On wells and healing waters A sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent Stuart Higginbotham Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. My grandparents had a well in their backyard, and as a child, I would sneak over and take the old wooden cover off. I would lean over... Continue Reading →
“Strike a match, and watch it burn”
Strike a match, and watch it burn I woke up last Thursday and my entire image of God had changed, not all at once but completely. God, the word, is a piece of slick paper my soul cannot grip any longer. God had always been something–Someone– I prayed to, but now, somehow, God was something–somewhere,... Continue Reading →
The Mandala of Ash Wednesday–A Reflection for Lent
Ash Wednesday, 2023 Stuart Higginbotham Lately, I haven’t been writing out my sermons, but it has helped me this year to focus my thoughts more as we enter into this Lenten Season. Lent is a deeply meaningful time of the year, an ancient pattern in the wider Christian community, and it feels even more powerful... Continue Reading →
On Christian Practice and Mahamudra: A Reflection
On Christian Practice and Mahamudra Stuart Higginbotham I am preparing to begin a focused year of study on Himalayan/Tibetan Buddhism in January 2023. For a dozen years I have read and studied in various formats, but this season calls for something more intentional. Even as I realize how limited my understanding is, I have been... Continue Reading →
“Fallen Empire”: a poem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtIH4Z_qIiA Fallen Empire There was a moment with the man walking on the cobbled street a point of pride outside the marketplace where the weaver sat selling her cloth under a faded red awning. A normal afternoon filled with the clamor of voices arguing over gladiator performances there’s no way he could lose. They shoved... Continue Reading →
The stretching of spiritual ligaments: A Sermon
The stretching of spiritual ligaments Stuart Higginbotham October 16, 2022 In the newcomer’s or refresher class, we have spent a lot of time reflecting on a deeper understanding of religion. I could have just started listing off this or that fact or aspect of The Episcopal Church, but I think we are living in a... Continue Reading →
A Life of Light: The Transfiguration as a Visualization of the Authentic Nature of Reality
A Life of Light The Transfiguration as a Visualization of the Authentic Nature of Reality Stuart Higginbotham This relatively short essay seeks to weave together three years’ of thought around my experience of how Vajrayana, or Himalayan/Tibetan Buddhism continues to nurture my own understanding and awareness of my root practice of Christianity. Much more could... Continue Reading →
“The Watchpost: Habakkuk’s Mantle”, a poem
The Watchpost (Habakkuk’s Mantle) The oracle speaks. Layers of whispers sound like sand poured through fingers, prayer leaves a grit in my mouth. There is an urge from somewhere: if I could only separate the grains, line them up on a piece of dark paper, a clearer picture would emerge a solution to the problem... Continue Reading →
Bones of Light: A Collection of Poems
This collection of poems spans the three years, beginning in Advent (December) 2019 and ending in the Fall of 2022. When I began a more focused exercise of writing, I had no idea how life would unfurl. My writing became more important to me as the pressure grew, and poetry has become the cornerstone of... Continue Reading →