Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ++++++++++ This is our Collect for the upcoming Sunday. "Collect" is an archaic Episcopal word for the prayer of the day that we say at the beginning of our Liturgy of the Word. It was meant to order (collect) the thoughts and hearts and minds of worshipers into a common prayer offering. Archaic is my word as I continue to poke at our want to hold onto ancient things, apparently "for old times sake." When I was growing up, we said this particular collect on the second Sunday in Lent; in commenting that it was moved to the third Sunday in Lent, Hatchett (page 175) dates the pray...

Exodus 3:1-15 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferin...

  It's okay if I go counter to my own rules, including linking my Wednesday +Time blogpost on Facebook after I said I'd not do that except on Sundays during Lent.  Watching the national scene, I'm thinking that each branch of government may need their own armed enforcement power, thus, as well as the US Army under the Executive, an army for Congress and an army for the Supreme Court; and one might actually see them warring with each other, shooting and killing, holding hostages if they resort to that level of subhuman barbarism, especially helpless, innocent hostages. We could all take sides. As it is, suppose a court holds an executive branch official in contempt and issues an order for arrest? What happens when government goes berserk and refuses to follow the rules, standards, practices, customs, traditions that are the deck of cards that hold the whole thing up?  +++++++++ What happens to religion when people reject its rules as well as its myths? What happens to reli...

Few to none may read this, but it's a fascinating and competent presentation of a point of view. Copy and pasted sans permission. I will delete if requested. TW Aaron Renn’s “negative world” framework has inspired conferences, sermons and essays. He Gave a Name to What Many Christians Feel And the feeling isn’t good. Aaron Renn has gained a following by warning that the U.S. is currently a “negative world” for Christianity. Share full article775 By Ruth GrahamPhotographs by Madeleine Hordinski Ruth Graham has covered religion and faith for more than a decade. Published March 6, 2025 Updated March 10, 2025 In the two years since Aaron Renn moved to Carmel, Ind., he has become a kind of unofficial booster for the unusual suburb of Indianapolis. For Mr. Renn, Carmel is proof that “we can have an America where things still work.” Run by Republicans for decades, with the same mayor from 1996 to 2024, the city has built big and beautifully, often in traditionalist architectural sty...