What's Tony Thinking

The Foot Washing I Remember

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March 26, 2024 — Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday, so named for Jesus saying to his disciples at their last supper together, “I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” The latin for “commandment” is maundatum, hence “maundy.” But the immediate, if penultimate, defining act of the “as I have loved you,” is often left... Read More

What Kind of Day is Palm Sunday?

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March 24, 2024 — Here’s my sermon from today, March 24, Palm Sunday. You have a choice of the written version below or of the video at to the church’s You Tube channel using this link. Some churches do Palm/ Passion Sunday these days, combining the Palm Sunday story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with a reading of the... Read More

The Weekend Here

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March 23, 2024 — Yesterday, March 23, was “Viernes de Dolores,” or the Friday of Sorrows here in San Miguel. It is a day, one week before Good Friday, devoted to Mary and her sorrow as Holy Week approaches. Throughout town there are altars to the Virgin. In the evening people visit these altars, some of which are created... Read More

The Courtyards of San Miguel

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March 19, 2024 — One of the words most commonly used words to describe San Miguel de Allende, the central Mexican hill town where were are living for two months, is “magical.” While many aspects of San Miguel can fairly be described as “magical,” I find the courtyards of San Miguel to be especially so. When you walk along... Read More

My Sermon of March 17

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March 17, 2024 — Here’s my sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. You may watch and listen via to the sermon and service via the You Tube channel and recording or read the text below. The link to that recording is here. The Death That Is Behind Us John 12: 20 – 33 Fifth Sunday in Lent, March... Read More

At the Week End, March 16 – 17

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March 16, 2024 — Hola from San Miguel de Allende, where things are ramping up for Holy Week, a multi-week affair here. There’s a 12K procession that begins at midnight tonight and ends at 6:00 a.m. with a mass to follow. Since the one hour a week that I work is tomorrow morning, I will forego this all-nighter. Meanwhile,... Read More

Death’s Gift

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March 14, 2024 — Here in San Miguel we are approaching Semana Santa, Holy Week. We are told that the festivals and processions of Holy Week in San Miguel may, in their drama and extravagance, be second only to Barcelona, Spain. In my sermon for the fifth Sunday of Lent (which will show up here next Monday), I speak... Read More

Coming to the Light

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March 10, 2024 — Here’s my sermon of yesterday, March 10. Link here to You Tube recording of the service. Sermon probably begins at 12 – 15 minutes in. Or the written text is below. Coming to the Light Ephesians 2: 1 – 10, John 3: 14 – 21 March 10, 2024 I want to begin by paying you... Read More

“Every Moment Is A Question Being Posed to You by God”

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March 8, 2024 — The wonderful author, Marilynne Robinson, is out with a new book on Genesis. This week she did a fantastic interview with my fav, Ezra Klein, about the book. Covered lots of topics including beauty, the genius of the Bible and the astonishing nature of grace. Here are some excerpts from that interview interspersed with my... Read More

You Can Run But You Cannot Hide

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March 6, 2024 — As noted in recent posts, we are in Mexico, San Miguel de Allende, where I am serving as a “Minister-in-Residence” for the Community Church of SMA, an English-speaking congregation, made up largely of ex-pats from the U.S. as well as Canada. Does being here mean that we have escaped the acrimonious world of U.S. politics?... Read More