The Sunday Sermon: A Home for the Innocents

A few weeks ago I saw the movie “Brooklyn”. It’s a charming story about an Irish girl who emigrates to the United States. There are some obvious parallels to my own story, and maybe that’s why I liked it so much, besides the fact that it’s a gentle story of love and loyalty, with subtle … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Our Queen, the God-Bearer

Today is Mary’s day — Mary the bold teenager, the peasant, the Virgin, the God-bearer. What delights me again and again about the Incarnation is that it is absolutely ridiculous, utterly absurd, and inevitably and undeniably human and fleshy and messy. It begins with the Annunciation, which is like the Queen of England arriving by … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Gun Violence and Human Beauty

Heidi Neumark is a Lutheran pastor and writer who says she loves Advent because it is a season that reflects how she feels much of the time. As we anticipate and reflect on the coming of Christ on so many levels — in the nativity, in our hearts, in a future completion of all creation … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Yearning for Jesus

 Every year I look forward to the Sundays in Advent when we are confronted by John the Baptist, the wild man of the New Testament. There’s something refreshingly unvarnished about John, with his camel-skin coat and his tent-revival preaching. Of all the Gospel writers, Luke tells us the most about John, filling in the miraculous … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Advent’s Fragile Flame

I invite you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in a room in your house at night. Do whatever you can to make it as dark as possible — shut the door, close the curtains tightly — and now light a match. Watch its flaring flame, its flickering dance along the walls, and its … READ MORE…

The Thanksgiving Sermon: Observe without ceasing

I was in high school when it was suggested that I should have my eyes tested for glasses. The doctor told me that I was near sighted. Not only that, I also have astigmatism. That means that things far away were not only blurry, there were two of them. So I got my first pair … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Showing Where We Belong

Let’s think about cats and cucumbers for a minute. A recent viral video is a compilation of clips, each showing a cat discovering a cucumber right behind it, obviously placed there by the person wielding the camera, and reacting in extreme fear: leaping up in the air, climbing the wall, or streaking away. It’s presented … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Looking with Faith

“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this is but the beginning of the birthpangs.” This week, once again, we might wish that we were only dealing with rumors of war. Instead, we have worldwide words and images and witness to senseless carnage. It is no rumor that on … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Finding Holiness

Good morning. Last week, we gathered to commemorate the saints who have gone before us and to celebrate the unsung saints still in our midst. Some of us brought fresh grief to the table, and others more seasoned sorrow. And I was left thinking about how both gentle and powerful, comforting and terrifying love can … READ MORE…