Dave Buerstetta on striving to do justice and love others while walking humbly with God
Attempting a deep dive into the history, and reality, of racism in USAmerica and in Christianity -- while also forging a path toward becoming actively anti-racist -- via a sermon series could very easily go awry. But at Woodridge UMC, with the Rev. Danita R. Anderson as our Lead Pastor, it very much did not …
Sermons are inherently weird. They are speeches, but not just that. They are reflections on scripture, but not just that. They are commentary on the state of the world, but not just that. They are autobiographical, but not just that. They are aspirational, but not just that. They are monologues and they are conversations. Sermons …
Continue reading ‘Privilege and Promise: This is America — Complacent, Complicit, or Converted?’
Last Sunday my wonderful colleague, Rev. Danita Anderson, gave us a powerful sermon about a legit American hero: Rep. John Lewis. I’ve written previously about how, shamefully, I was in my 30s before I really knew who John Lewis was and why he was so important to our country’s history — and present. As I’ve …
"Can we get back to politics?" "Please!" Kidding! (Mostly.) My last post about my dad garnered more views and interactions than just about anything else I've written here. I really appreciate that and intend to write more like that soon. But I'm also deeply invested in the ongoing sermon series at Woodridge UMC, "Privilege and …
As promised in my previous post, what follows are some of the resources that have educated me and influenced my recent sermons. (A version of this first appeared in my church blog.) As you know, we are in the midst of our summer sermon series on racism and becoming actively antiracist, “Privilege and Promise: This …
My most recent sermon is the fourth installment of our summer series, "Privilege and Promise: This is America." I begin with a brief recap of the series thus far, but if you are interested in experiencing the full effect: Prologue, "The Past is Prologue" Part 1, "Moving Beyond Fear" by the Rev. Danita R. Anderson …
Continue reading ‘Privilege and Promise: This is America — Seeding Growth’
This summer at Woodridge United Methodist Church, our Lead Pastor Rev. Danita Anderson and I are offering a sermon series on racism we call, “Privilege and Promise: This is America.” We are committed to examining the extant racism around us (and in us!) and moving toward being actively antiracist — both as individuals and as …
Continue reading “Privilege and Promise: This is America — Being Colorblind”
Last week I shared what I wrote to our congregation in response to the racist murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others (to which we must now add Rayshard Brooks). I recently followed that up with a post of next steps, especially for we who are white. Here's what I wrote. I hope …
Recently I've used this space to share how I've asked my city leaders to do just that: lead. And I've shared ways they responded. (I'm not saying they made those public statements because I asked them to. But I'd like to think I at least help nudge them toward doing so.) So what about me? …
In my previous post I shared a letter I sent to my city officials. Obviously, a lot -- a LOT -- has happened since then. The mayor, several city council members, and the police chief all replied to me. I won't share those personal correspondences, but I do want to share the public statements they …
All That I Can't Leave Unsaid 