Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash This sermon was preached at the baptism of my granddaughter, Ellie Lynn Lacey on Sunday, June 18, 2023. As many of you know – because I have told you over and over again – today, we will be baptizing my granddaughter, Ellie Lynn. The only excuse I have to offer is the that I I am no different in this regard from any other grandfather. As Ogden Nash once observed, “When a grandparent enters... Read more
Ex Nihilo, the Western Facade of Washington National Cathedral, by Frederick Hart They retracted it but the fact that Johns Hopkins University defined women as “non-men” is appalling. NBC News reports: Johns Hopkins University removed an online glossary of LGBTQ terms and identities this week after its definition of the word “lesbian” used the term “non-men” to refer to women and some nonbinary people and fueled an online uproar. Screenshots of the glossary before it was taken down showed... Read more
connor-hall-r-HLeGnbY-8-unsplash-scaled.jpg In watching the church assist the poor, I have noticed that there is always a substantial number of people who surface, over and over again. Their circumstances never change. They seemingly make little or no progress in rebuilding their lives or in moving forward. This troubles me. It feels right and good to help people who are struggling to meet their basic needs. But when people become dependent upon that help and fail to make progress in transcending... Read more
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash Trinity Sunday. Every year the liturgical calendar gives preachers the opportunity to lose their congregations, bore them to death, and lead them into heresy, leaving them with the conviction that the whole thing is irrelevant to daily life. And that’s a bad thing. Because the God of Christianity is triune. How did the church arrive at that conclusion? Big picture: In one way the early church was thoroughly Jewish. The first Christians believed... Read more
Photo by Vusal Ibadzade on Unsplash Loneliness is the new enemy. Or so the latest surveys suggest. And life in community is the solution. In many ways this is no surprise. Modern American cities and suburbs are more about infrastructure than they are community. And rural America is rapidly evaporating. So, while there are exceptions, of course, we have been spiraling toward loneliness for a long time. And Covid accelerated the trend. The lack of information that we possessed made... Read more
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him… (Lk 24:30) I grew up a Methodist and when I felt called to ordained life, I inevitably started out as a Methodist. But six years in England and worshiping with Anglicans left me with a spiritual life squarely focused on receiving communion on a weekly basis. So, imagine my surprise... Read more
“I believe in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” (Nicene Creed) I cannot argue that I have suffered more loss than others. Yes, I have lost both of my parents, my brother, and some of my closest friends. I have been through unemployment – twice – and I have spent my fair share of time in the hospital. Enough of those trips involved broken bones that my brother, who was an orthopedic surgeon, once described me... Read more
Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash “We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” (Nicene Creed) When I was still a Methodist, I served a small church in rural, northeastern Ohio. One of my colleagues was a pastor who served a nearby church and appealing to the practice of the Methodist church she had an adult, male parishioner who asked to be immersed. She found a place to do that but as the day for the baptism drew... Read more
Photo by Shawn Pang on Unsplash On social media there are those who suggest that we replace foot washing with some other practice, maybe hand washing. The reason offered is that people are weirded out by foot washing or are unwilling to participate. But suggestions of this kind fail to grasp the logic of the ritual. By design, worship, sacred space, and liturgy – in all its forms – draws us into a liminal space and challenges our sensibilities. It... Read more
In a recent article, Anglican theologian, Ben Crosby says something I’ve said elsewhere about the decline of Mainline Protestantism. But – usefully – he does it by focusing on the answers to two critical questions. 1. Do we think that a relationship with Jesus is necessary to achieve certain goods (traditionally, salvation)? If the ‘relationship’ language concerns you, feel free to substitute ‘connected with’, ‘joined to’, or what have you. 2. Do we think that the church is... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In