Sermon: Pick Your Parade

"Pick Your Parade" (March 28, 2010 - Palm Sunday) Understanding what Jesus did on Palm Sunday is in many ways the key to understanding Holy Week, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and most of the rest of what Jesus was about. No coincidental peasant outpouring of love and affection, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was a powerful…

Sermon: Poverty and Providence

"Poverty and Providence" (March 21, 2010) We recognize that when Jesus tells his disciples "you will always have the poor among you," he is not therefore giving them (and us) an excuse for not practicing justice and compassion. Rather, when read in conjunction with Deuteronomy 15, we see that the reminder of the poor in…

A year and then some

The one year anniversary of my miscarriage came and went, unnoticed by anyone. Including me. It was a Thursday, a week and a half ago. I was working. When I did realize it, three days later, I didn't even really feel badly about it. It's okay. Maybe even a good thing. But that doesn't make…

Sermon: Welcome Wagon, Welcome Mat

"Welcome Wagon, Welcome Mat" (March 14, 2010) As we hear the story of the "prodigal son" (or more accurately, perhaps, the prodigal parent), we might be tempted to hear a tale of easy forgiveness and cheap grace. But when we look at the details of the parable and consider it in the historical context of…

That’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion.

I've been pointed to a fantastic discussion on Newsweek's website about disbelieving clergy, and a corresponding study from Tufts University about clergy who have "lost faith in their tradition." Friend and fellow blogger Jeremy has a great exploration of this article in his blog post on the subject, playing on the questions of how clergy…

The Invention of Faith?

My husband and I recently watched the movie "The Invention of Lying," written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson (at Internet Movie Database). I'm surprised that I hadn't heard more about this film sooner; I thought it was one of the most interesting and though-provoking movies I've seen in a while. It starts…

Glenn Beck, why do you hate John Wesley?

... or churches with a history of opposing slavery? Yeah, what Jeremy said. That's what I think.

Sermon: God’s Way or No Way

"God's Way or No Way" (March 7, 2010) Lent is a call to repentance-- turning from our own way and following instead God's way in the world. One of the biggest ways we seem to get sidetracked is in our belief that we understand what justice should be. We'd rather believe that those who suffer…