Daily Advent

The Christmas season is full of cheery Santas and shiny wrapping paper, but in that first year, Mary and Joseph faced scary times – much as we do today. In Meeting Fear, we will consider fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Join us every morning in Advent for this aural Advent calendar of daily reflections. Listen at http://dailyadvent.podbean.com or wherever you listen.   Brendan Ba...

"She has been there all along."   About the speaker: Nathan LeRud is the dean of Trinity Cathedral in Portland, OR, the oldest Anglican/Episcopal congregation in the Pacific Northwest. A fifth-generation Oregonian and native Portlander, Nathan holds a BA in English and Theatre from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA and an M.Div from the General Theological Seminary in New York City. He was ordain...

"The practice of using the word 'men' to stand in for all humankind hurts us all."   About today's speaker: Elizabeth Schroeder is a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Tacoma, WA, and her work is in home health nursing. ________________________ Join us throughout the Advent season for Divine Feminine, a daily podcast Advent Calendar. How are we changed if we pray, "Our Mother, who art in Heaven,...

"She knows she couldn’t control what the dust / would become." — from "Eden: Diastasis Recti" About the speaker: Liz Harlan-Ferlo is Canon for Education & the Arts at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. Her writing, both poetry and prose, has been published in journals and magazines both online and in print. "Eden: Diastasis Recti" was published in Christian Century in November 2024.  _____________...

*Note: sound quality improves at 0:30* "Trinity dares to be different." Sermon by Elizabeth Braatz, Catechesis Class of 2024, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2024.

"O Strength of Wisdom."   About the speaker: Katie Webb serves as Canon for Cathedral Music at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. She is sought after as a clinician, guest conductor, and recitalist across the country, and she serves on the board of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) in America. Her choral works are available through Selah. ________________________ Join us throughout the Advent se...

"We need to be careful, lest we trap our God like a genie we let out when we have wishes."   About the speaker: Shana McCauley is the Canon Vicar at Trinity Cathedral in Portland, OR. Canon Shana consults for parishes in discernment, facilitates the new clergy group, and is the Dean of the Columbia Convocation for the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon. Before Trinity, she was the vicar of St. Edw...

"The humanity of women is too often sacrificed on the altar of the maleness of Jesus." About the speaker: Maria Gwyn McDowell is a priest in the Episcopal Church, a teacher, and public theologian in love with the God who calls all to liberation and compassion. Currently the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Tacoma, Washington, she brings a deep focus on gender, sexuality, and women through the...

"Our own Divine Mother, carries us / still wrapped by her body, the Universe." — from "Advent Eve," Alla Bozarth   About today's speaker: The Rev'd Alla Bozarth is an Oregon native who was one of the groundbreaking Philadelphia Eleven—the first women to be ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church in July 1974. Alla is also founder of Wisdom House, an interfaith non-profit center for spiritual g...

"How can I be created in the image of God if God is male?"   About today's speaker: Charissa Simmons is Canon for Spiritual Formation at Trinity Cathedral in Portland. She is passionate about helping children to articulate their innate sense of God’s presence, and loves to create opportunities for children and adults to experience and wonder about God together. Charissa holds a BA in biology from...

"In the wilderness, we must encounter the past – and the unknown future." Sermon by Elaine Stewart Harris, Abbot of the Cornerstone Community at Trinity, recorded live at the 10:00am service on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2024.

"God is both greater than gender and inclusive of all genders."   About today's speaker: Heather Hill is Rector at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Hudson, WI.   _____________________ Join us throughout the Advent season for Divine Feminine, a daily podcast Advent Calendar. How are we changed if we pray, "Our Mother, who art in Heaven," or, "We believe in one God, the Mother Almighty?" If humans are...

"I remember that God is my Mother."    About today's speaker: Jill Gidlund is a Godly Play Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and she currently leads a Godly Play program at Bethel Community Presbyterian Church in San Leandro. Her work as a speaker and parent educator includes facilitating conversation and contemplation about nurturing children’s spirituality. One of her passion projects...

"I was also made in God's image."   About today's speaker: Tiffany McDonald is ordained in the United Methodist Church. She has served as a University Chaplain, solo pastor, and associate pastor, and is currently appointed to family leave. Tiffany lives in Minnetonka, MN with her husband and two daughters.  She writes at redheadedrev.org   _____________________ Join us throughout the Advent season...

"Neither the human masculine or feminine is enough to reflect the vast power of the Trinity." About today's speaker: Chris Arnold is returning for his third year contributing to Trinity's Advent podcast series. He is a spiritual director in Wisconsin, and is an associate of two Trappist monasteries in Iowa.   Click here to view the article referenced in the reflection:  https://www.jstor.org/stabl...

"God's love is like a mother's embrace."   About today's speaker: Angela Furlong's call to ordained ministry follows a lifetime of secular profession as a teacher, a neurobehavioral specialist, and a linguist. She is also a wartime veteran. Angela is a passionate advocate for the marginalized and the oppressed, and tirelessly professes God’s unconditional love for all and above all else. She enjoy...

"There's an insecure seventh grader inside all of us."   About today's speaker: Katie Nakamura Rengers is an Episcopal priest currently serving in the Presiding Bishop's office of Church Planting and Redevelopment.  She planted a coffee shop church called The Abbey, that uses hospitality, caffeine, songs and games to nurture community and belonging.  When not at church, she can be found jogging wi...

"O come, O Wisdom from on high, and teach us in her ways to go."   About today's speaker: Peter Elliott is the retired rector of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, BC. He previously served as Director of Ministries in Church and Society with the Anglican Church of Canada, and he is the cohost of The Gospel of Musical Theatre podcast.    _____________________ Join us throughout the Advent season...

“And the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.”  About today's guest preacher: Beth Ferguson is a member of the Trinity Cathedral community. In addition to her longtime work as a Godly Play instructor, she is co-leader of Trinity Catechesis, which runs from January to May every year. _____________________ Join us throughout the Advent season for Divine Feminine, a daily podca...

"Help us forgive each other as a mother forgives her children."   About today's speaker: Henry Lebedinsky currently serves as Missioner for Music at St. Augustine's in-the-Woods Episcopal Church on Whidbey Island, Washington, and an active organist, harpsichordist, and conductor. He is co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area-based AGAVE and is in demand as an international performer and speaker....

"Why did we ever come to call God 'Father?'"   About today's speaker: The Very Rev. Kate Moorehead Carroll is the tenth Dean of St John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida. She has authored eight books and films a daily devotion on YouTube.  Kate’s podcast is called FindIt. _____________________ Join us throughout the Advent season for Divine Feminine, a daily podcast Advent Calendar. How are we...

"What does yes mean in the light of the Divine Feminine?"   About today's speaker: The Rev'd Helen Dunn is Rector at St. Clement's Anglican Church in North Vancouver, BC, where she has lived since 2017. Helen has a BA in Pastoral Ministry from Briercrest College in Saskatchewan and a MA in Christian Theology from Durham University in the UK. She's an Anglo-celtic at heart and aims to hold a broad...

"The Church has actively ignored the fullness of how the Bible talks about God."   About today's speaker: Robyn King is an Anglican/Episcopal priest. Robyn has served parishes in her home state of Montana and her adopted Province of Alberta, and she is co-host of The Accessible Altar. She and her spouse have a dog, two cats, and an apple tree that lets them make delicious cider. __________________...

"If the Trinity is Three-in-One, then Jesus is female, too."    About today's speaker: The Rev'd Dr. Ian Doescher is author of the William Shakespeare's Star Wars and Pop Shakespeare series and a priest ordained in the Presbyterian Church USA.       How are we changed if we pray, "Our Mother, who art in Heaven," or, "We believe in one God, the Mother Almighty?" If humans are created in God’s image...

"God is more than a binary gender."    About today's speaker:  A native of Spokane, Danae Ashley is an Episcopal priest who has served churches and led discernment and spiritual retreats across the United States since 2008. In helping others, she discovered that she needed to be committed to her own self-care and has been healed and supported through spiritual direction and Jungian analysis. She g...