tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62841682024-03-17T15:31:19.099-07:00Redeeming BarthReflections on the state of the world which proceed with the scriptures in one hand and the newspaper in the otherfrharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.comBlogger619125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-83601309129400705592024-03-16T16:19:00.000-07:002024-03-17T09:09:57.827-07:00Requiem for a Paradise Being Lost “You have to stand up for some
things in this world…You can't conserve what you haven't got.”
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Everglades, River of Grass
“It seems to me that the earth may be borrowed,
but not bought. It may be used, but not owned. It gives itself in response to
love and tending, offers its seasonal flowering and fruiting. But we are
tenants and not possessors, lovers, and frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-23564063185954240602024-03-10T15:46:00.000-07:002024-03-10T15:46:18.650-07:00A G-d Who Always Loved the World
“For
God so loved the world….” (John 3:16)
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John 3:16 is perhaps one of the most frequently quoted
passages of scripture in the Christian Bible. We see it everywhere from the
charcoal lettering under the eyes of quarterback Tim Tebow to billboards and
bumper stickers. It has sometimes been called “the gospel in a nutshell,”
summing up frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-42711709468266276592024-02-19T08:34:00.000-08:002024-02-19T08:34:00.931-08:00Driven Into the Wilderness: Lenten Reflections And
a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well
pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness…..
Our
lessons on this first Sunday in Lent have a number of aspects worth noting. I
would like to focus on three of them. First,
emerging from the waters of the Jordan River Jesus hears the voice of the Holy
One whom he has always frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-5863497459936770182024-02-04T16:02:00.000-08:002024-02-19T08:21:21.144-08:00To Bind Up Their WoundsYou may watch this sermon as it was
delivered at this link starting at 30:30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMJUuyZge_Y
“He heals the
brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” May I speak in the name of the G-d who
[+] Creates, Redeems and Sustains us? AMEN.
Today’s Gospel lesson
offers us what I see as a compelling vision of how to be a healthy spiritual community
following the Way of frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-8941552941994077792024-01-29T07:00:00.000-08:002024-01-29T07:00:54.014-08:00With Gratitude to the Helper[A Eulogy offered at the Celebration of
Life liturgy for Louise (Leecie) duPuy Rhinelander Doyle on Saturday, January
20, 2024 at St. Richard’s Episcopal Church, Winter Park, Florida]
One of the most poignant
images I’ve seen of Leecie Doyle’s life was the photograph of her door in
Westminster Towers. On it she had taped the cover of Rollins College’s magazine
that featured Fred frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-81775703818389149592023-12-31T15:40:00.000-08:002023-12-31T15:40:37.028-08:00Homage to a Dedicated Public Servant[This
eulogy was offered at the memorial service for Edgar Warren Tomberlin, Friday,
December 29, 2023, Purcell’s Chapel, Beyer’s Funeral Home, Bushnell, Florida]
Good afternoon. My name
is Harry Coverston. I am the oldest child of Samuel and Marjorie Coverston. I
grew up here in Bushnell, graduating from South Sumter High School in 1971.
Warren Tomberlin was my beloved classmate. And Mr. frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-60259703708529570352023-12-09T09:33:00.000-08:002023-12-09T09:33:31.024-08:00Dedication [N.B. With these words, the
Equal Justice Initiative marker commemorating the life and death of Arthur
Henry was dedicated. The words were spoken by Harry Coverston, lead investigator
of for the Alliance for Truth and Justice, as the covering of the marker was
removed by two members of the Henry family.]
Arthur Henry, your long wait is over. Today you are
recognized as a valued member of our frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-45388348333937799602023-12-09T09:11:00.000-08:002023-12-09T09:11:20.326-08:00Arthur’s Liturgy [N.B. The following words were originally offered at the graveyard near Lake City where I believe Arthur Henry was laid to rest. This liturgy was then offered at the Dedication Ceremony of the EJI marker at the Wells'Built Museum December 6, 2023] We
do not know where Arthur Henry was buried. My search for his resting place took
me to the Huntsville Church and Cemetery, just north of Lake frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-45942148178254986452023-12-07T16:17:00.000-08:002023-12-07T16:17:03.473-08:00Arthur’s Story[N.B. This is the historical account of Arthur Henry’s life and death I offered as lead investigator of his lynching at the dedication of the Equal Justice Initiative marker commemorating him on December 6, 2023 at the Wells’Built Museum in downtown Orlando]
Arthur Henry was a WWI veteran.
He was released from the U.S. Army in 1918 and returned to his ancestral home
in Lake City. He moved frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-88244176890347844382023-12-07T06:37:00.000-08:002023-12-07T15:39:39.979-08:00Lessons from a Long Journey Toward JusticeN.B. This essay was
published as a My Word column in the Orlando Sentinel Opinion section December
6, 2023. It appeared on the morning that the marker from the Equal Justice
Initiative commemorating Arthur Henry was dedicated.
On December 6, Orlando will dedicate a marker commemorating
the lynching of Arthur Henry. As lead investigator for the Alliance for Truth
and Justice seeking to re-member frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-13237644881073631812023-10-13T10:36:00.002-07:002023-10-13T10:37:51.157-07:00When Your Parish is Profoundly FranciscanIMAGE: St. Francis in Ecstasy, Giovani Bellini (1480)
Both here and in all your churches throughout
the whole world. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. For by your [+] Holy
Cross, you have redeemed the world. AMEN. [Franciscan Prayer upon entering and departing a sacred space]
This is the service
that those of us who are owned by non-human animals look forward to each year.
frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-69229096865726703212023-08-20T13:58:00.000-07:002023-08-20T13:58:00.464-07:00Even the Dogs Eat the Crumbs<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-28757882123537583742023-08-13T09:29:00.000-07:002023-08-13T09:29:23.982-07:00Trusting Divine Presence<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-27960615664932924392023-08-06T16:02:00.000-07:002023-08-06T16:02:30.724-07:00Transfigurations: What Is Revealed?<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-19826277784814628852023-08-03T10:07:00.002-07:002023-08-03T19:43:18.136-07:00Dark Night of the Soul in a Once Sunny State
[Image: Thunderstorm rolls into Palm Beach, Savannah Williams
photographer]
This past week I had a long talk with an old friend who,
like me, is a multi-generational Floridan. We were discussing what is going on
in our state. The political atmosphere is dark, angry, and vicious. We both
have friends who have been impacted by the fascist turn in education here,
something that grieves bothfrharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-84100003169421725562023-07-17T16:19:00.001-07:002023-07-29T15:25:39.328-07:00Having Ears to Hear“[T]his is the one who hears the word and
understands it….”.
Matthew
13 provides us with a version of the Parable of the Sower. It is one of the
best known of Jesus’ parables and scholars believe that at least the first part
of it is certainly the authentic Jesus speaking to us. A version of this
parable is also found in the Gospels of Mark, Luke and the Sayings Gospel of
Thomas.
&frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-61805691325073836652023-07-03T15:36:00.001-07:002023-07-03T15:36:38.131-07:00The Radical Hospitality of Jesus“For
whoever welcomes you welcomes me….” May I speak to you in the name of the G-d who
[+] Creates, Redeems and Sustains us? AMEN.
[You
may listen to the sermon as preached at the link below starting at 28:00 into
the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BODn803R7ys&t=2510s
]
Today’s
Gospel comes at the end of a series of hard lessons that Matthew has Jesus
teaching. frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-48745993914391344942023-06-02T15:59:00.003-07:002023-06-03T11:40:49.403-07:00The Epistle to the Anonymous Preface: This week I received a letter in the mail. No return
address. No signature. Usually I disregard such letters. I figure if the sender
is not willing to take responsibility for whatever they’ve said, there’s not
much point in taking them seriously.
But I figured it wouldn’t hurt me to read the letter. And as
I thought about it afterwards, it occurred to me that at a basic level, the
frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-9837246978389701392023-06-01T08:05:00.001-07:002023-06-04T16:06:07.661-07:00The Mouse and "God's Warrior": Whose Vision?
We celebrated Memorial Day by going to see Disney’s newest
film, “The Little Mermaid.” It was everything we’ve come to expect from Disney
- incredible technological effects, beautiful use of colors and imagery, lilting
melodies, an uplifting story with a predictable plot.
[Spoiler alert: The protagonists really do end up
living happily ever after. Surprise!]
I was struck by how frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-44536631899962575222023-05-23T15:26:00.000-07:002023-05-23T15:26:05.639-07:00Revealing the Holy “I have made your name
known to those you have given me….”
In our first reading
this morning from Acts, the authors of Luke provide an account of a
post-resurrection Jesus departing the world. He engages a brief question and answer
session with his disciples and then simply lifts off the planet’s surface like
a rocket, disappearing into a cloud. His disciples remain in place, their gaze
frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-61391773986750302302023-05-19T16:25:00.002-07:002023-05-20T14:47:57.120-07:00America, Don’t Do This To YourselfMy fellow Americans, I am a sixth generation Floridian. I
have served my state as a public school teacher, a public defender of juveniles
and mentally ill clients and as a professor in its higher education system. I
also serve my spiritual community as an Episcopal priest in a local parish. With
the exception of the four years I spent in seminary in California, I have lived
in Florida all of my frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-86012304619904199192023-03-19T17:19:00.001-07:002023-03-20T06:08:23.071-07:00Lenten Reflection: Coming to Grips with Our Blindness His disciples asked
him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents?” May I speak to you in
the name of the G-d who creates, redeems and sustains us? AMEN.
Today’s Gospel presents
us with a puzzling story. In today’s lesson, as Jesus is leaving the Temple he encounters
a man born blind and his disciples ask him “Rabbi, was it this man’s
wrongdoing or his parents’ that caused him to be frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-19723667664833584512023-03-17T16:15:00.000-07:002023-03-17T16:15:15.783-07:00Grieving the Loss of Riches A couple of weeks ago my calendar program notified me that
it was my cousin Ansel’s birthday. He would have been 66 this year. He was a
graduate of New College and though he’s been gone several years now, he and his
alma mater have been on my mind the past few weeks.
A Brilliant Mind, An Oversized Heart
Ansel was brilliant, possessing a sharply honed mind that
took no prisoners matched by an frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-52605152014925388622023-03-01T09:01:00.002-08:002023-03-01T12:17:40.161-08:00The Magic of Ash WednesdayI have always loved the Ash Wednesday liturgy. I say that
even as I recognize that I do not find the sin/salvation focus of most Christian
theology compelling. I think the Way of Jesus is way too important to obsess
over sinfulness. I see that obsession as largely a form of unrecognized
egocentrism. Taking sin seriously does not require making that the starting
point or the ultimate goal of the frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6284168.post-68639089988236271212023-02-04T16:44:00.001-08:002023-02-05T14:43:22.057-08:00Saying Goodbye to a LegendWe came to bear witness to a man who had changed our lives.
There were thirteen of us from South Sumter High School who had
come to the funeral of L.C. Coney in Leesburg. He was our high school
band director in a time when everything seemed to be up in the air. He replaced
a long time beloved band director whose progressive difficulties from a stroke
had made it impossible for him to continue. frharryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17765076740795402119noreply@blogger.com4