Fifth Sunday of Easter, 2024 I John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Stuart Higginbotham It may surprise you to know that the largest grape vine in the world is actually in England, at Hampton Court Palace. It has a circumference (the length around the trunk) of 12 feet with the vine branches themselves extending over 100 feet. ... Continue Reading →
“Root Mother:” a poem
Root Mother I do not see you as much as I feel you– know you, the way I know my bones hold me upright as I walk, or the pressure of bare feet on cool grass. You, Root Mother, draw my eyes downward to the earth, where the heart of life beats, the deep throb... Continue Reading →
“Snake oil salesman:” a poem
Snake oil salesman The wagon creaks as it rolls, wheels strained from the load of hollow promises stacked full. How is it that the snake oil salesman knows the perfect time to enter the town, calling out to the crowd, enticing them with bold claims of quick and certain cures? Is it something in him?... Continue Reading →
“A fresh way of being in this world”: a poem
A fresh way of being in this world Life is a room with golden walls and many doors, some ornate with brass fittings, others wooden with simple handles, some with hinges rusted tight from disuse or avoidance, others with latches so loose one must only look at them and they fly open, luring. There are... Continue Reading →
A fresh way of being in this world: a sermon
Lent 3, Year B John 2:13-22 March 3, 2024 A fresh way of being in this world Life is a room with golden walls and many doors, some ornate with brass fittings, others wooden with simple handles, some with hinges rusted tight from disuse or avoidance, others with latches so loose one must only look... Continue Reading →
“To you, Embodied One” : a poem
To you, Embodied One To you, Embodied One, I bow but with my eyes open so I can look more closely at your face of soil and stone, your eyes a pool of water reflecting the brightness of the sky. Is it not praise to walk gently with bare feet upon the warm earth? Is... Continue Reading →
“One fresh moment,” a poem
One fresh moment To stand still for a moment true to the breath birds singing in the trees the echo of midnight’s rain releases its hold on the bare branches falling gently to the ground to be received with open arms by the earth that is calling to us all Stuart
“The Covenant”: A Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent
The First Sunday in Lent February 18, 2024 Stuart Higginbotham The Covenant God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of... Continue Reading →
“We gather the dry pieces,” a poem for Ash Wednesday
We gather the dry pieces For Ash Wednesday Let us keep in mind the ashes of this year’s ritual were made from a flash of praise, with green fronds lifted high in that brief moment of brightness before the shouts of joy turned and rage took hold and possessed the crowd who then tossed their... Continue Reading →