In preparation for this sermon, I was in a Zoom meeting with some other clergy from around the United States. The Reverend Angie Shannon is a Lutheran pastor, an African-American woman, who serves a congregation in Maryland. Her grandmother lived to age 100. As Angie said, “She seen some stuff. She saw how you hold … read
What are you afraid of? What do you dream of doing? Let’s let those two questions sit for a while; I promise I’ll come back to them. These parables at the end of Matthew should give the community of faith pause. They are not for the faint-hearted, those who think of the end times in … read
When Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, you might have seen this phrase posted in the media somewhere: “May her memory be for blessing.” She was Jewish, of course, and Jewish tradition doesn’t focus very much on what happens after we die. So we say, “May this person’s memory be for blessing.” People also … read
What does it mean to love God? I was not very far into my study of this text when I hit that question. What does it mean to love God? How can we love God, the infinite mystery, the source of all that is? I understand, more or less, what it means to love my … read
To whom do you belong? Do you believe, do you know, do you remember, that we belong to God? I’d like you to imagine this scene: Lawyers and decision makers gathered, with serious intent, questioning an individual, repeatedly. Some leaders are effusive and flattering, others are seeking a slip of tongue, searching for any visible … read
Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it … read