spirituality

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. . . .

Let God Love You: Practicing ‘Sabbath’ Today

Sabbath is not merely a way to rest; it’s a way to experience God. In this sermon, I examine the problem of the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath in the legalistic religious tradition, and explore the way I believe the Jesus of the Gospel thinks about Sabbath. Based on this, Sabbath practice today invites us into the “prayer of repose” as a holy encounter with the Divine. Sabbath, therefore, can be practiced anytime and anywhere.

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Last week during the kids’ Discovery Time, Kate Boxeth, our Minister of Children and Youth, introduced our children to the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments have held a central place in Jewish and Christian religious practice, and in the shaping of western civilization. . . .

The sermon was preached on November 21, 2021 and is based on Matthew 11.28-30 and quotes from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

"When We Get Cranky" | A spiritual meditation on how to avoid falling into negativity

"When We Get Cranky" | A spiritual meditation on how to avoid falling into negativity

At times of disruption and struggle, people easily get cranky toward leaders, testy with one another, and suspicious about others. Such reactions are never helpful. We will find another way, one that’s more open, curious, and inclusive. A sermon on Numbers 11.4-6, 10-16, 24-29 and Mark 9.38-40. Davis Community Church, Davis, California. September 26, 2021.

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Cranky, grouchy, grumpy.

Words that describe an inner state of displeasure with our circumstances. They describe the dissonance between what we want and what is. They point to a discrepancy between our expectations or desires and the experience of life we’re now living.

It’s quite normal to feel these things—to feel cranky, grouchy, and grumpy—from time to time. There’s no way life can deliver to us exactly what we want. There’s no way we can always have the power, the knowledge, the skill or money to achieve what we want. . . .