Three, Four Shut the Door
Jack Hardaway ] The television news crew pulls up to the house with Ten Commandment signs up all over the front yard. The signs are in protest to the commandments being taken out of schools, and court houses. They interview the homeowner, and in the course of the interview the homeowner is asked if he […]
Water in a Dry Place
(GAVEL SOUNDS…) I call this court to order. The case of the Israelites vs. the Lord will now be heard. The question before us, “Is the Lord among us or not?” The plaintiff claims that they have been brought out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, to die of thirst in the wilderness.” […]
Lenten Reflection-Walking the Pilgrim Road Pt. 1
11 March 2020; Trinity Cathedral; Jack Hardaway ON THE WAY TO SOMEWHERE I have pedestrian habits. I have always liked to walk, hike, run, jog. I like being on roads, walking paths, and trails, outside, moving around under the trees and the sky. I’ve been doing it since I was a child. It is a […]
Lenten Reflection-Walking the Pilgrim Road Pt. 2
Trinity Cathedral, 11 March 2020 Jack Hardaway FALLING APART WITH STYLE God is a chronic condition. I wrote that once. It was for one of those Lenten quiet days where I gave a series of reflections on the parables, and God, and everyday things. The thing about chronic conditions is that they are always there. […]
Child of God
“Now Jack, remember who you are.” I’ve spoken many times about my grandmother, and her frequent reminders for me to remember. Clearly, I was very forgetful. When I was older, and was ordained as a priest she would still be aghast at my continued forgetfulness, my general sassiness. Except now the reminder became, “Jack, remember […]
Prodigal Gospel
In the 1970’s my Grandmother worked at a bridal shop on Main Street in Greenville. I was a very young child, I remember the smell of fabric, starch and gardenia perfume. The whole place made me feel itchy. Grandmother would bring me and my brother Geoffrey there from time to time to show us off. […]
Urgency
Where do you find God? What is God like? Scripture gets used appropriately and inappropriately for all kinds of things, but for me scripture is really about those two questions. I don’t see scripture anymore as the place where I handpick the correct combination of do’s and don’ts to get God to like me. Where […]
Count the Stars
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Have you ever forgotten about the stars in the sky? I forget. I know they are there. I just don’t notice. I stop looking up. Granted the night sky isn’t what it used to be, with the haze of city air and the glare of city lights, or […]
The Devil’s Bargain
The devil’s bargain.A trade off.We get what we want but we give up who we are.All the stories of the devil’s bargain and cheating the devil involve clear moments of decision.They are stories of warning.Don’t play the game.The devil’s bargain in real life, however, is more elusive and subtle, a slow slide into oblivion, a […]
Playing in the Dirt
God likes dirt. The creation story, right there at the beginning of it, God plays in the dust of the earth, shapes a human form and breathes life into it. The first thing almost, God playing in the dirt, and making dirt people, earthlings, that is what the word Adam means. It is a very […]
Snake Stories
One time we opened a kitchen cabinet and a snake fell out. Well, looky there! A sight to see! A little thing. It had a diamond pattern. It rattled its tail. I thought it was a baby rattler, turns out it was just a juvenile black rat snake. They imitate rattlesnakes, pretty good at it […]
The Human Body
Lately I’ve been thinking about the human body. How we honor it and treat it. I recently watched as a friend was carefully and tenderly washed as they prepared to die. It was beautiful. I’ve been thinking of the tradition of the Pieta in painting and sculpture, of Mary tenderly caring for the body of […]