singers in our All Y’All Choir and the Beverley Hills choir; the musical leadership of Grant, Russell, and Steve; and the hospitality of so many who contributed pecan pies and Takis and lingered long afterw

"Jesus the Good Shepherd’" by Sr. Claire SMMI, India Dear friends, I am writing with a heavy heart. Archbishop Steve Wood has now been inhibited (suspended from ministry) following accusations of misconduct. You can read more about his inhibition in this letter  from the College of Bishops, or in this story  from The Washington Post  (this is a gift link that should bypass the paywall). In addition, our bishop, Chris Warner, has written a letter to our diocese that I recommen

1 Thessalonians spotting: I found this nurse log on a recent hike! The Spirit brings life even in places of death and decay. Dear friends, As I announced on Sunday, our broader denomination continues to be in the news; this article  provides a helpful and clear update on the latest allegations. While I am deeply grieved by what is being revealed, I also believe that light dispels darkness. Justice and healing is only possible after an honest reckoning of all that has happened

One of the stations at our All Saints Cemetery Walk last weekend in Rock Creek Cemetery Dear friends, A Prayer in Times of Social Distress Increase, O God, the spirit of neighborliness among us, that in peril we may uphold one another, in suffering tend to one another, and in homelessness, loneliness, or exile befriend one another. Grant us brave and enduring hearts that we may strengthen one another, until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended, and you again gi

The 6th century Saint Kevin's monastery in Glendalough, Ireland, a reminder of the enduring beauty of the church. My family hiked here this summer. Dear Incarnation, Several of you have reached out to ask me about last week’s statement  about the reordering of the Anglican communion, the global church to which we belong. I appreciated our bishop’s invitation in response to the news: This moment of reordering within the wider Anglican Communion is historic and will be signific

Dear Incarnation, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings...

Dear Incarnation, At 12:01am, our government shut down. Because we live in the federal government’s “company town,” this shutdown isn’t...

I took this photo during a sabbatical hike in the Shenandoah valley. Fungus on a fallen log: beautiful things growing in settled places. Dear Incarnation, Many of you have asked me how my return from sabbatical has been (thank you!). I keep saying two words in response: gentle and overwhelming. Those may seem contradictory, and, well, I suppose they are. Sometimes multiple things are true at once! My return has been gentle  because our amazing staff did so much to prepare and

The Lost Coin, Jim Hasse, SJ, date unknown Dear Incarnation, It’s been a tough week since my last letter. The murder of Charlie Kirk —...

Another sabbatical photo. We found these little shrines in high-mountain pastures throughout our hike in the Alps. I loved these glimpses...

One of my favorite days of sabbatical, hiking over a snowy mountain pass in the French Alps Dear Incarnation, I'm back!!!!!!! And I...

Family pic from a training hike for our sabbatical trek! Dear Incarnation, To what shall we compare the kingdom of Jesus, if not a seed?...