I had an epiphany in our Lenten Study. [Are epiphanies allowed during Lent? Even after 19+ years working at Woodridge United Methodist Church, I still get confused about ecclesial particularities like the seasons of the church year. Which seems silly. I've now been working and worshiping in the UMC longer than I attended the American …
Category: Christianity
Welcome to Parable Club
This Sunday, March 1, through Easter at Woodridge UMC, Pastor Danita and I are preaching a sermon series, The Parables of Lent (aka #ParablesofLent when you tweet, post, & pic about it each week 😉 ). We decided we needed a group effort of some kind in order to help us navigate these tricky stories …
Late to the Lent party #ashtag
Lent started, ahem, five days ago. So might well have read scores of ways to celebrate this season of the church. I know my timelines were full of them the last few days. Still, late as it is, here's what I'm thinking about... Lent: that season of the church year during which millions of Christians …
Continuing conversations on race
Yes, the church season of Lent has begun. But today, at Woodridge UMC, we're delaying our Lenten sermon series on Jesus' parables so we can continue our Black History Monty sermon-discussion series, "Conversations on Race." Thus far, the collaboration among our senior pastor, Rev. Danita Anderson, the congregation, and I has been honest, uncomfortable, and …
Uncomfortable on purpose
The huge snowstorm that hit last weekend (5th largest in area history!) may have impeded travel, may have been fun to play in, and may have even kept you from attending our worship services. But as bad as the weather was, it could do nothing to dampen the spirit - or dare I say Spirit …
Happy Christmas 2014
Merry Christmas! It's my Christmas day tradition to post this Isaiah passage (which is a reading for Christmas Eve worship every year), Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" (the world's best - and most challenging - Christmas song), and a lighter second song that changes each year. You're welcome. 😉 Isaiah 9:2-7: The people who …
Celebrating Sabbath
Note: Celebrating Sabbath is my attempt to start each week with a reminder of our identity: whose we are and who we're called to be. The obvious and only real choice today: the first - and still the best - Christmas song. Yep, Mary's Magnificat. That is, the song Mary sings as she visits her …
Celebrating Sabbath
Note: Celebrating Sabbath is my attempt to begin each week with a reminder of our true identity: whose we are and who we are called to be. I find these word from Isaiah doubly good as they are the ones Jesus references, according to the gospel of Luke, in his first public speech. In other …
I like you and nothing more #StayWokeAdvent
Like John so long ago, and Isaiah even before that, the voice came to me out of the wilderness. (You know, for values of 'wilderness' that include 'bouncing off a few cell towers.') "Hey Pastor Dave, we should play 'Nothing More' in church sometime soon. With all the horrible things in the news lately, it's …
Continue reading I like you and nothing more #StayWokeAdvent
Celebrating Sabbath
Note: Celebrating Sabbath is my attempt to begin the week with a reminder of our true identity: whose we are and who we are called to be. Let's reboot this series with the verses I've said should be our first responder, our top go-to text, our new leadoff hitter: Acts 10:34-35 Peter: 34 It is clear to …
All That I Can't Leave Unsaid 