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Telling Stories – The Spirit, the Gospel, and Moving On (Pentecost)
a Homily for The Day of Pentecost Text: Acts 2:1-21 Into the Unknown There are those moments when we read scripture that, if you’re anything like me, you are saying “Yeah…I’m not sure I would’ve done that.” Last week, we read about how Jesus left the disciples, disappearing behind a cloud. The disciples went back…
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Being Called Is Not Enough…to the church
A little while ago Deborah Bryan, a blogger friend who writes at The Monster in Your Closet invited contributions to a series she called “Oh, Yes I Did!” The series is an opportunity for people to tell a story of overcoming adversity, particularly when you’re told you can’t do it. You should read her own words on…
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How Pentecost reveals our Story
Preachers love the Day of Pentecost. There is so much to work with. The images are so vivid, more vivid in our imaginations than they could be in reality, I’m guessing. One of my favorite plays is Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which is rightly called a “tragicomedy”. When I read it, I hear these voices, playful and…
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Why we aren’t massacred
On the auspicious 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, in 2014 Beijing was silent. I was in elementary school at the time and entirely unaware of what was happening. My moral compass was guided by a narrative of “us” and “them”. Of a United States that loves freedom and a China that so clearly hates…
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A Prayer for all of us on this, the true Mother’s Day
On June 2nd, 142 years ago, Julia Ward Howe worked to move all Mothers in support of peace, and bring an end to the viciousness and evil of war. She wrote: Arise, then, women of this day ! Arise, all women who have hearts, Whether our baptism be of water or of tears ! Say firmly :…
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Stop Staring – How the disciples show us a life after Jesus
a Homily for Easter 7A Text: John 17:1-11 Being Left Behind It needs to be stated for the record that in our liturgical calendar, Jesus has already ascended. We celebrated the Ascension on Thursday night. So having Jesus talking about going away this morning is kind of weird. Especially since this is Jesus talking…
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We are the voices of many calling in the wilderness
Make straight the way for the Lord. Beginning with fireflies, whose light dances and shifts in the childhood remembrance of night, we are reminded again of the ongoing truth of light in darkness. Of the presence of Jesus and piercing of the oppressive veil darkness holds on us. In the midst of the dark night, not…
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Writing Visually
Very important heading here Several weeks ago, I spent several hours on the same piece. Not writing it. Not editing it. Posting it. Over and over. Some of it technical problems. Hitting the backspace key at the wrong moment, making the browser reload the last page, and losing all of my work. Formatting issues with…
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