For many of us, there is something about these very familiar people in our Bible stories that is absolutely confounding. Take the apostle Paul, whom I would like to meet when and if I go to Heaven, and argue with, because – for me – he has written both some of the most beautiful and … read
The prophet Isaiah once wrote, “Sing, O barren one who did not bear; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! …my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed.” And from those verses came this reflection from the Iona Community in Scotland. … read
“I am stockpiling antibiotics for the apocalypse,” Anne Lamott writes. “I am stockpiling antibiotics for the apocalypse, even as I await the blossoming of paperwhites on the windowsill in the kitchen.” (Almost Everything: Notes on Hope) Doesn’t that sort of capture the essence of hope in a nutshell? We worry, worry, worry about what might … read
In writing this sermon, I am indebted to Debie Thomas of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, CA, for her article “Not One Stone” which can be found at https://www.journeywithjesus.net/essays/2010-not-one-stone In 2016, American social justice activist and author Adrienne Maree Brown wrote this about the emerging Black Lives Matter movement and the increasing awareness … read
“If God had been there, then…” As people of faith, at some point or another, we are going to say those words. We lose something – the pandemic hits and we lose a graduation, a Christmas Eve, a long-planned trip. We lose someone – cancer strikes, or the virus, or our beloved just doesn’t wake … read
Last week a post on Facebook caught my eye. Written by Sharad Yadav, a guy in Portland whom I’ve never met, he lists his reason for why people should consider joining a church. As I read it, I remembered that I was preaching on this story about James’ and John’s outrageous request, and that today … read