Sermons

Sometimes, you just need to do it. Sometimes, in the midst of the uncertainty, the arguing, the fear—you just need to step into it. Into the uncertainty. Step in with the confidence that whatever transpires in the moments ahead… the extravagant welcome of the cosmos will draw you in. Hold you tight. So step into the Divine. God’s holy embrace. Sometimes, when I read the headlines, see a social media post, a hashtag, or get and email, I am jolted. All I can do is pause and wonder, “What does THAT mean?” And sometimes, there are just too many “What does THAT means?” in one week. A day. An hou...
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All of the talk about walls. Impenetrable boundaries. Places we cannot cross. Every time I hear the “build that wall,” I get an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of my stomach. Nowhere in today’s readings is the word “wall” mentioned. But there are questions. Lots and lots of questions. And really BIG questions. And… we are asking a lot of BIG QUESTIONS of our confirmation youth. This week I spent time preparing for the last three confirmation gatherings and our upcoming confirmation celebration on October 21. Earlier this year I sent out an “OMG!” packet, an “Oh My God!” faith packet of quest...
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For me, it is a pair of boots. Brown boots to be exact. Jedi boots. This week’s readings from Ephesians, the “put on the armor of God,” the “withstanding of evil,” the breastplate, the belt, helmet, and the shield, immediately drew me back to one of the most empowering experiences I have had in the life of the church: Dressing up for worship as a Jedi Knight. According to Wookieepedia (yes… that’s “Wookeepedia”), “Jedi Knights, like the Order they served, were guardians of peace and justice…” http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Knight In my last church, the Sunday closest to Halloween, ever...
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A flashback: I was 5 years old. It was the first day of kindergarten. My parents and I had practiced this – I was familiar with the bus route to and from school. There I sat. A little kid on a great big bus, coming home from school. I was prepared. I was ready for this. But… then… the bus turned here, and then there, onto roadways I did not expect. We were NOT on a direct route to my home. When I was finally dropped off at the house, after zig-zagging along back roads, my mom asked me how the first day of school went. My comment to her regarding the bus ride home was, “I looked out the window ...
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The past several months, you might have read information in the eNews and/or bulletin regarding the various ways in which you can get (and/or we can get) involved as a faith community in our local neighborhoods this summer. For example, the Fitchburg Library is offering free English lessons and free lunches to the kids each week. In addition, they are coordinating Community Nights from 5-7 pm each Tuesday at Leopold Park, one of the neighborhoods targeted by the city of Fitchburg’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative. During the announcements on Sundays, you might have heard me invite you into a ...
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