At the beginning of the story, the story of Job, at the beginning of the book, Job has it all—wealth, possessions, family, perfect health. Then it’s all take from him. All of it. Oxen and donkeys, sheep and camels, sons and daughters, and he’s afflicted with sores, sores all over his body, and he sits […]
Fire and flame are your ministers
I’m sitting there, trying to write this sermon, getting some decent thoughts on the page, typing away, me and my computer, along with everyone else and their computers, their books, their lattes—a bright day, a flood of sunshine cooled by a fall breeze. Then a song comes on, one of those songs that dazes you, […]
If only
Rabbi Akiva said: “Had the Torah not been given, the Song of Songs would have sufficed to guide the world” (quoted in Gillian Rose, Paradiso, 15). The Song of Songs to guide the world, to guide us in this world. No need for the Torah; no need for the Law—the loves songs of Solomon would […]
on divorce
Bring his head on a plate, sighed King Herod. And moments later, John the Baptist was beheaded, to please the whim of a dancing girl, to appease the vengeful heart of Herod’s second wife, who hated John for calling out Herod on his divorce and remarriage to Herodias. It may be that the Pharisees who […]
If the Lord is for us
If the Lord had not been for us –let Israel repeat it— If the Lord had not been for us when there arose against us: people, then alive they would have swallowed us in their burning rage against us. Then the waters would have engulfed us, a torrent sweeping over us, body and soul, then […]
Praise Her at the City Gates
Over the last ten years or so I’ve been unlearning the interpretation of Proverbs 31 that I grew up with, a reading that governed much of my adolescence and young adult life, as it does for so many girls in traditions that are concerned with raising godly women, ushering them into carefully defined and controlled […]
We, too, dislike it
A painting, titled, The Descent from the Cross, an oil painting on oak paneling, a famous work of fifteenth-century religious art — roughly 7 feet by 8 ½ feet — depicts the drama Jesus foretells in our gospel text.[1] You see the cross, the wood that once suspended Jesus’ body in the air, where his dying […]
Precious and lovely
What is this life for? What’s your life for? [personal story about a friend diagnosed with cancer] So I’ve been thinking about what life is for, this precious life: so brief and so breakable. These bodies, these friendships, these jobs, this family, all of it our lives—we have these fragile lives, and they crumble, never […]
Are you on defense or offense?
Opening prayer. Lord, our God, grant us enough wisdom to lead lives worthy of your calling, and enough humility to realize that your perfect way is higher than we can attain. Amen. In the Revised Common Lectionary this is New Testament metaphor Sunday; it’s not stated, but it is abundantly illustrated. I counted at least […]
Love, in crumbs and fragments
There’s a passage in a novel that I think about when I preach these days. It’s from Marilynne Robinson’s book, Lila. The main character says to the preacher, she says: “What do you ever tell people in a sermon except that things that happen mean something? Some man dies somewhere a long time ago and […]
A Kingdom’s Agony
Last night at our house we watched The Lion King. It is the story of Simba, a little lion cub who is heir to the throne as king of the jungle at Pride Rock. The story tells how he grows into, comes to terms with, and eventually receives his kingdom. It is full of all […]
That we may see and believe
In our story from John’s Gospel, the people find Jesus in Capernaum, and they’re trying to figure out what this Jesus is all about—what it would mean to believe in him, and what it would mean to follow him. So they ask Jesus, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we […]
A dwelling place
It hasn’t been easy for David since he was chosen to rule Israel – picked the last of his brothers, sent out to a giant with a pocket of stones, made to play the harp to appease a demon, his death plotted by the king. I imagine he is weary from the unpredictability that has […]
Shake the Dust Off
I don’t have an mp3 player in my car, and frankly, I’m past the stage of putting music on a disc only to have it get all scratched up. So, I have become increasingly comfortable belting out pop songs, even if it draws stares. I am to an extent, beholden to the radio channels, to […]
Teacher, do you not care?
Friday morning I saw a man, probably in his 40s, walking slowly up Morehead Avenue, just around the corner from my house. He was walking with his hands stretched out, out from his sides, making his body into a cross. I stopped and watched him for a while, I watched him walk like that until […]
Pentecost: Oscar Romero
Day of Pentecost On Pentecost we pay attention to the mystery of the Holy Spirit, the presence of God poured out from heaven: God’s spirit alive in us, alive in our world. What are the signs of the Holy Spirit, the signs that the Spirit of God is at work? I thought I’d see if […]
Uprooted and Sent
Seventh Sunday of Easter My favorite yoga pose is the tree pose. I love the experience of shifting my weight to one leg, finding a center, imagining my foot sending strong roots deep into the earth to hold me, as I raise my other foot, resting it against my calf muscle. I love to breathe […]
You Are Mine: Love as Ownership
Today is Mother’s Day, and when I got assigned to preach on this day, I was a bit anxious. I grew up in a non-denominational, evangelical, church, and so I always expected to hear a a sermon that valorized mothers and motherhood on Mother’s Day. I felt a bit panicky because in the last six […]
Vines, Eunuchs, and Love
Fifth Sunday of Easter Listen again to 1 John 4:16, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” And hear again the words of Jesus from John 15:4, “Abide in me as I abide in you.” In those short verses we hear the word “abide” five […]
Touch me and see
A while ago I got a call, saying that someone in the jail downtown wanted to see me. I put on a tie, because I thought I should look like a professional, and I grabbed my bible, because I thought that’s what pastors brought along with them when they went to visit people in prison. […]
They were afraid
Easter “They were afraid.” Those are the last words of Mark — the earliest, the oldest, of the four Gospels. Mark ends his story of Jesus with Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome at the empty tomb, bewildered. There are alarmed, seized with terror, so they flee in shocked silence. The end. […]
Seeing and Following Jesus
Introduction This evening, I would like to look mainly at the lectionary reading from John and share with you some of my thoughts. I do not plan to examine every detail but rather to comments on it at several points. I will conclude by attempting to relate the other lectionary reading to a theme in […]
On healing
In our Old Testament reading for today the people of Israel, after their spectacularexodus from Egypt, are slowly moving across the desert and dying from snake bites. God tells Moses what to do:Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; andwhenever a serpent bit someone, that person would […]
The Human One
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34 When I read these words from Jesus, my mind takes me all the way back to Junior High. I remember the T-shirts my friends would wear at youth group — one shirt would have […]