Beatitudes Blog
The Wonder of Unlikely Witnesses: Sermon on Acts 1:6-14
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy...
Ministry as a Layperson: A Confession and Reflection
The Call Around age 11, I heard the call. No burning bush spoke my name, and no seraphim in the sanctuary sang, “Holy, holy, holy.” Nor did a face appear with a booming voice surrounded by smoke like the Wizard of Oz. The call came through scattered experiences pulled...
Power to the Sheeple: Sermon on John 10:1-10 & RCL Readings
Nietzsche versus the Sheeple Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). My apologies: That Beatitude does not appear in the lectionary readings for today. On the other hand, it saturates today’s lectionary readings. Let us take...
The Authenticity of Birds (poem)
Birds do not deceive: They hungrily fly from limbs to feeders and back until, God- knows-why, they glide sunward and bank past trees to some interesting morsel or perch out of sight. Birds sing. Even hidden, they hide nothing except, perhaps, their death. No agendas....
When Jesus Paused to Change the World
Thoughts on how Jesus’ passion reveals God’s love.
Invisible No More: Sermon on John 4:5-42
Read John 4:5-42 Jesus Sees and Understands In the middle of an awkward conversation on a hot day by a well, Jesus said to his unnamed conversation partner, “You have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband” (John 4:18). He blew her cover. It...
I Am Nicodemus: Sermon on John 3:1-17 (18-21)
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him,...
Safe in the Hands of an Angry God: Reflection on Zephaniah 3:8-20
Therefore wait for me, says the Lord, for the day when I arise as a witness. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my passion all the earth shall be consumed. At...
Where a Lonely God Alights (poem)
Where a Lonely God Alights J. Marshall Jenkins Why was no one there when I came? Why did no one answer when I called? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? (Isaiah 50:2a) Those who grasp for things smirk and ask, “Where is God?”...
The Belonging Game: Sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people...
Salvation on the Shores of Chaos: Reflection on Exodus 14:10-15:1
As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the...
What Only a Broken Heart Can Know: Sermon on John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the...
As a psychotherapist and spiritual director, I bring well-honed insight and skill to these posts; yet, my vulnerability plays a more important part, for more than advice from experts, serious people of faith need resonance with fellow travelers.
In my writing and in your reading and comments, may we face our challenges in God’s compassionate presence rather than in a private dressing room where we try in vain to make ourselves presentable to God at an appointed meeting. God meets us where we are.
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