Talk with the Preacher
“Those who wish to treat with charity that which must be treated with justice make a caricature of true loving action.” Archbishop Oscar Romero Read more
“Those who wish to treat with charity that which must be treated with justice make a caricature of true loving action.” Archbishop Oscar Romero Read more
Ahhhhh, the challenges and joys of following a dearly beloved pastor . . . even three pastorates later. One joy, I’ve found, is telling the stories again, stories that have become almost legendary in our community. Yesterday, on a Sunday when we were giving thanks together for the legacy of visionary leaders, I had the opportunity to tell again a story from Calvary’s history. Clarence Cranford shepherded the Calvary congregation through the rocky years of World War 2 and then... Read more
I comment relatively often on faith and film here on this blog (here and here, for example). In class today we discussed the fact that as preachers we cannot ignore the impact of modern media on the understanding our parishoners bring to the biblical narrative. By way of demonstrating liberties taken by filmmakers and the way those choices work themselves into our collective consciousness, our professor provided the following list: Things I Have Learned From Watching Movies If being chased... Read more
Exile. The word standing alone has rather somber connotations. In class today (Biblical Interpretation for Preaching to a New Generation . . . perhaps by the end of the class I will have some understanding of what exactly the title means . . .) we discussed in great length Walter Brueggemann’s masterful book Cadences of Home: Preaching Among Exiles. In it Bruggemann explores the metaphor of exile as one we might use with our congregations to help define mission, vision,... Read more
I’ve been trying to get him to start his own blog for some time. I know it’s true that my very good friend and colleague Jim Somerville is far too busy appearing on CNN and editing his sermons for publication to spend his time blogging, but, frankly, I’d like to have more opportunities to read what he thinks. And I think the rest of the world might like that opportunity, too. (Is the peer pressure working yet, Jim?)So, while I... Read more
I learned a little about the Blues while mindlessly surfing the Internet trying any tack remotely reasonable to put off even further my homework for class this week. I’m here reporting that I have been reasonably successful in putting off my hard work even further and I now share with you the fruits of, if I do say so myself, truly masterful procrastination. All I can say is, if this whole pastor thing doesn’t work out, “watch out music world!!!”... Read more
I’ve spent most of the day reading an assigned book for a class I’m taking next week: An Unexpected Journey by J. Philip Wogaman. I dearly wish I’d been assigned to read this book before I came to be a pastor in Washington, D.C. . . . but then again, maybe I would never have come if I had. We live in a city full of contention and division; that seems, somehow, to be the nature of politics. As Wogaman... Read more
. . . these were the words I heard furtively whispered over the telephone line about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 12. Another Washington political scandal on par with Watergate? Alas, no. Instead, they were the words of our friend and co-conspirator, Katie Harvey, who agreed (to her eternal credit, I assured her) to pick up from the home of another friend, care for and paper train Mark’s Christmas present for a whole 10 days before Christmas. It may not rank... Read more
Is the reason I seem to notice theological themes wherever I go just because I am very holy . . . or do you think it is just because I have to write a sermon every week? Not sure the exact reason, but it never fails . . . I can find some theological association in almost everything. Here’s one I noticed the other day.Turns out there is something deeply theological about the song: “Here Comes Santa Claus”. Did you... Read more
This Advent at Calvary we’ve been worshipping with the theme The Unexpected Season. Through four weeks of Advent we’ve explored Unexpected Paths, Unexpected Prophets, Unexpected People and this Sunday . . . Unexpected Promises. I came up with this theme together with my friend and colleague, Lia Scholl, and to be honest I didn’t know how it would turn out.Turns out this has been a season of unexpected blessing, framed by the invitation to look for God’s unexpected grace in... Read more
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