Early in my first pastorate I found myself leading a church in the process of redevelopment. Because we worked, essentially, in a construction zone, offices were here, there, and everywhere depending on what work was being done where in the building. The senior minister’s study at the time was far away from the other administrative offices, upstairs in a little side room off the sanctuary. Most days it was quiet and peaceful, but occasionally I felt a bit isolated, then... Read more
Matthew 5:1-12 If we were playing a game of word association and I said the word “saint,” what would be your immediate response? It doesn’t count if you say your own name…. Most of us would eventually call to mind Mother Teresa, of course. Known in the Catholic Church by her official title, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Mother Teresa was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. Her service to the church eventually led her to India, where she lived... Read more
Matthew 22:1-14 There are so many uncertainties in life, so very little we can ever know for sure. There is one thing, however, that I am convinced is a universal truth of human life: weird stuff happens at weddings. Because of my profession I have perhaps attended more weddings than the average person, and been in-the-know on many behind the scenes situations. My experience includes but is not limited to: too much hairspray causing a bridesmaid’s hair to catch on... Read more
Image: Courtney Pomeroy Poem: Jan Richardson Philippians 2:1-11 When I turned 40 I finished my doctorate and decided I was done with classrooms and textbooks and theology and biblical studies. You’re never really done with learning, though, so I thought that I should probably look for something new to learn, something totally foreign from everything I’d spent all my life studying. So I decided I would set out to obtain a license to operate a motorcycle. I called this a... Read more
Matthew 20:1-16 I believe that fifth grade was my favorite year of school ever. And that’s saying something, when you’re someone who basically went to school nonstop until age forty. I loved that particular year of school, though, because every single day for several months we spent an hour in the afternoon playing the game The Oregon Trail. I’ve learned that The Oregon Trail is now a computer game, but way back in the day, we played it old school. ... Read more
Today in worship we talked about forgiveness. Rev. Michael Livingston preached an amazing sermon on Jesus’ direction to forgive; you can watch the service here. Here’s the pastoral prayer: As we turn our minds and hearts now toward the work of response, we gather the courage to ask God for what God has asked of us: forgiveness. The work of reconciliation requires soft and open hearts, ready to give more than we thought we could and receive more than we... Read more
by Michael Livingston, Executive Minister God of wind and rain, sun and moon, peaks and valleys, frozen tundra and arid plains, God of all creation: Some of us are in Texas recovering from the worst storm the state has ever seen rain and rising waters flooded lives washed out fortunes futures great and meager; some of us are in Florida at this very moment huddling in homes in shelters fleeing in cars as a natural disaster aided by human... Read more
Matthew 18:15-20 Our world is literally swirling around us, and so many of us are preoccupied both with the daily rush of life and now our worries about friends and family in the path of hurricanes…and earthquakes…and fires…and deportation…and lost healthcare…and so many things. As we begin the sermon today, I want to ask you to join me in just a few moments of silence, time in which you can perhaps take a deep breath, still your rushing thoughts, and... Read more
Matthew 16:21-28 Whenever I read our gospel lesson from the sixteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel or even hear the words read as we did this morning, it always reminds me of an experience I had about ten years ago in a big, suburban grocery store. I was then the mother of a 13-year-old boy, so no matter how hard I tried, I could not keep enough food in my house, and we were out of milk…so I just thought I’d... Read more
In that moment I felt we stepped onto a small piece of ground that was shared, where each of us moved over to make room for the other and where we understood each other in ways that surprised both of us. And where I was jarred by, well, his humanity. His personhood. Read the full article about my conversation with a gun rights advocate at USA Today. Read more
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