Jesus

"The Glorious Opportunity" | The roots of Martin Luther King's vision in Isaiah and the Gospel of John

The “steadfast love” of God is a central theme in the Bible. Meditating on God’s “steadfast love” anchored our ancestors whenever chaos, terror, and insecurity intruded. It can comfort us now when things feel unstable and unpredictable. Today’s readings invite us not only to receive the abundant and steadfast love of God, but to love steadfastly and abundantly, letting God’s love flow to us and through us.

On this weekend, the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr invites us to carry forward a shared dream for a society that is just, equitable, and inclusive. Let us as we gather for worship, set an intention to let God’s love flow to us and through us so that all may thrive. “The Glorious Opportunity” is based on Psalm 36:5-10 and John 2.1-11, and preached on January 16, 2022.

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A long time ago, someone prayed the words of today’s psalm:

“Your righteousness, O God, is like the mighty mountains.”

Despite the challenges they and their world faced at the time . . .

"It's a Wonderful Life" | the unsentimental power of Christmas for our pandemic lives

People everywhere are reaching for hope, something firm to stand on. Christmas is so much more than wishing for a better world; it’s a symbol of the universal nature of wonder that can transform our lives, brining us hope, meaning, and purpose. The Christmas Eve sermon (2021) is based on Isaiah 9.2-7 and Luke 2.8-20. I also explore than unsentimental gifts of the Christmas classic movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and what it shows us about living through this pandemic.

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The poetry of Isaiah and the prose of Luke are examples of ways these ancient writers tried to help their people find hope, feel some sense of wonder, and taste a little joy despite the hard times they were living through.

That’s what Christmas aims to do for us tonight and in the days ahead. It’s what Christmas has tried to do for a lot of people facing a lot of challenges throughout the course of history. . . .

The Banality of Christmas: Where you'll find God may surprise you

Christmas is about so much more than the birth of Jesus long ago. It’s about where we will find God today. And where we’ll find God today may be quite surprising to many religious people. God is so much closer than we think. Here’s a sermon based on Micah 5.2-5a and 1 John 4.7-12. Offered for the Fourth week of Advent, 2021

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“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,” says the prophet Micah, “you, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient of days.”

The prophet says that Bethlehem is the place where God planned to do something new, something good, something helpful and healing for all people. . . .

A Place at the Table: Toward the gospel of inclusion

When we make room for God, who is always among us, we open our lives in vulnerability to the power of love. Love isn’t a soft, insipid emotion. It is a power for transformation. Today as we gather, let us pray for a greater openness to God; let us set an intention to make more room in our lives for what is holy and good; let us commit to an expansive, inclusive way of life. Here’s a sermon based on the Gospel of Mark 2.15-17 and “The Guesthouse” by Rumi. Second Sunday of Advent 2021

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In the early part of Mark, chapter two, the Gospel writer sets up the story we’ve just read about Jesus at a table with a bunch of “tax collectors and sinners.” The writer is expanding a theme in these two stories, illustrating the ways the gospel of Jesus is about creating a bigger table. . . .

Toward the gospel of inclusion: re-reading the parable of the Great Judgment

In this sermon on a well known, and much abused text about the so-called Great Judgment, I challenge the conventional reading of the text and invite us to listen to it’s message, stripped of the literalism that has caused too many of us to miss its message and misunderstand God, the future, and Christian ethics. The sermon was preached on November 28, 2021 and was based on Matthew 25.31-40 and a reading from Barbara Brown Taylor.

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Advent is a uniquely Christian holiday season. It begins with scripture readings that announce the Second Coming of Christ. The purpose of those readings is to awaken us to the spiritual fact that Christ needs to come a second time to us personally; if we are to live a life that is robust and flourishing, Christ needs to be born in us. The language is symbolic of this truth: we are all spiritual beings, we all have a deep and intimate connection with the Divine, whether we are aware of that truth or not. The symbolism of the Second Coming of Christ is designed to help us become nativities, birth places, nurturing spaces, hosting God’s presence. . . .