Mark Whittall

The French philosopher Simone Weil once wrote that “waiting in hope is the foundation of the spiritual life.” We’re doing a lot of waiting these days. We wait for the day that we can visit our loved ones in care homes and hospitals. We wait for the day that we can gather together without restrictions. We wait for the day that we no longer live in fear of a virus. We wait for the vaccine that we hope will end this pandemic. Waiting in hope is the foundation of the spiritual li

Sometimes we like to make things complicated, when really they are quite simple. Sometimes we do that with the gospel reading that we just heard. We make it complicated. We ask theological questions about eschatology and judgement. We ask questions about when this will happen, how it will happen. We speculate about who are the sheep and who are the goats, and will the goats really go away into eternal punishment, and how does all this relate to forgiveness and grace. That’s a

Today, I want to do something a little different. I want to use today’s parable of the talents to take us on a guided meditation, and then I’ll add a few reflections of my own. So make yourself comfortable. If you’re wandering around the house with earbuds doing the laundry or something, this might be a good time for a break. Relax. Take a few breaths. If you like, close your eyes, if that helps you to use your imagination. A talent is an enormous sum of money, something lik

Stuff matters. I like that. I like living in a world where stuff matters. Where if I put in the extra effort, I can get an A on that paper I’m writing. Where if I’m loving to the people around me, my relationships get better. God created a world where stuff matters, where actions have consequences. God created us in such a way that we can choose, that we can do things, things that have an impact on our relationships with each other and with God. I like that. It gives our live