I love UMCOR. It is without a doubt one of my favorite things about the United Methodist Church. While the election naturally grabbed most of our attention this week, recovery from the damage done by Hurricane Sandy continues. As always, UMCOR is there. Through UMCOR, United Methodists extend relief and recovery to people in need …
Category: Christianity
“I’m not just sitting back waiting for somebody to hand me something.”
I was thrilled that we had a full room watching The Line last week. Plenty of discussion going on in small groups afterwards, too. After the small group discussion time, I asked for people willing to share some of what they discussed regarding three questions: What in the film surprised you? What did you learn …
Continue reading “I’m not just sitting back waiting for somebody to hand me something.”
Celebrating Sabbath
What is salvation? Father Richard Rohr offers this fascinating take: God-in-you already knows, loves, and serves God in everything else. All you can do is fully jump on board. I would call that jump consciousness, and I believe the Risen Christ is the icon of full consciousness. In the human mind of Christ, every part …
Hands, feet and voice
“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” It was just a few weeks ago that we read in worship those …
Celebrating Sabbath
More wise words from Father Richard Rohr. Reading his daily meditations helps me root each day in scripture, in truth, in God's love. All of Jesus’ guidance for ministry, his seeming “tips for the road,” are very concrete and interpersonal. They are all about putting people in touch with specific people, and especially with people’s …
Celebrating Sabbath
More wisdom from St. Francis via Father Richard Rohr: Overcoming the split of the mind from the body was probably easier for St. Francis because he wasn’t an intellectual. He was almost anti-intellectual because he saw what it did to so many clergy. They couldn’t touch reality anymore. They confused words with reality. Don’t fall …
“Eat the Bread…For a Stronger, Kinder Faith: Redefining Liturgy, part 2” Oct.7 sermon
Here's my sermon from Sunday (October 7). As I'm sure you've figured out, I called it "Eat This Bread...For a Stronger, Kinder Faith: Redefining Liturgy, part 2." Part 1 was last week. Part 3 drops next week (October 21) at our Evening Worship. Again, this sermon was inspired and informed by my reading of Brian …
Celebrating Sabbath
The Feast of Saint Francis was this week. I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't like Francis. I mean, really, who doesn't love him? (Well, I suppose war mongers and gnostics don't. But I don't think I've ever encountered anyone who openly self-identifies either way.) The famous prayer of peace attributed to Francis …
“Words Mean What They Mean…Until They Don’t: Redefining Liturgy, part 1” Sept. 30 sermon
Here's my sermon from Sunday (September 30), which I called "Words Mean What They Mean...Until They Don't: Redefining Liturgy, part 1." It is inspired by Brian McLaren's Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammad Cross the Road? I think it is a terrific book. For years now I've found McLaren to be an author …
Watch “The Line” and #TalkPoverty
As I wrote a couple weeks ago, tonight you can watch the world premiere of (what promises to be) a terrific, important and compelling movie: The Line. I threw in that parenthetical qualifier because, of course, I haven't actually seen the film. Hence the "world premiere" part. 🙂 But I absolutely expect The Line to …
All That I Can't Leave Unsaid 