Category: Uncategorized

  • Epiphany 6C: The Kingdom When Christ is Among Us

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today at Trinity Buffalo are Jeremiah 17:5-10, the poem “whose side are you on?” by Lucille Clifton, and Luke 6: 17-26. We explore the vision of Jesus in which the marginalized at the center of the Kingdom that begins here and now, and what it might mean for us to have Christ among… Read more

  • Epiphany 5C: Called to the Lunchroom Table

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today at St. Paul’s, Lewiston, NY and St. Andrew’s, Burt, NY, are Isaiah 6:1-13, Psalm 138, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, and Luke 5:1-11.  We explore how we can trust in God when we are sent and called, especially when we do not know what we signed up for. Epiphany 5C – Called to the… Read more

  • Epiphany 3C – The Word of God: Proclaimed, Unifying, and Active

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today at St. Mark’s in North Tonawanda, NY, are Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10, Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, and Luke 4:14-21. We explore Jesus as the Word of God and the Word as being proclaimed, unifying and active. Epiphany 3C – The Word of God: Proclaimed, Unifying and Active Read more

  • Epiphany 2C – Imagine with God

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today at Trinty Buffalo are 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, the poem “Inter-relationship” by Thich Nhat Hanh, and John 2:1-11. We explore opportunities of grace and God’s presence within moments of disruption hoping to recognize how we can discern our gifts and how we can notice these moments of grace. We also discover that our… Read more

  • Baptism of the Lord: Love With Skin On

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today in Lewiston and Burt, NY, are Isaiah 43: 1.-7, Psalm 29, Acts 8:14-17 and Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. We explore what it means to take the incarnation serious and to be God’s presence in our lives and our world. Baptism of the Lord – Love With Skin On – by Jeffrey Tooke Read more

  • Advent 4C – Mary, the Prophet of Disruption

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today at Trinity Buffalo were from Advent 4C: Micah 5:2-5a, the poem “God Says Yes to Me” by Kaylin Haught, and Luke 1:39-55 in which we hear about Mary being the prophet of disruption and we explore what it means for God to say “yes” to us and for us to respond to… Read more

  • Advent 2C – John: The Real Nowhere Man

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today at St. Paul’s in Lewiston, NY, and St. Andrew’s in Burt, NY, are Baruch 5:1-9, The Song of Zechariah, Philippians 1:3-11, and Luke 3:1-6 in which we hear that the Word of God came to John, a nobody in the desert, and we explore how John’s proclamation of a baptism of repentance… Read more

  • Proper 29-B – What do we say that this reign of Jesus is like?

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Today, our readings at St. John’s Grace, Buffalo, NY, are 2 Samuel 23: 1-7, Psalm 132: 1-13 (14-19), Revelation 1:4b-8 and John 18: 33-37. We hear about the challenge of this reign of servanthood, a reign unlike any others, and ask ourselves how we can response to our call to embody this reign in our… Read more

  • Proper 27B – The Widow’s Lesson of Stewardship: Who do we say that we are?

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today at St. Paul’s in Lewiston, NY, and St. Andrew’s in Burt, NY, were 1 Kings 17:8-16. Psalm 146, Hebrews 9:24-28 and Mark 12:38-44. We look at the lesson of stewardship through the story of the widow, learning that perhaps stewardship has much to do with who we say that we are. Proper… Read more

  • Proper 25B – Adjusting our lens with Bartimaeus

    Rev. Jeffrey Tooke

    Our readings today at St. Martin-in-the Fields on Grand Island, NY, were Jeremiah 31:7-9, Psalm 126, Hebrews 7:23-28 and Mark 10:46-52. We learn that by adjusting our lens to see as God sees can help us to throw off our cloak and follow Jesus. Proper 25B – Adjusting our lens with Bartimaeus Read more