Frank T. Griswold
Being formed by the hope that is in us: A challenge for the new year
January 9 , 2003 I write these words in the early days of December, as I look ahead to Christmas and the beginning of the new year. What we shall be, as scripture tells us, has yet to be revealed, and therefore in our unknowing our challenge is to keep our eyes fixed on the […]
Making room for the unexpected: The deep yearning of the Advent season
Advent is a season of powerlessness in which we are invited to set aside the various ways we seek to reassure ourselves that we are in control of our lives and are, therefore, invulnerable to all the uncertainties which constitute life as it is actually lived. Advent is a season in which we get in […]
Rejoice: we are God's vehicles
Jesus’ birth is God’s declaration that embodiment is the way of divine dealing with our disordered and darkened world. Through this divine act of incarnation, Jesus became an actor in the particular time and place in which he was born. And, his personhood became a sign to us about the meaning of our own personhood […]
A place of hope: Standing in the diverse center
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold." At the conclusion of a recent meeting of the House of Bishops in Cleveland, Ohio, these haunting words from W. B. Yeats's poem The Second Coming came vividly to mind, not because they were true but because I had just experienced the exact opposite. On the last evening […]
A letter from the House of Bishops to Congress
October 2, 2002 Dear Members of Congress: The following is a letter written to you from the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church on October 1 during our fall meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. It is my hope that you will receive this letter in the spirit in which it is offered. Also included for […]
Sermon preached at Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio during the gathering of bishops and spouses of the Episcopal Church
The chief priests and the elders approach Jesus. They are outraged. Their power to control, dominate and decree the very will of the Most High has been overridden by one who dares to speak, dares to teach with a different kind of power: the life-giving love and mercy of God. “By what authority are you […]
A letter to Dr. Condoleezza Rice regarding US refugee program
Dr. Condoleezza Rice Assistant to the President for National Security President of the United StatesThe White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20504 Dear Dr. Rice: Thank you for meeting with us recently to discuss U.S. policy related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We appreciate the time you gave to us last Monday and your commitment […]
A Timeless Vision: Moving beyond self-preoccupation
Near the end of World War II a German Jesuit, Father Alfred Delp, was imprisoned for envisioning a new social order for Germany. His vision was grounded in the principles of the gospel and therefore was a repudiation of the myths and fictions of Nazism. While awaiting his death he wrote a series of meditations […]
A letter from the Presiding Bishop regarding a day of prayer for people with HIV/AIDS
Dear Friends in Christ, More than twenty years ago we proclaimed that âOur Church Has AIDSâ in recognition of the reality that when any part of the Body of Christ is afflicted, the entire Body is afflicted. Twenty-two years later, HIV/AIDS is still very much with us. One of the earliest responses of the Episcopal […]
'A super power…must exercise the role of super servant': The Presiding Bishop's statement on military action against Iraq
Our nation is now engaged in a debate about the wisdom of military action designed to remove Saddam Hussein from power. The choices made now will set in motion events that will reverberate around the world, for good or ill. In this grave time I encourage President Bush to continue to listen with an open […]