Sermons
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A Message of Hope
What keeps you going when times are tough? Scholars believe that the Book of Revelation was most likely written by John of Patmos around 96 CE for a group of Jewish Christians who were being persecuted by the Roman Empire. These people had experienced the destruction of the temple, their spiritual home, the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, their physical home, and the deaths of an estimated one million people - including countless family and friends (which also happens to be the number of...
Previous Sermons
The Minefield of Mother’s Day
For many of us, today is a wonderful time to celebrate mothers with family gatherings… maybe brunch or a special dinner out. But, for some of us, it can also stir up some tender emotions. A few weeks ago, a congregant said to me, “I NEVER go to church on Mother’s...
Meeting God in the Garden
In any well-written story, there is a lot we can learn by paying attention to the beginning, the middle (or heart) of the story, and the end. Looking at the arc of Judeo-Christian scripture, our religious story, what do we see? Let’s start with today’s reading from...
“For Your Growth”
Bostonian Paul Valley’s great-grandparents emigrated to the United States from Poland around the time of the First World War. During World War II, Nazis and Soviets took turns invading Poland. As the war was finally ending, bloodshed exploded between Ukrainians and...
The Lord Has Need
The Lord has need. Last Sunday, we heard the story of Mary of Bethany, the attentive One, who recognized Jesus’ need, and lovingly anointed his body for the journey ahead, the journey to his death. The entry of Jesus riding on a colt into Jerusalem highlights the...
Embodied Love
It was supposed to have been a party, a dinner with family and closest friends to thank Jesus for having performed his most audacious miracle, to celebrate Lazarus being brought back to life. But, the very act that revealed the most compassionate, extraordinary power...
Embraced by Love
What a mess. A father who wants to please his sons, but seems to never have shared that he understands and appreciates who they are and what they do; two sons who don’t seem to treasure what they have; who are running their own agendas, more interested in what they...
Tending to Life
It would be easy for any of us to look at what is happening in Ukraine, with the climate, or our serious personal problems and feel hopeless. The story of the fig tree is a reminder that it is not too late. Yes, time may be short. Urgent action is needed. But, as long as we have life and breath we can change our ways. We can be like the gardener, in loving relationships that nurture life.
What Is Ours To Do?
Earlier in the week, I received a voicemail from a congregant in utter anguish, “How can we witness what is happening in Ukraine and NOT institute a no-fly zone?” Her anguish over the suffering of the Ukrainian people is something I feel; something we all feel. How do...
Remembering Who We Are
When we have undergone a lengthy hardship – perhaps a chronic illness, a depression that won’t lift, the loss of a precious loved one, or two years of a pandemic – do we still believe that we are beloved of God? Are we able to trust that God is with us through our difficult times, or do we forget who God is and who we are in relation to God, give into our fears and doubts, and behave in ways that may offer a short-term fix but can have lasting negative consequences? When we feel that we are alone – and can only count on ourselves – or look to someone other than God to fix our situations for us, rather than trust in and partner with God, where does that get us?
Get Ready
It can be so hard for us to face bad news; to get ready for difficult times ahead. More than once, after knocking on the door to make a first time visit to a new Hospice patient, I would be greeted by a family member who would say to me, “I’m so glad you’re here....
An Urgent Task
It seems so much easier to disengage or avoid those we disagree with… to even cancel them. How many in our society have written off those who are members of another political party? How many of us struggle to feel fully comfortable with those who have chosen a different vaccination status? How many of us are busy enough in our everyday lives that we find it easy, convenient, to avoid or ignore those with whom we disagree or those whom we feel do not like us?
A Time of Blessing, A Time of Woe
If you had to make a gut assessment about the state of the world, would you say this is a time of blessing or a time of woe? Writing in Friday’s CNN online, Stephen Collinson suggested that the “catalog of woes” America is facing: a nation exhausted by the pandemic,...