Back in the olden days, most sermons considered to be good sermons followed the form of three points and a poem. Once in a while it’s good to go old school, so today I want to offer three ideas, and see if I can braid them together, and maybe close with a poem. Or a … read
When I was in seminary, around this time of year, the end of the semester, a professor or two would inevitably offer a chance to do a special project, and it was always with the best of intentions: in lieu of an academic paper, outline a sermon or a Bible study or show how you … read
If you grew up in Sunday school (as I did), you might remember the story of the boy Samuel hearing the voice of God in the middle of the night. Maybe, like me, you got to act out the story of the shuttle between Samuel’s interrupted sleep and the snoring Eli. And then the final … read
Happy birthday to the church! I thought I would see what the traditional birthday or anniversary gift might be, but when I Googled “what is the traditional 1,991st anniversary gift” (1,991 being the year 2024 less 33, the age Jesus was when he died and rose and sent the Holy Spirit to Jerusalem), I found … read
Well, it’s Mother’s Day, and knowing there are many perspectives on Mother’s Day in the congregation, let me simply say that I love my mother, and I love being a mother, and all I need on Mother’s Day is a card and someone else making dinner. But because it’s Mother’s Day, let me propose, for … read
As Lindsey noted last week, Easter merits an entire liturgical season. Resurrection is a lot to handle, and so we get seven weeks to mull over the empty tomb, Jesus walking through walls, breaking bread, and eating fish. We get time to digest this feast of a story, and we need that. Digesting the story … read