Category Archives: Hope

To Be

Posted on March 25, 2020 by tmrichmond3

Several years ago I visited a colleague of mine for some advice about my spiritual life. At our first meeting he said, “I am going to repeat a phrase. You meditate on the phrase. You will know when I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Current Events, Devotional, Growth, Hope, Lenten Devotional, Musings, Prayer, Psalms, Spiritual Growth, spirituality | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Hope for the Holidays

Posted on January 7, 2020 by tmrichmond3

  I wonder what Mary and Joseph saw when they look into the eyes of their newborn child. What did they see in the eyes of Jesus? On the one hand, they knew this was a special child, a child … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Christmas Eve, Hope, Jesus, ministry, Spiritual Growth, spirituality | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Persistence of Memory

Posted on July 1, 2019 by tmrichmond3

  Memory and the Magic of Music A few years ago I was relaxing on the Saturday night before Easter. The sermon had been written and rehearsed, the service was all set to go, and I could just sit back … Continue reading →

Posted in Communion, Community, Hope, Joy, Lament, Psalms, Relationships, Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Total Depravity and Redemption

Posted on February 23, 2019 by tmrichmond3

I have a Facebook friend who regularly posts about the inner peace he finds by avoiding the news like a plague. He has a kind of evangelical fervor about it (you too can enjoy this serenity, and all you have … Continue reading →

Posted in A River Runs Through It, Compassion, Current Events, Evil, Growth, Hope, ministry, News, Social Justice, Social Ministry, Spiritual Growth, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spiritual Politics and other Rare Breeds

Posted on January 2, 2019 by tmrichmond3

  Writing almost 50 years ago, Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk in Kentucky, wrote about what he called political principles spiritualized by the Gospel. In his book Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Merton’s reflections on society at large, he starts … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Compassion, Hope, Musings, Poor, religion and politics, Social Justice, Social Ministry, Uncategorized, Virtue, Wealth | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Silent Night

Posted on December 29, 2018 by tmrichmond3

The First Silent Night On Christmas Eve, 1818, in the small Austrian village of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, the members of the Catholic church gathered for the Christmas Eve mass. The priest, Joseph Mohr, had just recently come to the church. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Advent Carol, Advent Sermon, Christmas, Christmas Carol, Christmas Eve, Hope, Incarnation, Jesus, Peace, Preaching, Silent Night, Spiritual Growth, spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment