From the Bishop | Episcopal Church in Minnesota

Return and Remember

December 6, 2023

Beloved in Christ, Last week, I spent a few days on retreat in the mountain desert of Northern New Mexico. It's a place I have returned to over and over again across the many different seasons...

Special Permission for Ministry

December 6, 2023

To All God’s Beloved in Minnesota, Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and from Jesus Christ, the coming light of the world. I bring you glad tidings of great joy: Bishop Nicholas of M...

Who Advent is For

November 29, 2023

Beloved in Christ, The prophet Isaiah announces Advent’s arrival this Sunday by howling at God: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down. . .” (64:1). It’s a passionate cry for...

Giving Thanks

November 22, 2023

Beloved in Christ, The hours between 6:00 and 8:00 am always feel like a mad sprint in my household. Making sure two kids are up, dressed, and well fed, tending to the morning household tasks, and ...

Bishop's Address 2023

November 10, 2023

To All God’s Beloved in Minnesota, Grace to you and peace from the God who immerses us in the loving waters of baptism, from Jesus who opens up new horizons of justice, and from the Holy Spirit w...

Memento Mori

November 1, 2023

Beloved in Christ, There is a small, glass skull that sits on the desk of my home office. I keep it there for several reasons. It is a blunt reminder that I am mortal, and that life is short. Seein...

Dancing on the Stormy Sea

October 25, 2023

Beloved in Christ, This past weekend, I joined the Diocese of Iowa for their annual convention. Bishop Betsy Monnot is an extraordinary bishop from whom I've already learned a great deal, so i...

God Always Takes a Side

October 11, 2023

Beloved in Christ, In 2015, I had a chance to meet with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Middle East. I was with a group of Anglican cathedral deans from the U.S. and Canada, and I...

And I Mean To Be One, Too

October 4, 2023

Beloved in Christ, Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis is undoubtedly one of the most widely recognized and well-loved saints in Christian history. But the popular image of th...

Who is at the Center?

September 27, 2023

Beloved in Christ, On Monday evening, I had the great joy of being present for Bible study at Calvary in Rochester. They are reading the Gospel of Luke as part of our diocesan-wide scripture study ...

The Harder You Try, the Worse It Gets

September 20, 2023

Beloved in Christ, In recent years, I have become a big fan of the novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky. They are long, complex, and demanding reads, of course, but I recently heard someone say the main poi...

The Mystery of the Cross

September 15, 2023

Beloved in Christ, Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Cross. In the ancient world, it was laughable for a small Jewish sect to claim that the God of the whole cosmos is revealed most fully in the ...

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