Sticks and stones may break my bones…

... but words-- oh the awesome power of words-- words can cause me to hate and fear and kill. Reflecting today about the shooting at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN. A virtual friend of mine, Terry, points out that we often tolerate hateful and violent words by people in the media in our…

wow moment

Mentally running over my sermon ideas for the rest of the summer, I realized: I have three more Sundays at St. Paul's. Three. I'll be in the corner in a fetal position.

Sermon: Miniscule Muscle

"Miniscule Muscle" ( July 27, 2008 ) The coming of the kin-dom of God, in the world and in our own little microcosms of the church, is not a top-down power-grab, but the infectious grace of the powerless, unsuspected, small yet subversive yeast, mustard seeds, and people of God.  (Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52)

Just Say It.

If there's a pastor in town who doesn't have a funeral this week, I want to know who it is (because s/he must have some magic protection on the congregation, and I want it). It's a bad week, especially for unexpected deaths. Especially for young men. And the funeral director's own father, the former funeral…

Nope. I really can’t tell.

Please note: there is no way on God's green earth that linking to this site is in any way an endorsement. One of my friends told me about this site, and I spent a lot of time clicking through it. It's called "You've Been Left Behind," youvebeenleftbehind.com, and here's the thing: I can't tell if…

Title help!

Okay, this week's lectionary is all about the power of little things, the subversive might of potent mustard and hidden treasure, and yeast kneaded through unsuspecting dough. But I'm already having a hard time with the title. I can't get away from referneces that are either very Star Wars (and I don't need to continue…

When Hollywood Preaches

I made it through another tough morning-- I couldn't say the closing prayer at the end of my last Church Council meeting because I was getting choked up (over church council? yes, hush!). My sermon was okay. Not the best--I've certainly spoken more convincingly about the way of nonviolence before. Then, my husband and I…

Sermon: Grown Together

"Grown Together" ( July 20, 2008 ) Like wheat and weeds growing together in a field, our world is filled with good and bad. Jesus teaches not that we should resist or uproot the evil around us, but outshine it with love, patience, and hope. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

Virtually Sacred Time

I continue to ponder the nature of church, community, and technology, wondering how the tools around us can be used to build up the Body of Christ. This is largely speculative; I'm not looking for quick answers here, but for reflection. During last week's four-hour-lunch, one of the topics of conversation between Human Hankie (and…

The Sweet and the Bitter

Today the Northeast Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church affirmed the boundaries change that I had previously described (the one about which I was so upset). This means that by 2010, I will officially be a pastor in the New England Annual Conference, while many of my dear friends here in New York will…