‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled....
Together, Unawares (poem)
Together, Unawares J. Marshall Jenkins Go to a crowded place, say, an airport terminal, a stadium at game time, or a shopping mall in December. Let the cacophony gather, rise like smoke, and leave your one heart beating with others, your eyes among matchless faces...
Waking Nicodemus
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). At night, we sleep. We also do then what we never do in the light of day. I, Nicodemus, visited Jesus at night. I did not go to scout for my colleagues in our clerical court called...
Ryan and Julia Sapena Wedding Homily, September 30, 2023
Ryan, on behalf of everyone gathered here, thank you for proposing to Julia. Julia, we thank you for saying yes. Some here have known and loved Ryan for a very long time, and others, Julia. All of us gathered here have come to love you both as a couple, and we are...
Love Wears Down Walls
On moving out of our comfort zone to get to lasting peace.
Here We Are: Remembering Betty Marshall Jenkins
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will.be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). This post is the eulogy I delivered for my mother, Betty Marshall Jenkins, at Shandon Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC on January, 21,2023. She lived from April 2, 1925 until December...
Our Mother, the Peacemaker: Betty Marshall Jenkins, 1925-2022
7My mother, Betty Marshall Jenkins, died on December 31, 2022. The following post paid tribute to her on her 90th birthday on April 2, 2015. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). On a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of...
“The Presence of Peace” After the Wars of the Day
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). My previous post presented Frederick Buechner’s book, The Alphabet of Grace, as a companion for everyday spirituality. One of his last books, The Remarkable Ordinary: How to Stop,...
The Right Use of Freedom
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery....For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one...
Joseph’s Forgiveness After the Long Loneliness
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.... Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:7, 9). As colorful as his famous coat, Joseph’s story keeps us on the edge of our seats like none other in scripture. The long...
“All Will Be Well”: Julian’s Witness for Times Like Ours
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy....Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:7, 9) In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the first recorded pandemic -- the bubonic or “Black” plague -- killed about half...
Walking Through Pain to Peace
What has the journey through pain taught you about peace?