Bringing you some oldies but goodies …homilies that were written and delivered, but never actually made it onto the ol’ Patheos blog. This one was from July of 2021; as per the usual, if you want to catch the video, check out St. Paul San Rafael’s Facebook page! In today’s passages, we have a request for a human head on a serving platter, as well as a directive for a very important Old Testament prophet to leave and get the heck... Read more
I felt it rumbling around inside my belly again this week, the news of each day sparking flints of anger inside me. Continued atrocities in Ukraine, including hits on the southern region of Mykolaiv. One state’s rejection of 54 math books (namely for reasons of critical race theory). A celebrity pastor’s Easter post, as endorsed by an elite clothing line. These, of course, are acceptable forms of anger: I am allowed to get mad on behalf of other people. When... Read more
The homilies continue! As always, if you want to catch the video recording, head over to St. Paul San Rafael’s Facebook page. Otherwise, enter in …and enjoy! A couple of nights ago, I dug into the freezer for dinner: mozzarella sticks, courtesy of the Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle. Cauliflower gnocchi …courtesy of the Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle. A bagged salad, that somehow hadn’t yet gone bad …courtesy of the Trader Joe’s vegetable section. And apparently, today’s sermon is... Read more
It’s Holy Saturday! As we are on the cusp of Easter, I give you a sermon from a couple of months ago: because y’all, this is one is always true. You are beloved. Receive that. And keep that the main thing. (As per the usual, a video of the sermon can be found on the church’s Facebook page – look for the February 13th date). I work from home. My desk is up against a south-facing window, which looks into our backyard when... Read more
Today’s post is going to require a little bit of jazzy singing on your part …courtesy of Schoolhouse Rock. Don’t believe me? Just keep reading. As per the usual, head over to the church’s Facebook page to catch the video! When I was a high school English teacher, I made a big deal of conjunctions. Conjunctions, of course, are those words that serve to connect, “hooking up words and phrases and clauses,” as can be found in the rather snazzy... Read more
An Advent sermon in the middle of Holy Week? So it happens. I’ve got a whole bunch of past sermons to feature, so look for it in the days to come! To watch this sermon live, head over to the church’s Facebook page! Perhaps like you, we became Puzzle People soon after the pandemic began. Granted, we hadn’t exactly been Puzzle People before embarking on 250, 500, 750 and 1000-piece puzzles – and when I say “we” I mostly mean my husband,... Read more
Hi there! I trust you and yours had a splendid, restful time of Thanksgiving. Here’s another sermon, this one following the lectionary readings of Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, Psalm 93, Revelation 1:4b-8 and John 18:33-37, preached at St. Francis Episcopal Church in San Francisco. As I sat with the lectionary readings this last week, it’s like the different authors – Daniel, David and John, the beloved disciple – stood on the wildest, loudest, windiest of cliffs with a megaphone in their... Read more
Friends! It’s been awhile …but it’s good to be back with you, in this space again. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll post a string of recent sermons. This one stems from Hebrews 10:11-14 + 19-25, as was the lectionary passage last week. You can also watch the video on the St. Paul San Rafael Facebook page. Enjoy! — Good morning! It’s good to be with you, friends. For me, sermon prep often looks the same, every time I preach: First,... Read more
There’s a couple of sentences my friend Marlena has in her book, The Way Up is Down, that I can never seem to get out of my head: “And yet even the waiting room of my life remains God-haunted. Really, what I am is God-intoxicated, a staggering drunk.” I return to these sentences now because life itself feels like a perpetual waiting room. Our family lounges in the waiting room when it comes to our housing situation. I hang out... Read more
You know how when you get something new, learn something new or become something new, that new thing seems to show up everywhere you turn? Years ago, I bought a Volkswagen Jetta …and suddenly, it’s like I saw Jettas everywhere. And I didn’t just see the car, it’s like I felt a kinship with the driver of that car. Oh, you drive a Jetta? I drive a Jetta. Does your Jetta also smell like crayons? I get you, Jetta-driver. I get you.... Read more
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