The Empathetic Heart of God (and Ours): A Sermon on Ezekiel 34.11-16, 20-24

Empathy is a virtue, among the highest of human character ideals, because it is essential to the nature of God. When we lack empathy we are in danger of losing our humanity because we are out of touch with divinity. And when we are under stress, faced with a crisis, a choice is pressed upon us: we can become as hard and sharp and dangerous as the hard times we’re living through, or we can allow the hard times to soften us, keep our hearts supple, open, and warm, nourished by divine love.

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There are many things we need when we face the kinds of crises we’ve faced this past year, the kinds of crises we are surely going to face for some time to come.

We need courage; without courage we can fall prey to a paralysis of spirit. We need vision, even if we can’t see where we’re going; without vision, without some sense of the direction, we’ll wander and get lost. We need flexibility so we can adjust to new realities. We need companionship so we are not alone. We need humor so we don’t wither under the weight of worry. I love what G.K. Chesterton once said: “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly; devils fall because of their gravity.” Even when things are hard, maybe especially when things are hard, we need the gift of humor so we don’t become too grave.

This last week one of you wrote me a short, thoughtful note . . .

Midwives of Tomorrow: A Sermon on the Political and Moral Muscle of Ordinary People

While America has decided on a new trajectory for our nation and it's participation in the world, there is a lot of work to do to recover from the divisiveness of these past years. Our national and global politics is still riddled with trouble. That trouble needs to be dealt with. And we need strong politicians of integrity and vision to guide us. But we don't place our ultimate trust in those at the top. No, hope is rising from down below, among us, and through the visions, commitments, and determination of the most ordinary people everywhere. This sermon celebrates the gifts and power of ordinary people everywhere. This sermon on 1 Samuel 4 points the way for all of us to be "Midwives of Tomorrow" and agents of a hopeful and flourishing future.

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In his final words to America last summer, Congressman John Lewis, improvising on the teachings of Jesus, urged us all to lay down the heavy burdens of hate so that peace might finally triumph over violence, aggression and war. He urged us to “walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”

Millions have walked “with the wind.” But not enough have, not enough to turn the tide. . . .

For Christ's Sake, Keep Going: Fifth and final in our fall series: "What Matters Most Now: Life, Love, and Liberty in these Uncertain Times"

Here’s the fifth and final sermon in my series, "For Christ's Sake, Keep Going." Fifth and final in our fall series: "What Matters Most Now: Life, Love, and Liberty in these Uncertain Times."

I’m not ignoring the crises crashing in upon us. They certainly threaten our wellbeing, personally and communally. At the same time, we’re being summoned by God to engage this urgent moral reckoning as a nation.

It often feels like an uphill battle, a long, long journey toward where we want to go. It's easy to lose hope, run out of steam, bury your head. Today's service will not only inspire you to keep going, but guide you toward inner resources to keep the fire burning.

The series focuses on the universal feelings and experiences that unite all human beings. Charlie MacKesy’s book, "The Boy, The Mole, the Fox, and the Horse," does this beautifully, especially the way he brings together the four characters (boy=curiosity, mole=enthusiasm, fox=suffering, horse=wisdom). We will pair five of Charlie’s best sayings and joins them to biblical wisdom says to help ground us in these uncertain times.

This sermon was based on Proverbs 13.12 and a saying from Charlie MacKesy’s book: “We have a long way to go,” sighed the boy. “Yes, but look how far we’ve come,” said the horse.

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Christianity is never escapist. Christ’s way in the world is a deep plunge into the fullness of life here and now. It’s a way of life that doesn’t deny or side-step the great challenges human beings have faced in the past or those we’re facing in these uncertain days. We walk this way for Christ’s sake—that is, we walk this way in order to bring about the kind of world God desires, where beauty and goodness and justice thrive and so does every thing on this vast and wonderful, yet troubled world. . .

Nourish Our Inner Lives: Second in the Series, "What Matters Most Now: Life, Love, Liberty in these Uncertain Days"

Here’s the second sermon in my fall sermon series: "What Matters Most Now: Life, Love, and Liberty in these Uncertain Times."

We’re facing a number of crises crashing in upon us. They threaten our wellbeing, personally and communally. We feel these threats in our bodies, minds, and souls. At the same time, we’re being summoned by God to engage this urgent moral reckoning as a nation.

The series aims to draw on ancient wisdom, freshly imagined, to help people recover habits and patterns for living in these times.

The series focuses on the universal feelings and experiences that unite all human beings. Charlie MacKesy’s book, "The Boy, The Mole, the Fox, and the Horse," does this beautifully, especially the way he brings together the four characters (boy=curiosity, mole=enthusiasm, fox=suffering, horse=wisdom). We will pair five of Charlie’s best sayings and joins them to biblical wisdom says to help ground us in these uncertain times.

This sermon was based on Proverbs 17.3 and a saying from Charlie MacKesy’s book, in which the boy says to the mole: “Isn’t it odd. We can only see our outsides, but nearly everything happens on the inside.”

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What are we going to do now?

Each week another worry. Each week another brick in the wall between Americans. Each week another weight drops on our shoulders.

We don’t all experience these crises the same way. There are those for whom the recent death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg isn’t a tragedy but an opportunity. There are those for whom the failure of the grand jury to indict Louisville cops in the death of Breonna Taylor isn’t a travesty of justice. There are those for whom the US Postal Service slowdowns, the voter suppression, and fact that America leads the world in COVID tragedies isn’t alarming. But for a majority of Americans today, all this is deeply troubling. It feels like our world is unraveling, our democracy is crumbling . . .