poetry
poetic license all I wanted was some water when I stepped into the Spar a step up from the gas station convenience stores I know I walked past fresh produce and Irish baked goods a food counter and a coffee machine to be surprised by spring water that bore the
sermon
I’ve been back from Ireland for a week and it has taken me that long to get back in the rhythm of the life I know. I preached on Sunday but am just now posting my sermon; my newsletter for the week will follow shortly. I am starting a
sermon
Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday, which pretty much determines the passage for the day: Acts 2:1-21. What most people remember about the story is the gale-force winds and tongues of fire that defined the presence of the Holy Spirit, but the thing that always grabs me is that people understood
sermon
I was back in the pulpit this morning after having a week away to celebrate Ginger’s birthday with some dear friends. (I’m sort of blowing the intro to the sermon, but so be it.) The passage for today was John 17:1-11, which is part of Jesus’ prayer
sermon
One of the things about following the Revised Common Lectionary is that texts chosen weeks ago often find serendipitous connections with life events and issues in ways that would be difficult to plan if you were trying to. This is one of those weeks. The story of the stoning of
sermon
I am recuperating well from my surprise gallbladder attack and consequent removal, and am grateful to be able to preach at my church this morning. The passage is from John 21, where Jesus meets Peter on the beach. It is one of my favorite stories in scripture. ______________________ One of my
sermon
I was waiting to post my sermon until Sunday evening because it is tied to some big news. Yesterday I was called as the pastor of Mount Carmel Congregational Church in Hamden, Connecticut where I have been the Bridge Pastor for the last three months. We decided we liked each
sermon
After forty-seven days of Lent, I’ve been absent for a week. I needed the rest. I’ll pick back up with this week’s sermon where Jesus, Father Guido Sarducci, Garrison Keillor, Thomas, and Ted Lasso all manage to show up. The passage is John 20:19-30. Thanks for
lenten journal
By the time most of you read this it will be Easter, so here is my Easter sermon, which looks at Jesus’ encounter with Mary in the garden outside of the tomb where he had been buried. Happy Easter! ________________________ Years ago, Ginger and I were in Athens, Greece on Orthodox
lenten journal
cross purposes growing up they said nothing but the blood as though violence was some kind of necessity a cosmic payoff in a world where blame and shame are primary currency we’ve lived enough history to know that violence isn’t redemptive we’ve built whole worlds based on
lenten journal
just a thought after a supper that took a turn they didn’t understand and an arrest that left them lost we do well to remember not one of them said “I’ll see you Sunday” Peace, MIlton
lenten journal
I was rummaging around in The Hedgehog Review--mostly because I love hedgehogs and it's called The Hedgehog Review--and came across an article titled “The Living Faith of the Dead,” which was a book review and had nothing to do with hedgehogs. The site, by the way, is based