Let me start with Denise Levertov’s (LEV-er-toff) poem “The Servant-Girl at Emmaus (A Painting by Velázquez)” which Levertov wrote as a reflection of the painting you see here: Kitchen Maid with Supper at Emmaus, or The Mulata by Diego Velàzquez, ca. 1619 She listens, listens, holding her breath. Surely that voice is his — the one who had looked at her, once, across the crowd, as no one ever had looked? Had seen her? Had spoken as if to her? Surely those hands were his, taking the platter of...

Growing up as a priest’s kid, you hear a lot of Scripture. Yes, on Sundays, but on holy days and at Sunday School, at Vacation Bible School and the dinner table.  The Word was made a foundational text for me. And in Scripture, I have always loved the stories of women and the few stories that actually had girls as characters, but I also had a few favorite male characters: Zacchaeus and Nicodemus. Now, Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. And that’s why I liked him: I...

I have been in many cohorts, workshops, and trainings about leadership — innovative leadership, church leadership, leadership in schools, and leadership in general. An emphasis in most, if not all of them, has been “Knowing Your Why.”  Basically this means: Know your purpose. Know why your organization, or for us as a church: know why this movement of Jesus, exists. In both of our readings today, the prophet Isaiah and Jesus are saying to God’s people: Know your why. Because when you know...