Chris Yaw

I am a Christ Lover

ABOUT ME

Chris Yaw

Welcome! I’m an Episcopal priest serving a congregation in Metro Detroit... With a passion for gun safety... A zest for online Christian formation... A zeal for video blogging... A budding writer... A heart for those who have unintentionally harmed... A commitment to workforce housing... A love for marrying people... And a wonderful wife, three kids, and a cat... If we have common interests or not, I'd love to connect with you.

Me

Contact Details


  • St. David's Episcopal Church, 16200 W. Twelve Mile Road, Southfield, Michigan, 48076, USA


  • +011 248-557-5430


  • chris@stdavidssf.org

How Can I Help?

St. David's

I have served as rector of St. David's Episcopal Church in Southfield, MI for 16 years, join us Sundays in person or via zoom.

St. David's Gun Disposal

Working on the issue of unwanted gun disposal, we've made some real progress in helping rid the U.S. of unwanted firearms.

ChurchNext

Since 2013 we have been helping people learn more about faith through our online learning courses at ChurchNext.

Oakland Housing

Helping middle income families get better housing is a challenge that Oakland Housing has been addressing for 75 years.

Hyacinth Fellowship

Because hurting others hurts us, the Hyacinth Fellowship organizes support groups and reminds us that we are not our worst mistakes.

Yaw Wedding

I have been officiating for more than 20 years and continue to find joy in helping couples build lifelong relationships.

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U.S. Guns Produced Today
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Americans Accidentally Killed Today
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Homeless Americans
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Weddings Performed

Blog

  • Trinity Sunday

    Trinity Sunday




    Is there a God?  What is God like?  What are God’s plans?

    Questions like this have been keeping people like us searching and probing since humanity was first given consciousness.  For some of us, these eternal questions carry great weight.  Some psychologists describe a ‘God shaped hole’ inside humans that yearns for spiritual fulfillment.  Throughout history we have found a myriad of ways of filling this void.  The most popular has been Christianity, which, like many world religions, continues to grow because it provides satisfactory answers to these profound questions.

    This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, the only Christian feast that is not centered on an event or person – rather a theological doctrine – a description, if you will, of who this God is that lies at the heart of Christianity.  This is the Sunday many Christians ponder elemental questions of who God is and what God is like.

    First, we will hear a reading from Genesis in which God’s litany to the breadth of Creation is that, ‘It is good.’  Then we hear a reading from Matthew in which Jesus promises never to leave us, but to be with us, ‘to the end of the age.’  We rightly conclude, then, that God is fundamentally pleased with Creation – with you and with me.  And God is desirous of our company, never wanting to leave our sides.  Though the changes and chances of life often leave us suspect of these conclusions, Trinity Sunday serves to remind us of God’s high regard for our lives – and deep desire to accompany us through whatever comes our way.

    We are emboldened for our task by the witness of God’s approval of our humanity – and the Lord’s abiding friendship in our every endeavor.  What task are we facing that is calling forth courage?  What challenge are we contemplating that we simply cannot face alone?  The nature of Our God is one that encourages us for the task ahead and promises we will not face it by ourselves.  Be of good God courage then, for the One who loves us is always with us.


    Reading
    Faith, Reason, and Justice – Paul Tillich
    Thieves in the Market – G. Jeffrey MacDonald
    A Ray of Darkness – Rowan Williams

  • The Pentecost Problem

    The Pentecost Problem


    Pentecost, the birthday of the church, when everyone wears red, and where all reds are welcome!  Oh, and also yellows, blacks and whites!  Or to use Bible language, Elamites, Pamphylilans, Cretans, even Ohioans!  It’s Christianity’s Oscars and Emmys – a chance for us to celebrate our profession, our calling, our great institution!  The Church!  So we call upon our Trinity Trio to languish and luxuriate in the perfection they hath wrought!

    But this can only last so long before someone figures out not everything smells so sweet in Farmville.  Red is also the color of stop signs!  Along with our celebration comes evaluation, even investigation – as we consider that Jesus just may be telling us what he told those first Pentecostals, “Hey, I see what you’re doing, yep it’s broken, but I’m going to fix it!”

    The Church is broken?  A Problem on Pentecost?  Say it ain’t so!

    We more than suspect that North American Christianity has become a consumer commodity.  We notice that people shop for faith communities that make them feel comfortable instead of spiritually challenged.  We consider that in 1955 only 4% of Americans switched religious affiliations in their lifetimes, today it’s 44%.  When asked why, people say it’s because they found something they liked better.  This is not to say switching is always bad, but it is to say it always has consequences.

    This Pentecost we consider that the Church’s biggest temptation may be for us to become a business.  While the government calls us one (501c3!), God doesn’t.  We know that we are not here to satisfy wants, but to transform them.  We are not here to cultivate desires, but to make them holier.  We are here to help people rise above our lower natures and care deeply about higher things – like the needs of the less fortunate, and the rights of the marginalized.  These are tough sells.  We see why Jesus got so mad in the marketplace.

    So while this Sunday is foremost a celebration it does not come without our serious consideration that we’ve become more self-indulgent than self-sacrificing - complacent and immune to the call to leave behind everything for the cause of Christ.  So let us pray for a mighty rushing wind and tongue-talkers to shake us up!  Let us pray for a return to our distinct calling!  Let us root ourselves even more deeply in our call to be a particular people in a particular place, cultivating our own culture, living lives of sacrifice, holiness, and genuine concern for the world.


    Reading
    Thieves in the Temple – G. Jeffrey MacDonald
    The Gospel of Inclusion – Carlton Pearson
    Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths – Karen Armstrong

  • God's To-Do List

    God's To-Do List



    Ever wonder what’s on God’s To-Do List?
    We can imagine a big part of it is devoted to processing the millions of petitions the Almighty receives each day – from the sick in Senegal, the hungry in Hoboken, the desperate in Darfur – ethical queries from pregnant teens, detailed explanations from accident victims, and requests for winning lottery numbers from yours truly.

    But not infrequently we also imagine a fair share of requests from Jesus. Yes, the Bible suggests Jesus is asking God to do things for us. And we wonder what Jesus is asking God to do for you and me? What are His priorities for us?

    In the 17th Chapter of John’s Gospel, which we’ll hear this Sunday, we hear how Jesus prays for those who follow Him. And we notice He doesn't pray for healing, or Cadillacs, or even a smooth ride on life's roller coaster.

    Jesus prays that we would be one with Him. His priority is that our wills would be the same as His will. He prays that our goals and aspirations and life focus would be on knowing God – and, thus, working for the reconciliation of the world. Many of us wonder why our prayers for that bad ankle, that new job, or more civilized children, never seem to get answered. Maybe it's because that’s not the priority – rather, prayers that move circumstances that better shape us into the kinds of people we, deep down, truly desire to be, may be carrying the day.

    Jesus is listening to our prayers – He is closer than a brother – when our desires aren’t met – when our prayers aren’t being heard – we may want to ponder God’s priorities and our priorities, where they meet, and how we might work to bring them together.


    Reading
    Love, Power and Justice – Paul Tillich
    Tattoos on the Heart – Greg Boyle
    Radical – David Pratt

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    ADDRESS

    St. David's Episcopal Church, 16200 W. Twelve Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48076 USA

    EMAIL

    chris@stdavidssf.org

    TELEPHONE

    +011 248-557-5430

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